Care Home Door Hardware: Lever Sets for 4 Door Types
A care home orders levers, not knobs, in four door sets: a lever lock with a free inside for resident rooms; a privacy lever and grab bars for bathrooms; closers and pulls for corridor doors; and panic devices for exits. Confirm fire, accessibility and exit rules with the local authority.
The set to order
| Part | What to check | Models |
|---|---|---|
| Resident room: lock case | Mortise case listed with a Panic exit function, 55 mm backset and 72 mm center distance. State on the order that the inside lever must open the door in one movement. | Lc33 5572 |
| Resident room: lever | Stainless steel. Lever 135 mm long, 68 mm projection, 53 mm rose, doors 35 to 50 mm. 8 mm spindle, so confirm the fit to the case. | LH1033 SS |
| Resident room: cylinder | Key outside, thumbturn inside. 60 or 70 mm. Cylinder length follows door thickness. | 60 SNKT, 70 SNKT |
| Resident room: hinges | Three per leaf up to 2286 mm door height. BL028 is 4 × 3 in, 2.5 mm thick. SSH016 lists 4 × 4 in, 2.5 mm thick. | BL028, SSH016 |
| Resident room: wall stop | A wall stop keeps the floor clear for walkers and wheelchairs. DS01 projects 96 mm from the wall. | DS01 |
| Resident room: door closer | Where the door schedule calls for one. JU-061 850 mm, 25 to 45 kg. JU-072 1050 mm, 40 to 65 kg. | JU-061, JU-072 |
| Bathroom: privacy lever | Turn button inside. LH853 SNBK: 60 mm backset, doors 35 to 45 mm. 8806 SSBK: 60 or 70 mm backset, doors 35 to 55 mm. LH852 BNBK: black nickel, doors 35 to 45 mm. | LH853 SNBK, 8806 SSBK, LH852 BNBK |
| Bathroom: grab bars | BH01 and BH02 list 300 to 1000 mm in 100 mm steps. BH02 has a knurled center. BH03 is angled, 415 mm long. | BH01, BH02, BH03 |
| Bathroom: flip-up bar | For the open side of a toilet. BH57 is a double rail. BH58 has controlled lowering. Get your code authority's view before using one in place of a side wall bar. | BH57, BH58 |
| Bathroom: wall fittings | Roll holder, soap dispenser, paper towel dispenser and robe hook. Fix the hook with screws. | BH19, BH35, BH24, BH10 |
| Corridor door: closer per leaf | One on each leaf. JU-088 950 mm, 40 to 65 kg. JU-072 1050 mm, 40 to 65 kg. JU-093 1050 mm, 45 to 85 kg. No hold-open on a fire door. | JU-088, JU-072, JU-093 |
| Corridor door: pull handle | One per leaf, on the pull side, for a leaf with no latch. Plate 200 × 65 mm, 60 mm projection. | 19-130MM |
| Corridor door: coordinator | For a pair that must close in order. DC02 fits at the top of the frame, inactive leaf first. | DC02, DSL02 |
| Exit door: device, single leaf | Push side of an outward-opening door. Bar 1000 mm on 306-S and 308-S. Send the door width and we confirm the bar length. | 306-S, 308-S, 309-S, 316-S |
| Exit door: device, pair | Top and bottom latching on 306-D, 308-D and 316-D. 309-D is listed as active and inactive leaf. | 306-D, 308-D, 309-D, 316-D |
| Exit door: alarm device | Built-in alarm so staff know the door was opened. Lengths 650, 800 and 1000 mm. | 314 |
| Exit door: outside trim | Pull side, only where staff enter from outside. Keyed and reversible. | 016 |
The set by door type
Write the schedule by door type, then count. A home with 60 rooms has one resident room set and one bathroom set, each repeated 60 times. Most of the order is those two rows, so fix them on a sample door before the full quantity goes on order.
| Door | What it has to do | Per leaf | Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident room | Gives the resident privacy, lets staff in with a key, and always opens from inside. | 1 case, 1 lever set, 1 cylinder, 3 hinges, 1 wall stop, closer if scheduled | Lc33 5572, LH1033 SS, 60 SNKT or 70 SNKT; BL028, SSH016; DS01; JU-061, JU-072 |
| Bathroom | Locks from inside, and opens from outside if the resident falls. | 1 privacy lever, 3 hinges, plus the bars and fittings for the room | LH853 SNBK, 8806 SSBK, LH852 BNBK; BH01, BH02, BH03; BH57, BH58 |
| Corridor | Divides the corridor, closes by itself, and stays light enough for a frail hand. | 1 closer, 1 pull, 3 hinges. Pair: add 1 coordinator. | JU-072, JU-088, JU-093; 19-130MM; DC02, DSL02 |
| Exit | Opens outward with one push from inside, with no key, and can sound an alarm when used. | 1 device, 1 closer, 3 hinges, outside trim if staff enter | 306-S, 308-S, 309-S, 316-S; pairs 306-D, 308-D, 309-D, 316-D; 314; 016 |
Nursing home door handles: why levers
A lever works with a closed fist, an elbow or a weak grip. A round knob needs a tight grasp and a twist, which fails ADA Standards 404.2.7 where they apply. So we leave knob sets out of this list. ADA 404.2.7 and 309.4 also set operable parts at 865 to 1220 mm (34 to 48 in) above the floor, with one hand and no tight grip.
- Hold the lever on a sample and check the tip. A tip that catches a sleeve or a walking frame is a daily problem.
- Dementia design guidance commonly asks for handles that contrast with the door. Pick the finish against the door color, such as black nickel on a pale leaf.
- Use one finish across each wing, so a resident learns one handle.
- Keep every lever at the same height.
Resident room door
This door has two users with opposite needs: the resident wants privacy and staff need to get in fast. The inside must always open, and the outside must always take a staff key. Test both on the sample door, with the thumbturn locked.
- Send the master key plan with the order, and we confirm it for the cylinder you chose. A system is hard to add after the cylinders are made.
- Check that the staff key works from outside with the thumbturn turned.
- Do not use a double key cylinder. A resident must never need a key to leave the room.
- Do not add a bolt or a door guard. Staff must be able to reach a resident who has fallen.
- Choose a wall stop over a floor stop. A floor stop is a trip point.
- Where a bed must pass, ask the architect for the clear width first. It sets the leaf width and the closer size.
- Hooks and levers can be ligature points. We do not list anti-ligature hardware, so a unit that requires it needs that line elsewhere.
Bathroom door
A resident who falls behind the door can block it. Ask the architect for an outward-opening or sliding door, then make sure the lock opens from outside. The photographs of LH853 SNBK and 8806 SSBK show a slot on the outside lever. We do not list it as an emergency release, so test on a sample that a locked door opens from outside with a coin or a small tool.
- Heights and bar lengths are in the accessible toilet hardware list. Use your national code outside the US.
- BH01 and BH02 stop at 1000 mm. A longer bar is confirmed against your drawing.
- Plan backing in the wall before the tile goes on. Never fix a bar to a hollow partition without it.
- Test every bar with the real wall fixing before handover. The bar, its fixing and the wall work together.
Corridor doors
Most of these are fire or smoke doors, so the door certificate decides what goes on them. Read the fire exit door checklist first. Stahlock products carry no published fire certification. The closer has to be strong enough to shut the door and weak enough for a frail resident to open it, so set each one on site and measure it.
- ADA 404.2.9 limits an interior hinged door that is not a fire door to 22.2 N (5 lbf) of opening force.
- ADA 404.2.8 sets at least 5 seconds to move the door from 90 degrees to 12 degrees from the latch.
- JU-074 and JU-075 have a hold-open function. Keep them off fire doors.
- Staff will wedge a heavy door open. A door that must stand open needs an electric hold-open tied to the fire alarm, which is not in this catalogue.
- Use a coordinator when the pair has an astragal or a rebate, so the inactive leaf closes first.
Exit doors and residents who wander
A key must never be needed to leave through an exit door, and that holds in a dementia unit too. Some codes allow delayed or controlled egress locks in care buildings, with conditions such as a link to the fire alarm. Those locks are electric and are not in this catalogue. Rules vary by country, so confirm them with the local authority before the schedule is fixed.
- The 314 sounds when the bar is pressed in alarm mode, and the door still opens.
- The device goes on the push side at 864 to 1219 mm (34 to 48 in) in the US or 900 to 1100 mm in Europe.
- Confirm the height works from a wheelchair.
- Never add a chain, padlock or bolt to an exit door.
- Do not use a mechanical dogging setting on a rated door.
What to buy elsewhere, and what to send
These lines are not in this catalogue, so give them to the door or building supplier: handrails, kick plates, nurse call, electric hold-opens, delayed egress locks and anti-ligature hardware. For the rest, one schedule covers the order.
- Room count, and door count by type.
- Leaf width, height, thickness and weight for each type.
- Which units are for residents with dementia.
- Fire rating of each door, with its certificate.
- Hinge side, and which way each door opens.
- Master key plan.
- Finish for each wing.
Questions buyers ask
What door handles should a nursing home use?
Levers, on every door a resident uses. A lever works with a weak grip, and a round knob fails ADA Standards 404.2.7 where they apply. Check the tip on a sample so it does not catch a sleeve.
Can residents lock their own room?
Yes, where the care plan allows it, with a thumbturn inside. The inside lever must always open the door, and a staff key must work from outside. Test both on a sample door.
Can staff open a locked bathroom from outside?
They must be able to. The photographs of our privacy levers show a slot on the outside lever, but we do not list it as an emergency release. Test it on a sample before you order.
Can exit doors be locked for residents who wander?
Not with a key or a bolt. Use an alarm device such as the 314, so staff know the door was opened. Delayed egress locks are electric, depend on the local code, and are not in this catalogue.
Can corridor doors be held open?
Not with a wedge or a closer's hold-open setting on a fire door. An electric hold-open tied to the fire alarm is the usual answer, and that is not in this catalogue.
Do you supply anti-ligature handles?
No. We do not list anti-ligature hardware. If a unit requires it, buy those lines from a specialist and use this list for the other doors.
Sources
Codes change and vary by place. Confirm with the authority for your project.