How to Design a Hardware Set

When designing a hardware set for a door opening, there are many things to consider. What type of material is the door constructed from? Hollow Metal, Wood, Aluminum, Fiberglass? What's the frame material? What type of rooms do we have? What's the fire rating? What's your budget? Also consider the components of each hardware set for the five (sometimes six) essential functions they perform.

Six Essential Hardware Functions

1. Hanging the door
2. Securing the door
3. Controlling the door
4. Protecting the door
5. Sealing the door

In today’s construction world, there's often a sixth item of a hardware set:

6. Electronic access

Every project will require several hardware sets, at least one defined for each type of opening. Bathroom doors, exterior doors, the front door, closet doors, and emergency exit doors (egress) will each have a different hardware set.

Building codes will also affect hardware set selection. For instance, some buildings will be required to meet a minimum number of emergency exits. Those doors will require push bar exit devices, where other exterior doors will not.

Build some flexibility into a hardware set. Often when calling out the doorstop for a residential opening, we'll call for a spring stop or a hinge pin stop as required and let the estimator and/or installer decide which one is best to use in that situation. This can save time on a project with many stakeholders and a tight schedule.

In the next installment of this short blog series, we'll start by looking at hardware that protects the door.