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Swinging door help
Old 04-06-2014, 10:48 PM   #1
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Swinging door help

OK, late at night and DW is complaining to me.... so I need help from the engineers here...


We have a cat that has its bed in our bedroom... we used to leave the door opened a crack in case it needed to get out and do its business...

Well, that door had a bad squeak to it.... so I put some WD-40 on it and got rid of it... now the door will not stay opened a crack, but will swing wide open... DW hates it and wants it back to where it was...

I have cleaned out both hinges so there is no oil on them.... I have tried to use some flour to get more friction... I have sanded the insert to try and get friction.... nothing works...


SOOO, what can I do to prevent the door from swinging open... it is only out of balance a small bit or it would not have stayed prior to my oiling the hinges... I do NOT want to take the door off and try and move the hinge... I do not think that it would work anyhow....

Suggestions (besides kicking out the cat and closing the door )
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Old 04-06-2014, 11:02 PM   #2
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Remove the hinge pin and jam a toothpick into the hole while you're installing the door hinge pin. If it still swings, add more toothpicks. Or try a thicker lube (vaseline, bearing grease, crisco).
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Old 04-06-2014, 11:19 PM   #3
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Well, if it's a standard interior-door hinge pin, that you can get a replacement pin at Home Depot if you screw it up badly...

Take a hinge pin out, the middle one is a good candidate, lay it lengthwise along the wood grain on a piece of wood like a piece of 2 x 4, and whack the pin in the middle with a hammer to put a slight bend in it. Then re-install the pin. It may give enough stress/friction to do the job.
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Old 04-07-2014, 03:38 AM   #4
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You can get a hinge with a spring in it at the local big box for about $15. They are usually square cornered so you have to square up the corners where the hinge goes on the door jamb. You adjust the amount of tension on the spring to counter the the door movement. If necessary, you could use this and one of the suggestions above for precise placement.
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Old 04-07-2014, 03:57 AM   #5
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We just use a stuffed toy animal and lay it on the floor to hold the door open the amount we want it open. Works for us.
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Old 04-07-2014, 05:53 AM   #6
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We have one of these -
As Seen on TV 36" Twin Draft Door Guard, Pack of 2 - Walmart.com

Ours is similar, but held on with an elastic loop at the end. The friction is small enough that the cat can move the door enough to get in and out if the door is left open a little.
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Old 04-07-2014, 05:56 AM   #7
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We just put something on the floor behind the door to keep it where we want it.
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Old 04-07-2014, 08:31 AM   #8
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Cut pieces of thin cardboard from food boxes and place under the hinge at the wall side of hinge. Try one piece at a time and it will take some experimentation. Usually working from bottom hinge up works best. Has worked fine for me for years.
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Old 04-07-2014, 09:25 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Dash man View Post
We just use a stuffed toy animal and lay it on the floor to hold the door open the amount we want it open. Works for us.
Ditto - we use a stuffed Walrus toy going out to the garage and the spring hinges hold it closed against Wally's face. Feel a little bad when the door tries to slam as we bring in groceries.... The bedroom, however, we are high tech on - pull the door to the proper cat whiskers opening and stuff the heel end of one of these under the end of the door aligned with the door and cleaning portion against the carpet. Amazon.com - Slipper Genie Microfiber Cleaning Slippers, Pink -
We use the tan version for a bit of color harmony with our bdrm carpet.

Beats getting up and getting the doorman's uniform on to properly staff the entrance for someone who like to exercise her whims at odd hours.
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Old 04-07-2014, 10:43 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by Texas Proud View Post
OK, late at night and DW is complaining to me.... so I need help from the engineers here...

Suggestions (besides kicking out the cat and closing the door )
Well...if the toothpicks and cardboard don't work to silence the squeaking, there's always, you know, silencing the squawking.
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Old 04-07-2014, 11:20 AM   #11
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One at a time, take a hinge pin, lay it on a piece of steel (anvil) or the concrete garage floor, and put a very (VERY) slight bend in it. Offers just enough resistance to keep the door from swinging. Probably only have to do one or two of the pins.
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Old 04-07-2014, 01:57 PM   #12
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I have 2 cats who like to escape to my bedroom when the grands are here. The cat box is in my bathroom also. I put a cat door in my bedroom door so I could keep the bedroom door closed. When the grands were little they loved peeking in it and trying to fit through
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Old 04-07-2014, 03:05 PM   #13
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We just put something on the floor behind the door to keep it where we want it.

We are doing that now.... DW says it is not a solution....
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Old 04-07-2014, 03:08 PM   #14
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Well, if it's a standard interior-door hinge pin, that you can get a replacement pin at Home Depot if you screw it up badly...

Take a hinge pin out, the middle one is a good candidate, lay it lengthwise along the wood grain on a piece of wood like a piece of 2 x 4, and whack the pin in the middle with a hammer to put a slight bend in it. Then re-install the pin. It may give enough stress/friction to do the job.

Sounds like a solution that might work...

Not any room for toothpicks to go along with the pin...

Also, cardboard can help prevent it from closing... we have a problem with it opening... so, wrong direction....
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Old 04-07-2014, 03:12 PM   #15
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The best thing to do is fix the door by making the frame plumb and square. Not hard but may take a few tries using shims.

I put in 16 doors in our house and I have zero engineering or construction skills.
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Old 04-07-2014, 03:33 PM   #16
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Duct tape. The only known antidote for WD-40.

I never, ever spray WD-40 without a role of high quality duct tape in my other hand at the ready!

What were you thinking?
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Old 04-07-2014, 07:44 PM   #17
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Duct tape. The only known antidote for WD-40.

I never, ever spray WD-40 without a role of high quality duct tape in my other hand at the ready!

What were you thinking?

What WAS I thinking....
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Old 04-14-2014, 11:12 PM   #18
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Update in case anybody every reads this in the future... (yea, right)....


The bent hinge worked...
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Old 04-15-2014, 03:51 AM   #19
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Update in case anybody every reads this in the future... (yea, right)....


The bent hinge worked...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huston55 View Post
Well...if the toothpicks and cardboard don't work to silence the squeaking, there's always, you know, silencing the squawking.
Looks like you used a hammer.

Not even going to ask.
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