An easy guide to understanding the door hardware components!
A door defines a passage or an authority over who should access a particular room or place. It is a medium or mechanism that provides safety, privacy, and aesthetics. It is crucial to have a basic knowledge of door hardware and accessories like main door locks, rim locks, and more to select the ideal ones that allow for your home security and add to the design and decor!
Read on to get a better understanding of door hardware mechanisms, types, finishes, and more to be hardware savvy:
Standard Measurements for Door Knobs
Before selecting the door hardware, you first need to understand what you require. Look how your door operates, so that you know what type of knobs will be perfectly over the same. Check the backset, cross bore size, borehole size, and thickness of the door.
The borehole is a large hole to which the main door knob is fixed or mounted. The cross bore on the other hand is a small hole that is added on the door edge. The door latch is added into the cross bore and it goes through the large bore hole and the door knob is mounted thereafter.
The backset is commonly measured as as 2 ⅜” or 2 ¾”. Most doors include a 2 ⅜” backset but some doors, especially exterior doors can include a 2 ¾” backset. You can also select hardware with an adjustable backset if needed.
The door thickness varies from design to design. Most interior doors feature 1 ⅜” thickness and the exterior doors have around 1 ¾” thickness. Commonly, hardware manufacturers provide products that fit the standard door thickness.
Door Hardware Types
A) Keyed Door Knobs
Door knobs are the common type of keyed hardware system that offers a traditional design and operation system. Cylindrical locks include a latch that releases when you turn or twist the knob. Locking the knob helps prevent the latch from getting detached from the outside without any key. The inside part of the knob includes a thumb turn to lock and unlock the door. Some door knobs include a push-button locking system on the inside which gets released when you twist the inside knob.
B) Keyed Door Levers
Door levers allow for easy operation of doors and do not require the twisting or gasping motion of the knobs. Simply pushing the lever down helps disengage the latch. And for knobs, locking the lever helps prevent the latch system from getting disengaged from the outside without any key. The inside part of the lever includes a push button or a thumb turn that allows for engaging the lock easily.
Door levers can be right-handed, left-handed, or universal. To make the ideal choice, you need to check the door from the outside of the house or room. So if the hinges are attached to the left, you require a left-handed or universal lever. And if the hinges are to the right, then you would need a right-handed or universal lever model.
C) Keyed Deadbolts
Deadbolt locks provide a second lock system for the door when paired with a locking lever or knob that gives additional security for the home. Some lever or knob sets may include deadbolts too. Lock bodies & cylinders can be classified into two types:
Single-cylinder deadbolts need a key to unlock them from the outside and unlock with a knob or thumb turn from the inside. These are a good choice for doors without glass which can be broken to operate the knob from the outside. The design of the same allows for unlocking the door and exiting your home quickly in any emergency situation since you don’t need to locate the key.
Double-cylinder deadbolts need a key to unlock the door from both outside and inside. For doors with glass design near the lock, these types of deadbolts make an ideal choice. If adding a double-cylinder deadbolt lock, make sure to use a key in the chosen location for easy access.
D) Entrance Handlesets
Handlesets are a perfect choice to add a decorative touch to the entry doors. These include an exterior door handle, a thumb-operated door latch and a matching deadbolt. A lever or knob is installed to operate the latch from the inside. You can select the handlesets from types including right-handed, left-handed, and universal levers. The deadbolt added in it may be a single or dual cylinder that depends on the chosen model.
You can choose from the matching, nonfunctional or dummy handlesets to complement the functional hardware on the double door. And when replacing the handleset, go for the similar or adjustable models that allow for using the existing installations holes added to the door.
Also Read: 10 Popular Types Of Door Hinges And Their Uses
Other Door Hardware
These other door hardware types can be added to doors for additional security:
- Door security hardware helps strengthen the security of the door frame and helps protect your home from intrusion, theft, or burglary.
- Door viewers or peepholes are a set of lenses that are installed in the exterior door to provide you with a wider-angle view of the outside.
- Night latches are useful for securing the door and can be operated only from the inside of the room.
- Door altrop/latches, door stopper, door closer power adjustment, etc are additional yet necessary accessories that add to the door security.
Door Hardware Finishes
When selecting door hardware, you need to consider certain things concerning its finishes:
- Even though various hardware manufacturing brands use similar finish names or codes, it doesn’t mean they will be compatible with each other in terms of looks.
- Electrical and plumbing fixtures that feature a similar finish as the door hardware may not be necessarily the same.
- It is advisable to be consistent with the hardware brands if possible. Most brands do provide similar-looking hardware choices and it may match with the door for replacement options.
- Door hardware is available in various finishes that match and accentuate your home interiors and decor. For example, polished brass finishes match well with the classic, traditional style home styles that provide an antique look. Whereas brushed metal door hardware can make a sleek choice for contemporary style and chrome hardware will suit perfectly to the modern interiors. Know that, some finishes may change their appearance after certain usage.
Additional points to note concerning the hardware finishes:
- Antique bronze and oil-polished bronze feature living finishes and will change their surface appearance over time. The change in appearance depends upon the brand you prefer and its usage.
- Polished brass will turn dull if used for exterior doors. So if selecting the polished brass finish for exterior applications, then go for polished brass finish ones that are exclusively crafted for exterior use.
- Pewter features a flat finish or nickel glossy finish and will vary as per the brands.
Also Read: 12 Handy Tips To Select The Right Door Handles And Locks
Additional Tips to Select the Right Door Hardware
- When selecting the door hardware, guard these essential tips to make the buying process easy:
- Ensure that the hardware will be compatible with your door thickness. A thickness of 1 ⅜ inches is common for the interior doors whereas 1 ¾ inches is common for the exterior doors.
- Check the door hardware’s borehole size - which is the diameter of the hole in the door. Note that the hardware for a new door will need a hole saw in the correct size whereas replacement hardware should fit the existing door hardware size. Commonly, deadbolts require a bore hole 1 ½ or 2 ⅛ inches in diameter. And the levers and handlesets require a hole 2 ⅛ inches in diameter.
- When selecting the replacement hardware, first check the backset of the door hardware. It is essentially the distance from the edge of the door to the center or middle of the bore hole. The common measurement reads 2 ⅜ inches or 2 ¾ inches but some hardware can be compatible with multiple backsets too. Ensure that the hardware you choose fits perfectly to your door.
- Check the bolt or latch configuration. Round or square-corner configurations include a plate that surrounds the bolt or latch on the edge of the door. A drive-in configured hardware includes no plate. Selecting a replacement lockset that fits the current configuration will simplify the installation process. You can also opt for hardware that matches multiple configurations.
- Ensure that the hardware is apt for each door application. For example, the entry hardware is suitable for providing security for the exterior doors. Privacy hardware includes a simple lock and is added to bathroom or bedroom doors. Passage hardware is suitable for interior doors that do not require locks i.e.family room or closet doors. Dummy hardware provides a decorative purpose, that is added to match the operational hardware added to double doors or can be used as knobs or pulls on the interior doors that do not need functional hardware.
- Always select door hardware that is protective enough to defend against bumping, prying, picking or drilling.
Care and Maintenance
Caring for the door hardware is really easy. You simply need to clean the door hardware with mild soap and water. The chemicals present in the cleaners or polishes can be harmful to the door hardware finishes. That’s why it is crucial to opt for chemical-free cleaners to keep the hardware finishes intact for years to come!
