Door handing is a process explained in each of our departments on a regular basis. The ‘handing’ of a door refers to the direction in which the door swings. Door handing is important for a two main reasons. First, you want to ensure that the door you are installing swings in the proper direction. Second, it is important that both the door and accompanying hardware are handed alike; order a left-hand door and a right-hand lever set, and you my friend, are out of luck. Door handing must be specified before production and will arrive on-site with hardware and/or door preps in all the right places. If you order your locking hardware separately, often times the same item has varying part numbers for each handing option; however the handing of some hardware can be adapted during installation.
Door Handing – So Easy a Caveman Can Do It
There are four ways a door can be handed:
- Right hand
- Right hand reverse
- Left hand
- Left hand reverse
This begs the question – “how do you determine the handing of a door?” There are two simple tricks you can use to do it yourself, the video below explains them well.
Door Handing Trick #1
Stand outside of the room you want to secure and grab the lever. Whichever hand you grab the door with will help you determine the handing of the door.
- If you push the door into the room the door is going to be right or left hand depending on which hand you grabbed the lever with. For example, if you grab the door with your left hand and push into the room, the door is left hand.
- If you pull the door toward you it will be right hand reverse or left hand reverse depending on which hand you grabbed the lever with. For example, if you grab the door with your left hand and pull it toward you, the door is left hand reverse.
Door Handing Trick #2
Stand in the doorway with your back against the hinge and point your arm in the direction the door swings.
- If the door swings into the area you are securing, your door will be left or right handed depending on which arm you are pointing with. For example, if you are pointing into the area with your right arm the door is right handed.
- If the door swings out of the area you are securing, your door will be either left or right hand reverse. Note that the handing will be opposite of the hand you are pointing with. For example, if you are pointing out of the area with your right arm the door is left hand reverse.
This depiction has made its rounds in our office for years as an easy reference. We hope this helps! Let us know if you have any questions in the comments.
