French doors or double doors present a unique door hardware predicament. The exact hardware combination depends on the mechanism you intend to employ to keep the doors in the closed position. Closets with light-weight doors are controlled by ball catches installed in the top of the door with a strike inserted into the opening’s header. The ball is spring loaded to release up into the header strike and “wedge” the door in the closed position. For doors like these, use dummy knobsets or leversets. Dummy door knobs and leversets are simply surface mounted much like an oversized Schaub cabinet knob. It has no operational function (no latch), it doesn’t turn, and its purpose is simply a handhold used to move the door open and closed.
For doors that require functioning hardware, choose first which side of the door you plan to designate as the “active door”; then choose the required function for your use (passage/privacy/keyed entry). The other door is considered the “inactive door” which is the one that remains closed (at least most of the time) and is locked in place by flush or surface bolts. The inactive door is supplied with dummy hardware installed on both sides of the door. Some brands like Baldwin, Omnia, Emtek Nostalgic Warehouse and Grandeur offer dummy pairs while Schlage, Kwikset, Weiser, Weslock and Dexter offer single dummies so two are purchased, one for each side of the door.
