A guide to door handles

What types of door handle are there
You have a choice of 3 types of door handle, Lever on Backplate, Lever on Rose or a Mortice Knob.
The levers on backplate are more traditional although we do have many designer levers on backplate.
The lever on rose comes on a round rose which in most cases is 50mm in diameter. It is more contemporary and is being used more by developers these days.
The mortice knob is becoming more popular also but it is important to make sure that the locks and latches are at least 76mm (3") to avoid wrapping your knuckles when closing the door



There are 3 common types of lever on backplate
Lever on latch – this is used on most internal doors which you do not wish to lock. If you have new doors these are used in conjunction with a tubular latch or mortice latch
Lever on lock – This is required on doors that you want to lock with a key. This is used in conjunction with a sash lock
Bathroom set- this is required on bathrooms that you need to lock. They are locked with the use of a turn and release and require a bathroom lock.

Levers on Rose and Mortice knobs
If you have chosen a handle on rose, the escutcheon and turn and releases are separate items. The escutcheon is a piece of door furniture that goes below the lever and hides the cut out keyhole in the door. You need to make sure that you choose the escutcheon that is the same finish as your chosen handle.
For the bathroom, you will need a matching turn and release. The thumb turn part fits on the inside of the door so that it can be turned for privacy, and the release part fits on the outside of the door for emergency opening. This could also be used on bedroom doors.

Locks
You can use existing locks but you need to make sure of the following:

  • they still work well
  • the finish of the lock face plates matches those of the new door handles
  • the existing lock is the correct type of lock. (i.e. a bathroom lock if you are using a turn and release, and not an ordinary sashlock)

Please click here to go to a simple guide to what locks you may need.