From the Prime Hardware Showroom
5 Door Hardware Mistakes We See Every Week (and How to Avoid Them)
Most door hardware returns are not faulty products. They are the right product ordered for the wrong door. With more than 6,000 products on display in our Annangrove showroom and calls coming in from builders, designers and homeowners every day, our team sees the same five mistakes week after week.
Each one is easy to avoid if you know what to check. Here is what goes wrong, why it happens, and the two-minute check that saves you a return.
Mistake 1: Forgetting the companion hardware, then mismatching the finish
This is the one we see most. A lever set is rarely the whole job. Many lever sets do not include a latch, and a new handle often shows up old hinges and door stops. Customers order the levers, then come back weeks later for hinges, stops and latches, only to find the finish they need is made to order or does not quite match.
Finish names also vary between brands. One brand's satin chrome can look slightly different from another's, so mixing brands on the same door is a risk.
The check: for every door, confirm what you need: lever or pull, latch or lock, hinges, door stop, and any cylinder or escutcheon. Order them together in one finish, from one brand where you can.
Read more: our Door Hardware Finishes guide compares the finishes we stock.
Mistake 2: Ordering the wrong door handing
This one comes a close second. Customers work out handing from the inside of the room, or go by where the handle is instead of the hinges, and the result comes out backwards.
It only matters for handed products: curved levers on backplates, fixed dummy levers, some entrance sets, lift-off hinges and cavity sliding kits. A handed lever on the wrong door points the wrong way and cannot be flipped.
The check: stand on the outside of the door (the street side of a front door, the hallway side of a room door). Hinges on your left means left hand. Hinges on your right means right hand. If the door swings towards you, it is a reverse hand.
Read more: our Door Handing Guide has a diagram of all four handings.
Mistake 3: Not measuring the backset when replacing hardware
Backset is the distance from the edge of the door to the centre of the handle or lock hole. When you are replacing existing hardware, the new latch or lock has to match the hole already in the door. Get it wrong and the handle sits off-centre, the rose does not cover the old hole, or the latch will not line up with the strike.
This catches out renovators most, especially in older homes where the original hardware is not a current size.
The check: measure from the door edge to the centre of the existing hole before you order. Note the door thickness at the same time.
Read more: our Backset Guide shows how to measure it and which sizes are common.
Mistake 4: Choosing the wrong function for the room
The same lever design usually comes in several functions, and they look almost identical in a product photo. Ordering a passage set for a bathroom, or a privacy set for a linen cupboard, is something we see every week.
| Function | What it does | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Passage | Latches, no lock | Hallways, living areas, kitchens |
| Privacy | Locks from inside with a snib or turn, emergency release outside | Bathrooms, toilets, ensuites, bedrooms |
| Entrance | Locks with a key outside, turn or key inside | Front, back and garage access doors |
| Dummy | Fixed handle, no latch | Wardrobes, pantries, the inactive leaf of double doors |
The check: list every door and its function before you add anything to the cart. A walk-through of the house with a notepad takes ten minutes.
Read more: our Lever Functions Guide explains each function in detail.
Mistake 5: Picking hardware for looks, not for where it goes
Two versions of this come up all the time.
Coastal and exterior doors. Hardware that works fine inside can mark and pit near the beach, around a pool or on an exposed entry. 304 stainless steel suits most homes. Within a few kilometres of the coast, or anywhere with salt spray or pool chemicals, 316 stainless steel is the safer choice.
Accessible doors. On projects that need to meet AS 1428.1, a handle that looks right can still fail. Pull handles and levers need 35–45 mm hand clearance from the door face, and many long entrance pulls stand off further than that. Pull handles also need at least 60 mm clear of the frame.
The check: before choosing a design, ask where the door is and who uses it. Exterior or coastal means check the material. A commercial or accessible project means check the spec sheet against the standard.
Read more: our 304 vs 316 Coastal Guide and our Accessible Pull Handles Guide.
Your two-minute pre-order checklist
- ☐ Latches, hinges, stops and cylinders added in the same finish
- ☐ Handing worked out from the outside of the door (only for handed products)
- ☐ Backset and door thickness measured if replacing hardware
- ☐ Function chosen for every door: passage, privacy, entrance or dummy
- ☐ 316 stainless steel for coastal, pool or exposed doors
- ☐ Spec sheet checked against AS 1428.1 for accessible projects
Not sure? Ask us before you order
In our experience, customers who talk through their door hardware with us before ordering rarely run into problems. That's what we're here for.
It takes us a few minutes to check an order, and it saves you a return. Call 1800 329 028, email support@primehardware.com.au with a photo of your door, or visit our showroom at 2/249 Annangrove Road, Annangrove NSW 2156, where more than 6,000 products are on display.