How to Choose The Right Interior Locks

Finding the Best Door Locks for Interior Doors

We don’t often think about installing locks inside the house. Sure, we want exceptional-quality locks for the outside doors, to keep our home secure. But what about locks for guarding your privacy on the inside? There are all sorts of reasons you may need locks inside ~ parents’ bedroom, bathrooms, home office, teenager’s bedroom, liquor cabinet, filing cabinet, collectibles cabinet, and so forth. Finding the right door locks for your home's interior doors depends on so many factors. There is a surprising list of different kinds of interior door locks available. Taking a good look at the features of each lock will help you choose exactly the right one for each of your needs.

basic locking door handle: The usual interior door lock that we normally imagine is called a privacy knob. It has a standard locking handle on the inside of the room. The exterior of the door knob is relatively easy to unlock from the outside in case of emergency. You can use a flathead screwdriver, or sometimes even a dull kitchen knife or your finger nail to get it unlocked. This type will probably meet your everyday needs.

bed & bath knob: This familiar style of interior door lock has a regular locking mechanism inside the room, and a little hole on the outside. You need a precision flathead screwdriver or special tool to unlock it. This is a popular interior door lock choice, because it’s a bit more difficult to unlock from the outside, and it can be unlocked without a key in an emergency.

key lock: A key lock door on the outside obviously offers you an increased level of privacy, since it requires a key to unlock it. You’ll always have to remember to have the key on you, of course, or you won’t be able to unlock it from the outside.

cylindrical lock: This popular lock is installed through the door with a knob or lever on either side, which retracts the latch when depressed or turned. One advantage of a cylindrical lock is that it’s easy and quick to install. Two holes are drilled in the door ~ the first through the face of the door for the lock chassis, and the other through the strike edge of the door for the latch bolt. You’ll see cylindrical locksets everywhere you look ~ they’re typically found in homes and offices, and on interior doors in all sorts of buildings.

mortise lock: This is a top-quality interior door lock that’s fitted into a pocket cavity (mortise) inside the door. Mortise locks are well-known, as they’re one of the oldest style locks, invented decades before we had cylindrical locks. You’ll often see mortise locks in older commercial buildings, but they’ve also grown more popular nowadays in upscale residential buildings. You can install a mortise lock on exterior and interior doors, and often on wooden cabinets. They are available in iron, bronze, brass, aluminum, or steel to suit your budget and taste.

Rather more complicated than the standard locks we’re accustomed to, a mortise lock consists of: the lock body, the part installed inside the mortise cut-out in the door; the lock trim, which could be a lever, handleset, or pull; a strike plate, which reinforces the hole in the frame for the latch or deadbolt to extend into; and the keyed cylinder, which operates the lock body’s locking and unlocking function. A mortise lock is tricky to install, so you should hire a professional locksmith, who will bring the proper specialized tools required to precisely cut the hole for the lock, and so on. If you are located anywhere in Tampa, Florida, you may want to choose a trustworthy locksmith such as the mobile experts on staff at 24/7 Tampa Locksmith, where free consultations are available.

knob lock: This is the standard lock we have on our exterior doors at home, often installed along with a deadbolt.

deadbolt: If there’s one particular room you’re especially worried about, a deadbolt lock will certainly fit the bill. The reason these superior locks are called “dead” is that they do not have any springs to operate the bolt; that is, a deadbolt is operated manually, using a key or thumbturn. There many different kinds of deadbolts, including single-cylinder, double-cylinder, lockable thumbturn, rim, jimmy-proof, mortise, vertical, and even keyless or digital. Do your research to see which one will work best for your requirements.

rim cylinder lock: You’ll often see this lock on commercial doors, entry glass doors, and at apartment complexes. Perhaps you’ll want this lock for a door to your solarium or enclosed porch. They’re usually used in rim latch locks, mounted on the inside of the door. Rim cylinder locks have a long metal piece that extends out from the lock’s back, running through the door into a locking mechanism on the opposite side.

lever handle lock: These locks are frequently used on interior doors in commercial buildings, but if you need to make your home accessible throughout for a disabled family member, lever locks will be your best bet. They’re easier to open than knob locks, because the push-down handle doesn’t need to be grasped and turned, the way a knob does. Consider whether you’ll need left-handled or right-handled doors. One drawback: You may agree with folks who don’t like lever-handled locks, because they often inadvertently catch and rip their clothes on them.

electronic door lock: Believe it or not, in today’s high-tech world, you’ll find lots of lever-handled variations for interior locks ~ with keypads or touchscreens, which ask you to enter a passcode. Some even add a required fingerprint to gain access, and will allow you to program in the fingerprints of up to 100 people! If you want to spend more, some will require not only a user code, but also a traditional key too, plus two more steps of identity verification. Do your homework to choose the ideal electronic lock for you.

This is a simple overview. There is literally an endless list of various kinds of locks. To learn more, consult with a local reliable locksmith.