Let's just say I have disturbed sleep on many nights. When I get up for a while to get sleepy again, I almost always awaken my wife who is a light sleeper because our cheap bedroom door knob makes noise when I turn it due to the sloppy fit of the parts. All the big box store knobs make the same noise. I would be willing to pay more for a knob that is of better quality and quiet when turned. Can anyone recommend quality door knobs that I could check out and buy online if they are better made? Thanks.
Yes. Go to a locksmith and there you can purchase/order "commercial grade" locksets.
These are the locksets you will see on the doors of commercial buildings, schools, government buildings, etc. These doors get very heavy use, so long lasting quality locksets are needed.
Schlage for example is a company, which in addition to manufacturing cheap consumer locksets, also manufactures high quality "commercial grade" locksets. And "commercial grade" is ONLY available at locksmiths.
The Schlage "commercial grade" lockset on my front door cost about $200.00 eight years ago for example. Not cheap, but these will last forever.
Some bedroom door knobs use a mortise lock, with square shaft knobs. Others use a cylindrical knob set which fits in a 2 1/8 cross bore. Generally, what the other fellow said. A commercial grade privacy set would be much quieter. Schlage, Dexter, Arrow, and a couple of the cheaper chinese made PLS, US Lock. All much better fit than the hardware store versions.
Suggestion: Use Weiser door locks, unless someone gives you a door that has a door handle already installed. Weiser work fine. Virtually noiseless, noise never been an issue. Our house (and the first house we built in 1960) is full of them; very reliable product.
Also sticking mainly with one type simplifies the occasional spare parts and maintenance. Many Weiser parts are interchangeable (So if scrapping a lock keep some of the parts).
Only time used what IIRC was a Schlage (or cheap imitation?) was to replace a similar lock on relatives garage door. The Weiser drillings were different!
BTW a safety tip. For those locks (e.g. bathroom or child's bedroom) which have the capability to be opened by inserting a straight pin etc. from outside, keep a short piece of stiff coat hanger wire on top of the door trim above door. In an emergency, such as grandfather keeling over in the bathroom with a heart attack, or a child trapped in a room during a fire, that piece of wire could be live-saver. If it's not an emergency the wire stays where it is and a polite knock on the door with "May I come in?" are appropriate. But everyone in the house knows the wire is there 'If an emergency'.
Also BTW haven't heard of it for years; maybe cos our crowd is 'all growed up'. But local Fire Depts, at one time encouraged the use of a round red symbol facing outward on the window of any bedroom with a child/children in it.
The doorknobs don't make noise, the mechanism that is operated by the dooorknob is what makes the noise. Have you tried spraying WD-40 into the lockset and the striker plate?
re: ... local Fire Depts, at one time encouraged the use of a round red symbol facing outward on the window of any bedroom with a child/ children in it.
My local volunteer fire dept used to give out "Child Finder" stickers for windows, but they stopped many years ago.
It seems that so many people moved or the kids moved out/grew up or whatever that the odds of a child actually being in the room with the sticker were getting smaller and smaller. People put the stickers up when they had kids, but never removed them when they were no longer needed. The fireman were entering homes based on the stickers instead of fighting the fire the way the fire was telling them to. Now I guess they follow standard procedures unless they are told or have good reason to believe that a certain room contains kids.
Perhaps a fire fighting member of this group could verify/debunk that assumption.
Not a fire fighter, but I remember reading press releases that agree with your scenario. Seems to me that putting the year on the sticker would solve most of the problem. Any sticker over 3-4 years old could be ignored. Probably a moot point, though, since they have to clear the entire building anyway, and it is very seldom a situation where they can only pick one room to enter.
The moment I grab the handle, the slop makes a racket even before I turn the knob. Thanks all for the good tip: commercial grade door knobs. I'll look into that, sounds like the solution. Although probably futile, I'll squirt WD-40 into it first. Thanks again.
replying to trg-s338, HarryJue wrote: This 2009 thread still pops up first in a google search for ?how to silence noisy doorknob,? but all the answers suck. The internet has failed you.
If you still have a loud doorknob...after these 9 years...just wrap a rubber band tightly around the cylinder, stretching it up into the crack between the knob and door, and keep winding until you run out of band. Should be hidden too. Use another one on the other side as well, if necessary.
I hope your wife?s sleep hasn?t suffered too much over the past decade!
This 2009 thread still pops up first in a google search for ?how to silence noisy doorknob,? but all the answers suck. The internet ha s failed you.
If you still have a loud doorknob...after these 9 years...just wrap a rubbe r band tightly around the cylinder, stretching it up into the crack between the knob and door, and keep winding until you run out of band. Should be h idden too. Use another one on the other side as well, if necessary.
I hope your wife?s sleep hasn?t suffered too much over the past decade!
replying to trg-s338, EJ wrote: I have a great solution as I have been trying to remedy this situation for years. Use ‘Gorilla tape’ or duct tape to tape the ‘striker’ into door because it is the movement between the door knob and striker (not striker plate on the door jam), that is the cause of the noise.
This assume you don’t need the striker to latch to keep the door closed it is in the closet door position - which we don’t.
I also added felt bumpers between the door and the door jam (wood to wood contact) to ensure this is silent as well. These are often used for kitchen cabinet doors.
I have just accomplished the silent interior door for the cost of gorilla tape and felt or rubber bumpers (less then $10).
replying to areid5, Jessica wrote: I’m trying to understand what your directions here are but having trouble picturing it. Are you suggesting just holding the striker inside or is this to muffle it?
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