Product Help

How to select the right door handles for you

It might seem a bit obvious at first, but as soon as you start looking around you will be confronted by literally thousands of different door handles and knobs to choose from. Each of these handles and knobs will come in a selection of finishes, satin stainless steel, polished stainless steel, aluminium, brass, chrome, bronze, pewter and even occasionally gold plated! So, how do we choose the right handle?
First you need a budget. Set yourself a minimum and a maximum price you are prepared to pay. Why set a minimum? I hear you say. Simple, you will probably handle your door handles dozens of times a day, hundreds of times a week, and many thousands of times a year so if you buy something that�s cheap you could find yourself having to replace it a lot sooner than you expected.
Having decided a sensible price range, think about the style of your home, or how you want it to appear. A Dickensian thatched cottage may not be the best place for polished stainless steel cutting edge door furniture and likewise a brand new, state of the art penthouse apartment would probably not benefit from black iron antique furniture.
Then consider who is going to handle the door furniture. If you have young children you may find that brass or chrome handles need to be constantly cleaned where grubby little hands have left smear marks or worse. Satin stainless steel is probably your best bet here, and if your home is near the sea/river or in open countryside then you will gain the added benefit of stainless steels resistance to weathering- have you ever noticed how brass or chrome handles lose their shine and discolour?
Again bearing children in mind, try to avoid handles with pointed or sharp edges on them, door handles are fitted at about the same height as the average 2 year-olds eyes.
Potential users with restrictive movement in the hands may find knob furniture difficult to operate and would benefit from having a lever instead. If the user has limited sight try to avoid handles that are similar in finish to the door on which they are to be fitted (i.e. don�t use aluminium handles on white doors or brass on light timbers)
So, now we have narrowed it down from a couple of thousand to perhaps 20 or so choices, much more manageable. The rest is up to you and your personal preferences

What are the different types of door handles available?

Handles which are used to operate mortice locks and latches are called lever door handles. These handles are usually, but not always, spring loaded. Lever Door Handles come with six different standard operations.
Lever Latch Door Handles. For non-locking doors. These can be on round roses or on rectangular backplates.
Lever Lock Door Handles. For use with lever keyway mortice locks.
Lever Bathroom Lock Door Handles. For use with full size bathroom locks.
Lever Privacy Door Handles. For bathroom doors fitted with latches instead of bathroom locks.
Euro Profile Lever Door Handles. For use with Euro profile locks/cylinders.
Oval Profile Lever Door Handles. For use with Oval profile locks/cylinders

What is Euro or Oval barrel/keyway and Lever keyway?

Euro or Oval profile means a type of barrel that is fitted thru the door and into the door lock body.
You will need a Euro profile door handle if your barrel is shaped like a very large keyhole and that you use a "yale" type key in.
You will need an Oval profile door handle if your lock barrel is a large oval shape that you use a "yale" type key in.
Lever keyway locks have a long key (usually about 65-75mm) with a bow at one end and a stepped or toothed portion at the other end which goes into the lock.Lever keyway locks are still the most popular type in the UK.

How to stop your door handles from sticking

The most common problem people have with door handles is when, after being operated, the door handle does not return back to the horizontal position. There are usually a few very simple reasons for this. We have put them in order of most easily rectified and would suggest trying to resolve your problem step by step.
1) Sometimes the screws used to fix the handle to the door have been over-tightened, especially if an electric screwdriver has been used. Over-tightening can cause 2 problems. First, this causes the backplate on which the door handle is mounted to pinch into the door and in turn pinch the lockcase, stopping the spring inside the lock or latch from doing its job properly. Secondly, over-tightening can create friction on the spring which is inside the handle backplate.
2) Many door handles have internal springs at the back of them which, if not properly lubricated, can grind against the inners of the handle backplate. To check if this is the cause of your problem, do the following. Remove the handle from the door. Hold the backplate in one hand and operate the lever with your other hand to see if it appears to be grinding, If it is, smear a little grease or petroleum jelly onto the spring and move the door handle a few times until the grease or jelly has worked its way into the spring mechanism. The door handle should now move freely and can be re-fitted to the door.
3) Some door handles have a long neck at the back where the square spindle bar locates. Occasionally these can bind against the door, preventing the handle from returning to its normal position. Remove the handle from the door and lay it flat on a table. It should rest flat but if it rocks, then the neck is protruding further than the handle backplate. You will need to drill a hole in each side of your door big enough and deep enough to allow the handle backplate to rest flat against the door.
4) To save money during construction, many doors are fitted with very cheap tubular door latches and it is quite possible that the spring mechanism in this has failed. Remove the handles from the door and pull out the latch. You should be able to press in the latchbolt with a finger and watch it spring back out again. If it fails to do this fully or does so slowly then you should fit a new latch of the same size, but ideally better quality
5) Sometimes, especially in new homes or on newly hung doors, doors drop after a while. If this happens, the latchbolt can bind against its keep plate. If this has happened you will probably be able to spot signs of wear or scratches on the keep plate and maybe on the latchbolt. To correct this you should remove the keep plate and reposition it slightly lower down the door frame.

Door Handles & Ironmongery Cleaning Advice

When cleaning , certain pieces of furniture sometimes get missed or overlooked, and your door handles are probably one of these missed items, but if you think about how often you use the door handles around your house they are probably in need of a good clean!
Different materials have different cleaning methods, so spend a few minutes reading this article if you want your handles to look their best.
Brass � a popular choice within homes today. Nearly all brass door handles anf furniture is coated with a clear lacquer which protects the brass and the door handle. To clean brass use a soft cloth and warm water to dust them on a regular basis. After dusting you can polish the brass with a thin coat of wax polish to give it a real shine, this can be done once a week. Never use an abrasive material or cleaner on brass.
Stainless Steel � stainless steel is a very hardy and robust material which will outlast most other materials. To clean use a soft cloth, warm water and a mild cleaning solution, if blemishes persist try adding a bit of vinegar to see if that helps.
Chrome � chrome has become a popular choice among householders and you can choose from a wide range of door handle designs in polished chrome, satin brushed chrome, or matt chrome. Chrome door handles are considered one of the easiest to maintain, however the finish can be damaged or scratched easily and simply need a soft cloth and a wax polish to keep them clean and in tip top shape. As with brass, never use abrasive cleaners to clean chrome.
Regular cleaning and maintaining of your door handles not only keeps them looking nice and shiny but also improves the life span of your door handles which means keeping the cost down to you, that�s worth a bit of polish isn�t it?

Hinges. Which Hinge Type Is Used Where?

Hinges come in all shapes and sizes to suit a variety of different applications. Various certifications and terms are used, the most common being-
BBA approved - the British Board of Agr�ment is the UKs major approval body for new construction products
BS EN 1935 is the European Standard which applies to standard hardware
BS EN 1634 standard applies to fire resistance hinges
Brassed finish means that it has been plated to look like brass, it is not solid brass so may rust unless the base material is stainless steel
Butt hinge Butt hinges are the most common type found. They are used on wooden internal and external doors, casement windows, cupboards and other pieces of furniture. The two halves need to be recessed so that they are flat with the door and frame Different finishes are available made from plain steel, brassed, brass, chrome, stainless steel, colour coated etc. Stainless steel is the most durable finish.
Security butt hinge Often an insurance requirement for outward opening doors, where the hinge pin is exposed externally. Like ordinary butt hinges, they need to be recessed into the surfaces. If an ordinary butt hinge were used in this position the hinge pin could be removed from outside and the door released. With security butt hinges the two halves of the hinge are locked together when the door is closed so removing the hinge pin wont allow access.
Rising & Falling butt hinges Rising butt hinges lift the door approx 6mm as it is opened allowing the door to rise above a carpet or high threshold. They do have a tendency to automatically close the door when let go but are not a reliable means of doing so.
Falling hinges allow the door to fall into the open position, often used on public wcs so it is obvious that a wc is unoccupied
Both rising & falling hinges are handed, either clockwise or anticlockwise. Clockwise rising butt hinges are used where the hinges are on the right of the door and the door opens towards you. Anticlockwise when the hinges are on the left. Usually the two parts separate so that, when open, the door can be lifted off for painting or maintenance
Continuous Hinge Sometimes referred to as Piano hinges because of their original common use to secure the lid of pianos. They are available in various lengths (1.8 metre is quite common) and can be cut down to the length required. They can be used where any opening requires support along an extended length.
Flush hinge A lightweight hinge which has the advantage over a butt hinge in that it fixed directly on to the surface without the need to cut a recess since the 2 leaves are shaped so that one sits inside the other in the closed position. Usually used on cupboards. Not suitable for heavy doors.
Concealed hinge Used to hinge cupboard doors so that the hinge is not externally visible. Most types require a large hole, typically 35mm dia, in the door to accomodate this.
Tee Hinges Tee hinges are generally used on timber sheds, garages etc where the long arm is fitted to the door and the narrow part to the door jamb. Usually supplied Black, Galvanised or Plain steel finish. They offer little security as the fixing screws are exposed.
Spring Hinges Double action hinges are usually found in commercial premises where a door is required to swing both ways. Very rare in domestic situations.

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). How does this affect your choices?

BS8300, The Disability Discrimination Act is a legally-backed code of practice with the intention of assisting designers, manufacturers, suppliers and installers to ensure that buildings they are working on do not in any way exclude or inhibit less-abled members of the public from using public or commercial buildings.
With regards to ironmongery the following basic principles should be considered whenever possible.
Locks and latches should be of an upright design and the minimum backset (the distance from the lock forend to the centre of the door handle follower or keyhole) should be 55mm.
The keyway or lock cylinder should either be above the door lever handle or, if below it, there should be a 72mm gap between the centre of the follower and the centre of the keyway.
Lever handles should be used in preference to knob furniture.
Lever handle design should provide for the handles returning towards the door. The handle should be a minimum 19mm in diameter, stand at least 45mm from the door to the inside face of the handle, and have a minimum inside grip of 95mm.
For bathroom or wc locks a large turn should be used
Door pull handles should ideally be D shaped, of 19mm minimum diameter and project at least 45mm from the face of the door to the inside of the handle. No minimum length of handle is specified, but as the code states that the lower fixing point should be a maximum 1000mm above the floor and the lowest fixing point for the top fixing should be at least 1300mm above the floor, this suggests a 300mm handles would be accepted provided that it was fixed in accordance with this. In practice, most specifiers are suggesting 400mm or 425mm pull handles to provide some leaway for the installers.
The regulations have been relaxed with regards to the Light Reflective Values (LRVs), and a difference of 30 points is now acceptable, meaning a wide choice of door furniture finishes is now fine so long as they are not too similar to the door finish (i.e. one still should not use white handles on a white door or some dark colours on black doors)

Is Google Personalised Search Going To Kill New Websites And Good SEO?

How Can New Sites Survive Google Personalised Search?

Google personalised search, launched at the back end of 2009, could potentially act as a barrier to any new website from ever becoming highly ranked.
This is because it retains history of past searches made by both signed in individuals and by url locations to allow it to provide users with a quicker, more efficient set of results the next time they search.
Now, that sounds all fine and well if your site is established and already ranks well and is in the early search results now, but what if you are a fledgling website with little or no history and were hoping to use good SEO techniques to work your way up the listings? No doubt unscrupulous black hat SEO companies will try and persuade you that alls fair in love and war (claiming Google have declared war on SEOs and newcomers) but there are other ways, ways that won't get your website banned forever.
Googles stated intentions that Google Personalised Search is purely to make it easier for end users to find the results they want in the quickest way may not be entirely as innocent as they appear, since this will push many new and poorly ranked sites into paid advertisement that they may not have otherwise have wanted.
Now, paid advertising is fine, if thats what you want. It could get you on the first page and may bring in the customers, and if thats what you want then go for it. However, since more and more sites will go down this route it is inevitable that keywords are going to become more expensive, and only one site can be listed at the very top for any keyword. You also could get into a vicious circle whereby you have to continue with paid listings regardless of cost because you are absolutely nowhere in the organic listings.
Black hat SEO firms will probably do quite well out of this, but we strongly advise against anything even the slightest bit shady- you could end up banned from Google for life!
Try instead stepping back in time a bit, to the days of the old printing press. Running small, localised campaigns in print can drive customers to your website and bring in sales. Dont, however, feel that you have to put your website url on the adverts. Yes, I know that sounds strange but please bear with me for a few moments. Directing people straight to your site wont help your Google organic listings, so again you will be tied into a form of advertising. Instead, find a keyword where you do have a decent listing. For example, you may sell chocolates online, a very competitive business where you are never going to get a good listing for the major keywords. So, find a phrase where you can get a good listing, say Bills luxury hand-made Belgian chocolates gets you organically listed at no.3 on Google. Put the Google search url that directs customers to this Google page on your adverts instead. Every customer who clicks onto you from this page helps bump you up the Google rankings a little, and they next time they search for chocolates you should come up as one of good old Google Personailised Searches early suggestions.
It will take time, but eventually your locally-paid adverts will result in better visibility for your website.
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