When buying door accessories, it's essential to consider which door you'll need these accessories for. The accessories you buy for the interior doors can't work for the exterior doors and vice versa. Is it a bathroom door, a bedroom door, a front entry - the door hardware must correspond to the door's function. Before you buy door accessories, here are a few things to consider.
Door Handing
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The next thing to consider is your door's handing, which means looking at which way your door opens. Handing is determined by facing the door from the exterior. If you're standing on the exterior of the door, it will open away from you. This isn't the case for closets, pantries or other similar places.
What to Consider About Hanging The Door
Hinges or Pivots?
When you buy door accessories the first thing that you will need to get are things to hang your door. Hinges are typically used to hang the door and there are a few types - five-knuckle and three-knuckles are common options. Hinges go through the entire length of the door and are mainly used for exterior doors.Piots, on the other hand, are used to hang the door when it's heavy and if the design requires pivots because of aesthetic preferences.
How to Secure the Door
source: unlockitlocksmith.com
- Mechanical Locks - there are various types of mechanical locks - tubular, mortise, cylindrical, deadbolt and interconnected.
- Tubular - these come with a centre spindle assembly that extends through the centre of the lock latch and body. This way they allow for retraction of the latch when the lever of the knob is rotated. This type of lock is quite common for interior doors and are considered the least secure lock type.
- Cylindrical - these are sturdier and considered more secure than tubular locks. The latch bolt assembly interlocks with one side of the lock chassis, which makes it easier to install, replace and rekey. These locks come in different formats that give different levels of security, and all of them use the same type of key. This allows like-keyed and master-keyed systems that use various locks.
- Cylindrical locks are weak to security threats; they can be broken with force.
- Mortise - these types of locks are even more secure than cylindrical locks, but need a pocket (the mortise) to be cut into the door where the lock should fit. The mortise assembly comes with a lock body (the part installed inside the mortise cut-out in the door), lock trim (available in the various knob, lever, handle set and pull designs), strike plate and keyed cylinder. They are heavy enough to keep ornate and solid cast knobs and levers. Various models provide function, trim, keying systems and finishes.
- Interconnected - this type of lock is composed of two locks that are connected so operating the lever handle retracts both the deadbolt and the latch bolt at the same time. The latch set can be cylindrical or tubular. These types of locks are commonly used on entrance doors in multifamily residential buildings.
- Deadbolt - these are also known as deadlocks. They come with either one or two cylinders. The single-cylinder deadbolt works by a key on the outside and a thumb turn on the inside. The double cylinder deadbolt needs a key for unlocking both sides of the door and can't be used on doors that need egress, except in some locations where key-operated locks are allowed by code. Deadbolts are usually not allowed to be used on a door with other lock or latch, since the egress code needs to mandate one motion to unlatch the egress door.
Don't Forget a Door Stop
source: upgradedhome.com
If there is a door in your home or office that is constantly opened and closed and it kind of gets in the way when you need an open door (carrying things indoors and outdoors) it's time to seek for a door stop. THis can be an especially practical accessory if you live in a windy area and you truly don't want the doors to slam every time you forget to close them.
Types of Door Stops
Spring Stop
This is the most common door stop and perhaps the first thing that people think of when this term is mentioned. The spring stop has a rubber tip and is installed behind the door, right at the baseboard. You can get it with a spring or a solid metal piece. There are also magnetic versions that can hold your door in place once you open it.
Hinge Pin Door Stop
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As the name says, the hinge pin door stop is installed in the middle hinge of your door. This option doesn't need any modification of your door or wall. It comes with a screw so you can adjust it to the distance that your door can open.
Floor-mounted and Wall-mounted Door Stop
This is a great choice because it's durable and reliable, but it may stand out once the door is closed. If you want to keep your floors intact, then a wall-mounted door can do a great job. The wall-mounted option must be positioned at the point where the doorknob touches the wall.
Wedge Door Stop
This one is ideal if you don't want to poke holes anywhere (perfect if you're renting a home, or simply don't want to ruin floors and walls). These are portable and can be placed at any door in your home. They have a wedge shape and are slipped under the door from either side to stop any movements.
