Welcome to the door hardware primer page. Please read over this information carefully before ordering door hardware. The information on this page is divided into two categories, OLD DOORS and NEW DOORS. This refers to your doors that you are trying to find hardware for.

OLD DOORS (pre-1940)

Old interior or exterior doors are "mortised" (or cut) on the edge of the door to accommodate a "Mortise lock". This term refers to the Iron and brass "BOX" that slides into the edge of your old door. In figure 1 below, you can see the mortise lock in between the knobs and plates.

Click on images to enlarge and read labels!

This mortise lock works as both a deadbolt and a door latch. To work the deadbolt part you need a skeleton key, to work the door latch you use the doorknobs that have a 1/4" to 5/16" square spindle joining them together.

So the first step in finding hardware for your old door is finding a mortise lock. You can buy vintage mortise locks, or reproduction mortise locks. See FIGURE 3, above. You need to measure the hole (called a mortise) in the edge of your door to get the size of the mortise lock that you need, because they come in all different sizes. See the Latches & Locks Page for specs on the reproduction mortise locks shown in figure 2 (Plus a few new additions!).

Once you have a snug fitting mortise lock in the door, you are ready to choose doorknobs. All of the old doorknobs, and the reproduction doorknobs, come in pairs: two knobs on a square shaft or SPINDLE. The SPINDLE fits through the square doorknob hole in the mortise lock.

Because of the different manufacturing techniques, it is not always possible to mix different styles of knobs on the same spindle, so we recommend choosing a pair of the same style. You will see some pairs of knobs threaded onto their spindles, some with 16 threads per inch and some with 20 threads per inch, so it is not always possible to mate different styles. You will also see some knobs attached by set screws that thread through the doorknob's neck and into a threaded hole on the spindle. See FIGURE 4 for some of the different VINTAGE styles available.

There are many attractive reproductions available as well. See our Classic Door Hardware Directory and HHP Classics for some attractive reproductions that will fit in BOTH the old mortise locks and the reproductions shown above.

Once you have your knobs, then you can select your doorplates, or door roses. Roses are the round escutcheons that the doorknob sits in, they serve the same purpose as plates. You need two per door. It is important that you measure the "SPACING", which is the distance between the center of the doorknob hole and the center of the round part of the keyhole.  This way you will find plates that  match the spacing on your mortise lock, so you can use the keyhole. The reproduction plates shown on Classic Door Hardware Directory and HHP Classics all have a spacing that works on most old mortise locks and also with the L-9 mortise lock shown above. There are a few variations in the HHP Classics for older mortise locks with unusual spacing.

So, to summarize:

1. Find a mortise lock. Use your existing one, or choose a reproduction that will fit into the mortise already cut in the edge of your old door.

2. Choose a pair of vintage or reproduction knobs. Stick to those that do not have a prefix of "H" or "I".

3. Choose a pair of plates or roses that match your spacing.

ENTRANCE DOORS

Entrance doors need a more complicated mortise lock for added security. There are many different variations of exterior mortise locks that were manufactured in the late 19th and early 20th century. We carry one style of reproduction exterior mortise lock, it is the L9SP. A good carpenter or handyman should be able to adapt your old door to this standard lockset. It comes with a cylinder deadbolt, which is thrown with a modern style key

Click on images to enlarge and read labels!

When using an entrance set such as the L9SP, your doorplates are going to be a little different than the ones you use on interior door. You need to have plates that can accommodate the cylinder lock on the outside, and also open the deadbolt on the inside. See the photos above for two popular styles of plates that have the correct spacing to work with this entrance set. Notice the holes and thumb turn knob on these sets, this is what is needed for an entrance set.

Please note: Many old entrance doors have the simpler style mortise locks that are shown at the top of this page in figure 1. You can use a set like this, with the skeleton keyed deadbolt, but we recommend using an additional deadbolt for security.

NEW DOORS (post 1940)

New doors are often purchased "BORED", or drilled with a 2-1/8" hole to accommodate newly manufactured latch sets. If your doors have this large hole, you can still use attractive old or new hardware, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.

The tubular latch is necessary to accommodate any of the old or reproduction doorknobs shown on this website. If you would prefer to find newer sets with a vintage feel, please check out these sets on the Emtek Door Hardware page. These new sets are made specifically for new doors with the 2-1/8" hole bored, and they come complete with all necessary latches, strike plates, rosettes or plates, and knobs.

If you really want to stick with antique hardware and your door has been cut with a 2-1/8" or larger hole, you need to select backplates or rosettes to cover up the large hole that is in your door. Check the diameter of the hole in your door, as well as the diameter of the door rose. Remember, you need to have enough wood in order to screw the rose onto the door.

Click on images to enlarge and read labels!

If you are ordering new doors and would like to use old-style hardware, simply order them without the pre-drilled holes. They are referred to as slabs. Then, your contractor will have to drill the small mortise to accommodate the tubular latch set, or the Emtek Door Hardware latch. (Depending on which hardware you choose.)

Then, you can use either door plates or door roses, and you can select either vintage knobs  or reproduction knobs.  Once again, the Emtek Door Hardware comes with their own latch.

For new Entrance doors, see the section above marked "ENTRANCE DOORS".