Door furniture (

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language and ''de facto'' national language; while Australia has no official language, Eng ...

) or door hardware (

North American English North American English (NAmE, NAE) is the most generalized variety of the English language as spoken in the United States and Canada. Because of their related histories and cultures, plus the similarities between the pronunciations (accents), ...

) refers to any of the items that are attached to a

door A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security b ...

or a

drawer A drawer is a box-shaped container inside a piece of furniture that can be pulled out horizontally to access its contents. Drawers are built into numerous types of furniture, including cabinets, chests of drawers (bureaus), desks, and the ...

to enhance its functionality or appearance. Florence Door

Design of door furniture is an issue to disabled persons who might have difficulty opening or using some kinds of door, and to specialists in

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordin ...

as well as those

usability Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a sof ...

professionals which often take their didactic examples from door furniture design and use. Items of door furniture fall into several categories, described below.

Hinges

A hinge is a component that attaches one edge of a door to the frame, while allowing the other edge to swing from it. It usually consists of a pair of plates, each with a set of open cylindrical rings (the knuckles) attached to them. The knuckles of the two plates are offset from each other and mesh together. A hinge pin is then placed through the two sets of knuckles and usually fixed, to combine the plates and make the hinge a single unit. One door usually has about three hinges, but it can vary.

Handles

Doors generally have at least one fixed handle, usually accompanied with a latch (see below). A typical "handle set" is composed of the exterior handle, escutcheon, an independent deadbolt, and the interior package (knob or lever). On some doors the latch is incorporated into a hinged handle that releases when pulled on. See also: * Doorknob – A knob or lever on an axle that is rotated to release the bolt; *

Crash bar A crash bar (also known as a panic exit device, panic bar, or push bar)American National Standards Institute, ANSI/BHMA A156.3-2001, American National Standard for Exit Devices is a type of door opening mechanism which allows users to open a doo ...

or Panic bar; * Doorhandles for all types of

doors A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by ...

(glass, wooden, etc.) * Flush pull handle for

sliding glass door A sliding glass door, patio door, or doorwall A sliding glass door, patio door, or doorwall is a type of predominantly glass sliding door, in architecture and construction, that is situated in an external wall to provide egress from a room a ...

Locks

A lock is a device that prevents access by those without a key or combination, generally by preventing one or more latches from being operated. Often accompanied by an escutcheon. Some doors, particularly older ones, will have a

keyhole A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object (such as a key, keycard, fingerprint, RFID card, security token or coin), by supplying secret information (such as a number or letter permutation or pas ...

accompanying the lock.

Fasteners

Most doors make use of one or more fasteners to hold the door closed. Typical or common fasteners include: *

Latch A latch or catch (called sneck in Northern England and Scotland) is a type of mechanical fastener that joins two (or more) objects or surfaces while allowing for their regular separation. A latch typically engages another piece of hardware on t ...

– A device that allows one to fasten a door, but doesn't necessarily require an external handle * Bolt – A (nearly always) metal shaft usually internal to the door, attached by cleats or a specific form of bracket, that slides into the jamb to fasten a door. ** Latch bolt – A bolt that has an angled surface which acts as a ramp to push the bolt in while the door is being closed. By the use of a latch bolt, a door can be closed without having to operate the handle. **

Deadbolt A dead bolt, deadbolt or dead lock is a locking mechanism distinct from a spring bolt lock because a deadbolt can only be opened by a key or handle. The more common spring bolt lock uses a spring to hold the bolt in place, allowing retraction ...

– Deadbolts usually extend deeper into the frame and are not automatically retractable the way latch bolts are. They are typically manipulated with a lock on the outside and either a lock or a latch on the inside. Deadbolts are generally used for security purposes on external doors in case somebody tries to kick the door in or use a tool such as a

crowbar A crowbar, also called a wrecking bar, pry bar or prybar, pinch-bar, or occasionally a prise bar or prisebar, colloquially, in Britain and Australia sometimes called a jemmy or jimmy (also called jemmy bar), gooseneck, or pig foot, is a tool ...

or a

hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...

and

screwdriver A screwdriver is a tool, manual or powered, used for turning screws. A typical simple screwdriver has a handle and a shaft, ending in a tip the user puts into the screw head before turning the handle. This form of the screwdriver has been repla ...

etc. * Strike plate – A plate with a hole in the middle made to receive a bolt. If the strike is for a latch bolt, it typically also includes a small ramped area to help the bolt move inward while the door is being closed. ''(Also known as just "strike")'' It's also available as electric strike which allows you to open the door even though the mechanical lock is locked. * Dust Socket - A (nearly always) plastic socket that sits under the Strike plate concealing the rough wood of the mortise. * Aldrop- A device to keep the two panels of a door in closed position. It a set of curved plates fixed on the two panels of the door. A rod then passes though the curved plates to keep the door locked. A padlock can inserted in the rod to lock the door. Amizmiz, Old Shop Door

Accessories

Numerous devices exist to serve specific purposes related to how a door should (or should not) be used. See: *

Door chain A door chain, security chain, or security door chain or chain door interviewer consists of a small chain attached to the door frame, which attaches to a track on the door for security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potentia ...

- A device to secure door opening * Door closer – Mechanical or electromagnetic device to close an open door (in the event of a fire) * Door opener - Automatic door opening device activated by motion sensors or pressure pads *

Door damper A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by ...

– A hydraulic device employed to slow the door's closure *

Door knocker A door knocker is an item of door furniture that allows people outside a house or other dwelling or building to alert those inside to their presence. A door knocker has a part fixed to the door, and a part (usually metal) which is attached to t ...

Door stop A doorstop (also door stopper, door stop or door wedge) is an object or device used to hold a door open or closed, or to prevent a door from opening too widely. The same word is used to refer to a thin slat built inside a door frame to prevent a ...

– used to prevent the door from opening too far or striking another object * Espagnolette (for a window) * Fingerplate *

Letter box A letter box, letterbox, letter plate, letter hole, mail slot or mailbox is a receptacle for receiving incoming mail at a private residence or business. For outgoing mail, Post boxes are often used for depositing the mail for collection, althou ...

mail slot A letter box, letterbox, letter plate, letter hole, mail slot or mailbox is a receptacle for receiving incoming mail at a private residence or business. For outgoing mail, Post boxes are often used for depositing the mail for collection, althou ...

* Peephole A number of items normally accompany doors but are not necessarily mounted on the door itself, such as

doorbell A doorbell is a signaling device typically placed near a door to a building's entrance. When a visitor presses a button, the bell rings inside the building, alerting the occupant to the presence of the visitor. Although the first doorbells were ...

External links

{{Commons category, Door furniture Doors Architectural elements Hardware (mechanical)