Who Says You Need Keys To Lock Your Door?

How many times have you locked yourself out of the house or lost a key? I’ve had my fair share of climbing through windows or having to hide a spare key. Not anymore…..

With Schlage’s keypad locks you don’t have to carry a key ever again. They come in a variety of styles and finishes, and they’re very easy to install & program. Schlage provides a 9 volt battery that lasts for about 3 years, so if your power goes out you don’t need to worry about the lock not working, and if all this isn’t enough-the keypad is even backlit for night time use.

When you receive your keypad lock, it will come with very detailed installation instructions, but here’s an overview on how to install. Basically, you will put the latch bolt in its hole, hold the outside trim plate up to the door, (it should stay in place when lined up properly) snap the base plate (inside) onto the post that runs through the door, connect the battery wires, line up the interior trim plate, and screw it in place.

To program the lock you’ll punch in the 6 digit programming code that Schlage has provided, then press the “Schlage” button on the top, press #1 and your personalized 4 digit code, repeat the 4 digit code and voila! You’re done.

You can program up to 19 different 4 digit codes. This is a great feature because you can set up a code for each family member or if it’s a rental property you don’t have to rekey the locks when they leave (just change the code). If you’re expecting a repair person you can assign a code to them and when they’re done you can delete the code. If you have company from out of town, they can have their own codes and again-all you have to do is delete the code when they leave. No more getting copies of keys, buying hide-a-keys, changing your locks, or getting a phone call from one of your kids saying they’re locked out of the house.Check out the overview video from Schlage:

It's All About Personal Preference

One of the most frequently asked questions that we get at The Hardware Hut is “Do I put knobs or pulls on my cabinets?” The answer in short, is whatever you want.

There really is no correct answer for choosing knobs versus pulls, or even where to place them on the cabinet. We’ve seen customers put knobs on doors and pulls on drawers, or pulls on both the doors and drawers. It really just comes down to personal preference. For example, in my kitchen I have the same pull on all of my drawers and my doors.

There are some things to consider before making your choices. If you have existing holes in your cabinetry and you are replacing your hardware then your options will be limited by the holes that are already there. If the previous homeowner had pulls on their doors, you will need to measure the distance between the two screw holes and choose a pull with the same hole spacing. You could fill in the old holes and drill new ones, but for a quick update to your kitchen it’s easier to stick with the same hole spacing.

Cabinet knobs only take one screw so if you are replacing existing hardware, you don’t have to consider the hole spacing and you’ve got a much bigger range of choices to select from. Also, cabinet knob installation is easier than pulls.

Cabinet pulls are of course larger than knobs, so they tend to feel more comfortable to grip and they can help facilitate opening a heavier drawer since they are anchored with two screws.

My favorite thing to say in hardware is “There is no standard.” Cabinet knob and pull placement just happens to be a perfect example of that. On the other hand, when flipping through kitchen and bath magazines I do frequently see, knobs on doors and pulls on drawers.

The bottom line- comfort and ease of use should be a priority other than that, have fun with your design. Choose something that will reflect your personality.

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”

Home Improvement......Here I Come!

Welcome to The Hardware Chronicles. Within this blog you'll find helpful tricks, product details and explanations, new products to the market, and tips from professionals in the wonderful (and sometimes crazy) world of hardware.

I'll start with a little background information; I have worked for thehardwarehut.com for eight years. In those eight years I have gained quite a bit of experience in dealing with all types of hardware needs. Hopefully, with these posts I'll be able to give you a little bit of insight and information into the hardware industry. It seems to me, more and more there are people that are willing to give home improvement projects a shot without hiring a contractor. Because of this, there are a number of questions and situations that I never thought would come up in my daily duties. But.....I wouldn't be here if they hadn't.

When you call The Hardware Hut you're likely to get any one of the five customer service/sales staff that works here. When I tell you that you will get tips from professionals, I mean it.....the combined experience between the five of us is 54 years! With that many years under our belts we can definitely hand out some advice. There will be times when one of my coworkers will share with you some of their knowledge and expertise and post a blog or two, so be on the lookout. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

Erica
“Leave the Details to Us”