How to Choose a Left or Right Door Lever

Doors that open with levers may appear to have only one type of hardware for opening purposes: a generic door lever. However, there are actually two types of door levers--right and left. The choice of the best door lever is based on the location of the hinges. The confusing part is that the location of the hinges depends on which side of the door you're standing on. A few quick tips make choosing the correct door lever much less confusing.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Decide which side of the door is the outside. For a door that leads to a yard, the outside of the door is obviously the side that faces the outdoors. A door adjacent to a hallway is equally obvious; the outside of the door is the side that faces the hallway. If a door connects two rooms, however, such as a bedroom and a bathroom, the outside of the door is the side that faces the bedroom, because the bedroom is more closely adjoined to the main part of the house.

2. Stand on the outside of the door, as described in Step 1.

3. Look at the hinges on the door. If the hinges are on the left, choose a left door lever. If the hinges are on the right, choose a right door lever.

Tips & Warnings

• The location of the hinge on the doorpost does not affect the type of door lever.
• Do not confuse the type of lever with the side of the door the lever will be placed on. A right door lever will actually be placed on the left side of the door, even though the hinges are on the right side of the door.

References

• Door Hardware - Lever Door Sets