No interior door specification is complete without the right hardware. Hardware adds the finishing touch for style and contributes to safety and durability factors. It’s important to select the best hardware for any office, school, hospitality or healthcare project. Here you will find helpful information for selecting the safest, most attractive, and capable hardware for interior wood doors.
Door Hardware Available for Commercial Wood Doors
Having a clear view of all commercial door hardware available is an essential component in selecting the best options.
Hardware options for commercial wood doors include:
- Lever handles
- Doorknobs
- Controls
- Kickplates
- Door sweeps
- Locks and deadbolts
- Door reinforcements
- Panic bars and exit devices
- Hinges
- Security devices
6 Things to Consider When Choosing Door Hardware
There are several key considerations when selecting the right hardware for your commercial design, ranging from the most basic to more high-tech functions. When choosing hardware for your doors, consider the following questions.
Which Way Should the Door Open?
How a door opens influences the look of the room on either side, the flow of light and air, privacy and the space available for furnishings. This seemingly simple question sometimes requires discussion with the client to think through all possible impacts. A door handing chart can help with making these decisions.
How Much Traffic Does the Door Need to Withstand?
Installing impact surfaces or impact edge doors eliminates the need for kickplates and strengthens the door’s durability. Masonite Architecual’s selection of Aspiro high-impact edge doors is available in an expansive range of woodgrains and solid colors, creating a stylish and professional facility, from hotels to hospitals.
Does the Hardware Need to Match Other Design Elements?
In order to make the best aesthetic decision, look at how the hardware complements other fixtures, along with millwork, flooring, and any other design element. Keeping everything in mind as one overall design creates a clean and attractive look.
What are the Security Needs of the Space?
One of the most important aspects to consider when selecting door hardware is security. Consider the client’s specific needs as well as changing ideas and technology.
Schools and other public facilities might seek attack resistant hardware. Attack-resistant openings provide a critical delay against an attacker until help can arrive. Hardware plays a role in the overall security of the door opening.
More office and hospitality clients are looking for “contactless” doors with electronic locks that respond to RFID devices. This feature contributes to hygiene as well as security. There are also automatic door sensors, mobile key platforms, door operators, and locksets. Biometric scanners that read fingerprints or faces makes sense for buildings with advanced security needs, like medical labs or government offices.
Will the Hardware be Easy to Use?
If the hardware is not reliable and or easy to use, clients and their customers won’t care how beautiful it is. For any facility, select the most user friendly but secure equipment. For example, in a healthcare environment, will the door be used by people with physical challenges? In a school, will it be used by children? In a hotel, will users likely have their hands full with service trays or luggage? In any environment, of course, needs of people with disabilities must be considered, such as the ability to open a door while using a wheelchair or walker.
What Cost Considerations are Involved?
Now consider the cost of the interior door hardware. Does the pricing work with your client’s budget? Lastly, it is good to know the proper maintenance and care for the hardware in order to educate the client, depending on the frequency of use and potential for damage.
Factory Installation vs. Job Site Installations for Door Hardware
Masonite Architectural highly recommends interior door hardware installation be factory-prepared before arriving on the job site. Doing so helps to achieve the best handling, installation, and long-lasting wear.
The right choice in hardware for commercial interior doors should ultimately bring together style and functionality to your facility with thoughtful construction and flexible technology. Explore our interior wood doors and start envisioning them with the perfect hardware for your space.