How To Stop A Door From Slamming

Is the constant slamming of doors in your house annoying you? Do you want to know what causes your doors to slam? Are you looking for tips to get rid of slamming doors? Well, you don’t have to look anywhere else as this article will provide you with incredible guidelines on how to stop a door from slamming that include both pricey and inexpensive, fast ways to eliminate door slamming.

Injury prevention should be your prime reason to learn how to stop a door from slamming, as many serious injuries related to fingers occur at a door’s hinge side. It has been found that the action of closing a door exerts a pressure of 80,000 lbs or 40 tons per square inch at a door’s hinge area [2]. Therefore, implementing one of these ideas will most definitely prevent an unnecessary injury. In 2016 the injuries caused by doors amounted to over 14,000 cases, out of which 9000 accidents took place at the homes of the victims. The Anti-Concurrent Cause or ACC provision paid over $6 million to compensate the new claims and had to also handle more than $13 million worth of ongoing claims for an added 40,000 injuries that year alone[3].

Expensive installations like door closers are more effective in preventing major accidents related to door slamming and getting rid of the slamming of doors altogether. However, the cheaper ways are also worth giving a try if you are on a budget. Plus, you can always opt for any of the aforementioned DIY installation options if you want to keep yourself engaged.

Why are doors slamming?

There is no need to be spooked if your door slams unexpectedly or frequently. There are some perfectly viable reasons for doors slamming, which include:

Force- Most often doors slam because excessive force is applied on the door. Angry or clumsy hands will tend to apply excessive force on the handle very easily, as the door is on its way to settle back into its frame. This is something common in almost every household, making neighbors aware of someone being upset inside the house.

Unequal Alignment- Overall door alignment and faulty door hinges can also cause a door to slam. If the hinges are not aligned flatly and evenly against the frame of the door, the door might keep swinging erratically. Make sure that the alignment of the hinges are maintained by using a screwdriver to tighten them. Again, improper balance while installing a door can cause slamming of doors. If necessary call in professionals to ensure that the door is perfectly vertical without any tilt.

Air Pressure- But a door can also slam without any application of force on it. This can happen due to air pressure. If a door remains closed, changes in the atmosphere surrounding it are high. In case the windows in the same room where the door is being closed, are already closed, the air inside the room will be unable to escape. This leads to high pressure area to build up inside the room, and low pressure area on the door’s other side, causing an imbalance in air pressure of stagnant and incoming air. It eventually leads to the door slamming.

Tips For How To Fix Slamming Doors

All of us know that prevention is better than cure,’ and that’s why the following guidelines on how to stop a door from slamming will prove helpful in preventing any untoward accident caused by door slamming.

Inspecting your door hinges is a must- First and foremost, examine the hinges on your door. As mentioned earlier, problem in alignment due to inappropriately mounted or worn out hinges can be a strong reason for your door to slam involuntarily. If you are examining without any assistance, make sure that a 90-degree-angle is created between the door and its frame. Next, place your leveling tool and find out if the door is in balance or not. If the reason is exhausted hinges, then you better have them replaced.

Doorstop is a good installation option– A low-tech and inexpensive way to avoid door slamming is by installing a doorstop right under your door. This will keep the door open every time you position the doorstop, which may prove beneficial if your house is frequented by gusty wind most of the time. There are several options in doorstops that you can choose from for complimenting the décor of your house.

Consider Using Pinch Guards– A pinch guard works to pinch a door frame or door’s either side, which makes it impossible for any door to shut completely (slam shut) on being closed. Using pinch guards will keep you from overall closing of door, but it is highly efficient in doing away with the noise and abruptness of any door slam. It proves more helpful if you have one or more babies at home because it will not allow the toddler or baby to slam any door shut causing injury to their fingers. Pinch guards are not only affordable but they are also available in packs.

The Pneumatic/ Hydraulic door closer fail-safe option– As a pricey option, installing pneumatic or hydraulic door closers also comes with unfailing assurance of doors not slamming shut. If the door slamming issue in your house is not persistent or major, you can opt out of using these door closers because it involves a small fortune.

A hydraulic door closer uses power your door with a fluid, which allows the door to seal tightly so that it doesn’t blow open. A pneumatic door closer functions similarly, except that it uses pressurized air instead of hydraulic fluid. Both these installations include remote control for door shutting and opening [1].

The Felt Pad Cushioning- In case you have a light-weight door you can try using felt pads as an alternative to the more expensive installations. A felt pad is applied typically to the underside of your room’s door so that your floor does not get roughened up and vice-versa. This additionally prevents the slamming of the door too frequently. The softness of the felt pads build a mushy barrier between the area of the frame-hinge and your door. The blow to the door is cushioned and the force of the slam is slowed down, ensuring better absorption of sound and preventing the slam.

Felt pads are available in self-stick form so that you don’t need to break a sweat to apply or reuse these pads. The longevity of adhesiveness of the felt pads lead to their overall longevity. Similar to pinch guards in function, felt pads also work to keep children safe when exposed to doors in your house. However, it is recommended that you apply multiple felt pads for better protection for babies, as well to overcome the door slamming situation in your house.

Opt for a Weather-Stripping Kit- Another affordable idea to avert slamming doors is a weather-stripping kit. It not only safeguards the door, offers soundproofing, but also seals up any gap that causes unrequired airflow. This installation works best on doors that are massive and heavy in size. Any homeowner can easily install this kit effortless and quickly without taking any professional assistance. First, you will need to clean the interior surface of your door’s frame. Next, you have to take measurement of the gap that lies between your door and this interior surface. After this, you will have to cut out a part of the weather-strip using the aforementioned measurement, and then stick that part properly along the frame of your door.

Start by cleaning the door frame’s interior surface and measuring its entire length. Then, cut a strip of appropriate length and glue it correctly. The kit comes with glue so you don’t have to buy glue separately.

Seal the Door- These days fabric tubes that look like rolled-up towels can be placed at the base of any door that slams. Apart from averting slamming of doors, these fabric tubes also called door seals, function to prevent drafts and cover gaps. Alternatively, you can opt to DIY these fabric tubes instead of placing orders online. And if you want to recycle old clothes at home, try placing large pieces of cloth or linen underneath the door to prevent door slam.

Bumper For Protection- A practical way to prevent any harm to the wall due to the doorknob hitting it at the time of door slamming, is installation of a bumper (self-adhesive). All you have to do is fix a bumper made from either foam, plastic, or rubber to the exact position where your knob comes in contact with the wall. You can get creative with the material or shape of the bumper you use if you want to DIY. In the market, such bumpers come in a set consisting of four pieces, and are quite cheap and can be easily installed.

Get hold of a rubber band- Yes! You heard that right! Rubber bands can prove helpful in preventing slamming of doors. Installing a rubber band to your door is not only simple, but also cost-effective and efficient in avoiding door slams. You need to simply open a door and place a rubber band along the handle of the door. Next, stretch the band both below and above the handle’s latch till such time it reaches the handle’s other side. The technique of wrapping the rubber band along the handle will build a bumper that will keep the frame and door from colliding.