10 TIPS FOR CHOOSING YOUR INTERIOR DOOR HANDLES

1. The style

This is a very important first step, especially in terms of resale and the effect that a good choice can have on the value of your home. Go back and examine your residence from the outside and then from the inside. What is the style of the house? Modern, contemporary, Tudor, Hampton or a mix ...? It can even be one style on the outside and a different style on the inside. That's fine, as long as you know before making your selection.

2. What will it have to match?

The design trends of recent years have focused a lot on this point. In the past, what was in other rooms didn't matter. Now yes! If you are using chrome in the bathroom, you may consider a two-tone finish on the internal door handles. You'll see the chrome touches tie your bathroom furniture together with the door handles making a blunt yet subtle statement. Alternatively, your cabinets may have a Hampton feel, which means you can go for a Hampton-style toggle.

3. The material

Not all materials are the same. Consider your surroundings, is it near the coast or in a particularly windy or humid environment? There are all kinds of materials, but in this case the best is a micronized finish or a brass product.

4. The type (round or lever)

Whether you choose a round handle or a lever handle, it almost certainly comes down to two things. The look you want and who will wear it. Round handles are mostly used in period homes that suit that look. However, toggle handles are available for those vintage houses as well, so it's up to you. Remember that lever handles are much easier to use, and round handles are often very difficult to turn, especially if you carry groceries.

5. The thickness and weight of the door

The doors are getting bigger and wider, and they also get thinner in some cases. Therefore, you need to know the weight and thickness of your door. There are handles that fit thick doors and others are designed for thinner doors. Also, if the door is heavy, you need to make sure that the lever handle is strong enough to handle it - no pun intended! Cheap, lightweight handles, like the ones you can buy at a super store, just don't cut the mustard in these apps.

6. What is function?

This is very important. Does the room the door is in need a privacy feature or just a latch feature? If privacy is needed, there are two options. Integrated or separate. Integrated is cheaper but separate is far superior in both reliability and aesthetics. Separate privacy is also much easier to operate.

7. Finish

There are numerous types of metal plating finishes available today, too many to list. There are flat finishes such as matte, with black being a current favorite. There are the newer vintage finishes that provide the unique aesthetic of an aged finish for the discerning hardware connoisseur. These are intended to simulate the natural and inconsistent qualities that come with tarnishing and aging, the antique brass and antique nickel finishes are the result of a carefully handcrafted process that has been painstakingly refined.

Again, consider the other rooms in the house. It's okay to have black door handles and chrome in the kitchen if that's your thing, the main thing is to consider it. As mentioned above, it is more common to combine cabinets with door furniture.

8. Combined or separate kit

There are several components required to form a complete door handle. There is the mortise lock or latch, there are the fasteners, and then there is the handle. Note that some companies require you to buy them separately and others pre-make the kit, so all you have to buy is a box with everything you need.

9. Installation or DIY?

Generally speaking, a latch lever is pretty simple to put in if you're handy and know how to use a drill. However, 89% of all door handle problems are due to poor installation. If you can afford it, you'd better hire a carpenter to help you, especially if it's a mortise lock. Just remember that door handles touch more than anything else in your house, so it's worth a bit more to get it right.

10. The budget

Why is this number 10? Because you must have considered the other 9 before setting your budget! If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right, remember: it's an investment, not an expense.