Handles for Doors

So you are thinking of finding new handles for doors and need to know where to start? Well like most people you probably turn to a reputable search engine and up pops a plethora of websites all displaying their ranges and types of door handles as far as the eye can see! You get excited at the choices on offer, and probably the prices, and before you know it you are on the cusp of making a purchase. Keeping your 'buy now' finger under restraint you start to read the details and before long realise that replacing handles for doors could do with more research.

"keep your buy now finger under restraint!"

So where do you start? You start with your door and assess whether it is best to replace or keep the door. If It sounds ridiculous to suggest that changing your door handles could then lead to a new door then think about the opportunity you could be foregoing. Interior doors can be relatively inexpensive from £20 to £30 and you then have the chance to alter the design as well as incorporate the new fittings and their features to a blank canvass. Lets face it if you take the alternative and apparently easier option of replacement door handles you will probably need new door locks and maybe new door hinges and these all have to be made to fit. Only you can answer which challenge you prefer or how far you can stretch your budget on a replacement door handles project.

...consider new handles for doors or new doors for handles

It is always a good idea to get a feel for the styling you can expect from the available door handle types available out in the market place. Traditional, contemporary and period door handles can vary enormously in quality and cost.

Contemporary, Victorian, Art Deco, Ceramic, Georgian, Porcelain, Wrought Iron, Glass, Black Antique Door handles, Pewter period and 1930s door handles are just a few to consider....

Handles For Doors With Locks

Now you have decided which style of door handle you prefer your attention should focus on the door lock types. Does the door require a lock? If so, and if it is a conventional lock you require, then these are easy enough to find and mostly available from a few standard sizes. Indeed if you are replacing just the handle then this may matter little in any case. The standard size you need to look out for is 57mm and this is the size between the lever centre (or the spindle) and the lock centre, and thankfully that is a very popular UK size.

lever to lock size is 57mm on a typical interior locking door handle

In instances where a cylinder door lock is found on an interior door then the size between the spindle and the lock is 47mm. If you have a European door lock then it is likely to be 72mm and these are important sizes when replacing with a long door handle which is a one-piece handle. The round door handles, or rose door handles, are not affected by this consideration for 57mm, in the case of a mortice style lock, or 47mm for the cylinder lock. If you want to understand more about locking handles why not read our guide to front door handles.

Handles for Doors in a Bathroom

When it comes to finding a handle for the bathroom there is just a little more consideration needed. Do you go the way of a Privacy handle, a round door handle with a separate thumbturn lock or a long door handle that already has the thumbturn built into the backplate? In the case of replacing any existing handles for doors then just keep the arrangement the same. In the case of a new door then it is worthwhile thinking it through and making the right design choice.

Privacy door handles are a one piece backplate handle with a thumbturn knob (not shown) and spindle that turns a special lever inside the handle, which in turn holds the lever in a locked rigid position. There is no special lock needed inside the door as the handle lever locks when the thumbturn is turned. A special privacy door handle pack including hinges and a latch would seem a good idea as they are actually really easy to fit so why have so many manufacturers stopped making them this way? Answers on a postcard.

why have manufacturers stopped making handles with inbuilt privacy?

The modern day method of locking a bathroom door is to use a separate thumbturn assembly with a lever rose door handle, or a backplate door handle with the thumbturn already assembled to it (known as bathroom door handles). The exterior side of the door handle thumbturn usually has an emergency release slot to operate the handle should it be required.

So hopefully things seem a little clearer in order to help you select the correct handles for doors in your home! It's like anything in life where you get out what you put in and the web can be a wonderful place to find all the answers and more, if you do your research!

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