I’ve just finished the inside of a cubby (behind the knee wall, under the hip wall) for a customer. She likes the door that the original builder put on the cubby. But there is no effective latch on the door. She wants one.
The door is very much like a cabinet door. Its a 32X36 opening framed in the drywall-and-2X4 wall.
1X4’s were used to trim a rectangle around the opening (they are laid flat on the drywall surface.
A slab of 3/4 ply is used as the door, which overlays the 1X4 opening on all sides. (Almost as if the 1X4’s are a face frame, and the slab is a full overlay door. It even has cabinet-style hinges.)
Because the cubby is not heated/cooled, the opening also has some weatherstripping.
(Prior to my finishing of the inside, the door was held shut with a drywal screw.)
I need something that will hold the door closed even though there will be some springback from the weatherstriping. Magnets are not strong enough, unless they are also strong enough to give you tendonitis when you pull it open.
The customer does not want a barrel-bolt, which was my first suggestion. In her opinion, that won’t look nearly as good as the rest of the room.
Anyone have any ideas for a latch that will look good, and work on this type of door?
Unless you’re the lead dog, the view just never changes.
Replies
Self-closing hinges? Requiring a small finger purchase on the outer edge somewhere. Need more pressure? Add another hinge.
Push latches used to be a good option, but I havn't purchased a decent one for a good many years.
Bullet catch, but you'd need several to get much grip. Again with the finger purchase.
Roller catch, that sticks out of the top of the door (or catches the top of the door), similar to a bullet catch but more robust.
There are electric latches that would work well, if you want to go to that much effort. With a remote switch. For that matter, an electric/hydraulic gate opener wouldn't have much trouble.
......
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
I don't know the name of it but a handle/latch that I have used for some older casement windows that is also similar to those on old pie safes, hoosier cabinets, etc. You lift the hadle a bit to open it and when you push down the handle, it cams in tight to close securely.
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You lift the hadle a bit to open it and when you push down the handle, it cams in tight to close securely.
I think I understand the concept. But will this work when the two halves will be mounted on surfaces which are not in the same plane? In this overlay door, the surface of the door is 3/4 inch proud of the surrounding trim surface.
Normally, hoosier cabinets (and the like) had full inset doors, so that the door surface and trim surface were in the same plane.
In addition to the differing planes, the edge of my door is a plywood edge -- it probably won't hold any hardware that would need to be mounted there. So, I'm stuck with surface mounting something, in two differing planes.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
Ok. We get it. Knocked out the door and frame without thinking of how to latch it first. Been there and done that.
If it is a really low-use door, consider this. Get a large wood knob and some 1/2-inch birch dowel stock. Drill the backside of the knob so the dowel can glue and pin to it snug and firm. Mount a block on the backside of the door, near its latch edge, so it won't interfere with the jamb when closing, but will be as close as possible to the jamb. This block will be a bearing for the dowel spindle going through it. The depth (thickness) of the block will be so that its back plane is a little proud of the backside of the studs adjacent. Drill through door and block so dowel goes through and projects an inch or two past block. You will cut it shorter later. You can mount a 1-1/2" width of wood shim stock on that stud backside, thin edge up, thick down, and then drill a hole in a hardwood short stick and mount it on the end of the dowel shaft, so that the knob can turn the stick over and down the thickening face of the shim stock to wedge the door closed, and then rotated 90 up to free the latch and pull the door open.
Took me longer to write out the words than it would take to do a CAD rendering.
He can do roughly the same thing with a through the fence gate latch. The kind with the thumb plate that you push down. The bar on the back side pivots up. The receiver for this bar can mount directly to the stud or what ever he used for a jamb.
Excellent idea. Thank you.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
That's about what I was looking for.
(And really, it was not me that built these %$%@#% doors. They were there when the HO called me to finish the inside of the cubbies.)
Thanks....
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
The ones I am remembering are a half overlay 3/8" like the old ice boxes.
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And Rockler sells them.
They have several thickness for the hoosier /ice box latch. Just have to find them.
How about a surface mount latch that were used on a lot of old old houses . Kind of like a full mortice lock ,only it screwed right onto the door ,had a strike box that was surface mounted to the caseing with a cut out in the trim surounding it. I think VanDykes has them.
There isn't much Van Dyke's doesn't have
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This page from Vandykes will give you some ideas. Probably some similar items are available locally. The house style should be an influence on what to use.
http://www.vandykes.com/subcategory/22/
I suggest that you look also at the Lee Valley Veritas site, which has a great selection of door latch and keeper hardware.
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.asp?page=41399&category=3&SID=&ccurrency=2
Edited 3/27/2004 2:18 pm ET by Bob Dylan
I'd go to some place like rockler.com and pick from among their cabinet latches.