The rise of hybrid and remote working means the home office is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. But the classic problem remains: how do you stop the sound of everyday home life—children playing, washing machines running, or even just a partner on a phone call—from invading your video meetings?
The answer often starts with the door. While installing sound-dampening insulation in walls is a massive job, upgrading your internal doors is a relatively straightforward fix that can dramatically improve the acoustic quality of your workspace. Specifically, you need to consider a solid core door installation.
Why a solid core door?
Many standard internal doors are ‘hollow core’—they consist of a thin frame with cardboard webbing inside, covered by a thin veneer. This construction offers zero acoustic protection. Sound waves pass right through them.
A solid core door, by contrast, is dense. The internal structure is made of compressed wood fibre, engineered timber, or particleboard, making it heavy and thick. This density is the key to achieving real soundproofing.
Features of a solid core door
When talking to your carpenter about an upgrade, here are the key characteristics that define a door suitable for a professional workspace:
| Feature | Why It Matters for a Home Office |
| Solid Core | Provides the necessary mass and density for effective sound dampening. |
| Thickness | Typically 44mm or thicker. The thicker the door, the better the sound insulation. |
| Weight | Heavy interior doors are a good indicator of sound-blocking material density. They feel substantial. |
| Acoustic Rating (dB) | Look for a door with a tested decibel reduction rating (e.g., 29dB or higher). |
| Tight Frame Fit | Even a great door is useless with large gaps. Professional installation is essential to ensure minimal air gaps. |
Understanding the installation
Installing a solid core door is not a simple swap. Because of the density, weight, and the need for tight sealing, this is a job best left to an experienced carpenter.
- Reinforcement: Your existing door frame (or jamb) may need reinforcement to handle the weight of the heavy interior doors and prevent warping over time.
- Hinge Upgrade: Standard hinges designed for a lightweight hollow door are insufficient. Your carpenter will install three (or more) heavy-duty hinges to support the door’s mass and ensure it hangs straight.
- Acoustic Seals: This is the game-changer. For a truly soundproofed internal door, you need seals.
- Perimeter Seals: Flexible rubber or foam strips are fitted around the sides and top of the frame, compressing when the door is closed to eliminate small air gaps.
- Drop-Down Seal: An automatic seal is fitted to the bottom of the door. When closed, a plunger mechanism drops a rubber gasket down to seal the gap between the door bottom and the floor. This eliminates the largest source of noise leakage.
Internal door cost and value
This type of door is, understandably, more expensive than a regular internal door, but the return on investment in terms of comfort and productivity is immense. The price covers:
When researching, remember that a quick, cheap installation will likely miss the crucial sealing steps, negating the benefit of the expensive door. Always prioritise a tradesperson who lists experience with acoustic or fire doors.
Why professional installation is non-negotiable
A gap of just a few millimetres under a door can compromise acoustic reduction by up to 50%. This illustrates why you should hire a professional carpenter for the job.
A qualified professional will:
- Handle the weight safely: Solid core doors are extremely heavy and awkward to manoeuvre.
- Ensure a perfect margin: They will plane the door to ensure the exact, required margin is left for the acoustic seals to work correctly.
- Install the seals correctly: They have the expertise to route the frame or the door edge for the seals and install the complex bottom drop-down seal correctly.
Investing in a professionally installed, solid core door is the most effective and least disruptive way to reclaim peace and quiet in your home office, turning a noisy spare room into a truly professional workspace.
With Rated People, you have the power to get it done. Find a trusted, local tradesperson today.
