Door Hardware
How Do I Choose The Right Pocket Door Set?
We offer 4 kinds of Pocket Door Hardware Sets to fit most single and double pocket door installations:
- Double Privacy Sets are used for pairs of pocket doors that meet in the middle of the door frame, and need to lock together. These sets have a thumbturn inside and a keyhole outside for access.
- Single Keyhole Passage Sets are non-locking sets for single pocket doors. The keyhole on the outside plate provides the look of an old pocket door set, and isn't functional.
- Single Plain Passage Sets are identical to the above set, but without the "just for looks" keyhole.
- Single Privacy Sets are for lockable single pocket doors. These sets have a thumbturn inside and a keyhole outside for access, and come with a strike.
Will Your Door Hardware Fit My Home's New Doors?
Although our Interior Door Sets are designed to cover the 2 1/8in. bore commonly pre-bored into newer doors, there may be other factors which require further discussion.
We also recommend that your carpenter has our Exterior Door Sets in-hand before preparing the door for fitting.
If you have questions or doubts, please tell us more about your situation before ordering. Email Customer Service or call 888-401-1900.
Will Your New Door Hardware Replace My Old Door Hardware?
For interior doors, our doorknobs and backplates are compatible with most old mortise locks. Exterior doors, however, will likely require retrofitting by an experienced carpenter.
Generally, replacement door hardware won't necessarily fit or cover all the holes drilled for the previous door hardware - there wasn't and isn't any one universally employed configuration, especially on old doors. We suggest hanging onto your old mortise locks, tube latches, and strike plates until you've got our new stuff in hand.
Dimensions which might help you check for new/old hardware compatibility on interior doors:
- Keyhole-to-knob spacing is 2-1/4in., center-to-center; 9/32in. spindle set "on the diamond" for correct knob orientation (especially helpful for oval knobs).
- The spindles are a standard 5/16in. thick. Longer spindles will probably be required for doors over 1-3/8in. thick. Contact Customer Service for longer spindles.
I Have Thicker-Than-Average Doors; Will Your Interior Door Sets Fit?
If your doors are thicker than 1-3/8in., you probably need a spindle 1/4in. or 1/2in. longer than the 3-1/2in. inch spindle supplied with our Interior Door Sets. Please email or call Customer Service at 888-401-1900 for assistance.
What Interior Door Set Should I Use? Your Designs Don't Look Familiar.
The Wentworth (originally called Cleo when first manufactured by Russell and Erwin) is simple and elegant - with a universal appeal - and will complement most interiors and other hardware without clashing.
If you want door hardware with even less detail, the Benson, Putman, and Adams are good choices.
Can I Use Your Interior Door Sets on Screen Doors?
It's easier to use one of our Screen Door Hardware Sets, but, yes, some wood frame screen doors will take our Interior Door Sets, provided the door is thick and strong enough to accept the larger latches, and that you're comfortable with retrofitting.
This may be a job for your contractor if you haven't installed door hardware before, or if you're replacing existing screen door hardware with ours.
For Confident Do-It-Yourself Folks:
First, make sure the screen door casing is wide enough to accommodate the backplate of the Interior Door Set you want.
Once you've got your door set in hand, you'll need to cut the spindle, as screen doors are considerably thinner than most interior doors. Make sure you don't damage the spindle threads; doorknobs screw down onto threads for secure fastening.
And finally, you'll likely need to purchase a separate screen door latch which is much smaller than an interior door tube latch. Also, know that screen door latches for wood doors typically don't come in a wide variety of finishes. Currently, we don't sell screen door latches online, but many hardware shops carry them or can order them for you.
My old door hinges are missing ball tips. Can I buy replacement ball tips from you?
Regrettably, the ball tips on our Door Hinges won't fit other door hinges. We don't sell ball tips separately.
The ball tips thread on the bottom of the door hinge, and are permanently fixed with Loctite brand adhesive. On the top of the door hinge, they are fixed on the pin.
What are Bore Inserts?
A Bore Insert is needed to fill the wide 2-1/8in. hole in most pre-drilled new wood doors, and some old wood doors that have been retrofitted for new hardware.
Wood doors with a 2-1/8in. diameter hole drilled through them require an optional Bore Insert for our "Rosette" Interior Door Sets (that is, those with smaller round backplates).
Replacing door hardware on existing interior wood doors?
Before ordering, remove door hardware and measure the diameter of the holes bored through each door. A hole 2in. or smaller does not require an optional Bore Insert.
Ordering door hardware for new interior wood doors?
Most doors bought "off the rack" or custom ordered are usually pre-drilled with a 2-1/8in. bore, and will require an optional Bore Insert.
Door Prep - a Boring Subject
Installing a door set involves drilling holes in your door - holes that will vary depending on the type of door set you have.
Most door sets in pre-1930s houses were of the mortise lock type. These distinctive box-like locks were installed in a large hole, or mortise, in the edge of the door. Mortise locks allowed for locking with a key or thumbturn, and utilized independent plates and knobs connected through the door with a steel spindle.
Today, most door hardware uses a cylinder latch designed to mount in a 2-1/8in. hole, or bore. Cylinder latches are built as a whole with their plates and knobs, and cannot be intermixed with older knob-and-spindle type door sets.
The cylinder latch was introduced in 1924 by Schlage, and by the late-1940s had pretty much displaced traditional mortise locks as the standard for door hardware. Because they remain the industry standard to this day, many new doors come pre-bored to accept cylinder latches.
Our door sets have a foot in the past and a foot in the present. Our door trim is of the knob-and-spindle type just like old hardware, and will work with new or existing mortise locks, as well as easy-to-install tube latches. Tube latches mount in a simple hole drilled into the edge of the door. Our sets are also designed to hide or accommodate a standard 2-1/8" bore, although it is preferable to install them on unbored doors.
And for you true old-house enthusiasts, we offer a unique and proprietary privacy system. This system uses dual tube latches with a single joining faceplate. When installed, our privacy system looks and operates just like the old thumbturn-type mortise locks used to.
What are Door Hardware Passage Sets?
A passage door set is interior door hardware with a latch, and no lock.
While ordering Interior Door Sets, select an optional Tube Latch for a passage function.
What are Privacy Bolts?
As used in our Privacy Set, Privacy Bolts are locks which are activated by a thumb-turn.
Privacy Bolts are typically used on the inside of bathroom doors. Select the optional privacy bolt when ordering our Interior Door Sets.
What are Door Hardware Privacy Systems?
Privacy Systems lock from one side using a thumb-turn, and are common features on bathroom doors.
This innovative and exclusive design looks like a mortise lock when installed, and mounts in 1in. standard bores (through door's edge). Included are 1 Tube Latch (top), 1 Privacy Bolt (bottom), and 2 Door Strike Plates.
Order a Privacy Set separately for your own existing hardware, or select the Privacy Set option while ordering our Interior Door Sets. For emergency access from outside the door, select a keyhole option for one backplate while ordering.
What are Dummy Door Sets?
When doorknobs, levers and backplates are purely decorative and don't turn or operate a latch, you have a dummy set, as is sometimes used on closet doors.
If you need this option, select our Dummy Spindles when ordering Interior Door Sets. Dummy Spindles are covered by the backplate, and remain hidden once door hardware is installed.
Doors with Dummy Spindles may also need a Ball Catch in order to stay closed.
What are Tube Latches?
When you turn a doorknob or lever to open a door, you're turning a spring-tension latch.
Our Tube Latches have the old-fashioned tubular body, which is installed into a hole drilled in the door's edge. They're the standard 2.375in. (2-3/8in.) backset, and can be ordered with our Interior Door Sets.
What are Ball Catches?
Ball Catches are used for doors which are opened by pulling or pushing. When the door is closed, spring tension pushes a brass ball into a notched brass plate in the doorjamb.
Ball Catches are typically used with Dummy Spindles on closet and utility doors which don't have tube latches.
What's Door Hardware backset?
Backset is the measurement from the door's edge to the center of the hole bored for the doorknobs.
All lock and latch options for our Interior Door Sets have a standard 2-3/8in. backset.
Mortise locks for our Exterior Door Sets come in either 2-1/2in. or 2-3/4in. backsets.
Tip: Before replacing an existing lock or latch with a new one, check if the backset measurements are the same. If they are different, you'll need to retrofit your door for the new hardware. This can be a difficult task, and may be best left to an experienced contractor.
What are Mortise Locks and Latches?
Mortise locks are locking latch mechanisms that require a rectangular hole in the door edge for installation.
Mortise latches have the same shape, but only a latch function. They don't lock. In old homes, some interior doors will have only mortise latches installed.
Common in pre-1940 homes, and sometimes hard to find new, this type of lock is known by many other names. We supply a full mortise lock with a locking cylinder in every Exterior Door Set.
Tip: Mortise locks are durable, heavy, and, if you have old ones, worth keeping. Common problems such as weak latch tension are typically due to worn-out pins or springs. These can (and should) be replaced by an experienced locksmith who is familiar with mortise locks.
What are Dummy Spindles?
Dummy Spindles are used to mount a doorknob or lever that doesn't operate a latch - a feature sometimes seen on closet doors, for example.
Doors with this feature may require a Ball Catch in order to stay closed.
What Should I Know about Door Hardware Codes?
ADA requires levers instead of doorknobs, and some commercial doors require closers or specific kinds of door hinges, which we don't sell. Public and commercial spaces often must follow detailed requirements.
It's best to check local codes or ask your contractor, but more often than not, our Door Hardware should work fine for most applications.
What is Builder's Hardware?
"Builder's Hardware" is a traditional term used in old hardware catalogs which describes our various collections of hardware.
Instead of looking for "Builder's Hardware" on the site, just look for the category of product you want (Door Hinges, Door Strikes/Strike Plates, Casement Window Fasteners, Sash Locks, etc.
What are Door Strike Plates?
Strike plates or door strikes are the protective metal plate installed in the door jamb that receives the latch or lock "tongue" when door is closed.
A latch strike plate is typically T-shaped with a single hole, and a mortise lock strike, like our selection of brass Door Strikes, is typically elongated with two holes (for latch and bolt).
Any Interior Door Set ordered with either passage or privacy options comes with matching strike plates. All Exterior Door Sets, regardless of options ordered, come with a matching strike plate.
What are Spindles?
A spindle is the metal rod that doorknobs and levers are mounted on.
Regular spindles (as opposed to dummy spindles) extend through the door and latch to the doorknob on the other side. Once backplates and doorknobs are installed, spindles are completely hidden.
Antique door hardware was made with many spindle varieties: threaded, plain, and split, to name a few. Our 9/32in. square steel spindles are all threaded 20tpi (threads per inch) - the most common size, and the standard threading for most new doorknobs designed for threaded spindles.
Except for the Dummy Door Set, all Interior Door Sets come with spindles.
Medicine Cabinets
What is "certified" solid wood?
Wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council is available internationally and is gaining wide recognition as architects, designers, home builders/remodelers, carpenters, and manufacturers choose to protect resources by specifying and using certified forest products.
The Trademark of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) indicates that the wood used to make the product comes from a forest which is well managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards. The forest of origin has been independently inspected and evaluated according to the principles and criteria for forest management agreed and approved by the Forest Stewardship Council. FSC is an international, non-profit association whose membership comprises environmental and social groups and progressive forestry and wood retail companies working in partnership to improve forest management worldwide.
The wood in our Medicine Cabinets comes from these "natural working forests"; once a tree is felled, it's not replanted by man or machine. The forest floor is naturally reseeded by the trees left standing, ensuring the diversity of species and a process that's better for our water, wildlife, and us human beings.
What is ogee detail?
Ogee is an "S" curve profile, seen in various forms of finish carpentry. On our medicine cabinet doors, the ogee profile is cut into the inner edge of the door, where it borders the mirror. In this case, ogee detail functions as a visual transition between the mirror and the wood.
What is stile and rail construction?
Stile and rail more or less defines the way our medicine cabinet doors look and how they're put together. Each top and bottom board butts against the adjacent side boards to create a solid, traditional appearance.
For a visual aid, if you live in an older house with solid-wood paneled interior doors, look at the corners and casing for examples of how stile and rail construction looks. It's quite sturdy.
What are fully mortised ball-tip hinges?
Mortised means the cabinet door and frame have been recessed where the hinges fasten; the hinges fit flush into the woodwork. When the door is shut, all that's visible of the hinge is its knuckle.
Ball Tips are a detail common to older cabinet and door hinges. Ours thread into the top and bottom of the knuckle.
Does Rejuvenation custom-build Medicine cabinets in other sizes?
We're unable to produce custom-sized Medicine cabinets for you. We measured many old, salvaged cabinets and stuck with what we saw most often. We've partnered with a local craftsman and strive to keep prices and lead-times reasonable. You may want to contact a cabinetmaker if you're interested in variations on typical dimensions.
Can I buy cabinet parts and plans from Rejuvenation, or contact the craftsman you're working with?
You may purchase the hardware separately, but we can't sell the other cabinet parts or plans, or provide the cabinetmaker's name.
Why are the medicine cabinets pre-primed?
Our medicine cabinets are mostly poplar wood, which doesn't allow stain to penetrate. We've pre-primed them to be ready for your paint color.
Generally, poplar looks splotchy and uneven if you try to stain it. Not recommended.
How are Rejuvenation's Medicine Cabinets built and how do they compare with others?
Rejuvenation's traditional Medicine Cabinets are unmatched in quality of materials, craftsmanship, and period-authentic historical accuracy.
They're meticulously detailed and handcrafted from real wood - primed, paint-grade poplar with absolutely no MDF or particleboard. All mouldings, trim, and casings are solid wood, the back which recesses into the wall (on inset models) or which rests against the wall (on surface mount models) is solid plywood.
With each model, we include a 1-1/4in. beveled mirror, two glass shelves, and fully mortised solid brass ball-tip hinges in your choice of finishes. Optional choices of cabinet knobs, pulls, latches, and catches - also in your choice of finishes - can be ordered separately.
Can I install the medicine cabinet myself?
We try to be as thorough as possible with our instructions, but the difficulty involved is relative to your experience and comfort with installation projects.
Surface-mount cabinets will be easier to install than insert-mount cabinets, which must recess into a hole in your bathroom wall. If your wall is stripped down to the studs, an insert mount is certainly easier than tearing out the wall to retrofit. If you do need to retrofit, or if you just feel overwhelmed by the project, we suggest calling a professional carpenter.
Tip: All screws should be hand-tightened.
How are inset-mount are surface-mount medicine cabinets different?
Most antique medicine cabinets were recessed into the wall, or inset mounted. If your bathroom wall is stripped to the studs, or if you plan to cut a hole in the wall to retrofit the cabinet, choose inset mount. However, understand that retrofitting a new cabinet into an existing wall calls for experienced carpentry skills.
Medicine cabinets which are hung directly on a wall are surface mounted. No recessing of the "box" is required.
Our Medicine Cabinets are available in a surface-mount option.
Surface-mount medicine cabinets have a simple box enclosure, and extend out 5 to 6 inches. Keep this in mind when choosing wall brackets for above or beside one, and read about our deep projection option.
What if I've got a corner sink and want to install the cabinet above it, flush to the wall?
If you have a traditional corner sink where the sink's sides mount to the wall at 90 degrees, we don't recommend using our Medicine Cabinets, mainly because the projection would likely cause you to bump your head every time you used the sink. A hanging mirror and some nearby shelves would be better, if this is your situation.
What are the box dimensions for inset-mount medicine cabinets?
Our inset-mount medicine cabinets all have a recessed box size of 18.75in. W x 23.75in. H x 3.75in. D, and rough-in measurements of 19.25in. W x 24.25in. H x 4in. D.
Does Rejuvenation offer other cabinet styles?
We won't rule out making other medicine cabinet styles some day, but we've gotten good response from what we currently offer. We're sticking with these styles for now; however, if yours is a design which you feel we must consider, let us know.