Door handles should allow easy access to different rooms in your house. But it is best to consider how occupants can operate the door, so you can modify the direction of the door handles for their convenience. To help you out, we have asked the experts on how to proceed with door handle modification, and here's what they recommend.
To make a door handle open upwards, follow the steps below:
- Use a tool pin to poke the hole on the handle collar.
- After pressing the pin, it will release the handle.
- Then pull the handle to detach it.
- Switch the handles to the correct side of the door.
- Reposition the handles, so the tips are facing up.
- Press the handles back into place.
- Do the same for the other side of the door.
Opening the handles in the upward direction is uncommon, but the door will still open. It won't matter how you want to open with the handles even with differing preferences. Continue reading to learn how you can change the door handle orientation.
Changing The Way A Door Handle Opens
It is possible to adjust the way the door handles open. Most curved-lever door handles have the middle curve facing up, while the tips are down. In this case, you can easily put your palms down to open the door. This position helps those who have weak grips.
The downside of the curve facing up is that the handles can hang up clothing or accessories when people rush out of the room. From this viewpoint, you can change the curve of the handles facing down instead.
Here are the common reasons why you might want to tweak the way the door handles open:
- Some buildings revise the direction of door handles to consider people with disabilities and elders. If the handles open upward, it can be easy for people below the handle height to open the door with their elbow or hand.
- Another reason for turning the handles upward is security. Your children and some pets can also avoid accessing restricted rooms. Children have feeble hands, and using the handles will not be convenient.
But then, it is up to you how you want the door handles to open. You can vary the way your door handles open for specific rooms. It will also help if you consider the door handing and swing direction before you reposition the handles.
If you find the handle tip in the wrong direction, you can reverse the door handle.
Making A Door Handle Open Upwards
We have listed here the detailed steps to reverse a handle tip so it faces upwards:
- Use the tool pin included in the handle set to poke a hole on the handle collar. If the set does not include a pin, you can use a paperclip, a hex key, or a small pick.
- Press the tool into the hole. You can find the hole on the side away from the jamb.
- Then pull the handles carefully. Catch the pin to avoid losing it.
- Do the same for the other side.
- Switch the positions of the handles. If the handle is inside, place it outside and vice versa.
- Put back the handles by pushing it back on the door.
- You can do the same to all door handles inside the house when you know how to reverse the handles.
How High Should The Door Handle Be?
Your door handles and related latches or locks should be at least 34 to 48 inches from a finished floor. This height follows the ADA requirements. For the average person, the height should be around the hips. If you position the handles higher than the average, it can be challenging to operate the door.
If you intend to add locks with extra security features, you can install the handles 3/4 way up the door from the floor. Further exceptions to the standard include:
- Rooms leading to water features - The handle height should be between 48-54 inches on the door. Children might be able to access the room without supervision if the handles are too low.
- 80-inch doors - You can place the handles 40 inches from the floor. In this way, you create an illusion that there is no top or bottom. This measurement is common for pre-fab and mobile homes.
- Barn door - You can still follow the standard range of 34-48 inches for this door type. Regarding the safety of your children, you can place the handles at the shoulder or eye level so that only adults can operate the door.
Aside from complying with standards, your home will get a cohesive feel if all the door handle heights match. Make sure that you and other occupants at home are comfortable when reaching the door handles before making changes.
Which Side Of The Door Should The Handle Go?
After planning for the handle height, the next thing to deliberate is the door handing. You should know the position of the hinges to determine the handle side. If the hinges are on the left, it is a left-handed door.
Besides the door hinge location, you should also know the door swing direction. Inswing doors follow the side of the hinges, while outswing doors have reversed handle positions.
The position of the handles depends on how you want to access a certain room. Interior and exterior door handles will vary because of their purpose.
Read more from this post: On Which Side Does The Door Handle Go?
Can You Install A Door Knob Upside Down?
If you have door knobs, you can also flip them upside down. Manufacturers usually designate the left or right-hand knobs.
For the locking knobs, the teeth points will vary on which side of the door you install the handles. A left-handed knob will have the teeth down if it's on the right-hand door side, and vice versa.
The rooms in your house can have different knob directions to meet your needs. No matter which side or position of the knobs, you can still control the door.
It is a good choice to turn the knobs upside down if you have toddlers or valuables in a room. You will need to switch the locking knob from the inside to the outside of the door. By doing so, your children will not lock themselves inside.
You can also place the locking knob inside if you want to secure your privacy. No one can try to lockpick your room if the keyhole is inside.
Find out from this post How To Remove A Door Knob From The Outside.
In Closing
It might be unusual to position the door handles to open upwards. However, when you want to alter the handle direction, it will help if you consider the people who will access the door. Then, you should follow the correct process of reversing the handles.
The door handing and swing directions can influence where the handles should open. Also, the handle height should follow the standard so that people can reach the handle comfortably. In the end, you should be comfortable when using the door handles after changing the opening direction.
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