See also: Door Closer Adjustment

A door closer is a spring-loaded hydraulic device that closes a door automatically. The most common kind of door closer is the surface mounted door closer, so called because it is mounted to the surface of the door or header. Also available are concealed overhead door closers that are mounted inside the header above the door or inside the door itself, and floor closers that are installed beneath the threshold. Pictures of the different types of door closers are shown at right.

Surface mounted door closers are by far the most common kind of door closers. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. Unlike concealed door closers for which doors are almost always prepared by the door manufacturer, surface mounted door closers need no special prep.

As shown at right, surface mounted closers can be mounted in standard, top jamb or parallel arm configurations. Standard configuration is used on the pull side of the door whereas parallel arm and top jamb installations are for the push side.

Not shown are surface mounted track closers which use a single arm and a slide track instead of the double lever arm shown in the pictures at right.

Non-track surface mounted doorclosers are available with different kinds of arms that perform different functions. These functions are discussed below in the section called, "Arms."

Examples of two kinds of concealed door closers are shown in photos at right. There is a third kind, the overhead concealed-in-door door closer, but since it is so rarely used I will not discuss it here.

Concealed door closers are always used when a door is "double acting," that is, it swings both ways, and are often used in high traffic applications, such as the front door of a large office building. As you see above, surface mounted door closers are not about to win any beauty contests. Concealed closers offer designers a cleaner look than surface closers.

Floor closers are almost always used with pivot hinges as opposed to butt hinges. Pivot hinges are stronger and more durable than butt hinges.

Here is a list of information that you need to know before you order a door closer:

• Interior or Exterior Door?
• Left Hand or Right Hand swing?
• Door closer to be mounted on the push or pull side?
• Door width?
• Pivot hinges or butt hinges?
• What is the door made of? Wood? Hollow metal? Glass and aluminum?
• If there is glass, what is the size of the piece of material onto which you want to mount the door closer?

When you have this information you are ready to call your hardware professional. If you are unsure what kind of closer will best suit your application, your hardware professional can suggest one based on the information above.

In the pictures of surface mounted door closers at the beginning of this article, the closers all have what is called a standard, double lever arm. This arm is pictured at right. Below it are shown a few examples of optional arms that are available to give surface mounted door closers more functionality.

Hold Open Arm

Most door closer arms are available in a hold open version. Usually they work by friction. Opening the door to a certain degree tightens a nut which causes the arm to stick at a point, holding the door open.

Dedicated Parallel Arm

Called by LCN an Extra Duty Arm and by Norton a Parallel Rigid Arm, this arm is for an extra sturdy, parallel arm only application door closer.

Stop Arm

Called a Cush'n'Stop arm by LCN and a Closer Plus arm by Norton, this arm doubles as a stop to keep the door from opening too far and perhaps hitting a wall.

At the bottom of the column of pictures of door closer arms is a picture of an LCN 4041 door closer from the LCN catalog, parallel arm mount, on a plate that is called a "drop plate." It is used to provide a surface to which you can attach the door closer when the surface of the door is too narrow to do so. In the illustration, the 4041 is mounted on an aluminum-and-glass storefront door. The aluminum is too narrow, so the 18PA plate attaches to the aluminum of the door and the 4041 attaches to the plate.