Door hardware: what to look for when choosing

The general term "accessories", it is accepted to call a set of auxiliary accessories, without which the design or household items can not be used for its intended purpose. And first of all, without it you can not do when installing doors.

In stores, door fittings stands are simply crammed with all sorts of versions of domestic and foreign manufacturers, and it is very difficult for a person who does not have a clue about its design and operational features to make a choice. For many people, the main guideline was and remains the price, but it should be noted that low-quality fittings may well create problems and cause losses.

The articles about door fittings that our site offers to readers, as well as the video in this article, will help to cope with the difficult task of completing doors.

What is made door accessories

In the production of door fittings, they mainly use metals, but not in pure form, but in the form of alloys. It can be stainless steel, as well as brass, which is a composite of copper, zinc and / or tin. Brass is the most expensive alloy: it is made of luxury products, with a semi-antique design.

So:

• The extraordinary popularity of this material is due to its anti-corrosion properties., as well as the ease of surface treatment, which allows you to polish the product to a golden sheen. More cheap fittings are made from zinc-aluminum alloy with the addition of magnesium or copper, which is designated worldwide as “Zamak”, and we have “TsAM”.

• By the way, with the help of multilayer decorative coatings, the product is made from TsAM alloy, may look like brass. In general, the surface of any hardware is subjected to additional processing. The most common method is to apply a thin layer of a corrosively resistant metal: chromium, nickel, zirconium, or even gold, which is performed electrolytically.

Alternatively, the products can be anodized or oxidized - that is, an oxide film should form on the surface of the alloy, protecting fittings from scratches and moisture effects, as well as giving them certain decorative qualities.

Sometimes accessories are covered with powder paint. It creates the most durable coating, which for the extraordinary mechanical strength began to be called anti-vandal.

What is completed door

So, you came to the store, look at the stand for door fittings, and do not know which option to give preference to? A set of necessary accessories that complement the door depends not only on their purpose, but also on the material of manufacture.

The opening mechanism also matters, as, let's say, in the sliding or folding doors there are rollers that are not in the door with a vestibule. Doors-books and "accordion" are usually completed by the manufacturer.

But if you keep in mind the most familiar for most people, wooden swing doors that you have to complete when buying yourself, the basic list is: hinges, handles, latches, locks, latches, eyes. Therefore, further we will present an overview of the door hardware, which not only helps to make a choice, but also to make an independent installation.

Handles and latches

Locks not only cut into the front door (see. Installing the lock on the front door - it's not so difficult). Hardware manufacturers also offer mortise locks for interior doors, which allow family members to limit their personal space.

Of course, such stringent requirements are not imposed on them as on locking devices at the entrance, since they embody a conditional obstacle rather than a real one.

Knobs

Most often, on the inner doors put the so-called knob, which translated from English means "knob". This is a knob-lock with a button construction, which fully corresponds to its name, and in appearance is associated with the cane's head.

So:

• They look very organic, in use are convenient, are inexpensive, so they account for at least half of all sales. By the way, there are three options for their execution: these can be handles with a reed latch; handles with a lock on one side; and handles with the simplest lock, lockable key.

• The lock or lock is located in the body of the handle, which ensures the compactness of the product. It is easiest to install it with your own hands, since all that is required is to make two holes in the sash and a small recess for the striker plate in the box.
• The diameter of the holes for the handles is not less than 50 mmThat does not allow to replace them with a lock of another design. Knobes can be in the form of a ball, a truncated cone, or a cylinder — moreover, along with metal, wood is used in their manufacture.

Door fittings Itaros, manufactured according to European standards in our country, as well as not less famous domestic brands: Domart, Apex, Nora-m, offer a huge range of locks for internal doors. Among the models presented in it there is an option for any interior - both modern and decorated in one of the historical architectural styles.

Push handles

Along with the knob, which for the most part is installed on the doors to the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom, they use latches and locks with a fale (push) handle to install on the inside doors. They are of two types. In locks with a latch or latch, there is a handle on an elongated rectangular plate.

• If it is a lock for entrance doors, then this bar will also have a hole for the locking mechanism. Do handles designed for interior doors, the bar is solid, or on it there is a rotary lock.

• The second option is a push handle, located on a separate base (outlet), which has a round or square shape. Most often, this type of handles is used on interior doors. Both types of locks are fixed to the door with either screw ties or screws located above and below the closing mechanism.

Note! When buying a version with screws, you need to make sure that their length will overlap the thickness of the door leaf and ensure normal fastening.

• It is also necessary to pay attention to the perpendicularity of the handle stem relative to the plate surface, as well as to the presence of a compensator in the form of a plastic sleeve, which will protect the mechanism from possible distortions and ensure the softness of its work.

Also check the tongue of the lock, which should move without difficulty, and get inside completely, even with a slight turn of the handle. The spring in the locking mechanism must be elastic - only then it will be able to return both the tongue and the handles to the initial position.

• Such precautions when buying locks for interior doors: both falevyh and knobov, not at all superfluous, since quite often in one set you can find handles from one manufacturer, and the mechanism from another. In particular, it may happen that the tongue of the mechanism is retracted inward when turning 40 degrees, and the handle does not turn more than 30 degrees.

Similar nuances are detected after insertion of the product. And in order to somehow get out of the situation, it is necessary either to deepen the reciprocal part of the lock, or vice versa, to try to increase the gap between the sash and the box.

Sellers, as a rule, will not prove anything - and no one will take back the lock that has already been installed. So, be careful when buying.

Hinges

If we talk about the design of the door hinges, then the options, like the handles, are many. As for structural features, there are two main types: detachable hinges, which allow to remove the door sash without dismantling fittings, and one-piece, which, in turn, have several different mechanisms of action.

Laid on and mortise

Detachable hinges are placed mainly on interior doors. They are universal, but there are also options that focus only on the left or right opening. Depending on the manufacturer, such loops are sold by piece - or by a pair of sets, which necessarily includes fasteners, plus installation instructions.

• You can't just remove the door from fixed hinges - you need to unscrew the hinges themselves. They consist of two moving parts bonded to each other by means of a pin and two bearings. The photo above shows the invoice option, but one-piece hinges can be mortise.

They are installed only on wooden doors, as in the process of installation it is necessary to make a selection for them. The advantage of the mortise hinges is the fact that they can not be twisted without opening the canvas - so they have a place on the front door. And another thing: a similar installation method contributes to increasing the mechanical strength of the loops, which is very important for massive webs.

Injectors

Another option for one-piece loops is pin loops, which are also called screw loops. They are not fixed by separate fasteners, but by means of pins with self-tapping threads, of which there are at least two loops. There are also three- or four-pin variants that are calculated for higher loads.

• Injectors петли очень просты в монтаже, но самое главное, они позволяют максимально точно корректировать положение дверной створки, для чего, собственно, и были придуманы. Дверь на штырьковых петлях можно регулировать не только по высоте и прижиму, но так же производить и боковую регулировку.

• The hinge pin has a pointed tip and a thread with a pitch of 2 mm, which allows you to perform high-quality centering holes, and make an exact installation. It is screwed using a hexagonal tip, worn on the screwdriver, and is regulated by an Allen key.

Hinges are very reliable and due to the original execution of the thread, tightly kept in the wood. The only box thickness does not always allow the use of loops of this type. But there is a great compromise - combo loops. In them, on the one hand, there is a pin, which is screwed into the canvas, and on the other, the usual invoice element.

Hidden

The name of these loops speaks for itself. They are set so that when the door is closed, the hinges remain invisible from both sides.

Well, since they are not visible, it is impossible to dismantle them without opening the door. Therefore, this option loops put, mainly on the front door. They will not spoil the interior either, and when the door is made out in the same style as the wall, there are no hidden hinges.

• Like other types of hinges, “invisible” can be focused on one-sided opening, or be universal, which you first need to pay attention to when buying. Structurally, such loops can vary considerably, which is why the principle of their installation can be different.

To cope with this task without problems, allows the installation, which is usually attached to the product. Loops are selected according to the weight of the canvas, on which, if it is a single door, three pieces are installed. In the package with hinges there is a hex key, which is used to adjust the position of the sash.

Decorative protective elements

In order to fix one of the canvases on a one-and-a-half or double door, it is necessary to install special valves, called bolts. The device is quite simple, but also has its own classification. Depending on the principle of installation, the valves are mortise, recessed and overhead.

• Mortise latches almost imperceptible on the doors, so do not spoil their exterior. They can be automatic, or they can be set in motion with the swivel lever manually. By the way, such valves are often embedded in double doors by the manufacturer.

• In contrast, the built-in latch is installed in the cavity of a channel specially cut in the canvas. The only problem is that not everyone can cut it correctly. The error is fraught with the fact that you can simply ruin the door. So, if you do not have at your disposal a professional tool, it is better to give preference to false bolts.
• Their advantage is that the installation does not need to cut the grooves, so install the overhead type latch can not only wooden but also on any other door. There are two options for overhead valves: the bolt can be fully visible, and can be completely hidden in the case.
• The material used to make the bolts is either metal or plastic, which, although it makes the product cheaper, reduces its lifespan. In general, the valves on the door may look no worse than the handles, and be decorated in gold, bronze, silver. By the way, in the doors equipped with electromechanical locking devices, radio-controlled latches - but in this case they are included in the lock kit.

• No super-secret locks and security systems have been forced out of use by the gate valve, which not only fix the canvas, like a bolt, but also are the most reliable locking device for a person inside the building. Often they are additionally equipped with a chain, which we see in the photo.

By the way, about the chain: not everyone can afford to install a video-peephole at the door, which could give a person an idea of ​​what is happening behind the entrance door. It cannot be called accessories anymore, since it is a real video surveillance device.

And the chain makes it possible to talk with the visitor, to see him, and at the same time blocks the opening of the door, preventing the stranger from entering the house without the consent of the owner.