How to Make Doors Close Quieter (10 Solutions)

A squeaky door or a door that slams can be a very irritating problem. We’re talking about waking sleeping children (or spouses) from naps or preventing sleep altogether.

Creaky, slamming doors are just plain annoying!

Fortunately, there are many ways to make doors close quieter, some of which you’ve probably never thought about before.

Some of these solutions are simple and can be done DIY style. From lubricating hardware to cushioning the space between the door and the frame, you can quickly turn that problem door into a quiet closing door.

10 Ways to Make a Door Close Quietly & Prevent Slamming

Before you can fix a noisy slamming door, you must determine the reasons that your door is not shutting quietly.

Squeaking and similar noises are usually caused by friction, whereas slamming noises occur when the door shuts too quickly and easily against the door frame.

Start by assessing the root cause of your noises, and then make your fixes from there.

Below are 10 interesting and effective ways to make almost any door close quietly, while also preventing slamming. Choose any and all methods that are right for you!

1. Lubricate the Hinges & Latches

If a squeaky hinge is your problem, lubrication on the hinges and latches are likely to quiet your door. You may need to apply lubrication on a regular basis, as friction can develop over time. Re-lubricating can prevent friction from becoming a problem.

Door Ease is a wax product that can be drawn onto your hinge pins. Door Ease functions like a crayon, but it creates no stain and no mess:

Graphite lube is an excellent lubricant for squeaky hardware such as hinges and handles.

Be careful when applying graphite: this product can stain!

Wash your hands after working with graphite, and take care to keep this lubricant away from parts of the door that are regularly touched. Avoid using this on white doors, use the Door Ease instead.

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#2. Realign the Hinges

Lubrication doesn’t always fix the problem, even if the door is squeaking. If lubrication doesn’t work, this could be because the hinges are under stress and need realignment.

Realigning the hinges is a relatively easy task.

1. Visually check the hinge barrel alignment. If they look offset, they are misaligned an
2. Knock the upper hinge pin out first and listen for squeaking. If it still squeaks, tap the pin back in partially.
3. Next, knock out the middle pin and listen for noise.
4. Repeat this process until you find the offending hinge. Lubricate the hinge holes with the graphite lube from above.
5. Then using a hammer or mallet, gently tap on the barrels to get them realigned.

You can see this process demonstrated in this video:

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#3. Install Door Bumpers

A slamming door is a problem that can easily be solved with the right cushion. There are many products on the market to stop your doors from slamming, including felt, rubber, and gel pads.

This product, Hush Bumps, is easy to apply without any tools. Simply apply the adhesive back to the jamb in a few well-chosen places. Look for spots where the door is closest to hitting the jamb when shut. The bumpers will provide the cushion upon closing.

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#4. Install Foam Seal Around the Door Jamb

Sometimes bumpers don’t really solve the problem. This could be because the door is still coming into contact with the jamb in unprotected areas.

If you’re finding that a few bumpers aren’t enough, go the extra mile and put a foam or rubber seal along the entire length of the jamb. The soundproofing effect is a nice bonus.

Duck heavy-duty weatherstripping is excellent at sealing doors and preventing drafts. Not only can weather stripping soundproof your doors and make them close more quietly, but it can also make your home more energy-efficient when they’re applied to exterior doors.

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#5. Soft Close Door Hinges

Sometimes people close their doors too hard, and that causes them to slam. You can prevent this from happening by installing Berlin Modisch Self Closing Hinges, which control the speed at which the door closes.

These products have spring-loaded hinges, with adjustable tension, so you can change how quickly a door will close. These hinges soft close doors automatically to prevent slamming.

If you do use soft closing door hinges to keep your door closed, buy a pair of hinges that comes with a rubber wedge door stopper (as featured below), or buy a rubber wedge door stopper separately. The stopper can prevent the door from closing if you’d like to leave it open.

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#6. Automatic Quiet Door Closer

You’ve seen these all over the place, usually in stores and offices. But there is no reason you can’t try one at home.

A door closer will work better with bigger, heavier solid wood or metal doors. The mechanism has a cylinder that compresses when the door is opened and actuates to automatically close the door. All you’ll hear is the gentle swish of the air cylinder as the door eases shut.

Lynn Harward makes several styles, in several colors like Dark Bronze, Brushed Aluminum, and Matte Black to look great alongside almost any door color.

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#7. Rubber Door Silencers (Metal Doors)

Slamming metal doors can easily be controlled with rubber door silencers. A door silencer is a rubber product that can be installed on a metal door frame, cushioning the blow of a slamming door.

To install you’ll need to drill holes in the door frame, then push and snap in place the rubber bumpers. Rockwood DuraFlex Silencers are a cheap and effective solution to cushioning metal doors while closing.

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#8. Silent Door Latch Covers

No matter how stealthy we try to be as parents, the door latch often gets us. The clicking of the latch could mean the difference between a sleeping child or rocking them back to sleep.

One simple, yet ingenious solution to this is a silent door latch cover. This item is a thick piece of cloth with a stretchy loop on each end. The loops slip over the doorknobs on each side, snugly covering the latch. The fabric simply prevents the latch from engaging and clicking.

This product is often seen as a baby-proofing product because it prevents children from closing themselves into their room.

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#9. Quiet Door Knob with Soft Close Door Hardware

SilentPac has engineered a line of soft close door hardware, with some innovative designs.

• Quiet Mortise Lock – This is a large door handle set with a cushioned latch bolt and lock body that muffles the noises made during operation. It opens at just 55 dB compared to 95 dB of standard mortise locks.
• Lever Dampening Disc – Door handles tend to snap back when released, this disc kills noise by slowing the return at a controlled speed.
• Quiet Pocket Door Pull – The mechanism in this door pull slows the release of the pull, eliminating metal on metal rattling.

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#10. Door Draft Stopper

Sometimes it’s not the door itself that’s noisy – it’s everything happening on the other side of the door. Noises on the other side of doorways can prevent people from sleeping comfortably, especially in a loud household with many people, or if you live in an apartment building.

The MAGZO Door Draft Stopper is a product that prevents drafts and winds from coming under the door and entering the home. It also provides some under-door sound insulation, if the door leads to a high-traffic area where a lot of loud noises are common. See the product below.

Conclusion

Most important of all is to remember that different door noises can be caused by different problems. Before you can make a door close silently, you must determine the source of the noise.

Notice the noises that the door makes, and under what circumstances. Squeaky hinges require different fixes than a slamming door. To get the most silent closing door you should utilize several of the DIY methods in this article.

The great thing about these fixes is the low cost. Invest in a few inexpensive products and you can make a big difference!

*Last updated 2024-10-21 at 10:29 / Product Links & Images from Amazon Product Advertising API