Doorstop
Encyclopedia
A doorstop is an object or device used to hold a door
open or closed, or to prevent a door from opening too widely. Alternatively, a doorstop can be a thin slat built inside a door frame to prevent a door from swinging through when closed.
, placed in the path of the door. These stops are predominantly improvised. Historically, lead
bricks have been popular choices when available. However, as the toxic nature of lead has been revealed, this use has been strongly discouraged.
Another method is to use a door stop which is a small wedge
of wood
, rubber
, plastic
, cotton
or another material. Manufactured wedges of these materials are commonly available. The wedge is kicked into position and the downward force of the door, now jammed upwards onto the doorstop, provides enough static friction to keep it motionless.
A third strategy is to equip the door itself with a stopping mechanism. In this case, a short metal bar capped with rubber, or another high friction material, is attached to a hinge
near the bottom of the door opposite the door hinge and on the side of the door which is in the direction that it closes. When the door is to be kept open, the bar is swung down so that the rubber end touches the floor. In this configuration, further movement of the door towards being closed increases the force on the rubber end, thereby increasing the frictional force which opposes the movement. When the door is to be closed, the stop is released by pushing the door slightly more open which releases the stop and allows it to be flipped upwards. A newer version of equipping the door with the stopping mechanism is to attach a magnet to the bottom of the door on the side which opens outward which then latches onto another magnet or magnetic material on the wall or a small hub on the floor. The magnet must be strong enough to hold the weight of the door, but weak enough to be easily detached from the wall or hub.
On occasion, stops are used that are fitted at the midpoint of the door, as part of the central door-hinge. Such a stop is known as a "hinge stop".
Door
A door is a movable structure used to open and close off an entrance, typically consisting of a panel that swings on hinges or that slides or rotates inside of a space....
open or closed, or to prevent a door from opening too widely. Alternatively, a doorstop can be a thin slat built inside a door frame to prevent a door from swinging through when closed.
Holding doors open
A door may be opened by a door stop which is simply a heavy solid object, such as a rubberRubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
, placed in the path of the door. These stops are predominantly improvised. Historically, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
bricks have been popular choices when available. However, as the toxic nature of lead has been revealed, this use has been strongly discouraged.
Another method is to use a door stop which is a small wedge
Wedge (mechanics)
A wedge is a triangular shaped round tool, a compound and portable inclined plane, and one of the six classical simple machines. It can be used to separate two objects or portions of an object, lift an object, or hold an object in place. It functions by converting a force applied to its blunt end...
of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
, plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
or another material. Manufactured wedges of these materials are commonly available. The wedge is kicked into position and the downward force of the door, now jammed upwards onto the doorstop, provides enough static friction to keep it motionless.
A third strategy is to equip the door itself with a stopping mechanism. In this case, a short metal bar capped with rubber, or another high friction material, is attached to a hinge
Hinge
A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation. Hinges may be made of flexible material or of moving components...
near the bottom of the door opposite the door hinge and on the side of the door which is in the direction that it closes. When the door is to be kept open, the bar is swung down so that the rubber end touches the floor. In this configuration, further movement of the door towards being closed increases the force on the rubber end, thereby increasing the frictional force which opposes the movement. When the door is to be closed, the stop is released by pushing the door slightly more open which releases the stop and allows it to be flipped upwards. A newer version of equipping the door with the stopping mechanism is to attach a magnet to the bottom of the door on the side which opens outward which then latches onto another magnet or magnetic material on the wall or a small hub on the floor. The magnet must be strong enough to hold the weight of the door, but weak enough to be easily detached from the wall or hub.
Preventing damage by doors
Another type of door stop is used to prevent doors from opening too far and damaging nearby walls. In this case a rubber cylinder or dome, or a rod or block of rubber-tipped metal, wood or plastic, is screwed into the wall or the floor in the path of the door. If it is attached to the wall it may be either a few inches above the ground, or at such a height as to meet the doorknob. A short wall-attached doorstop, usually a rubber dome or cylinder, is sometimes called a wall bumper.On occasion, stops are used that are fitted at the midpoint of the door, as part of the central door-hinge. Such a stop is known as a "hinge stop".