When it comes to the how to of door handing, it doesn’t have to be difficult. With the right door handing chart or diagram, you can certainly determine if the door is left-handed or right-handed, along with whether the door is an inswing or outswing.
Determining the type of door you need is rather important. The last thing you want to do is order the wrong door and find out when it arrives. Our door handing chart and the steps found below will help to ensure you don’t order the wrong door for your needs.
Standing Outside of the Door
- Start by looking at the door in question to determine the outside of the door.
- For example, if the door in question is the entry door to your home and you are going inside, that’s considered the OUTSIDE of the door.
- For interior doors, if you’re standing on the side of the door outside of the room, it’s the outside of the door.
- If you’re standing inside of a bedroom and the bedroom has a bathroom attached, you are on the OUTSIDE of the bathroom door, but the inside of the bedroom door.
- With garages, if you’re in the garage and you’re going into your home, you are on the OUTSIDE of that specific door.
Once you’ve determined the outside of the door, the next step in the how to of door handing is to figure out if it’s left-handed or right-handed.
Left Handed or Right Handed Door
There are two methods to consider here:
- Method #1 – When standing on the outside of the door, you want to look at the hinges. If the hinges are on the left-hand side of the door, you need a left-handed door set. If they are on the right-hand side of the door, you need a right-handed door set.
- Method #2 – Open the door and stand with your back to the hinge jamb. In this position, if your right hand is closest to the doorknob, you need a right-handed door set. However, if your left hand is closest to the doorknob, you need a left-handed door set.
Inswing or Outswing Door
The final step in the how to of door handing is figuring out if the door is an inswing or an outswing door. This can be done with a couple of easy steps:
- With inswing doors, if the hinges are on the left-hand side, you have a left-handed door. If they are on the right-hand side, you have a right-handed door.
- With outswing doors; if the hinges are on the left-hand side, you have a Right Hand Outswing door. If the hinges are on the right-hand side, you have a Left Hand Outswing door.
Ordering the correct door means you will need to know if the door is an inswing or outswing, along with whether it’s right-handed or left-handed.
Use this information, along with our helpful door handing chart to ensure you order the correct door for your needs.
