The Great Door Guide for Your House

Your front door is what represents you and your house. It’s one of the first things a visitor will notice, so it should represent your “best foot forward”.

Besides being functional they’re also an important part of your home’s personality. Doors come in an amazing variety of styles, materials, and hardware. We don’t often think much about it because we’re rarely in a position where we have to. However, if your designing a new house, the doors should be an important part of your selections.

In this article we’ll discuss all things doors. The first sections cover the terms used for the parts of a door, then the types of doors available in terms of function and placement.

The sections after that will be about the door itself. We’ll star with a section on available materials. We’ll then review the components used to build doors followed by how they fit into walls. We’ll finish by discussing hardware and available door finishes.

WHAT THINGS ARE CALLED

Door components have their own unique terms. Below is a summary of the parts of a door unit. Words that are in bold text are defined in this and following sections. A few terms I use to more easily explain elements of the door, but different terms might be used by others depending on the source.

Astragal

A vertical strip of wood on the edge of one door panel of a double door used to cover the gap between the door panels when closed. Astragals are used as an air seal when the doors are exterior, and can be used to minimize sound transfer when used inside.

Casing

The visible material, typically wood, placed around a door to cover the gaps between the frame and the wall and that’s attached to the wall. This trim can be simple boards or boards with decorative profiles.

Cladding

Thin panels of man-made materials such as metals and vinyl applied to the face of a wood door. Cladding is used to protect and improve the performance of exterior doors.

Core

The inner part of the door panel in doors that are not built of solid wood. This space, called the core, is between the veneer panels and their support frames. Such doors can be solid core or hollow core.

Door

This one’s rather obvious, but a door is a movable panel within a frame or that’s frame-less through which we enter a house rooms in the house.

Doors are typically swung open if the door panel is attached to the frame by hinges. Panels can also be slid open using tracks at the top and/or the bottom of the frame .

Frameless doors can be swung open when on pivots or pulled overhead using vertical tracks at each side of the door.

Doors are traditionally built of lumber, long pieces of solid wood whose cross sections were cut to a specific rectangular sizes.

This lumber is used to build patterns using stiles and rails with wood panel inserts in between. This creates doors with faces of flat and recessed surfaces that give doors visual and appealing depth. Door panels made only of wood are called solid wood doors.

Today doors can also be built with a single flat surface or can be molded into patterns and profiles using various materials. Doors can also be made with other materials such as fiberglass, metals such as aluminum or steel, and can be wood with a surface cladding of durable material on the exterior such as aluminum or vinyl.

Flat or profiled doors can be made of solid wood or can be built of veneer panels over a solid core material (solid core).

Manufacturing technologies also exist that allows doors to weigh less than traditional solid wood or solid core doors. This is done by using strong but light core materials or using veneer panels on wood frames without any core material. The doors built of these methods are called hollow core.

Door Panel

Also called the door, the part of the door unit that opens to let you through from the outside to inside or between interior rooms and spaces.

Door Unit

The attached components of the door, specifically the door panel with its frame, along with any sidelites or transoms. A door that’s pre-hung is manufactured and shipped to the construction site with the door panel attached to the frame.

Frame

The material surrounding and supporting the door panel composed of two vertical side pieces called jambs, the horizontal top piece called a head, and the horizontal floor-level piece called the threshold or sill, together creating the door frame. The door frame is what attaches to the wall in which the door unit is placed.

Also, pieces of lumber put together forming a rectangle on which veneer panels are placed to create a solid core or hollow core door panel.

Below are the components of a door frame:

Head

The top frame piece of a door unit.

Jamb

The vertical frame piece on each side of a door unit.

Threshold

The floor level horizontal piece of the door frame. Also called a sill.

Hardware

The working components added to a door unit that allow a door to open and close. These include the hinges that attach to the frame and allow the door panel to swing, the knobs or levers you clasp to open a door, the latch on the side of the door panel nearest the knobs or levers and which keeps the door panel in place when closed, and any lock that secures the door panel from intruders.

There are various other specialty components which will be discussed in the Hardware section later in the article.

Glass

As we all know, glass is the material we can see through to the outside (or inside if you’re nosy), or that provides light into a room or space.

Glazing is glass inserted into a door panel.

Glazing can also be the process of installing glass.

A door panel or other similar unit that has glass is glazed.

Below are elements and terms related to glass:

Lite

A lite is a single pane of glass or insulated glass within a door. A door unit can have one, two, or multiple lites depending on the type and design of the door.

Divided Lite

A door with a glass insert that has smaller pieces of glass set in narrow frames (muntins), called true-divided-lites. Glass inserts that use muntins attached to the glass or muntins as a removable screen to create the look of a divided lite is called simulated-divided-lites.

Insulated Glass

A glass unit consisting of a glass pane attached to each side of an airtight frame. The space between the panes provides some insulation between inside and outside.

Leaded Glass

Glass inserts in which small pieces of glass are supported by thin strips of lead or other metal.

Muntin

Narrow frame members that subdivide a glass insert into smaller pieces of glass. Muntins are typically placed in a grid pattern of same-sized pieces of glass, but can sometimes be subdivided into panes of varying sizes and shapes to create a decorative pattern.

(See ‘Divided Lite’ section above for image.)

Pane

The single piece of glass (or insulated glass) that fits within a door insert,a divided lite, or in leaded glass.

(See ‘Leaded Glass’ section above for image.)

Hollow Core

A door panel, typically with a flat surface, that consists of an inner frame made of wood over which thin veneer panels are placed on both sides. The space between the frame members, known as the core, is filled with strong but light plastic honeycomb or corrugated cardboard grids, or is left empty.

A hollow core door is typically a flat-face door panel and looks the same as a solid-core door. The noticeable difference is typically the weight of the door.

Infill

Material placed in the core between veneer panels in a door panel. Materials can include solid material such as MDF or partical board (solid-core), or non-solid light weight materials such as plastic honeycomb panels, or corrugated grid panels (hollow-core).

Infill Panel

An insert made of a wood board that sits between the stiles and rails in a traditionally-built door.

(See image in next section below.)

Insert

A material such as glass that’s placed within an opening cut into the door panel, or glass or wood placed between a pattern of stiles and rails.

Profile

A door profile is the variations in height and depth of the door panel surface that make up a door’s design pattern. Profiles are considered the outline made by cutting the door panel vertically or horizontally.

A door panel without any surface variations has a flat profile.

‘Profile’ can also be applied to decorative trimwork around a door.

Rail

The horizontal pieces of lumber in a traditionally-built door panel, typically at the top and bottom of the panel.

(See image above.)

Sidelite

A glazed unit, essentially a window, immediately adjacent to a door unit on one or both sides, often part of the door unit.

Sill

The bottom piece of a door frame that sits on the floor. Also called a threshold.

Solid Core

A door panel made of a rectangular wood frame on which veneer panels are placed. The space between the wood frame, called the core, is fully filled with a strong but lighter-weight material rather than solid wood.

A solid core door is typically a flat-face door panel and looks the same as a hollow core door. The noticeable difference is typically the weight of the door.

Stile

The vertical pieces of lumber in a traditionally-built door panel, typically at each side of the door panel.

(See ‘Profile’ section above for image.)

Stop

A small piece of wood or other material against which one face of the door panel sits when closed.

(See ‘Sill’ section above for image.)

Storm Door

A secondary door placed to the outside of an exterior door, typically made of narrow metal frames with glass. Some storm doors have a movable glazed sash (a frame surrounding the glass) and a fixed screen to allow the sash to be opened for air flow.

Threshold

Material placed beneath an exterior door panel to keep out water and to assist in stopping airflow in conjunction with a door sweep at the bottom of the door panel. Thresholds can be made of wood, or can be cast metal applied to a wood base, a cast metal piece, or a piece of stone.

Also, material placed beneath an interior door panel that acts as a trim and transition piece between floor materials of differing thicknesses. This threshold can be made of wood or stone.

A threshold can also be called a sill.

(See ‘Sill’ section above for image.)

Transom

A glazed unit immediately above the door, typically as part of the door unit.

Undercut

A door undercut is a purposeful gap between the floor and the bottom of the door panel, typically needed to clear the material used for the finished floor.

A taller undercut is often needed in houses using forced-air heating and cooling systems so that ducted air delivered into a room can make its way back to the fan unit for re-circulation. The air being pulled out of the room is called return air.

Veneer Panel

A thin panel placed over the inner wood frame of a door panel that acts as the visible face of the door panel. This panel, also called a substrate, is typically painted but can also be used as the surface upon which wood veneer is applied.

Wood Veneer

Extremely thin sheets of wood that are glued onto a flat surface called a veneer panel or substrate. These sheets become the visible face of a door panel and are stained rather than painted.

DOOR TYPES

There are a wide variety of doors available for use in houses. Below we cover them by how they’re used or where they’re placed. Most door types can be used inside or for the exterior of the house, can be decorative in seemingly endless styles and finishes, and can be utilitarian without decoration or embellishment.

The door types below are generally organized by common usage, the more typical being first. Similarity of type is grouped together as well. Further down in the list the doors become more specialized. This section will end talking a bit about specialty components for doors.

Single

Single doors are just that, a single door panel that sits within a frame or is frameless. This is the most common door you’ll walk through in a house.

Double

A double door is two door panels within a single frame. Each panel opens in mirror fashion to the other (e.g. one door swings open to the left while the other swings open to the right).

Double doors have an active door panel and a passive/inactive panel. The active door panel has the operating hardware and is the one typically walked through. The passive door panel has matching but inoperable hardware and is typically locked in place, being unlocked when a wider opening is needed.

Double doors utilize an astragal on one edge of one door panel to act as weatherstripping at the gap between the door panels for exterior doors, and sometimes to act as a sound barrier for interior doors.

Double doors are typically used inside to identify important spaces such as a formal living or dining room or to a large home office. A double door can also be used at the exterior entry of the house as an aesthetic choice.

Dutch

A dutch door is a single door cut horizontally in two such that there is a top panel and a bottom panel.

The two panels can be joined together via hardware to act as a single full-size door. Each panel can also be swung open independently of the other, typically with the top panel being opened while the bottom panel stays closed. The bottom panel can then be swung open as needed when the top panel is open.

Sliding

Sliding doors consist of two or more door panels placed within guide tracks at the top of the frame, or sometimes at the top and bottom of the frame. The door panels can be slid horizontally in front of or behind the adjacent panel.

Sliding doors are typically used for two purposes: to access closets and as doors to an exterior patio.

Closet sliding doors usually have a continuous guide track only at the top, with small guide pieces, typically made of plastic, inserted into the floor to steady the doors while moving them and while closed.

Patio sliding doors are typically made of aluminum frames with integral guide tracks at the top, bottom, and side frame members. The doors are typically made of thin aluminum frames in which large glass panels are inserted.

Higher-grade patio sliding doors can be made of other materials as well, such as wood or clad wood.

Pocket

A pocket door is a door panel that slides into a vertical slot within a wall such that the door is flush with the end of the wall when fully open. The door panel sits within a guide frame located just above the top of the door panel, stretching from inside the wall across the top of the door opening.

A pocket door has a recessed pull that is used to guide the door out of the pocket.

Pocket doors are common when only a narrow space is available for a door or for small spaces such as bathrooms.

Barn

A barn door is similar to a pocket door. However, instead of sliding into a pocket it slides along the outside surface of a wall. The guide track is mounted to the face of the wall just above the door opening, with the track extending a few inches beyond the full width of the door plus the width of the door when pulled back clear of the opening.

The door panel is typically wider than the door opening by around an inch or two to each side of the door. This allows for full coverage of the opening and doesn’t allow for any view into the room when fully closed.

Bi-fold

Bi-folds are door panels that attach two or more panels together vertically using hinges, with the panel closest to the wall at the opening on pivots at the top and bottom of the panel. The doors use guide tracks similar to those used for sliding doors.

Bi-fold doors are most commonly used to access closets. When fully closed the door panels are aligned next to each other with their faces aligned with the wall face. When opened the door panels will angle out as the doors slide horizontally, with the panels being perpendicular to the wall when fully open.

The advantage of bi-fold doors over sliding doors is that you can view and access almost the full width of the closet opening. Sliding doors only allow for an opening the width of one panel for a two-panel setup.

Double-acting / Double-swing

A double-acting door, also known as a double-swing door, is a door on a hinged pivot that allows the door to swing open in opposite directions. This type of door is typically used between a kitchen and a dining room.

The benefit of this door is that you can push the door in either direction while carrying food and dishes between the rooms, with the door swinging back closed once you’ve passed through the door opening.

It’s best to have at least a small glass insert so that you can see if someone is approaching on the opposite side when you’re also approaching the door.

Glazed / Glazing

A glazed door is a door that has glass in it, either vision, translucent, or decorative glass.

Glazing is the general term used for the glass in the door and is also used to mean the installation of the glass.

Patio

A patio door is a general term used for a pair of glazed sliding door panels that open to a patio, or a glazed pair of swing doors that are used to access a patio.

French

French doors are fully-glazed door panels, typically used as patio doors. Fully-glazed means that the door panel consists of its style and rails, with glass filling in the rest of the panel.

Traditional French doors use a pattern of true-divided lites, either as a series of equally-sized lites or in some other decorative pattern of lites.

Glass

A glass door is a door panel made of thick tempered or laminated glass. This door panel does not have a frame, and operates using pivots at the top and bottom of the door panel rather than hinges.

Screen

A screen door is a stile and rail door panel that’s infilled with a fine wire mesh allowing you to see out while letting air flow through.

Storm

As mentioned earlier, a storm door is a protective outer door placed just in front of the exterior door. These are often used to improve temperature control when you have older entry doors, to allow in light when you have an opaque entry door by fully opening the entry door, to allow in fresh air if the storm door has an operable glass sash with an integral insect screen, and to protect the entry door from the elements.

Though these doors are very common, they come off as tacky additions to the house design. The use of sidelites and the use of windows for fresh air counteract the need for these doors. Also, today’s doors are designed to be energy efficient and have finish options that are long-lasting. If you’re front door is covered by a sizable porch, which all new homes should have, then there’s no need for storm doors.

Louvered

Louvered doors have inserts of small fixed horizontal strips that are angled from front to back. This allows for air flow while maintaining visual privacy (or hiding the view of a utilitarian space).

These doors are typically used for unoccupied spaces that need or could use ventilation, such as laundry rooms, clothes and linen closets, and mechanical closets.

Pivot

A pivot door doesn’t use hinges to swing open, but rather uses what are essentially spindles located at the top and bottom of the door opening and attached toward the edge of the door panel.

Pivot doors are often used for closet doors, double-acting doors, large and heavy doors, and for glass doors.

Pivot doors can provide a clean contemporary aesthetic when placed in a wall since there is no frame or casing trim needed around the door opening. However, thought must be given to the issue of noise transfer through the gap between the door panel and the wall opening.

Overhead

An overhead door is a unit consisting of hinged horizontal panels tied in to vertical tracks to each side of the panel. The door is opened by pulling it up. The track bends back into the room above the door opening such that the door is horizontal when fully opened.

Overhead doors are most commonly used for garages and commonly called garage doors.

Cabinet

Cabinet doors are small door panels hinged to millwork storage units, typically to base cabinets and wall cabinets in kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms.

These doors are much smaller, thinner, and lighter than full-size doors.

Access

Access doors are small doors or panels in walls or ceilings used to access mechanical equipment or plumbing valves. These doors are panels of thin sheet metal hinged in a metal frame. The panel and frame are usually painted the same color as the wall or ceiling.

Gate

A gate is essentially a door in a fence. They can be simple and basic or highly designed, and made of durable materials such as exterior grade woods as well as metals. Gates can be made for privacy having no openings, or can be made see-through using decorative metal bars or utilitarian metal mesh.

Custom

Custom doors can be made of any reasonable shape, size, and material. Having a one-of-a-kind entry door can make an impression like nothing else.

Supplemental Components

Doors can be made interesting and personal through the use of supplemental components. These can include sidelites and transoms, decorative glass, special hardware such as hinge straps that give character to the door, decorative elements such as crossbucks and dentil shelfs that can be integrated into the door design, and unique openings such as speakeasy doors.

There is a plethora of design and detail options available for your door design. Be sure to take advantage of them.

MATERIALS

Materials make the door. If you want a quality look for your house, use quality material. Wood has been the standard for centuries, and nothing really beats it aesthetically…except maybe exceptional custom-designed metal doors using materials such as bronze or copper.

There are a lot of options today for high-performance materials, though the aesthetics will fall short in most instances. The materials are discussed below.

Wood

The preeminent material for most, wood doors have a look, texture, and fine detailing that can’t be beat. Since it’s a natural material, each door will be one-of-a-kind due to the uniqueness of the grain patterns and color variations in the wood, which can vary widely within a species. Staining can augment or minimize that depending on what you like.

There are dozens of woods available, but some of the more common are:

Hardwoods

Hardwood is not a term for the hardness of wood. Rather, they’re generally trees that are leaf-bearing.

• Alder: Pale yellow to reddish brown with straight grain. Areas of burl clusters and small knots add character. Good for rustic character.
• Cherry: Darker red to reddish brown with close straight grain. Darkens over time.
• Hickory: Varies in coloration, from tan to reddish heartwood with white to cream sapwood with fine brown lines. Prominent grain.
• Oak: Light to golden wood with pronounced grain patterning. Pin knots and mineral streaks are often featured. Durable and strong. Better for more rustic or rural aesthetics.
• Mahogany: A classic. Deep toned reddish wood. Very stable with straight grain. Will require maintenance and sealing, as moisture will turn the wood black.
• Maple: Dense and long-lasting. Smooth texture and uniform fine grain. Pale golden yellow color will mellow with time. Typically used for interior doors; works well for exterior.
• Poplar: Less expensive than most. Mostly light color, but can vary. Fine grained. Takes paint well.
• Walnut: Beautiful rich deep golden brown wood with mostly straight grain and dark streaks. Expensive.

Softwoods

Softwood is also not a term for a wood’s hardness. Rather, softwoods generally come from coniferous trees (trees with needles).

• Douglas Fir: Light and rosy wood. Smooth and straight grains with occasional swirling knots. Weather resistant. Takes paint well.
• Juniper: Dynamic knots and splits in a swirling grain pattern. Light to deep reddish cinnamon.
• Hemlock: Straight grain and finely textured. Creamy to white to straw-red in color that remains consistent over time. Takes stain and paint well.
• Clear Pine / Knotty Pine: Straight to dynamic grain depending on how its cut from the log. Color variations darken and yellow over time. Stain for uniform appearance. Must seal before painting.

Wood does have characteristics that could be of concern, especially for exterior doors, mainly the potential for warping over time and the potential damage from water and termites. However, many doors in historic homes have lasted well over 80 years, so if maintained properly, wood doors perform great.

Inlays

Inlays are small pieces or narrow strips of wood placed within a larger field of the primary wood of the door. This provides detail, color, and geometric patterning into doors.

Particle Board

Particle board is an engineered wood product made from wood or jute chips mixed with a resin and binder, then pressed and extruded into a board. It’s denser and more uniform than natural wood and plywood, is stable, and typically less expensive than other wood materials. However, it’s the weakest of the fiberboards and is susceptible to expansion and discoloration from moisture.

Particle board can be painted or have wood veneer applied over it. It’s typically used only for interior doors, and mostly as the door core.

MDF Board

Medium Density Fiberboard is another engineered wood product made from wood fibers. It’s combined with urea-formaldehyde resin glue, water, and paraffin wax, then pressed into panels. It’s more dense than plywood, stronger and denser than particle board, and used similarly to plywood. Like particle board, it’s susceptible to moisture.

It’s stable, takes paint well, and can be veneered. It’s typically used only for interior doors.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass, also known as glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) or glass-fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) uses glass fibers that reinforce a polymer plastic. It’s stronger by weight than many metals, can be molded into complex shapes, and is often chemically inert.

Fiberglass doors can be used for exterior doors. They can be profiled to match traditional wood doors, with the fiberglass sheet attached to a wood frame infilled with an insulating foam core.

A fiberglass door is stable, energy efficient, and low maintenance. It can crack, though. Depending on the manufacturer, a fiberglass door may or may not be able to be planed to fit openings that aren’t square such as might be found in older houses.

Fiberglass with a smooth finish can be painted, while fiberglass with a wood-like grain can be “stained”.

Vinyl

Vinyl is a plastic material. For doors that material is applied as a cladding over a wood core. Vinyl is strong, durable, energy efficient, water resistant, has minimal maintenance, and is not susceptible to rot. It typically costs less than wood or fiberglass doors. It’s susceptible to expansion and contraction as well as fading.

Glass

Glass is typically used as an insert within a door panel. It can also be framed in metal to act as its own door panel. It can be clear, translucent, or decorative.

Metal

The most common metals used for doors are steel and aluminum. Both of these are typically applied as a cladding over a wood core or as panels over foam core insulation. Metal is durable. However, it can be prone to thermal expansion, and can be dented. Metals can corrode in coastal areas of the ocean.

Other metals that can be used include bronze and copper, again typically used as a cladding over wood.

CONSTRUCTION

Stile and Rail

Traditional wood doors are made with stile and rail lumber pieces infilled with wood panels. Doors can come in a variety of patterns and quantity of panels.

Historically, panels were profiled such that the perimeter of the panel thinned so that it could fit within slots in the sides of the stiles and rails. Today door panels can also be fully flush – meaning flat.

These doors are categorized as solid wood doors.

Solid Core

A solid core door is made of veneered panels over a wood frame. The core is filled with mineral fiber or particle board. These doors tend to be heavy, sound resistant, and durable.

They’re often used for exterior doors.

Hollow Core

Hollow core doors are made of veneered wood panels over a wood frame. Inside the core is a honeycombed plastic or corrugated cardboard grid to supply support for the veneer panels. These doors are lightweight and not as durable due to potential damage from blunt force. They are also more prone to sound transfer.

Hollow core doors are used only for interior applications.

Flush Panel

A flush panel door is a door whose surface is flat. Such a door can have a painted or stained wood finish. The stained finish is applied to a wood veneer over a flat panel for hollow-core doors or on top of solid material in a solid core door.

Veneers

Veneers are very thin panels of wood that are overlaid and adhered to a solid surface. Veneers can be a single sheet on each face or multiple sheets placed to provide a dynamic grain pattern. Veneers can also be used for wood inlays.

Decorative Elements

Various decorative elements can be added to doors. Specialty hardware can create unique features for a door, and applied elements such as a projecting shelf with dentils, hinge straps, and profiled wood or metal pieces called clavos, can add interest.

Glass panel inserts, whether rectangular, arched, round, or oval, are always interesting. Glass can also be subdivided with wood muntins. Decorative leaded glass, whether clear, beveled, translucent, or colored, add an element of traditional beauty.

Inserts such as decorative wrought iron placed over a glass insert can add distinctive interest, as can a decorative grill placed between the panes of insulated glass.

Small doors, called speakeasy doors, can be inserted into a door panel as a unique feature, and can be covered with a cast iron grill for further interest.

Most thresholds today are metal. However, wood and stone sills are other options for elegant flair.

Fire Rating

Some doors might require to be rated, meaning they must be designed to withstand fire for a given amount of time. Typical ratings are 30, 60, or 90 minutes.

Rated doors are often required between the house and garage, and might be required at mechanical rooms or storage rooms. Rated doors must be labeled, which means a metal tag must be applied to the edge of a door by the manufacturer certifying that the door is built properly for its rating based on prior testing of the door design.

Rated doors will likely be available for pre-designed styles from door manufacturers. Rated doors must be tested by burning a sample door, which is unrealistic for custom doors.

FITTING INTO WALLS

Frames

Door frames are connected to the walls in which they sit. The wall opening will typically be a bit over-sized to allow for door leveling adjustments. The adjusted frames are set in place using shims, which are thin pieces of wood or plastic, and then attached to the walls.

A narrow strip of wood is added to the frame’s jambs and head, used for the door panel to close against. The strip is called a stop.

Frameless

Frameless doors are interior door panels that sit within a wall opening using a top and bottom pivot for their placement and operation. The opening’s jamb surfaces are finished the same as the wall surface.

Casings

Casings are trim pieces around the door opening, typically made of wood but sometimes other material. Casings are used to cover the gap between the door frame and the wall.

Casings can be flat or profiled. Historic-styled casings often have decorative elements such as corner blocks and base blocks for additional interest.

Thresholds

A threshold, also called a door sill, is the element that sits on the floor below the door panel and between the door frames.

Exterior door thresholds keep water out of the house. Interior door thresholds are used as transitions between floor finish materials of different thicknesses.

Sills can be functional, but can also be decorative. Functional exterior sills today are cast metal, often attached to a wood sub-sill. However, sills can be made of wood or stone.

(See ‘Sill’ section above for image.)

HARDWARE

Hardware are the components added to the door unit to allow the door panel to open and close. Hardware can seem overwhelming given the numerous functional options, styles, and finishes. However, understanding the basics we discuss below will help.

Door hardware components can be broadly grouped together and categorized as:

• Hinged, which ties the door panel to the door frame and allow it to swing open or closed.
• Pivoted, which ties the door panel to the top of the door opening and to the floor allowing it to swing open or closed.
• Operating, which consists of components that allows the door to be pulled open or pushed closed and that can be latched or locked.
• Miscellaneous, which consists of the various other items that can be added to a door, such as a door sweep or knocker.

This section of the article is a general guide to hardware components. We won’t get into detailed technical aspects of how the inner workings do their thing, or the various options and nuances that are available for each type. That would take a separate article.

Below is a general outline of door hardware components to provide a guide to understanding what they do.

Ball Strike

A strike plate attached at the underside of a pivot door opening that houses a small recessible ball. At the top of the pivoted door panel is another strike plate with a small recess that aligns with the ball. When pushed closed the ball latches into the recess, stopping the door panel and holding it in place.

Bolt

A small metal bar used to secure a door in deadbolt hardware. Unlike a latch, the bolt remains fully inside the door panel until activated, at which point it extends into a bolt-hole in the door frame.

Bored Hardware

Bored hardware is inserted into a hole drilled from one face of a door panel through to the opposite face near the door edge opposite of the hinges. THis hole is used for the knob or lever controls. A smaller cross bore is a hole that runs from the edge of the door through to the larger hole and in which the latch or bolt is placed.

Bored lock or passage sets, often called cylindrical or tubular lock or passage sets, are used for knob and levered operating hardware that uses a simple latch for closing and an integral locking mechanisms for locksets.

(See ‘Privacy Set’ and ‘Strike Plate’ sections below for examples of bored hardware.)

Door Swing

The door swing is the horizontal area covered by the swing of the door panel when it opens. This area is typically a quarter-circle shape when the door is adjacent to and opened against a perpendicular wall.

The direction of the swing to the left or right when entering a room and whether the door is being pulled or pushed when entering a room is important to keep in mind when ordering hardware. Operating hardware using levers and hardware that’s lockable must be selected in relation to the door swing.

The door swing descriptions are:

Left Hand (LH)

The door swings to the left (hinges are on the left) when pushed open to enter a room.

(See ‘Hinges’ section below for an example.)

Left Hand Reverse (LHR)

The door swings open to the left (hinges are on the left) when pulled open to enter a room.

(See ‘Hardwoods’ section above for an example.)

Right Hand (RH)

The door swings to the right (hinges are on the right) when pushed open to enter a room.

(See ‘Hinges’ section below for an example.)

Right Hand Reverse (RHR)

The door swings open to the right (hinges are on the right) when pulled open to enter a room.

(See ‘Hardwoods’ section above for an example.)

Dummy Hardware

Dummy hardware are visible but inoperable hardware components placed on passive (inactive) door panels in double doors. These are designed to match and mirror the look of the visible parts of the working hardware units on the active door panel.

Dummy hardware can also be placed on bi-fold or pivot doors.

Escutcheon / Escutcheon Plate

An escutcheon plate is a visible and often decorative metal plate attached to the surface of a door panel that surrounds visible hardware components such as knobs, levers, and deadbolt locks. Escutcheons have the utilitarian purpose of covering any gaps between the hardware and bore holes, and are also used to provide a decorative accent for the hardware.

(See ‘Mortise Set’ section below for image.)

Flush Bolt

A locking hardware piece typically located at the top or bottom latch-side corner of the passive (inactive) door panel of a double door. The hardware can be mortised into the door or surface mounted.

The bolt within a mortised device rises vertically (or lowers vertically) when pushed into a bolt hole drilled into the underside of a door frame (or into the finished floor).

The bolt within a surface-mounted device rises into a projecting metal plate with a bolt hole in it attached to the vertical surface of the door frame (or lowers into a bolt hole set within the finished floor).

For greater security a flush bolt can be attached at both the top and bottom of the passive door panel.

Hardware is available which uses a dual-action device. This device has two rods inside the door panel that simultaneously lift a bolt up at the top and pushes down a bolt at the bottom of the door panel into bolt holes when activated.

Hinges

Hinges consist of a pair of metal plates with a pattern of holes in which screws are inserted into one plate at the frame and the other at the edge of the door. The plates have rounded “knuckles” that have vertical holes in them. The knuckles on each plate are offset such that they intertwine and align vertically.

The plates are connected by a vertical pin placed through the knuckles to allow the door panel to swing open in one direction and to hold the door in place at the frame.

The number of hinges depends on the size and weight of the door. Smaller and lighter hollow core doors might only need two hinges, whereas sturdier solid core doors might need three of four hinges depending on how big and heavy the door panels are and how strong the hinges are.

Knobs

Knobs are round or spherical metal controllers of operating hardware projecting from the door. They’re used to activate the door latch and used to move the door when opening and closing.

When a door is closed and the knob is grasped and turned in one direction, the latch will release from the box latch allowing the door to swing open. When the door is open it can be pushed closed without having to turn the knob.

Knobs can be used with passage sets or locksets. They can be used with both bored or mortised hardware.

Knobs used on bored hardware can have integrated lock mechanisms that are controlled by a thumb turn in the center of the knob on the inside of the door panel and a key cylinder in the center of the knob on the outside of the door panel. This lock prevents the knob from being turned and the latch from being retracted, making the door secure in a closed position.

(See ‘Privacy Latch’ below for image).

Knocker

A decorative metal loop (or other shape) hinged to and suspended from a plate attached to the door. It is activated by lifting and then gently tapping it against the door. Used to notify someone in a house that a person is at the front door.

Latch Bore

Also called a box, the latch bore is a recess drilled into the door frame in which the latch of a door’s operating hardware can engage to keep the door closed. A strike plate is placed around the latch bore.

(See ‘Strike Plate’ below for image).

Latches

Latches are part of the operating hardware located on the edge of the door panel opposite the hinges that keep a door closed. Latches are connected to the knob or lever components that are inserted through the door panel for bored hardware or into the side of the door panel for mortised hardware.

The latch extends out from the edge of the door panel when the knob or lever are not turned. The end of the latch is rounded on the vertical surface on the side the door panel closes.

Opposite the latch is an aligned recess in the door frame (or the edge of the passive/inactive door panel in a double door), called a latch bore or box, covered by a small metal plate called a strike. The strike has a small bent edge facing the direction the door swings open.

When a door is closed the door panel fits inside the door frame with the latch sitting inside the latch box in the door frame. When the knob or lever are turned the latch pulls fully inside the door panel allowing the door panel to swing open.

When the door is pushed or pulled closed the extended latch will be pushed back into the door panel by the curved edge of the strike plate until it aligns with the latch bore, at which point the latch will extend into the latch bore to keep the door panel closed.

(See ‘Privacy Latch’ section below for image).

Levers

Levers have the same function and installation options as knobs. However, levers consist of a metal rod projecting from the door face with a horizontal metal arm at its end that’s turned to activate the door latch. The lever is used to operate the latch and to move the door open or closed.

As with knobs, levers can be used with passage sets or locksets, can be used with both bored or mortised hardware, and can have an integrated lock.

Locks

Locks are what secure a door closed such that you need a key (or code for electronic locks) to release the lock mechanism and open the door from the outside of the door panel.

Below are some lock types and related components.

Cylinder

Also called the lock body, the cylinder is the part of the door hardware in which you insert a key to unlock the door.

(See ‘Moritse Set’ section below for image.)

Deadbolt

A deadbolt is a lock that’s activated separate from the knob or lever. It can be an independent hardware piece that’s installed in it’s own bore whole or that’s part of a mortised hardware set.

When unlocked the bolt is fully inside the door. When activated that bolt extends into a bolt-hole in the door frame.

A deadbolt uses a key to be unlocked on the outside of the door and a thumbturn to lock or unlock on the inside.

(See ‘Bolt’ section above for image.)

Flushbolt

A locking hardware piece typically located at the top or bottom latch-side corner of the passive (inactive) door panel of a double door to lock it in place. The hardware can be mortised into the door or surface mounted.

The bolt within a mortised device rises vertically (or lowers vertically) when activated into a bolt hole drilled into the underside of a door frame (or into the finished floor).

The bolt within a surface mounted device rises into a projecting metal plate with a bolt hole in it attached to the vertical surface of the door frame (or lowers into a bolt hole set within the finished floor).

For greater security a flush bolt can be attached at both the top and bottom of the passive door panel.

Hardware is available which uses a dual-action device. This device has two rods inside the door panel that simultaneously lift up at the top and push down at the bottom of the door panel into bolt holes when activated.

In-knob or In-lever Lock

A locking mechanism integrated into a bored-hole lockset where the lock is activated by a thumbturn or push button on the inside face of a knob or lever handle, with a key cylinder placed in the knob or lever on the outside.

Privacy Lock

A privacy lock is a key-less locking mechanism similar to the in-knob or in-lever lock. The difference is that the lock is activated by a thumb turn or push button integrated into the knob or lever on the room side, with a small hole in the knob or lever on the outside of the room to allow insertion of a pin to unlock the door if needed. This type of lock is typically used for bathrooms and bedrooms.

Three-point Locking System

This hardware uses an integrated rod system embedded inside the door panel on the latch side. The rod is tied to the mortised door hardware such that, when activated, bolts will extend into bolt-holes in the door frame and lock simultaneously at the top, middle, and bottom of the door panel.

This is considered one of the most secure locking systems you can get (though no door hardware is full-proof).

Lockset

Operating hardware that can be locked to secure a door. A lockset can be a bored or mortised hardware set.

Mortise

A large rectangular cavity cut into the edge of a door panel and in which mortised hardware is installed.

Mortise Set

Operating hardware of multiple functions consolidated within a thin, tall metal box that’s inserted into a mortise.

Mortise sets incorporate a latching system activated by knobs or levers as well as a deadbolt operated by a thumbturn on the inside and a lock cylinder on the outside. The latch can be locked using activators located on the exposed edge of the mortise box.

Mortised Hardware

Mortised hardware consists of a metal box housing the operating components. This box is inserted into a tall rectangular recess in the edge of the door panel, called a mortise, opposite the hinges.

Passage Set

Operating hardware, typically bored, that has a latch but no lock.

Peep Hole

A very small cylindrical insert with a small lens at the outside end that allows you to see who is at the door when the door is solid without any glass, sidelites, or adjacent windows.

The peephole is placed at adult eye height centered horizontally within the door panel.

(See ‘Knocker’ section above for image.)

Pivots

Pivots are essentially spindles or similar hardware components attached at the top of the door opening and to the floor, and attached at the top and bottom of the door panel toward one edge of the door panel.

Pivots allow doors to be opened without the use of hinges and without the need for a door frame.

The pivots allow the door to be swung open in one direction when controlled with stops, typically at closets, or in both directions of travel between rooms (double-acting).

The active component of some double acting hardware has a spring or other control element that reduces the swinging of the door panel until the door closes, as well as an inner catch that allows the door to stay open in either direction when opened fully.

(See ‘Bi-fold’ section above for image.)

Pulls

Pulls are larger handles used to pull open a door. They’re typically part of an entry door hardware system.

Pulls are also smaller pieces of hardware installed on cabinet doors, drawers, and bi-fold doors to allow them to be opened. These come in a wide variety of forms, materials, finishes, and colors. They can be metal or plastic.

Push Plates

Push plates are sizable flat pieces of metal placed on a door panel to allow someone to easily push open a dual-acting door panel. It’s used to protect the door finish from being marred by being touched over time.

Stops

Stops are placed at a wall base or at knob or lever height on a wall against which a door panel swings against. These will prevent the door hardware from hitting and damaging that wall. The most common is the spring stop placed as a wall base, though a hinge or wall stop is an option.

Stops can also be small pieces of hardware typically mounted at the top of a door opening against which a pivoted door panel will close.

Strike Plate

A small metal plate with a hole for the door latch that’s attached to the door frame surrounding the latch bore . The edge of the plate facing the direction the door swings open is bent back away from the door panel. This bend is used to push back the door latch until it aligns with the latch bore and fully extends, keeping the door closed.

Sweep

A door sweep is a long but narrow piece of hardware added at the bottom of an exterior door panel. The purpose of the sweep is to keep outside air from making its way inside under the door as well as preventing the tiny critters from crawling in.

A sweep can be surface mounted or integrated into the bottom of the door panel. The latter is more common today.

Tracks

A piece of metal with one or more grooves placed at the top of a door opening or operating sash and/or at the floor or bottom of an operating sash that guides the horizontal movement of a door panel or operating sash.

Finishes

Finishes are the metal, color, and character on the face of hardware components you can see.

Different metals have different coloration. The surfaces can be reflective, brushed – having subtle horizontal lines the have a softer look, or matte – meaning flat with a similar look as paint.

Common gold-tone finishes are:

• Bright Brass
• Satin Brass
• Antique Brass

Common silver-tone finishes are:

• Bright Chrome
• Satin Chrome
• Polished Nickel
• Satin Nickel

Common dark-tone finishes are:

• Oil-Rubbed Bronae
• Aged Bronze
• Matte Black

Other finishes may be available depending on the manufacturer.

SIZES

Doors come in a variety of typical sizes, and can also be customized to a unique size.

Below are common door sizes for different types of doors.

Exterior and Interior

Standard door height is 80 inches (6 feet – 8 inches), but 84 inch (7 feet – 0 inches) is becoming common, especially in houses with higher ceilings.

Common door widths:

• Front entry doors are typically (and preferably) 36 inches wide for a single door, but sometimes 32 inches. Double doors can range from 60 to 72 inches in door frame width.
• Other exterior doors can be 32″ wide.
• Double doors are typically 60 inches in door frame width.
• Entry doors to rooms are usually 32 inches, but consider 36 inches if you anticipate aging-in-place or using a wheelchair.
• 24, 28, and 30 inch door widths are available for closet doors.

Common door thicknesses:

• 1 3/8 inches is standard for most production homes (new houses you buy rather than build yourself)
• 1 1/2 and 1 3/4 inches are available. Consider these for a higher quality look and feel and when using doors in thicker walls.

Overhead

• Standard single-car garage door sizes are 8, 9, and 10 feet wide by 7 feet tall. 8 foot height is also available.
• Standard double-car garage door sizes are 12, 14, and 16 feet wide by 7 feet tall. 8 foot height is also available.
• Custom sizes and designs are possible.

Access

Access panels are typically small. Common square sizes are 6, 8, 10, 12, 14. 16, 18, 20, and 24 inches on each side.

Rectangular panels can be 8 x 12, 12 x 16, 12 x 18, 12 x 24, 16 x 20, 18 x 24, 20 x 24, 20 x 30, 24 x 30, and 24 x 36 inches in width.

Other sizes may be available depending on manufacture.

FINISHES

Wood doors have a wide range of stains available. The colors can be lighter to dark and will be impacted by the wood being stained. Wood and stain options vary across manufacturers.

A wide array of colors are available for exterior paint for wood doors. Various options are provided by manufactures, or you can decide to paint it yourself using whichever color you desire.

Clad doors using aluminum have a decent range of colors. Options can vary across manufacturers.

Clad doors using vinyl have limited color options, generally in white to warm or cool grays. Options can vary across manufacturers.

Note: All photos are by Cayl Hollis unless noted otherwise.