Advice for replacing interior arched double doors

We have arched double doors separating two apartments in our brownstone that are not used for egress, mostly inactive except for occasional visits from neighbors. The doors are large, ~5′ wide x 8′ tall. They let a lot of sound pass between the apartments which several attempts to seal them with weather stripping hasn’t solved.

Does anyone have advice for replacing these? I feel like pre-hung doors with all the bells and whistles (center astragal, door sweep, etc.) will give us the best soundproofing but hard to find ornate ones at a reasonable price. Currently looking at http://vintagedoors.com and having a carpenter add custom casing similar to existing afterwards.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Doors](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:hxkR:doors.jpg.jpg)

jjnoonan

in General Discussion 6 years and 2 months ago

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jjnoonan | 6 years and 1 month ago

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Late to say thank you for everyone who replied! Will keep you posted on what we do.

JohnHancock | 6 years and 2 months ago

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Nothing these days will come close to the beauty and density of the wood in these old doors. I would leave them as is but put sheetrick on the hallway side of these doors with insulation in between . You can always revert back later and won’t run the risk of losing one of the most charming features of the house for a solution that probably won’t fix your problem. Damping the sound in the adjacent hallway will help a bit, perhaps a runner and a fabric wallhanging to muffle echoing sound.

Arkady | 6 years and 2 months ago

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Remember that, if they’re pocket doors, there’s an echo chamber on each side that you could fill with some [removable] insulation.

yudashasom | 6 years and 2 months ago

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On old door frames, there’s usually a cavity between the door jamb and the existing wall framing. If your doors are sealed well, I would look there. Pop off the mounding on one side, and stuff with Roxul.

I would also take resident2’s advice one step further. On the side where the jamb extends/doors are recessed, frame with 2×3’s, stuff more Roxul, add soundboard, spray foam the edges and finish with 2 sheets of 5/8’s sheetrock or Quietrock (if you have room). This should fit inside most jambs.

A combination of materials and air is what minimized noise travel.

Whatever you do, don’t remove the doors.

resident2 | 6 years and 2 months ago

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If you are replacing wood doors for wood doors; the sound is not going to be any different.
You say these doors are in a wall separating two apartments. I would just consider them permanently closed and install sheet-rock on both sides to cover the doors entirely. Maybe put some insulation in as well for good measure. And just consider them permanently closed until someone might want to restore to a whole floor condition in the future.