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The most widely-used finish for residential locks has typically been 605 bright polished brass. This finish is available with lifetime finishes, which are highly recommended. The lacquer of non-lifetime finishes eventually wears off and discoloration will occur. Exterior locks will be exposed to pitting as well over time, with wind-driven minute particles constantly attacking the finish in addition to moisture and skin oils from the users. Today, the trend is towards alternative finishes and materials. Forged metal materials and finishes often hold up better with less maintenance than brass.

 

Architectural handle. Courtesy Doug Mockett & Company, Inc.

Securing doors in commercial work brings more products, applications and variations. Again, start with the use of the building and the door and remember that all fire-rated doors must latch. There are four basic functions of locks: entry, storeroom, privacy and passage. Entry function locks involve use of a turn button on the inside of the lock trim in addition to a key for locking and unlocking from the exterior side. Storeroom is a function of a keyed lock that always remains locked and entry is only available with a key. It is not possible to leave this function unlocked. As the name implies, the most common use is for securing storerooms as well as mechanical, janitors and electrical rooms.

Privacy function locks do not use a key on the outside but generally use a turn button for locking when inside a room, most typically a bathroom like the ones in most homes. Most will come with an emergency means of entry from the outside, usually a hole in the knob or lever that a pin type instrument can be inserted into, which unlocks the door from outside the room. Passage function involves no locking at all.

 

Bronze french doors with ring tail levers. Courtesy Sun Valley Bronze.

Generally all locks should allow exit from a room without the use of any special keys or tools. An expression used in the commercial industry in describing lock functions for this application is “always free from the inside.”

When securing a commercial building from the outside, however, there are a number of special keys and tools that can be used to maintain access control. One such system is “an identification and locking system for digital access control,” explains John O’Meara of Hafele America Co. “The core technology is transponders manufactured by Texas Instruments and LEGIC. Low Frequency and High frequency transponders store and transmit data and they can act as an ID in software systems such as membership programs and they can act as IDs or keys in access control systems.” With today’s technology, a very flexible system can be created to meet the needs of any company. As O’Mara says, “Solutions range from one lock and one user, to 10,000 locks and 30,000 users.”

Locks come in three basic grades: grade 1, heavy duty; grade 2, medium duty; grade 3, residential. What grade is specified should depend on the use of the building. For commercial applications, the design of the lock handles will be lever to meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility guidelines. More lever lock designs are used in residential homes today as a practical preparation for retirement and for the design aesthetics lever locks can offer in home decorating.