How to Stop a Door From Slamming
Are you getting tired of being woken up by the loud sudden bang of the closing door?
Or you are just annoyed when you are walking into a room and door behind you slam so hard they make you jump?
If you are like me, you are definitely not enjoying those moments, and you are looking for anything you can do so you can stop it.
As I have had the same problems with several doors in my apartment, I will offer you solutions I used to fix the problem, and never experienced the same situations in my apartment again.
Discover why Does your Door Slam Shut
First, if you want to find a solution to a problem, you need to be sure you know the right source of the problem.
When it comes to door slamming, the most obvious reason is someone from your household just simply doesn’t know how to handle that heavy door and uses too much force when closing it.
In that case, talk to your family members and explain why is it important not to slam the door.
However, there might be a problem if the door slam shuts even when there is no use of excessive force.
Then, there might be two possible problems, the first being:
Air flow
When there is an outside door or a window open, whether it be in a room, or somewhere else in the house, the change of the air pressure happens.
Air will move from a higher pressure area (that is inside your home) to a lower pressure area (that is outside your home).
The difference of the pressure will then cause strong air movement and it slam the door.
If there is wind outside, it will get even worse.
Door Out of Plumb
If it happens that the door opens and closes with no one around and without the air current pushing it and pulling it, most likely it’s been installed irregularly.
In other words, door is not perfectly vertical.
If it is a heavy door with a solid core, the problem can be even bigger.
Unevenness will create a swing because of its weight, which can cause the door to slam shut.
how to stop a door from slamming
What You'll Be Needing:
Air Flow - Close the Windows
So logically, to stop the doors from banging you need to stop the above-mentioned things from happening.
Whenever you go for a nap or even a full sleep, don’t forget to close the window and/or the outside door.
This way you prevent the air moving and thus stopping the door from slamming.
Even if you don’t necessarily sleep, but just sit and have a coffee in the room with open windows, you might want to consider stopping.
It is not a hundred percent healthy to be in the way of the air current as it may cause a stiff neck and other problems.
However, if you really do need to refresh the air in the room, warn everyone who is entering the room to be careful when closing the door.
Door Out of Plumb - Repair the Door
When it comes to the second cause why doors slam shut, here are a couple of ideas what can you do to stop it from happening:
Inspect the hinges
Old door hinges that have been improperly installed may cause an imbalance of the door, which can lead to door slamming on its own.
How can you fix that?
First, open the door to a 90-degree angle.
Then set a level on the latch and check whether the door is out of plumb.
Even if it isn’t, you can tighten the hinge screws and it might fix the problem, but if the hinges appear worn out, you might need to replace them.
It is not expensive, and even if you want to do it alone, it is not hard to do it. There are a lot of tutorials online that can help you out.
But if the slamming doesn’t stop, there is more than one thing you can install on your door to finally end it.
Some are the things you can buy, but there are also some you can do yourself, and I will cover several of both groups.
Install an automatic hydraulic door closer
The first one is probably the most famous solution to door slamming.
The automatic hydraulic door closer is something you can see in most of the stores, office entry doors and a lot of other places.
So why not install them on the door that gives you so many troubles?
Personally, I thought these door closers are way too expensive and not so affordable for everyone.
Never have I been so wrong!
I once stumbled upon a package that cost only around 25 bucks, and it came with all the necessary equipment to install it – and it was made of aluminum, which is much better than their plastic counterpart.
You can find a lot of videos online on how to install it, and they are very convenient.
They also have features to adjust the speed of the whole sweep motion, as well as the speed of closing of the last 10 degrees.
Put finger pinch guard
This one is also a very convenient way to prevent your doors from slamming, but also like the name says, to prevent the fingers pinching by the door.
How it actually works is it creates around an inch to an inch and a half-space between the door and the doorframe.
When you start to close the door, its soft structure will bang the frame first and it will absorb the force at the impact and it won’t allow the door to hit the frame.
It doesn’t actually allow the door to be closed, but it is one of the most effective and definitely cheapest solution for door slamming.
You can buy it for a ridiculously cheap price, where you get 4 guards in a pack, and you can place them along with one or two doors.
They also come in various colors and designs, and with their “C” letter shape are easily placed on any door.
Also, as it is very simple designed, you can make it yourself.
Just use some of the old foam toys from your kids, cut it into the C shape and voila!
There you have it.
Stick a doorstopper underneath the door
Definitely, the cheapest, and kind of old-school solutions to prevent door slamming is, well, putting something beneath the door.
In comes the doorstopper.
With it, like with the finger pinch guard, the door will always stay open while the doorstopper is in position, but if you have a door that frequently slams shut, it will be a handy and easy solution.
It also comes in multiple designs and colors, and it can match the decoration in your room
Stick gel bumpers on the doorframe/door
The gel bumper sticker may look like they are made of rubber, but that's not actually correct.
They are made of specialized polymer gel, which works wonders to the reduction of vibration and sound.
It seems like it absorbs the force on the impact and makes loud bang so quiet, even though it is only 5mm thick.
They are usually transparent so they are completely low profile when put on the door or doorframe.
All you have to do is peel them and stick them where you want them to stay, and they will stay.
Use a door silencer cushion
The door silencer cushion is a simple invention that muffles the slamming, rattling or even the closing of a door.
You just gotta hook it to both door knobs and viola, you have a a door silencer!
It allows you to open and close an interior door silently and prevents toddlers from being locked in a room.
It also eliminates the need to turn a door knob. Simple and efficient!
Final word: how to keep a door from slamming
I have personally tried all of the mentioned solutions and all of them work.
However, in time, some of them just stop being so interesting or just lose their functionality so you need to replace them (except the automatic hydraulic door closer, that thing is still up there).
I recommend you try all of them and see what works best for you.
You might also like: How to Soundproof a Door
How to Stop a Door From Slamming
Instructions
- Close the Windows
- Inspect the Hinges
- Install an automatic hydraulic door closer
- Put finger pinch guard
- Stick a doorstopper underneath the door
- Stick gel bumpers on the doorframe/door
- Use a door silencer cushion