John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

My door is a 1.75" solid wood with dummy knobs. The seals are closed cell foam weatherstripping on 3/4" thick by 1.5" wide cleats. I have been relying on suction from the exhaust fan to keep the door closed, but would like to improve the isolation by compressing the seals more. I've tried a door closer before and it didn't close the door completely. So I'm wondering if I could install a latch that closes inside. Something like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/National-Har ... 5ecodZc756
http://www.homedepot.com/p/National-Har ... /203359560

The problem I see with these is that I'll have to glue a piece of wood (3/4" thick or so) to the door and/or the cleat, before screwing the bolt and catch on. The cleat and the door are also at a 90-degree angle instead of 180 (flush), so it'll be tricky. Any tips or pics on how to install it, or should I use something else?

I have been relying on suction from the exhaust fan to keep the door closed, but would like to improve the isolation by compressing the seals more. I've tried a door closer before and it didn't close the door completely. So I'm wondering if I could install a latch that closes inside. Something like this:

That won't necessarily work the way you expect it to: over-compressing the seals can mean that they are no longer resilient, acting more like a solid than a rubber, and therefore losing their ability to seal well

Also, weatherstrip foam is not the right material for studio door seals. Normally they are made from EPDM or Neoprene, which have far better characteristics. I would hazard a guess and say that your current lack of isolation is due to using the wrong materials, rather than due to it not being compressed enough: automatic door closers should be able to provide plenty enough pressure for typical door seals.

I'd suggest you take a look at the acoustic seals section of the Zero International web site, to see what they have on offer. www.zerointernational.com

I would not put a latch on a studio door: the chances of someone getting locked in, or locked out, are just too great. Since the latch can only be operated from one side (you cannot have penetrations through a studio door), that means the door can only be opened from that side.... Not a safe situation. Imagine if you were inside your studio and suffered a disabling medical emergency...

- Stuart -