The Right Lock: Double Door Information

In order to decide the right lock for a double door, let us consider the different types of locks available in the market today. Following are some of the common types of locks that can be used to bolt your doors.

Lock Types

  • Door Knob Locks: These locks are of 2 types: the spring latch lock and the dead latch lock. Out of the two, the dead latch locks are more secure. However, these locks can only provide minimal security.
  • Dead Bolt Locks: These are also available in 2 types: the single cylinder locks and the double cylinder locks. These offer the best security and are most difficult to break open. Out of the 2 types of dead bolt locks, the double cylinder locks are the best.
  • Security Strike Plates: These are additional locks that are installed on the door frame to add to the security. This plate is made of a heavy metal that is anchored to the door frame and then secured to a wall stud. These make it even more difficult for anyone to force an entry.

    The Right Lock

    Double doors are one of the common types of doors used; however, the safety of your belongings and your family depends mostly on the type of lock that you use on your double door. To begin with, finding the right lock depends on the material of the door. Double cylinder deadbolts are the safest locks and are recommended for solid wooden double doors, ones that are installed at the entrance to the home. Gate style locks or chain hooks are not very safe, and therefore, it is not wise to use them as the locks for front doors. They can be used as additional or peripheral locks. However, the main locks should be the ones that are fast and not easy to open with master keys. The double cylinder deadbolt is keyed in on both the sides. Such a lock requires a key to unlock from both the inside and the outside.

    Entrance Handles

    An entrance handle set can also be used on the front door. Such a handle set comes with locking mechanisms that can incorporate both single and double cylinder deadbolts. There is also a latch, which usually functions independently of the deadbolt. Typically, the latch is retractable and is operated by a thumb piece with the knob or the lever. This thumb piece can be situated either inside or outside, according to the design of the handle set. For double doors, you will need one operating handle set and another dummy handle set. The dummy handle set looks exactly like the operating one, but does not have any operating parts. It is simply used to match the operating one on the double doors.