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Protect the door

The final aspect of specifying hardware is to select products to protect the door. That includes covering the door with protective plates and stopping the door. Protection plates would be push plates and pulls, kickplates, armor plates, mop plates and edge guards. Push plates and pull plates are used to protect a door that does not latch against scratches, fingerprints and hand oils; however, they cannot be used on fire-rated doors. One of the most popular uses of push plates and pulls is on restroom doors, particularly when they are multiple occupancy. When specifying push plates and pulls, consider how they will be mounted and the stile width of the door. The stile is the vertical edge of the door. This is the part the push plate or pull will mount to and it has to be wide enough to accommodate the design specified. Typical widths of push plates are 3 1/2" in width by 15" in height and 4" in width by 16" in height.

If the door has windows or panels, the stile has to be wide enough for a push plate or pull. Pulls come in a variety of sizes, shapes and finishes and are probably one of the more decorative pieces of commercial hardware. A typical school or hospital will usually have a simple design in BHMA finish 630 satin stainless steel for their push plates, pulls and protective hardware. An upscale executive office might have a very expensive and decorative pull where aesthetics is a primary factor. Some owners want to make a statement in the pull handles of their offices. Many restaurant owners have chosen expensive, one of a kind pull handles for their entry doors designed especially for their restaurant’s theme or simply to be memorable.

When the Venetian in Las Vegas wanted to make an impression with their doors, they had a solid bronze cast pull custom made to replicate the front of the gondolas famous for carrying couples in Venice, Italy. Their goal, as Martin Simon of TRIMCO said, is“to increase awareness that door handles, especially entrance handles, are jewelry-like features both setting the visitor’s impression and enhancing the image of the people behind the door.”

When asked about trends in this area, Simon noted he’s seen “lots of contemporary interpretations of old themes, with strong direction toward warm friendly shapes and colors.”

But not all companies want embellished door handles, and there are always those who feel that less is more. Recognizing this, manufacturers have begun manufacturing a simpler, cleaner style of specialty pull handles for use in commercial buildings. “We’re dealing mainly with style,” says company owner Doug Mockett. We’ve looked at contemporary building designs and what we saw were simplicity and sophistication combined. We tried to copy the concept of sophistication, yet keep it simple – very clean and simple designs that will complement contemporary buildings and buildings that get refitted with contemporary doors.”

But don’t expect to see these pulls on the local shop doors any time soon. “We’re definitely more high-end,” says Doug. “It’s not going to go on your log cabin in Bitterroot, Montana.”

Most pulls are thru-bolted to the door and this is an important design application to keep in mind. When specifying pulls or handles of any type for exterior doors, keep in mind which direction the door faces. As TRIMCO representatives note, “South and west-facing entries are always a problem. Innovation is required to deal with south-facing and west-facing doors where the sun raises metal temperatures to as high as 160 degrees Fahrenheit (too hot to touch!).” However, new coatings and attractive insulating materials make custom metal handles for this type of location feasible. Also, when specifying entry hardware, remember it is always prone to the relentless abuse of the elements, so durability is critical.