An easy interior door handle update with Schlage hardware
/Learn how to replace interior door handles in a few easy steps, from selecting new hardware to installing the door knobs
How to easily replace and upgrade your interior door handles with beautiful new hardware
I’ve never installed or replaced a door handle before. I didn’t anticipate it to be difficult, but I didn’t anticipate it being this easy either! Read on to find out how I upgraded 10 interior door handles in my house with beautiful custom hardware from Schlage Canada to seamlessly up-level my home decor.
Be sure to pin this post if you want to save it for later—when you’re ready to redecorate!
An easy interior door handle update
I used to be a cater-waiter—you know, the servers who work at catered functions and events? I spent a summer in between second and third year university hauling huge trays of lobster dinners through a warehouse at east coast-style events and affairs. We’d spend the good part of a day setting everything up—tables, chairs, tablecloths, centrepieces, place settings and everything had to be *just so*.
Glasses properly spaced, napkins aligned—nothing could be off or out of place. There were rulers involved. I always remember my manager saying it’s not that people will walk in and abruptly notice if things are off, but they will walk in and notice how AMAZING the space looks when everything is just right.
So if you’ve been to my house, you’ve probably never noticed the interior door handles. Or the fact they were having a massive identity crisis. The bathroom door had a brass door handle on the outside and a silver one on the inside! The doorknobs were an eclectic mix of silver, gold, and brass. Not in a charming way. In a sloppy, mismatched way. They were different shapes and sizes as well, and a few of them were quite loose (i.e. neglected!) Once it started to bother me, I couldn’t stop focussing on the situation.
Choosing an interior door knob
It was time for an upgrade and a major improvement to my interior door knobs. I usually agonize over decisions—ask my family—and while I put some serious thought into selecting new interior handles for the doors in my house, it wasn’t a difficult decision.
I perused the product options at SchalgeCanada.com and jumped on to their Instagram to see how others were styling their Schlage hardware. The Bowery Knob with Greyson trim jumped out at me so I ran with it. I selected two bed and bath knobs with locks for the master bedroom and bathroom, and two non-locking hall and closet knobs for the girls rooms.
Picking a hardware finish to complement your home decor
When we moved into our house, we did a back-to-the-studs kitchen renovation. We chose kitchen hardware with bright chrome handles and the appliances are in polished nickel. I wanted to carry this look throughout the house so I chose the polished nickel finish (to avoid smudgy little handprints on a shiny bright chrome #kids). This also coordinates with all our fixtures and plumbing. There’s a variety of finishes to chose from, including satin nickel, bright chrome, satin chrome, black matte, and aged bronze.
Schlage Canada Custom Glass Knobs
There are a few doors in the house that had beautiful vintage glass knobs that I plan to repurpose elsewhere with these great ideas from Schlage Canada. To update all the handles seamlessly, I chose the custom Hobson glass knob with Kinsler trim for these doors. They have a charming upscale look that pairs easily with the Bowery knobs with Greyson trim. These glass knobs are dreamy—and add character throughout our home. I used these for Anna’s closest, the bathroom closet, the door to my office in the attic and 3 interior doors on our main level. It really makes things feel fancy around here!
Door handles are easy to replace
I have never installed or replaced a door handle before. It couldn’t have been easier. For these Schlage door knobs it’s a quick and easy installation and all I needed was a screwdriver.* It’s pretty intuitive but the quick start guide that comes in the box comes in handy too.
Does any door knob fit any door?
*Here is my disclaimer. Not always! Our house was built in 1960 and I can only guess the doors are original. Typically, a door set (the part inside the door to control the latch) is 2 ⅜ or 2 ¾ inches, and typically all modern door knobs work with standard size doors. The Schlage custom glass knobs are adjustable between these two measurements. However, in an older home with original, non-standard size doors, that previously had older non-standard size knobs, you may need to work some carpentry magic you never knew you had! I had to pull out a drill, a hand-held saw, and a chisel to make the holes bigger on a few of the doors. I would say no sweat, but there was a little bit of sweat involved!
How to replace an interior door handle step-by-step
Remove the old handle
Install the latch by inserting into the side of the door. Make sure the bevelled side is facing the door jam so the door can close
Attach the faceplate with the short screws
Install the strike on the door frame with the short screws
Install the exterior knob (inserting through the latch in the door)
Disassemble the interior knob to access the hidden screws. It took me a quick minute to figure out how to do this. You’ll see little tabs on the knob, push that in with your fingernail or the handy wire took that comes with the kit
Line up the interior side chassis (the inside of the knob) handle, insert into the door, screw in place with the longer screws
Pop the trim onto the door and secure it
Line up and pop the interior knob on to the spindle and gently push to install.
Voila! Your new interior doorknob is installed and your work here is done. Enjoy your instantly update fresh new home decor.
Updating interior door hardware is a quick and easy DIY Interior door renovation
There is another project on my list now: painting the doors! It makes more sense that I would have painted the doors FIRST before installing new handles, but painting the bedroom doors is not in our realm right now—in our financial or time budget. Spring feels like a good time to tackle it and that’s just the thing with DIYs—do them on your schedule when it’s the right time to get them done. Not everything can always get done at once (unless your planning a full-scale renovation like our kitchen) and that’s part of the fun—picking away on projects and making your space yours over time.
For now, these updated, fresh, coordinated handles are pulling my home decor together and just this little change is making a HUGE difference.
Here’s some more information on Schlage Canada hardware:
Where you can buy Schlage Canada hardware
You can shop online for Schlage products at Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Home Hardware, Rona, Timber Mart, and Amazon. You can also find a local retailer to purchase in-store.
How much it costs to replace a door handle
The Bowery Knob with Greyson trim retails for $22.95 online at The Home Depot. Schlage Canada hardware ranges in price from $20 up to the $60 range for some of the beautiful custom glass knobs.
How long Schlage locks last
Schlage Canada products are graded Best in Residential Security, Durability, and Finish. The options I chose have a lifetime finish and mechanical guarantee (Oil-Rubbed Bronze is only a mechanical guarantee).
Disclosure: This post is in partnership with Schlage Canada who provided the hardware for this project but all opinions and stories shared are my own honest experiences.
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