When picking out the lever style knobs for our interior doors in my last post, I was surprised to learn that there is such a thing as “door handing” on top of also deciding on the “function”. Sometimes lever knobs, such as the ones I chose, are not universal so you have to go to each door and figure out the door handing before ordering. With 19 doors, this meant creating a list to keep count and boy did it get confusing. Here’s what you need to know when shopping for lever style door knobs.

Step 1: Be on the outside of every door you’re replacing the knob on

For interior doors, this means being in the hallway for bedroom/bathroom doors or in the bedroom for closets/en-suites. This is our control factor, allowing the use of the chart in step 4.

Step 2: Note the swing

Inward or outward? Bedrooms and bathrooms should always be inward while closets can depend on the size of the closet.

Step 3: Hinge location

Still standing outside the door, what side are the hinges on?

Step 4: Use the chart

Door Swing	Hinge Location	Your Door Handing
Inward	Left	Left-handed
Inward	Right	Right-handed
Outward	Left	Left-handed
Outward	Right	Right-handed

*Source: http://unhingehardware.com/buying-guide/determining-door-handing/

How about determining the function of the knob? There are 4 options:

Entrance – Need a knob that not only locks but uses a key to unlock? You want an entrance knob.
Passage – No need for a lock? A passage knob is usually chosen for closets.
Privacy – This knob has a lock but no key. Bedrooms and bathrooms should have privacy knobs.
Dummy – This knob doesn’t function like a normal knob. It mounts to one side of the door and doesn’t turn. Typically used on closets that have a top latch or catch or on double doors where one door is locked at the top and typically stationary.

Knob function and door handing combined with the finish will determine the price you pay per knob. Unhinge makes it easy by listing the above information on all applicable product pages by hovering your mouse over the question mark next to the drop menus for each choice.

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