French Door Hardware from Restoration Online

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So - we are up to the French doors. The locks and handles for all the other doors seemed pretty easy, but now things are getting complicated! Levers or knobs? How to bolt the doors? One set of handles or two? Which backset do I need? Etc, etc.

At Restoration Online our job is to make life easier for our customers, and no-where can we do this better than helping with French door hardware.

So let's go through this step by step:

1. Levers or knobs? This is pretty easy. Levers are generally best, as due to the configuration of French doors it is very likely that if you install knobs there is a good chance of hitting your knuckles when opening the door- especially with a smaller backset lock.

2. Which backset lock? The backset is the distance from the edge of the door to the centre of the handles and keyhole. Ideally the handles should be installed as close as possible to the centre of the stile (the vertical piece of timber onto which the handles will be fitted). Our locks are available in 44 and 57mm backset, so if your stile is 110mm, just divide by 2 = 55mm, so you would use the 57mm as this is closest. If it's a toss-up between 44mm and 57mm, normally we tend towards the 57mm as this is a little more comfortable to use.

3. Do the doors need to lock? Most French doors are external doors and therefore need to lock. If not, all that is required is a rebated mortice latch. If locks are needed the decisions that have to me made are backset, lock security level and type of key (old-fashioned or modern styles). Give us a call and we can lead you through the options on our website.

4. How to bolt the first-closing side door? For neatness and security we generally recommend flush-bolts. These are fitted into the edge of the door and so can't be seen or accessed when the doors are closed. Available in a range of matching finishes to the handles.

5. Which hinges are needed? Generally 3 hinges per door should be used. The decision on whether you need broad-butt/ parliament hinges, or just standard hinges is driven by the need to have the doors swinging right back 180 degrees against the wall. If this is the case let us know how much wall (including skirting board) you need to swing around and we can help you select the hinge that's right for you.

6. One set of handles or two? All that is required to operate the doors is a single pair of handles. Visually a second set of "dummy" handles is often desired to "balance" the aesthetic. Restoration Online can supply matching dummy handles to any of the working handles in our range. The important point with dummy handles is to ensure they are fixed in position. This is a signal that the other handle should be used, rather than turning the dummy handle and starting to force the doors.

For information and help with any of our huge range of restoration hardware and fittings why not give us a call - we are only too happy to assist. We deliver Australia-wide, and all prices are listed in our online store. Our aim is to make your job easy!