Installing European door handles? Here’s what you need to know…
Have you chosen the perfect finishing touches for your door in the form of a pair of beautiful new door handles? Then read this before you pick up the drill…
Not your average handles
At Two Tease, our collections of designer door levers and door knobs are not your average handles.
We are proud to import the best European brands to the Australian market, including premium ranges from Formani, M&T and Jolie. Each of these brands have their own unique benefits. Formani works closely with designers such as Piet Boon and Bertram Beerbaum. Jolie handles are hand-made the traditional sand cast way, from solid brass. The M&T range from the Czech Republic includes handles made from unlacquered natural solid brass with a high copper content, proven to stop the spread of infections such as COVID-19.
European handle installation
One thing these European handles do have in common is that their installation is different from older style Australian door handles. In existing houses in Australia, the doors will typically have a large 54mm wide hole, drilled to accommodate the handle. In contrast, European handles require a hole that is smaller, just 18mm wide, with two smaller 6mm holes either side.
The central hole is for the spindle that connects the door handles together through the door, and the two side holes are for the screws that anchor these handles in place.
Benefits of European handles
Carefully chosen door handles create a visual impact that led celebrated interior designer Piet Boon to comment, “the door can be very simple, but the thing you touch every day, the handle, should be like a jewel”. In addition, the quality is often more reliable with handles from Europe and your door handle can remain in place, looking beautiful, for the lifetime of your door. We are no longer in an era of disposable consumerism – “customers want authenticity, quality, natural materials, and handles that are built to last’ said Kevin Tuersley, owner of Two Tease Architectural Hardware.
The smaller holes drilled to install European handles also lead to additional benefits. The installation with one smaller central pivot held in place either side is stronger than the single, larger hole, leaving more structure to the door and keeping your handle clamped more firmly in place.
If you do want to change your handles down the track, it is much easier to do so with the European set up than with the old standard. You will have a larger range of the latest handle designs and finishes to choose from. If you start with a larger hole in the door, you are always going to be restricted to using handles with a larger, 63mm rose that is big enough to cover it.
Installing European handles with an existing door
So, what if you have an existing door with a large 54mm hole in to hold an older style handle? If you want to upgrade your door hardware to this new European standard, do you have a problem?
The simple answer is, it depends on the door. If you have a solid core door, we recommend plugging the large hole with a piece of wood cut separately and glued into place. The repaired door will then have the new smaller holes drilled into it ready for your beautiful new handles to be installed.
If you have a hollow core door, however, this is not so easy. It can be too hard to plug the door so you may be restricted to older style handles with a large rose to cover the hole in the door. Our recommendation is to replace the door with a solid door for all the benefits of sound-proofing and insulation that this will bring along with the ability to fit the door handles of your choice.
Need more information about our European handles? Contact us for a chat…
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