Soundproofing a Garage Door

[firesoul]

Hello. I have a soundproofing project I could use some advice for. I need to soundproof a garage door of a rental unit that was converted into a cottage. Since it's a rental, nothing harmful/permanent can be done to the original structure. I only have a few inches to work with. I know I can't achieve a perfect seal without attaching something directly to the door, but that's alright with me. The main sounds I want to muffle are traffic, the bass line from music, and people talking. I have a tight budget so I can't go all out. (cont)

[firesoul]

I feel like my best option is to purchase a couple 4 x 8 pieces of drywall and put it up against the garage door, which is essentially the size of the entire wall that faces the street. I've read that having some air space can be useful, so maybe I could purposely leave a gap between the garage door and the drywall. Is a small air gap a good idea? The building is fairly sturdy and I don't hear much when I'm in other rooms of the house, so I think soundproofing that wall is my only (or at least main) concern. (cont)

[firesoul]

From there, I'm not really sure what is best for my situation. I don't really feel like going the green glue route, especially since it requires doubling up on the drywall to achieve the "sandwich" effect, which uses up more space that I don't really have. I was thinking I could either purchase Quietrock (supposedly the equivalent of 8 pieces of standard drywall, acoustically speaking), or use regular drywall and staple some mass loaded vinyl onto it.  I already have heavier curtains hanging in front of the door, which helps a little. Do you think going either the Quietrock or standard drywall + MLV route is better? If neither are very good ideas, I'm of course open to hear suggestions. (cont)

[firesoul]

I'm not sure if it would be useful for me to use other materials in addition to drywall, such as eggcrate foam. Also, since I can't achieve a perfect seal, I still want to do my best. I'd like to use sealing tape all around the drywall to fix any sound leaks. I don't know which tape would be best though--maybe lead tape? Or is a foam seal better?

Lastly, I think there is a certain order to the materials I'm using that will be the most effective. I.e. right now I've got Outside-->Garage door-->Curtains. Depending on which setup is best, I would like to know which materials to put where.

Thank you very much in advance! I know I have a lot of questions, but I very much appreciate any help I can get. 

[Randy S]

Firesoul,

For this project it would best to contact me directly, this way we can discuss the principles and not make costly mistakes.

contact info below.