More fun ways to keep those doors open
Entry doors are often self-closing, but at times we need more than a moment to get through. There might be days when you are carrying a briefcase and several bags of groceries. Maybe you have even been to Costco and are unloading an SUV full of paper towels and dog food. Unless you have a butler to greet you and make sure your entrance is unfettered, you may need some sort of device to keep the door open.
Doors that are not self-closing can still be a problem. French doors leading onto a patio or deck seem prone to being slammed shut by even the slightest breeze. With all that banging, how are you supposed to relax and enjoy the great outdoors? And what if you are delivering a tray of cold beverages to your guests when the wind kicks up?
To keep a door open, you can use a brass hook and eye at floor level (some have a rubber bumper), but after a while you will learn that it is not exactly convenient to bend down and attach the hook, especially if you are coming in from Costco.
All this crouching will help you appreciate the simple effectiveness of a good old-fashioned door stop. (People who don’t like bending over might push it into place with their foot.)
For starters, there are those small rubber wedges that you buy at the hardware store. They come in brown, white, gray, and even clear. They are certainly inexpensive and do the trick. But don’t you deserve better than that?
After you bring a really cool rock back from the beach to use as a door stop, it will scratch your wood floor even though it looked quite smooth. And then it will mysteriously disappear after a visit from your mother-in-law, who found the stone far too rustic. In her house a brick covered with floral needlepoint would be more appropriate.
Finally, you will realize that you need to go online and find a charming door stop that reflects your taste and does the job. It should be nice and heavy so that it stays where you put it, no matter what the door wants to do. Metal has plenty of heft -- we all know that. For a metal door stop, it is best when there is felt padding attached to the bottom to protect your floor and to make for easy sliding.
But the best part about metal as a material for door stops is that it can be cast into adorable little animals. They can be more modern in style, such as shiny cast aluminum [add link to Cast Aluminum Cat and Dog Door Stops], but often they are cast iron and have a vintage look [add link for for Vintage Door Stops]. Dogs, cats, and rabbits are popular as shapes for decorative door stops.
You may never have wanted a mouse in the house, but a small one working hard to keep you safe from a slamming door is pretty darn cute. [add link to Cast Iron Mouse Decorative Door Stops] And who wouldn’t smile when seeing a cast-iron fish right there on the floor, curling itself to hold the door open? [add link to Fish Door Stop]
Amazingly enough, many attractive decorative door stops cost little more than those basic rubber wedges. Your home will look so pulled-together, it might even impress your mother-in-law, and at least the door won’t slam on her. Who needs a butler?
Doors that are not self-closing can still be a problem. French doors leading onto a patio or deck seem prone to being slammed shut by even the slightest breeze. With all that banging, how are you supposed to relax and enjoy the great outdoors? And what if you are delivering a tray of cold beverages to your guests when the wind kicks up?
To keep a door open, you can use a brass hook and eye at floor level (some have a rubber bumper), but after a while you will learn that it is not exactly convenient to bend down and attach the hook, especially if you are coming in from Costco.
All this crouching will help you appreciate the simple effectiveness of a good old-fashioned door stop. (People who don’t like bending over might push it into place with their foot.)
For starters, there are those small rubber wedges that you buy at the hardware store. They come in brown, white, gray, and even clear. They are certainly inexpensive and do the trick. But don’t you deserve better than that?
After you bring a really cool rock back from the beach to use as a door stop, it will scratch your wood floor even though it looked quite smooth. And then it will mysteriously disappear after a visit from your mother-in-law, who found the stone far too rustic. In her house a brick covered with floral needlepoint would be more appropriate.
Finally, you will realize that you need to go online and find a charming door stop that reflects your taste and does the job. It should be nice and heavy so that it stays where you put it, no matter what the door wants to do. Metal has plenty of heft -- we all know that. For a metal door stop, it is best when there is felt padding attached to the bottom to protect your floor and to make for easy sliding.
But the best part about metal as a material for door stops is that it can be cast into adorable little animals. They can be more modern in style, such as shiny cast aluminum [add link to Cast Aluminum Cat and Dog Door Stops], but often they are cast iron and have a vintage look [add link for for Vintage Door Stops]. Dogs, cats, and rabbits are popular as shapes for decorative door stops.
You may never have wanted a mouse in the house, but a small one working hard to keep you safe from a slamming door is pretty darn cute. [add link to Cast Iron Mouse Decorative Door Stops] And who wouldn’t smile when seeing a cast-iron fish right there on the floor, curling itself to hold the door open? [add link to Fish Door Stop]
Amazingly enough, many attractive decorative door stops cost little more than those basic rubber wedges. Your home will look so pulled-together, it might even impress your mother-in-law, and at least the door won’t slam on her. Who needs a butler?
