Posts Tagged ‘door lever’

Stainless Steel Door Knobs & Door Levers

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Stainless Steel is becoming more popular each year in the door hardware industry. Omnia, Baldwin, and Emtek each have exquisite models for your review. Most Stainless Steel products are sleek door levers but do check out the door knob designs as well.

 

Stainless Steel is an alloy of steel and chromium. There is a wide range of stainless steel alloys, some have a low quantity of chromium and will rust because of the higher steel content. A magnet will not adhere to the higher grades which do not rust. Some companies will plate stainless steel on top of the base material and imply that it is a solid stainless product. This product is only as good as the plating process. A magnet test will not work if the base material is brass or zinc. An unusually low price would be an indication of this type of product. Another copy-cat stainless steel product uses a brushed nickel plate on a base material. The color of the finish will be different and, because nickel needs a protective lacquer coat to prevent tarnishing, this would also be an indication that it is not stainless.

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What is Door Lever or Knob Handing?

Saturday, January 10th, 2009

Many people find door handing to be confusing. The key is to forget about which hand you use to open the door. Handing is determined by the Hinges. Follow these simple handing instructions and you won’t go wrong.

Many door lever sets require you to determine whether the door is a Right-Hand or Left-Hand door (most knobs do not require handing). 

   
  Inside(room or house)
   
 

Inside
  HandTop
       
 

Left Hand Door
 
  Outside(room or house)  
  HandBot
       
  Right Hand Door  
 

Outside
  1. Simply stand Outside the Room or House facing the door. (it does not matter if the door swings in or out)
  2. If the Hinges are on the Right, it is a Right-Hand Door and you would choose the Right Hand option when ordering door levers.
  3. If the Hinges are on the Left, it is a Left-Hand Door and you would choose the Left Hand option when ordering door levers.
  • Handlesets Note - Even though the lever is on the inside of the house, you still stand Outside the house to determine proper handing.
  • Inside Garage Door Note - For the door that connects from your garage to your living space, you would stand in the Garage facing the house to determine proper handing.

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The History of Door Knobs & Door Levers

Sunday, December 28th, 2008
Door Knob

Door Knob

With 112 million doors in the US, door knobs are an often used but rarely thought of product.

Every day millions of us open and close doors as we weave our way through our daily lives. Early doors were merely hides and textiles. It wasn’t until swinging “hinged” doors made first of wood and then of metals and glass did door knobs make their appearance. The first door knobs were made of wood and appeared in the late 1700s.  About 100 years later in the1800s they were first manufactured and that happened to be here in the United States.

Door Knobs include four main parts. The knobs, typically round, are now often egg shaped like Baldwin Egg Knob, Schalge Sienna and Danbury, Kwikset Laurel, Weiser Carlisle and Emtek Hammered Egg knob. 

Door Lever

Lever styles were designed for both their elegance and practicality as they are simpler to operate and are recommended for handicapped and elderly users. Popular lever designs are Schlage Accent and Flair, Baldwin Wave and Soho, Kwikset Commonwealth and Lido, as well as many others from Emtek, Grandeur, Omnia Weiser and Weslock. The spindle is the second main part and connects the knobs and levers through the door and transmits your hand twist to the latch. The latch incorporates the bolt that protrudes from the door edge and holds the door in the closed position. The fourth main part is the Rose or rosette, typically round in shape that covers the hole made in the face of the door to accommodate the whole apparatus and keep it looking “smart”.

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