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Need soft-close hinges for a bedroom door

My 27yo son has intellectual disability. As part of this, he constantly slams his bedroom door - to the point that it has broken. I need something that slows the next door down while it is being closed.

Trying to figure out whether soft close hinges will do this. My guess is that they will gently close the door without manual intervention. But that they will not prevent the door from being slammed. Do I have this right?

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Noyade

Morning @bennrick

I have a 27 year old autistic son who also slams doors and is a 'destroyer of taps' (over-tightens).

I just went with adhesive foam strips (Bunnings) on the door frame - certainly less noise. I think a self-closer, if forced, will be torn from the door.

Cheers.

JacobZ

Hi @bennrick,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Unfortunately, I am not aware of a soft close hinge that is compatible with a door. There are soft close hinges for cabinets, but unfortunately, they are not suitable for doors.

I'd suggest using a combination of @Noyade's suggestion of adhesive foam such as this Moroday Grey Econo Self Adhesive Weather Seal alongside a door closer such as this Lockwood 1022 Series Silver Hydraulic Door Closer.

The hydraulic door closer will create resistance preventing it from slamming easily, while the foam will deaden the impact if it does manage to get slammed.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

bennrick

Thanks @JacobZ and @Noyade for your suggestions.

I'm not sure that the foam would make much difference. When my son slams the door, the whole house shakes. There's also the question of whether the foam would stop the latch from engaging.

I have fitted hydraulic door closers to our eternal doors, and they work well. He accepts that the door will close by itself, and doesn't try to slam it. The resistance provided by the closer also acts as a disincentive. But those closers seem a bit over the top for an internal door.

I have also tried an anti-slamming product that is sold over the web (not sure if I am allowed to name it here). It sits inside the door or the frame, and is almost invisible. But it only engages once the door is almost completely shut.

@JacobZ - Can you recommend a plain internal door that is less likely to break from slamming? Something more solid than the standard ones. Standard dimensions - 2040 x 820.

MitchellMc

Hi @bennrick,

If the auto closers have worked well elsewhere, I see no reason why you couldn't use them on an internal door; they seem like a simple solution.

You might like to check out this discussion on How to create a soft close internal door. The Dream Baby Stop slam was recommended and worked well for @imcodebased. Obviously your situation is a little different to occasional slamming due to wind. Perhaps you might consider installing two of them. They'll need to be ordered through your nearest store's Special Orders desk.

Regarding more solid door options, I'd go with a solid-core door, which is far stronger than a hollow-core door. However, it is also much more weighty, and if you can't resolve the slamming, it might be even louder and more dangerous.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

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