I don’t know about you, but nothing is more jarring to me than a slamming door. Unfortunately, some doors will slam no matter how careful you or your family are with them. I tried everything to fix a door in my house that wouldn’t stop slamming. Here are some of the options that worked.
The best way to stop a door from slamming is to wrap a rubber band around the handles. This creates a bumper that stops the door from slamming. Unlike other options, it allows you to close the door. This is an inexpensive option, but there is more you can do. Out of the 50 popular methods I researched, I narrowed it down to these 10 options.
Below, we’ll look at your options for preventing a door from slamming. There’s an option for every budget and skill level.
- Use Rubber Band Bumpers
- Use Felt Pads Around the Frame
- Try Anti-Slam Devices
- Use Pinch Guards
- Line with Weather and Foam Stripping
- Use a Doorstop
- Replace the Hinges
- Install a Door Closer
- Install a Door Bumper
- Educate Your Family
1. Use Rubber Band Bumpers
By far the easiest option for stopping your slamming door is rubber bands. Whether your door has weak hinges or there is an airflow problem, a rubber band won’t allow your door to slam closed.
Rubber bands are inexpensive and effective. Make sure you get one that’s long enough to wrap around the doorknobs on both sides of the door. Also, be sure to choose a rubber band that isn’t old and worn out.
Wrap the rubber band around one doorknob, then stretch it around to the other. The band itself creates small rubber bumpers on the latch. This means that no matter how hard the door slams, it isn’t going to make a sound.
This is also a great option because it still allows the door to close. You can still push the door shut completely when you want to.
2. Use Felt Pads Around the Frame
Felt pads are another inexpensive option. Usually, you’d purchase these felt pads to keep furniture from scraping wood floors. They can also make heavy furniture easier to move.
But the adhesive back makes them perfect for stopping your door from slamming. Stick these felt pads to your door’s frame. Make sure to use a few of them at different intervals to cover the entire frame.
You should also place a few of these over the strike plate. This ensures that the door won’t be able to slam loudly. Like with rubber bands, there’s a chance you already have these in your home. If not, you can get a lot of them for nearly nothing.
3. Try Anti-Slam Devices
There are a few different anti-slam devices on the market, and for good reason. When babyproofing a home, making sure the doors won’t’ slam shut on your child’s fingers is important. There are multiple types of products that work to keep doors from being able to slam completely closed.
A door cushion like this one stops the door from slamming. It stops the noise. Unfortunately, this won’t work if you want to close the door completely. After installation, the door won’t close unless you remove it.
Other anti-slam devices include hydraulic and pneumatic door closers. We’ll talk about those a little later on.
4. Use Pinch Guards
A pinch guard is a foam piece in the shape of a horseshoe. It wraps around your door to prevent it from slamming. While pinch guards are usually childproofing devices, they are simple and easy to use when you have doors that just won’t stop slamming.
Pinch guards like this one are inexpensive and effective. The foam is dense enough to stop the jarring sound of a slamming door. However, you can’t close the door completely unless you uninstall the guard.
The great part is that can also protect your kids and pets from getting their fingers or tails slammed in the door. This option isn’t for everyone, but they are simple and work well to stop slamming doors.
5. Line with Weather and Foam Stripping
Weather and foam stripping can eliminate a few of the problems that cause doors to slam. First, these measures can eliminate drafts that cause doors to suddenly slam shut. The weatherstripping helps to slow the door down and stops flow under or around the door.
But the best reason to use these to stop slamming doors is soundproofing. If you line the doorframe with foam stripping or weather strips, it will muffle any slamming sounds. Plus, you won’t be able to hear anything from inside the room.
Foam strips or weather strips are often adhesive. You only have to peel off the backing and they will stick to any surface. Thick foam strips work well, but they can also be made of rubber, neoprene, or other materials.
6. Use a Doorstop
A doorstop might seem like an obvious option, but it can work wonders in most door-slamming scenarios. Of course, it isn’t going to work when someone is slamming the door. The door stop does, however, keep the door from moving on its own.
Heavy drafts won’t be stopped this way. If your door has bent or damaged hinges, a doorstop can help keep it open.
You can find doorstops in wood, rubber, or other materials. Make sure to purchase the right size for your door. This may change depending on the size of the gap beneath your door. Still, they are inexpensive and work well in certain situations. You can often find them in packs of three or more, like these.
7. Replace the Hinges
Replacing the hinges on your door may sound overwhelming. However, it’s not actually hard! If you have a screwdriver and a stepladder, you can replace the hinges easily.
You don’t have to take the entire door down just to replace the hinges. With another set of a hands-on deck, you can replace one hinge at a time. Simply take one out at a time and replace it with the new hinge.
Make sure to measure the hinge that is already on your door. Buy the same size and type of hinge to make sure that the door will continue to work the same.
In just minutes, your door will be a little better at shutting quietly. Of course, this isn’t going to stop slamming caused by drafts. Your family will still be able to slam the doors shut. But it can help if the door refuses to stay open due to old hinges.
If you want to take it a step further, you can install self-closing hinges. These hinges do their best to prevent the door from slamming. Instead, they work to close the door softly, even when it’s slammed with force.
8. Install a Door Closer
Door closers can be a little on the expensive side, but they are a surefire way to make slamming a door impossible. A pneumatic door closer like this one is used for commercial settings. However, you can purchase and install one for your residential doors as well.
Closers are easy to install. Plus, most have adjustable pressure levels to keep you from slamming the door at all. If you have the opportunity to install a closer, it can be the most effective (and expensive) option.
9. Install a Door Bumper
Maybe you have the opposite problem. Maybe you need to stop your door from slamming open and damaging the wall behind it. There are bumpers specifically for this purpose. You often see them in commercial settings, but it’s easy to install them in your home as well.
A bumper can stop the heavy sound of a doorknob connecting with the wall. Additionally, they can prevent damage, including scuffs and holes. The door hits the bumper instead. Usually, this is made of heavy-duty rubber that softens the blow.
Door bumpers can also be installed on the floor, in the space where the door opens. These bumpers keep the door from fully connecting with the wall. There will probably still be sound involved when the door hits this barrier. However, it’s great for making sure your walls are safe without installing a wall bumper.
10. Educate Your Family
Of course, this option costs nothing. It’s also not always possible. If your doors aren’t damaged and your rooms aren’t drafty, slamming doors may be a human problem.
Try sitting down with your family and discussing the importance of closing doors quietly. For some families, this may be impossible. That’s fine! That’s where there are so many other options to help doors close quietly.
Final Verdict
There are so many ways you can stop your doors from slamming. Whether your door is slamming on its own or there is a human component, you have options. Keep your doors from damaging your walls, your peace, and your quiet with some of the solutions we’ve listed here.