Question on door swing terminolgy. We always referred to door swing as hinged left or hinged right when on the hinge barrel side of the door. Some of these contractors refer to doors as right hand or left hand. Are we talking the same language?
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
The "She Build" initiative is empowering women in Seattle, WA by ensuring they have safe, healthy homes.
Featured Video
How to Install Cable Rail Around Wood-Post CornersHighlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
Door handing terminology redux. Comes up periodically, so here goes. Deja vu all over again.
In single family residential construction, which is the type of biz generally discussed on this forum, most will tell you to stand in the doorway where the door is to go, with your back up against the jambframe where the hinges will go, and whichever side of you has the desired door swing action, that is the hand of the door unit to be ordered.
Exterior doors are called out the same, but should be specified whether inswing or outswing to be clear.
The window companies stick a little wrench in this works, however. They view all their products, windows and hinged glass doors, as being viewed from the outside, and want handing called out as whichever side the hinges are on when the unit is viewed from the outside.
So, watch your step here. Tread carefully. Order a wood or steel door, with or without glass in it, say it swings out, and call it RIGHT HAND OUTSWING. The door jobber will make you your door, and it will match your right arm swing if you are standing in the opening, back to the hinge jamb.
But to get that same swing in a glass door made by Pella, Andersen, Marvin, or any of the other window companies, you will order it as OUTSWING, HINGE LEFT.
Crystal clear?
Now wanna talk hardware for doors? Things get really fun, then. We'll introduce the term reverse, and really mess with your head.
Edited 7/31/2006 4:35 pm ET by Gene_Davis
Edited 7/31/2006 4:39 pm ET by Gene_Davis