The Best Way To Explain Replacement Door Handles To Your Mom
How to Replace Door Handles
The door handles in your home are an essential element of your interior design. A new handle can bring your home's decor up-to-date.
As time passes, your knobs on your doors may begin to feel stiff, or break. These are indicators that it's time to replace the knobs. This guide will help you choose the best door handle replacement for your home.
Door Knobs
The handles on your doors will enhance the appearance of your house and make it easier to open and shut them. They come in a wide range of colors, finishes and types to match your decor. If yours are starting to show signs of wear or simply require an upgrade replacing them is simple and can be completed in a couple of steps.
You'll need to find the shaft, or spindle through which the knob is inserted to the door. Some knobs have a small opening that you can access with a screwdriver to remove the set screws that keep the handle in place. Some have a tiny slot, or hole, that you can use to press the spring-activated detent pin using flathead. When you press the pin, the latch mechanism releases and allows you to pull or push the knob.
After you have ahold of the spindle or shaft, take the knob off of the door and replace it with the new one. Make sure it is aligned correctly and ensure that the latch is working properly before tightening the new set screws.
Once you've replaced the knob, hold the rod for latching over the hole in the door and lock it in place with the rod mechanism on the second knob. Make sure that the holes are lined up then thread the screws on the latch plate and tighten them.
Some people prefer an brushed or smooth metal finish for the door hardware to give their home a modern and sleek appearance. It will complement their other furniture. Others prefer a more rustic design that is a good match for rustic-styled rooms. If you have one of your family members who has mobility issues, you might want to choose a lever style or rim lock, which requires less pressure to operate.
Other factors are being looked at more and more when it comes to the design of door handles. Accessibility and control of infections have been key issues when it comes to developing new designs for handles. For example certain handles can be operated with an arm.
Latch
The latch that keeps your door handle open will wear out due to the wear and tear of use. Changing out the old latch to make room for a new handle can be an easy DIY project and it will make a huge difference in how your door opens and closes.
Depending on the kind of handle you choose the latch can be a separate component or an integral part of the knob. In either scenario, the same procedure for removing and reinstalling will be used. It's easy to remove the old latch, especially in the case of a door handle with a "magic" button. Located on the side of the knob, this tiny pressure-slot is what you have to press to pull the latch out of the handle and off of the latching mechanism.
If your handle doesn't come with this button, you will need to remove the cover plates placed over the latch plate. These are usually circular or rectangular and can be removed with a screwdriver. Some have slots where you can insert your screwdriver, whereas others simply snap off.
The next step is to remove the two machine screws that secure the latch and the plate to the door handle. These are the screws with a sharp tip You will have to store them in a safe location to reuse them in subsequent steps. After these screws are removed, you can take the latch plate and mechanism out of the door's hole and place it in a safe place.
Then you can begin to install the new latch. Insert the inside plate of the latch into the hole in the door and secure it using the hardware supplied. Make sure that the square pin on the interior of the latch faces the latching mechanism inside the handle and is aligned with the other screw holes in the handle. Then push the exterior latch plate onto the handle and secure it using the provided screws.
Strike Plate
One of the most frequent reasons to replace a door handle is because it is loose or doesn't lock properly. This is often caused by misaligned components in the latching mechanism, for example a strike plate that's too small or has moved upwards or downwards on the doorjamb as time passes. This project allows you replace your old strikeplate with an extended one, which will provide more security for your door and ensure it stays closed.
To determine if the issue is due to the strike plate, apply lipstick or similar marking material to the bolt that is used to latch. Close the door, then try to latch it. If the mark is lower than your strike plate hole, it indicates that the plate is too small and the door will not latch. If the mark is above or below the strikeplate hole, the strikeplate may have been moved up or downward on the doorjamb.
It is possible to put the new strikeplate in the old one by using the screws supplied with it, based on your door. You may need to first drill holes and then chisel a bit of wood to ensure a perfect fit. If this is the case, be careful not to cut too much or you may damage the strength of your doorjamb.
You can also try installing a new strike plate, which gives the lock a much more secure grip on the door and requires more force to open it. It usually requires two larger screws to anchor the strike plate into the frame of the door. You'll have remove the old strike plate before drilling and chiseling the wood to make room for the new one.
This difficult-to-find strike plate is made from solid brass and has a thick, heavy-duty. It's made to be used on antique rim locks. This kit comes with wood screws as well as machine screws, so you can pick the right hardware for your requirements. Remember that wood screws have a pointed tip while machine screws are more blunt.