Did a little more work on the Dutch Door today.
I dug through my garage and found the box of misc cabinet hardware. In it was a little brass knob latch device. I used it as the thing to connect and disconnect the top and bottom of the door to each other.
I also installed a standard door stop on the bottom (the original door never had a door-stop with it.)
For the top half of the door, I designed a magnetic catch. When the top is open all the way, it sticks to the wall and won't accidentally swing back. It's kept totally out of the way, and allows you to just use the lower part of the door as a baby gate.
I built the magnetic catch from a wine cork, drywall screw, magnet, washer, and wood screw.
I ran the long drywall screw through the cork, and then into the top corner of the door. The head of the screw is counter-sunk, and the magnet stuck to the head of the screw. I then put the head of the OTHER screw on the magnet and swung the door against the wall to mark where the washer would go.
I put the screw into the wall through the washer.
When the top of the door is open all the way, the magnet pulls against the washer mounted to the wall, and holds the door open. The extra bit of cork sticking up around the magnet cushions the door striking against the washer.
From outside the room, an adult can pull on the top half of the door and quietly shut it.
A hook and eye would hold the door top open securely, but couldn't be easily undone from outside the room. Nor would it "automatically" grab and stop the door top.
I also used some wood filler to cover my less-than-masterful joinery on the top cross piece of the lower half of the door, and over the minor hole pressed into the door from when I was transporting it. Hopefully, with a coat of white paint, nobody will even notice all the myriad of small imperfections!
When I do the painting, I'll paint that washer to match the wall color. Don't think I'll paint the cork though!
