Frequently Asked Questions

Soundproof doors are available from Genesis Acoustics. We manufacture single & double leaf doors.  The doors can be sold alone or bought as a complete set.  This what is offered with the doors: 

a) The door, pre-hung on the frame, with heavy duty stainless steel butt hinges.

b) The doors can be supplied ready to be painted or with a veneer finish.

c) The frames are made from solid Meranti

d) Push/pull handles

f) Heavy duty door closer

Lock

g) Acoustic seals on the frame

h) The doors are made to order, the lead time is about 15 working days.

a) Replace hollow core or paneled doors with a solid core door. Why? What stops sound waves is density & mass. Hollow core doors are light & therefore transmit sound well. Paneled doors vary in thickness, where they become thin acoustic isolation is compromised.

b) The gap between the door & the frame & the bottom of the door & the floor MUST be properly sealed. This is as important as the door itself. We offer two solutions, which can be used together. The Genesis Pro Acoustic Door seals can be used in conjunction with the Genesis Acoustic Door Cover to reduce sound transmission through and around the door. Apply an active door seal to the bottom of the door, which drops a seal onto the floor when the door closes. 

c) A keyhole will let more sound through the door than most will believe. Rather use a Yale type lock. 

d) For sensitive acoustic areas, fit a second door after the first - thus creating an airlock. The second door can either be fitted on the other side of the same door frame or a meter or so away - kind of like a wind lobby but to trap sound. 

The most common glass installed in homes & offices is 3mm thick Clearvue which has a poor STC rating of only 23. It is well worth the money spent to replace this with a glass providing better isolation. 10dB represents a doubling or halving of the sound, therefore a benefit of 10 - 15 db as shown below, is a significant improvement.

a)Most window frames can take either 6.38mm thick Intruderprufe (STC 33) or even better 8.76mm thick Soundprufe HPR (STC 38). The higher the STC rating the better!

b) The gap between the window & the frame MUST be properly sealed. This is as important as the glass itself. Apply Genesis gap sealer to the window frame.

c) If the window does not need to be opened, an even better result can be achieved by fitting a second pane of glass to the window sill & leaving an airspace of 12 - 100mm between the two panes. Some acoustic foam can be applied to the sill between the two frames for added benefit.

d) Follow this link for more comprehensive information on acoustics & glass. 

Is there a common ceiling cavity over the room/s you want to treat acoustically & the rooms around it? Much sound loss occurs through the ceiling making this an important area to get right. If it isn't treated correctly, sound will travel through the ceiling, into the ceiling cavity & then down into all the rooms sharing the same ceiling cavity. Many jobs are let down by poor or no acoustic insulation in the ceiling cavity. The hardware store grade thermal insulation is NOT intended for acoustic use. If it's pink or green forget it. Acoustic dampening & isolation requires just the right density & mass. Genesis acoustic cavity insulation gives outstanding performance across the frequency range as well as offering excellent thermal insulation. It is available in 120 x 60cm panels.

One must make sure when doing the installation that no gaps are left between the insulation. It is better that the insulation overlaps by a few centimeters on the edges & rises up against the walls/roofline.

If there is sufficient access to the ceiling cavity & it is high enough for workmen to get inside, then the brick wall or dry wall can be raised from ceiling to roof height. The wall should be sealed against the roof line with expanding foam. 

The same comments made above for the ceiling cavity apply here too. In addition, it is well advised when looking for maximum privacy or minimum sound transmission loss, to follow the below guidelines:

a) Install Genesis acoustic cavity insulation in the drywall cavity, thickness available 50 & 100mm. 

b) One of the biggest acoustic mistakes contractors make when installing drywall, is not sealing the drywall at the top, against the suspended ceiling, with a silicone sealer - this gap MUST be sealed.

We accept the following file formats: .pdf ; .eps ; .cdr ; .ai ; .psd

Please download our artwork specifications (445kb pdf) for more detailed information.

Basically you need to build a drywall to close off the doors. The drywall will consist of:

1) Studs, track & 12,5mm thick Rhino board available from your local timber merchant. Two layers on one side of the drywall & a single layer on the other, it doesn’t matter which side you place the double layer of board.

2) 50mm thick, Genesis 60D acoustic cavity insulation 

3) Isolator tape, fixed under the drywall track

4) Flexible Noise Barrier (FNB) – using this product on one side of your drywall only will double the sound isolation (10db).

5) Finish by skimming any joints/edges & sand down to ensure a smooth even surface, then prime & paint to finish. You can purchase these items at your local hardware.

This will be the most cost effective manner in which to do your project, with good soundproofing. There are no better options in my opinion.

1) Our acoustic panels are highly efficient (over 90% sound reduction) at absorbing resonance in a room. The greater the surface area of the wall that is covered with acoustic panels, the more sound reflection is dampened. Many standard sizes & finishes are available to achieve the desired result, both in terms of function & the aesthetic. How many panels should be hung will be determined to some degree by other fixtures like doors, windows, cabinets etc. For maxim benefit you should treat the wall from a height of about 80cm from the floor to about a 2m height. This is because this is the area of the wall which is closest to the level of your ear, whether you are in a seated or standing position. Thus acoustic panels hung in this area of the wall will have the greatest influence on the sound that arrives at the ears of those present in the room. The panels can be staggered with spaces in between & do not have to butt up against each other.

2) A common problem in the soundproofing of a room is sound transmission through the door or around the door through the gaps between the door & frame and under the bottom of the door. Our door sealer kit seals all four edges of the door, even the bottom.

The door types are ranked in order of least sound isolation to most: 

2.1) Hollow core wooden door

2.2) Solid wooden door with decorative panels – these cause the thickness of the door to vary, which compromises sound isolation

2.3) Solid wooden door – this is a dish best served with no panels, no keyhole and with Genesis pro acoustic seals

2.4) Genesis soundproof doors – we manufacture our own doors with the express purpose of achieving maximum sound isolation, using the very best materials commercially available, in terms of function & finish. They are sold complete with the door, frame & all hardware pre-installed at our factory. Genesis soundproof doors are for the person/company who wants to achieve the best possible result.