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Does anyone know of any anti-slam products for interior doors? We’re trying to quiet down the upstairs of our open-floorplan house. We’ll be replacing the hollow-core doors with more substantial foam (Premdor QuietDoor or similar), or solid wood doors, but our 5-year old can slam his door quite forcefully. Is there anything that can dampen or prevent door slamming? We’d like to do what we can while we work on the behavioral side of things….
Thanks.
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Replies
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Folks have been known to remove a hinge pin, flatten it a bit with a couple of hammer raps, and replace it to keep doors from closing on their own. Might also slow down Junior's slamming.
*Hollow steel door frames have small rubber pads that "pop" into holes in the steel door stop to keep doors quieter. Maybe some variation on this would work for you. Maybe foam weatherstripping on the stop.
*Tell him to knock it off
*Look for the little ball bearing door clasps that are used on some high end cabinetry. They can be inserted at the top of the door by drilling a small hole (1/4" I think) into the top of the door frame from above. There should be enough wood there, even on a hollow door. These things look like a recessed ball bearing in a cup and have a spring behind the ball. About 1/3 of the ball is exposed and runs against the top of the door frame. They may leave a mark over time. One kit I found came with a small metal plate to put on the door frame at the point of contact. This should avoid the marks.The nice thing about these is that the door closing is not hampered as it would with weather stripping or rubber pads. These things are meant to keep the door shut and add a little friction when opening. I used one on a door that had a self locking mechanism. I wanted the door to not be able to close on its own behind me, but still lock when actually pulled shut. The added friction did the trick.
*A little flat spot...on top of his little head should do the trick. Treat the problem, not the symptoms.
*Remove the door.
*Sounds like a case for a commerical closer with the backcheck turned up some. Add sex bolts and a backing plate and let him slam the thing
*Boarding school usually works. He's obviously too young to be exposed to sex bolts.
*I think he meant hex bolts--but if he meant sex bolts, I'd be interested in a source!
*Sex bolts are two part bolts. Each part has a head like a regular bolt (although usually round head one slotted, one smooth).The first part looks like a regular round head bolt the shaft of this would be considered the male part.The second part looks like a regular round head bolt except the shaft is a hollow tube threaded on the inside. Thus the female part (as we know all females are threaded on the inside.The way these go together can best be pictured if you just remember they're called sex bolts.
*I wouldn't worry about it. After 15 or 20 yrs. of door slamming Junior will leave of his own accord. Then, Viola'... silence will spread like a sheet of autumn-smooth water throughout the open floorplan of your home. And if you listen very carefully I'll bet you can barely hear that pair of grebes crossing bills and thinking about mating down by the woodstove right now.
*I'd be slamming some 5 year old butt with a paddle.
*I think Jim C. is really onto something here - Take the dang door off until his behavior improves. Simple, but effective.
*Since it is only a matter of time before he gets his fingers behind the slamming door at the latch side, or worse yet, the hinge side, I'd hold off on the solid core door.I installed a surface mount foot bolt as seen on patio doors on the hallway side.Then I set a small (1" square) block of 1/2" plywood on the floor with a hole to recieve the bolt. This also works over carpet. I also set another block at the full open position of the door.This allows me to lock the door open to prevent the slamming as well as closed to prevent unwanted acess. I also turned the existing lockset around so the child couldn't lock me out!
*Hey!!!!!
*I think Bill Curry's post about "a commerical closer with the backcheck turned up some" is the way to go. But your question reminds me of the back storm door at my parents cottage. There was a rubber ball about 1 1/2" in diameter that hung in the inside of the door on the latch side. It hung from about a 3" long metal piece secured so it could swing freely. When the door was about to slam, the centrifigal force caused the ball to swing out so it was between the door edge and the jamb. The door would bounce open once or twice before it "gently" closed.But I'm betting the kid would play with that, seeing how far he can bounce the door open.Rich Beckman
*My father always threatened to do this when I slammed a door. I valued the privacy of my room, behind closed door, so I learned.
*Horrible people, recommending that the child be counseled!The child is simply full of spirit...the slamming of the doors is his displaying his sense of self. Any attempt to change his wonderful enthusiasm for life could cause permanant psychological damage to his fragile ego.Society has failed this family. Shoddy construction most likely performed by a large multi-million dollar construction firm. It is obvious that big business is at fault here, and who backs big business?The Republicans.Call the ACLU and tell them of your plight. They'll step right in and launch a vociferous campaign against the people behind the subversive attempts to undermine your childs sense of self-worth.You need to act fast, though...politics are in a state of flux...Bush signed into legislation in Texas that supported construction such as you have in your house...I know that's true for a fact because somebody on the internet wrote that a friend's relative used to know somebody that saw someone say they heard about something like it on TV...It seems that the well-being of a whole generation of children may be at stake.Your luck may have been different had Gore gotten into office. He claimed that he lived in substandard housing overseas so that another young man from his hometown of Carthage would not have to do the same...a sensitive man such as he would have been able to sympathize with your situation.Your days are numbered...act fast.In the interim, you may want to try a few small cabinet door bumpers, or small felt pads, on the inside edge of the door stop. It may require a small adjustment to the strike plate.When all else fails, put 20 nickels in a jar every Sunday. He has to take a nickel out and give it back to you each time he slams the door. He pockets the remaining kitty each Saturday night. Bribery...it's the American way.Don't forget to send him to "time out."
*Mongo: A wonderful solution to the problem. But, if you can't control a kid at 5 years old, how can you control him at 10, 15, etc.I say forget the politically correct stuff and start working on his little bottom!
*...How can you control him at 10, 15, etc...?"It's called an orphanage.
*or Military Schools...
*The best way to teach is to treat your pupil as an equal. Then, at least, he will be as foolish as you.
*While I appreciate a lot of the efforts to make jokes, my question was about how to quiet down the upstairs, and dampen the sound of a hollow-core door. The constructive answers are welcomed, and I've seen a couple that we'll probably try.Our 5-year old gets plenty of love, support and discipline. He's also been diagnosed as autistic and has severe ADHD, and has to take medication daily to keep his outbursts in check. Perhaps I'm being a little thin-skinned on this, but unless you've spent the countless hours we have in trying to bring this boy to a point where he can have a relatively normal life, then please don't make cracks about how he'd behave better if we spanked him more.
*David, you are correct. You are being thin-skinned. If I had had any idea of the extant problems, I wouldn't have said what I did. That being said, I think that ADHD and Autism are severely over 'diagnosed' nowadays, and many normal youngsters are forced to live a life of medications by overbearing parents who cannot 'handle' normal childish exuberance. Parents who want a droid, a compliant possession and not a child. Parenthood to them, by and large, is not about the child, it is about the parent.I am not saying that is the case with you and your child. I just find it kinda coincidental that you have a child who is stricken with such a 'bad case' of overexuberance, and at the same time, the one complaint you voice here is that we are having too much fun, or that we are not thinking enough about you and your feelings in our answers.I know that I am coming off as an asshole here. That can't be helped. My apologies for that. I am just trying to say that for some reason I get the feeling that there is more to the story here than what is seen on the computer screen.
*Exuberance we can handle. Enthusiasm we encourage. Blind compliance and robotic obedience are not expected. We have a 5-year old boy, and we celebrate every good thing that comes along. That being said, we resisted any medication for close to 2 years before using that as an option. All we're looking for (house wise) is a way to minimize the effects of a noisy, open-floor plan house. The information about our son was clearly more than this forum is equipped to (politely) handle, and I should have left that out of the initial posting.
*It sounds like your son has good parents. You have my apologies for any unwarranted assumptions on my part.
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Does anyone know of any anti-slam products for interior doors? We're trying to quiet down the upstairs of our open-floorplan house. We'll be replacing the hollow-core doors with more substantial foam (Premdor QuietDoor or similar), or solid wood doors, but our 5-year old can slam his door quite forcefully. Is there anything that can dampen or prevent door slamming? We'd like to do what we can while we work on the behavioral side of things....
Thanks.
slamming doors - commercial door hardware
You can try an hydraulic door stopper, which can be used on wood or steel doors. Adjustments can be made to the piece to alter the speed of the closing door. You can also try adding weather stripping to the door jamb. This will not only solve the noise issue, but can save energy during winter.
Door
Thanks for offering suggestions without inserting a link to your business.
The thread is old though (you can find dates of posts on the top of the message).
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