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Securing the door

The next area of focus is on securing the door. If there is a pair of doors, securing the door includes both doors. The terminology used in the industry is to call one door the active door and one the inactive. The active door, of course, is the one that will be used for traffic to move through. Generally, when there is a pair of doors, the active door is the one on the right, following the unwritten rule of people traffic flow. It is assumed that most people are right handed and the tendency is to reach for the right side door, approaching it from the secured side. The in-active door is often secured by what are known as flush bolts. These bolts or rods are concealed in the door and, when extended, latch into the frame at the top of the door and into a plate in the floor. Surface bolts are the same application, but are mounted on the door surface and visible. Many homes have surface bolts on pairs of French or glass and wood patio doors.

 

Architectural pulls. Courtesy of Hafele America Co.

Securing doors typically involves locking or latching the doors.

The focus here is on two basic types of locks: bored and mortise. Bored locks are installed into a hole drilled through the face of a door. They interact with a bolt installed in the edge of the door called a latch bolt. A bored lock is simply a two-piece handle and spindle which is attached by threaded screws through the hole in the face of the door. The latch bolts (commonly called plungers) of locks extend into the metal piece in the frame which is called a strike (commonly known as keepers).

A mortise lock, on the other hand, has a rectangular-shaped lock body installed in a pocket mortised out of the edge of the door. Mortise locks are more expensive lock, but they are a good application. The handle or knob and plate that you see is attached by threaded bolts extending through the lock body and a spindle connects the two handles. On a home, a mortise lock will be an expensive item that would generally be specified for an entry door. Many residential entry doors use a handle and thumbpiece combination with a deadbolt, as the best protection comes from the deadbolt. For maximum security, when specifying a deadbolt on a home, have a reinforcing or security strike installed as well. It is inexpensive and basically reinforces the strike in the frame with stronger metal and longer screws. This offers better security against someone prying or kicking the door open. Locksmith or home builders store generally carry this item.