I dont know about sound reduction, but in our old home the doors were hollow, and we have solid in our new home. OMG, the solid are so much nicer! They are substantial and heavy...just a nicer product overall. In our old house, one of our doors sort of came apart at the top, it was ridiculous.

I would definitely get solid wood doors. Our builder got ours locally.

Nini804,

Do you not think those solid core doors have reduced the sound transfer between rooms? It makes sense to me that they would, but you have lived with both.

Carol

OP, We are going to get solid core doors for bedrooms, bathroom and our study with hallow ones for the closets, pantry etc.

Sound transfers through the air and doors need to get excited by sound waves to pass them on to the other side. Of course a higher mass will act as a bigger resistance to that than a lighter one.

One big problem with sound tightness is that if you have forced air heating, chances are that the doors are cut with an inch or more of a gap on the bottom for the return air. This will also transmit noise. So if you have a big gap, a massive door won't help with sound.

I've got 8ft tall 220lbs solid core doors with a 1/8" gap on the bottom and they help quite a bit with sound dampening.

I do think that this house is much quieter, but I am not sure it is due to the doors or the thicker walls and insulation in this house. Probably a bit of both. The biggest difference to me in the doors, though, is the weight. They just feel so hefty and nice.

akshars-I find that really hard to believe. We finished the basement in our home and used solid core while our upstairs main living area are all hollow core. Huge difference in quality (as Nini pointed out solid core look and feel so nice) and IMO YES difference in sound carrying for sure. We are planning on a build this fall/next spring and will be using solid core without a doubt. To each their own though - you have to decide what is most important to you and maybe you have a quieter household where it really doesn't matter much. I have 2 growing and very loud boys at home with a dh that works shift work and sound transfer does matter here! :)

Good luck!

Thanks everyone.

Nini804, I agree with you they do look nicer with solid core so we might go with solid core if the difference is not too high.

Jrdh, we will have forced heating and the doors will have a gap on the bottom so I think that's why he mentioned they will not help much with the sound.

Carol, I think the suggestion of solid for main doors and hollow for others is a good one and something we will look into.

Autumn.4, do you have forced heat in your basement or is it something else?

We are building a new home and just picked out our interior solid core Jeld Wen doors on Friday. We wanted a more solid feel to our doors and weren't too concerned about sound.

Yes we do have forced heat throughout the house.

Thanks LOTO. We will go and check the doors before we decide.

Thanks Autumn.4

akshara--mom

We are going with the Sante Fe line of Jeld Wen and I just checked their website and it does say the door does offer sound reduction...not a deciding factor for us though.
The Sante Fe has a slight change than what is shown on the website...the flat area where the door knob is drilled is slightly wider now.
We are able to get these pre-hung solid core from our local lumber yard for right at $100.00 each...we have 3 big box stores and this price easily beat all of them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jeld Wen

A solid core door (depending on it's thickness) will reduce sound transfer but there is a limit because a certain amount of sound will still pass through the undercut.

LOTO, Thanks for the details. 100 dollars per door is very reasonable and worth the upgrade.

Thanks Renovator8.

one of the contractors we are talking to said a lot of people choose solid thinking it helps with sound reduction but that is not true.

It all depends on the doors. In some comparisons, that's correct. (See below.) But the heavier doors certainly feel quieter. They convey a tactile impression that you're shutting out sounds when you close them. We're all very susceptible. And that 's enough for most people to satisfy themselves that it is quieter. For an upscale house, they're almost mandatory now.

I've had good experiences with Masonite Palazzo series of composite solid core doors.

The heavy doors require at least three sets of heavy duty hinges.

If sound blocking is a priority, check out STC-rated doors. These usually incorporate seals and gaskets on all sides. But there is no point in exceeding the STC ratings of your walls. And, as pointed out earlier, HVAC requirements often cancel the benefits.

Sound Transmission Class Guidance Source: Chapter 4
Supplement Noise Note Book US Department of Housing and Urban Development

Thanks worthy. We will keep this in mind when looking for doors.

We have jeldwen 8' tall doors. The salesperson said solid was $60 more than hollow per door. We went solid, but don't forget to do hollow for any pocket doors. Balancing them is mch easier.

Momto3kiddos, Thanks for the tip. we will have one pocket door and will keep this in mind.

You may wish to also look at MDF doors as they will be completely solid. If I am not mistaken what Jeldwen and Masonite solid core is not really solid core. The stiles and rails are definitely solid but the "raised panels" (actually moulded not truly raised) are actually still hollow (just filled with corrugated cardboard).

This post was edited by millworkman on Tue, Jun 4, 13 at 7:59

Thanks for the info milworkman. I will keep this in mind when we go check the doors.

If I am not mistaken what Jeldwen and Masonite solid core is not really solid core.

Hollow core is an option on a variety of Masonite door styles. But when they are specified as solid core, that's what they are. The material in the core varies as do the fire ratings.

Not when I sold them a few years ago they were called Solid Core but they really were semi-solid as the panels were hollow (cardboard filled). We ha a shop and cut into more than one. Fire rated definitely were definitely all solid however.

That's certainly misleading. I used the Safe 'n Sound option. Never cut into them, but they sure were heavy enough not to suspect any voids.

Masonite has undergone several ownership changes, mergers and a voluntary bankruptcy since 2001, perhaps affecting products and marketing at times.

Here's an STC comparison from the Masonite site. Keep in mind that, as noted, all tests are with the perimeters sealed.

This post was edited by worthy on Wed, Jun 5, 13 at 8:10

I agree Worthy, I was quite surprised to have found that out at the time. They do have cardboard inside but if you think about it even a 1 3/4" door the inside of the panel is only about an inch on thickness. If you tap on it it will sound somewhat hollow compared to the stiles and rails.

As a happy middle ground, look into foam core doors. These are essentially hollow doors that are injected with expanding resin. They're sturdier than hollow and lighter than solid. The only problem I've had is that the skins can be a little warped. Just pick over what's available and find the good ones in stock. They are much less expensive than solid core.

I wouldn't worry about sound transmission too much. Unless you seal the entire perimeter of the door the simple air gaps will transmit enough noise to moot the nominal STC differences in door construction types.

Thanks worthy and milworkman for the discussion. It was very informative.

littleman77, I have never heard about foam filled core door. I will look into it.

millworkman or anyone:

millwork, you've said above that doors you've worked with that are called Solid Core are really semi-solid as the panels are hollow (cardboard filled).

Is this an industry standard and hence true for all brands?

And, if the door is a flat door (no panels), then if it is labeled a solid core door, is it solid core for the whole door?

Thanks so much!

A solid core flush door is solid all the way through but it might have a MDF or lumber core with a veneer.

It's difficult to know how to respond to questions about doors without a description of what they are. They could be solid or veneer wood for a natural finish or MDF. They could be flush or paneled. They could be 1 3/8" or 1 3/4" or thicker.

The best value IMO is TruStile made in Colorado. Very nice doors and the web site is full of information and easy to use unlike JeldWen, Masonite or Simpson. The Door Design Tool is fantastic.

Here is a link that might be useful: TruStile doors

We used TruStile in our 10 yr old house. They really are good looking and extremely heavy. We had to use extra long screws in the hinges. They were also expensive.

I wanted to save money on a recent office remodel and used the safe and sound five panel Masonite. They are good looking too but definitely not as heavy. Rather flat looking. They look like all one piece if that makes sense. They were spray painted and almost look like metal.

I replaced the hollow core, 1980s, flat slab, oak veneer doors in my current house with solid MDF doors. I definitely noticed a reduction in noise.