Like just about any other home in the UK, your property likely has internal doors. These doors provide us with easy privacy for each room in our houses and make it easy to keep people out of areas they should not have access to. Whether used in your home or business, internal doors are a vital part of any property’s design; in a way, they are every bit as important as our external doors. While we all focus on having high-security locks on our external doors, we often forget about the need for locks on our internal doors. They might not keep someone from accessing your building, but they remain vital.
This guide will break down everything you need to know about internal doors, why they matter, how they operate, and where they are useful to help you better understand them.
Internal Door Locks: At A Glance
Every room in your home likely has a door, right? That stops noise from bleeding through and prevents people from being able to access our personal belongings in our bedrooms, etc.
At the same time, you might have internal doors in your business. This could keep areas like your staff room separate from, say, canteen and changing rooms. Internal doors need locks in any setting so they can be safely closed over without the risk of people coming and going where they should not.
Most of the time, we simply have internal doors with door handles on them; for some rooms, though, we might want extras, such as latches or locking mechanisms. Some examples include:
Door Latches
For many homes and businesses, latches are a cost-effective but reliable way to stop someone from entering a room without permission. Not every door needs a physical lock, but something like a tubular Mortice latch can be enough to help protect entry without permission.
Most UK doors with latches have a 63mm or 73mm latch installed. For some doors, you may need a more specific latch size; a professional local locksmith can give you recommendations so you get the right measurement of latch fitted ahead of time.
Door Locks
Of course, some doors are for rooms that we would rather keep locked when we use them. Think, for example, of the bathroom; who wants to have someone walk in on them when they are in the shower!?
Internal locks are vital for adding extra layer privacy. Many of us have door locks in our bathrooms and bedrooms. If you want to enjoy an extra-long lie that morning, that lock could stop your younger sibling or your roommate from coming in unannounced. Most of the time, you have a simple lock that uses a turn-and-release mechanism. These do not need to have keys to open, but they tend to give you that internal privacy you might not get from just having a free-use open door.
Sometimes, we might prefer something more akin to what you find on a toilet door cubicle or a cupboard door—a shoot bolt. It all depends on the individual’s requirements and preferences, but most of the time, door locks are ideal for removing privacy risks.
Door Handles
Of course, you can also have secure, high-level door handles that you use on your property instead. Door handles come in all shapes and sizes, including lever-on backplate and lever-on rose models. These are the most common for internal door handles and tend to give you something a bit more robust than you would get if you just fitted standard, generic door handles.
Door handles can have a locking system via a keyhole, those with a latch installed, or even those with a Mortice lock. You have no shortage of choices, so it should be easy to find a door handle that gives you both the aesthetic you want and the kind of shape/style you are looking for. If your door handles become worn or outdated, you can buy multi-handle door packs that offer great cost savings.
Sash & Deadbolt Locks
Another option for you would be to invest in a sash or deadbolt lock system instead. These tend to give you a bit more security than the above and might be more ideal for, say, your home office or the master bedroom in your house. These Mortice sash locks or deadbolt locks are more secure and tend to be used on wooden doors. Make sure that you invest in something worthwhile; most internal doors that have sash or deadbolt locks will want something with extra security, more akin to an external door.
While there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to internal doors, these lock types should cover everything you would typically look for. Keep an eye out for the above, and you should be able to find the lock type(s) that fit the doors you have in your home with minimal fuss!
