Why does my bedroom door slowly close from a wide open position?
May 29th, 2008 | by door |
Gene K asked:
The door is like most of the other doors in the house: wooden with what seems like a hollow core. The other doors we have all stay open when left alone. This one door will not stay in the open position; it slowly closes. Is there a simple fix that doesn’t require re-installing the door?
Oh, I forgot. We do have a doorstop, but I don’t think that’s an ideal solution for me. Our infant daughter tends to like to play with the doorstop, then gets frustrated when the door starts closing on her. I guess she gets that from me.
CRISTOBAL
The door is like most of the other doors in the house: wooden with what seems like a hollow core. The other doors we have all stay open when left alone. This one door will not stay in the open position; it slowly closes. Is there a simple fix that doesn’t require re-installing the door?
Oh, I forgot. We do have a doorstop, but I don’t think that’s an ideal solution for me. Our infant daughter tends to like to play with the doorstop, then gets frustrated when the door starts closing on her. I guess she gets that from me.
CRISTOBAL
6 Responses to “Why does my bedroom door slowly close from a wide open position?”
By jeristhin on Jun 1, 2008 | Reply
The door frame and door may have been installed at an angle or maybe the floor is not perfectly flat…I noticed that on some doors.
Perhaps you could wedge a wadded up piece of paper between the door and the door frame where the hinge is. Hope this helps.
By mushroom on Jun 2, 2008 | Reply
install adoor closer that stays open past 90 degress,they can be top mounted st your daugther can’t get to it, you can find them at home ddepote
By Info_Please on Jun 3, 2008 | Reply
Ideally you should either shift the bottom hinge out slightly or the top hinge in. You could try unscrewing the bottom hinge from the frame and putting a piece of cardboard under the half the hinge on the side of the hinge away from the way the door opens. then screw the hinge back down tight.This will shift the actual hinge forward and may help. If you see some improvement work on the top hinge but shim the other side.
one concern, it may make the door stick against the frame when you close it, if so you need to remove the shims.
This sort of thing is an art, so may take some playing.
By man_marathon on Jun 3, 2008 | Reply
not centered
By Bricky Local 9 PA on Jun 5, 2008 | Reply
put a level on the outside edge…if the top is out shim the bottom hinge , if the bottom is out shim the top hinge…
By cowboydoc on Jun 8, 2008 | Reply
That’s called a “ghost” in the door. Some older carpenters like me, put them in doors so people don’t have to close the doors by hand, especially the front door.
You have to be good and, the door will very slowly close, you have plenty of time to stop the door though.
You can prevent this by slightly unscrewing the top hinge and bottom hinge and, moving the top hinge in a little, take a wooden golf tee and tap it into to hole and drill a new hole just sightly further in, then reset the screw and replace it. This shouldn’t have been done on an inside door though.