Door Levers

Door Handle Buying Guide

Here you will find everything needed to update the hardware of your interior and exterior doors.  Included is a broad selection of door levers, door handles, and deadbolts.  We offer several different finishes including satin nickel, black, dark oil rubbed bronze, and polished chrome. Replacing door handles and hinges will improve the functionality of your door and can immediately transform your home and bring it from dated to the modern age.

What Door Hardware Should I Purchase?

Purchasing door hardware for an entire home can seem daunting, but this buying guide should help you make the correct purchasing decisions to keep your project running smoothly! 

Function

There are six different door handle types for a typical residential home. Front Handleset, Deadbolt, Entry/Entrance, Privacy, Passage, and Dummy.  Below we explain the difference between each and the application for which they apply

Front Door Handlesets-  Front door handlesets are used on your primary entryway door.  They usually consist of a long decorative handleset and a deadbolt assembly above.  When ordering your front door handleset, you will see a photo of the exterior assembly and directly to the right will be photos of the interior components for the handleset.  Your front handleset will come with all items pictured on the item listing

Deadbolts-  Deadbolts provide the highest level of security for your exterior doors.  They come equipped with a solid 1" throw that locks into a strikeplate on the jamb of your doorway.  These are typically used in combination with a keyed entry lever for an added level of security.  There are two types of deadbolts available, single deadbolts and double deadbolts.  Single deadbolts lock on the exterior with a key and use an interior turnbutton to lock from the inside of the home.  Double deadbolts come with a keyed exterior portion and also a keyed interior portion.  Double deadbolts are often used on doors with adjacent windows with the goal of deterring criminals from breaking a window and turning the interior lock,  an actual key needs to be used on the interior to unlock the door.

Entry/Entrance- Entry door handles use a key to lock and unlock the door from the exterior and a turnbutton or pushbutton on the interior of the door to lock it.  These are typically used for exterior doors such as a garage door, back door, or side entry door.

Privacy-  Privacy door handles are used on the interior of the home on doors that require locking.  These would usually be bedroom or bathroom doors.

Passage-  Passage door handles are used on interior doors that utilize a latch mechanism but do not lock.  These will include linen closets, laundry room doors, and pantries.  Passage doors can sometimes be confused with dummy doors but we will explain that difference below.

Dummy-  Dummy door handles are used on doors that do not have holes bored through them.  They attach directly to a door with two wood screws and operate more like a pull.  Dummy doors are usually used on double closet doors or pass through doors.  They often latch shut at the top using a round rolling ball catch.  If there is a hole drilled through your door, you cannot use a dummy lever as there is nothing for it to attach to. In situations where your door has a hole drilled through but does not use a latch, you would order a passage lever and not install the included latch or strikeplate.

Determining LH or RH for Door Levers

Most of the door levers that we sell are fully reversible from LH to RH.  For the levers that are not reversible, the listing will ask that you specify LH or RH.

When buying entrance door levers and dummy levers, you need to know if you want left-handed levers or right-handed levers. To determine the dexterity of your door, stand on the outside of your door (keyed side), and look at the side that the door is hinged on. If the door is hinged on the left, it is a left-handed door. If the door is hinged on the right, it is a right-handed door.

For Outward Swinging Doors

Commercial applications or doors placed in tight quarters often require a door to open outward toward the exterior of the building vs inward towards the interior of the building.  These are called reverse swing doors.  In this situation you would still order based on standing outside of the door and determining whether hinged on the left or hinged on the right.  

A Note On Dummy Levers

For dummy levers, stand on the mounting side of the door.  If the door is hinged on the left it is a LH if it is hinged on the right it is a RH.  In most situations, dummy levers are used on double doors or french doors in which case you would order one LH and one RH.

A Note On Front Entry Handlesets

Due to the lever being on the interior of the door, many customers get confused on how to order for LH or RH Front Entry Handlesets.  As previously mentioned, always order based on the swing of the door from the exterior.  So if the door swings in to the right, order a RH Entry set.  What will come for the interior lever will match for its intended use.  The interior lever you would receive with a RH Front Entry would be a LH interior to account for the difference on the opposite side of the door. Always choose LH or RH based on the exterior.

Be sure to browse the remainder of our store for other items to complete your job.  We carry a wide selection of door hinges, door stoppers, and pocket door hardware.