Door Hardware

Door hardware is the knobs, levers, latches, strikes and locks that open, close and secure your doors. Most hardware trips go wrong in one of two places: the wrong function for the door, or a part that doesn’t fit the holes already cut. Get those two right first and the finish is the easy part.

Pick the function for each door

Walk the house and decide what each door needs to do before you look at styles. Kwikset names its functions by the room, which makes this simple:

Function	What it does	Where it goes
Hall and Closet (passage)	Latches, never locks	Halls, closets, any door that only needs to stay shut
Bed and Bath (privacy)	Locks from inside with a push or turn button; a privacy key opens it from outside	Bedrooms and bathrooms
Keyed entry	Key outside, push or turn button inside	Exterior doors, garage entries
Pull Only (dummy)	Doesn’t turn, no latch	Pantries, shallow closets, the inactive side of a double door

That outside release on a privacy lock matters. If a kid locks the bathroom door, the privacy key gets you in without breaking anything. Keep one on top of the door trim.

For an exterior door, pair the entry knob or lever with a deadbolt. A single-cylinder deadbolt has a key outside and a thumbturn inside; a double-cylinder takes a key on both sides. Levers are easier than knobs for anyone with limited hand strength, so they’re worth the switch on a door someone in the house struggles with.

Winter is interior renovation season in Montana, and it’s the time to do a whole house of doors at once. Sort the functions room by room, then buy matching trim so every door in the hall wears the same finish.

Measure before you buy: backset and door thickness

Backset is the distance from the edge of the door to the center of the big round hole. The two common sizes are 2-3/8 inches and 2-3/4 inches. Put a tape on the door you have; don’t guess from whether it’s a bedroom or a front door. Then check the door’s thickness, because hardware is made for a thickness range. A latch that matches your backset and thickness drops into the holes already there.

Replacing a latch: deadlatch or deadbolt latch

When a door won’t latch or the bolt sticks, the latch is often worn out and the knob is fine. WBC carries three replacements:

• Kwikset six-way adjustable deadlatch. For a compatible Kwikset knob or lever. Bring the old latch so you can match it.
• Replacement deadlatch. For swapping out a worn latch behind a knob or lever of the matching type.
• Universal deadbolt latch. For the bolt behind a deadbolt. Bring the old one in; “universal” is a name, not a promise it fits every deadbolt.

Before you replace anything, open the door and work the knob. If the latch moves freely with the door open but drags or won’t catch with the door closed, the problem is the strike, not the latch.

Strikes: the other half of the latch

The strike plate on the frame is what the latch catches. If the door has sagged or the frame has moved, the latch hits the plate instead of dropping into the hole, and a new latch won’t fix it. Realign or replace the strike.

WBC carries three strikes, and the difference is the lip, the curved tongue that guides the latch in and keeps it off the trim:

• Kwikset polished-brass strike plate. The straight swap for the plate behind a Kwikset latch.
• 1-1/4-inch polished-brass lip strike. A standard lip for an ordinary door and jamb.
• 2-1/4-inch extended-lip strike, radius corner. A longer lip for a thick door or a jamb where trim sticks out past the frame, so the latch rides up onto the lip instead of catching the casing.

Look at the old plate’s corners before you buy. A radius-corner strike has rounded corners and a square-corner strike has square ones; match the shape of the recess already cut in the jamb so the new plate sits flat. Long screws made for strikes help the plate hold.

Chain guards, swing-bar guards and viewers

A door guard lets you open the door a crack and talk to someone without letting the door swing wide.

• Chain door guard. The classic chain and slide. Simple and familiar.
• Brass swing-bar door guard. A rigid arm instead of a chain. It’s meant for a door that sits flush with its frame. If your door face sits back from the jamb, a shim goes under the guard so the two parts line up; buy them together.
• Brass door viewer. Lets you see who’s at the front door before you open it. Pair it with a guard on any entry door you answer often.

For an interior sliding barn door, a floor guide keeps the door from swinging away from the wall as it travels. Don’t skip it.

Kickplates and address plates

A kickplate takes the scuffs and boot kicks at the bottom of a door so the door doesn’t. WBC’s National Hardware kickplate is matte aluminum, 34 inches long and 8 inches tall. Aluminum is the least expensive kickplate material.

The reflective 911 address plate puts your house number where headlights catch it. Out on a Montana county road at night, that’s what lets an ambulance or a delivery driver find the right driveway.

Finish and care

Pick the finish when you pick the hardware rather than planning to paint it later. Finishes vary between brands, so if a close match matters, keep the knobs, hinges and strikes in one make.

To clean brass or bronze, use a soft cloth and a cleaner made for that finish. Steel wool and harsh abrasive cleaners scratch it. Once a year, put a little silicone lubricant on the moving parts and snug any loose screws.

The Pick

Choose the function first: Hall and Closet for passage doors, Bed and Bath for bedrooms and baths, keyed entry plus a deadbolt for exterior doors. To fix a sticking latch, buy the Kwikset six-way adjustable deadlatch for a Kwikset set, a matching replacement deadlatch, or the universal deadbolt latch for the bolt, after checking the strike. For a strike that won’t catch, buy the Kwikset strike plate, the 1-1/4-inch lip strike or, for a thick door or proud trim, the 2-1/4-inch extended-lip strike. For the front door, add a brass swing-bar guard or chain guard, a brass door viewer, the aluminum kickplate and a reflective 911 address plate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you install door hardware?

On a replacement, measure the backset and door thickness so the new set fits the existing holes. Test the latch and handle with the door open, then tighten the mounting screws evenly, checking that the handle still moves freely. On a new door, use the hardware’s template to lay out the holes before drilling.

What is a dummy set in door hardware?

A dummy set is a knob, lever or handleset that doesn’t turn and has no latch; it’s a pull. It’s used on pantries, shallow closets and the inactive side of a double door, where a separate catch or bolt holds the door shut. When matching the working door beside it, match the style, handing, door thickness and finish.

Why won’t my door latch?

Often the strike is out of line with the latch, from a sagging door or a frame that has moved. Close the door slowly and watch where the latch hits. If it misses the hole, adjust or replace the strike; a new latch won’t fix a strike that’s in the wrong place.

How do you clean brass door hardware?

Start with a soft cloth and use a cleaner suited to the finish. Avoid steel wool and abrasive cleaners, and take off rings before you start so you don’t scratch the surface.

How do you install barn door hardware?

The track carries the door’s weight, so it needs solid attachment to framing or properly anchored blocking. After hanging the door, set the floor guide so the door travels straight without swinging away from the wall, then fit the stops. Run the door through its full travel to check for rubbing.