TradCo Door Hardware

TradCo door hardware buying guide

TradCo makes traditional door hardware in brass: knobs and levers in period shapes, rim locks, door stops, robe hooks and a sash window fastener. The designs are taken from English, French and Australian houses of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which is why the range is a common choice for restorations, heritage overlays and new homes that want a period look. This guide explains how the ranges differ, what each kit type does, which sizes decide fit, which finishes are made, and how to choose between the styles. People find the brand as TradCo, Trad Co, TradCo hardware and TradCo door handles, and every one of those lands here. For traditional styles across the store, see heritage door hardware.

The ranges and the periods they follow

Each TradCo range follows a particular period, and the best way to choose is to match the range to the age of the house.

The Victorian lever follows nineteenth century English design, with an upturned lever on a plain round rose. It is a restrained, classic shape that suits Victorian terraces and cottages. The Milton knob draws on early twentieth century English hardware, a rounded knob framed by a slim rim and set on a round rose. It suits Federation and Edwardian homes and many interwar houses.

The Bungalow knob is a pressed brass knob with ornamental detail from California Bungalow architecture, which is a style found in many early Australian houses. It is mounted on a long backplate, so no fixing screws show on the door face. The Menton lever is inspired by French Provincial style. The handle widens gently towards its end and carries a recessed band along its length, and it sits on a square rose. The Reims lever draws on French countryside manor detail, with subtle curves and fine ridges cast along the handle, on a long backplate that also hides the fixings.

The Rim Lock and Milled Edge Knob set is the most historical of the group. The lock is surface mounted, which means it is fixed to the face of the door instead of being set into its edge, the original method used in English and early Australian houses. The style belongs with Colonial, Victorian and Georgian homes built between 1788 and 1850.

The ranges each have their own page: Victorian, Milton, Bungalow, Menton, Reims and rim lock and milled edge.

Matching hardware to the age of the house

Period hardware looks right when the shape belongs to the building. A Victorian or Edwardian house with high ceilings and timber four panel doors takes a lever or a knob on a round rose, because the rose echoes the turned details of the era. A Californian Bungalow, with its heavier timber and low rooflines, suits the Bungalow knob with its backplate. A French Provincial or Hamptons style house takes the Menton or Reims lever, where the shape has a softer, more decorative line. A true Colonial cottage, or any house where you want the rim lock look, takes the surface mounted lock.

If the house is a modern build with a traditional look, the choice is a matter of taste, and the range with the plainest shape, the Victorian lever, is the safest. The more decorative shapes, Reims and Bungalow, give more character but need a house with matching detail around them, since an ornate handle on a flat modern door can look out of place.

Levers or knobs

A knob is the older form, and a lever is the easier one to use. A lever works with a push of the hand or the elbow, and a knob needs a grip and a twist. For a hallway or a door used often, a lever is easier on everyone. For a cupboard door, a pantry, or a feature door where the look matters most, a knob has more presence. The two shapes also reach differently from the door: the Milton knob is 54mm across and projects 65mm, the Victorian lever is 125mm long and projects 58mm, and the Menton lever is 60mm across a square rose and projects 70mm. The projection matters beside a wall, and a stop is a sensible addition. For the full group of knobs and levers, see door knobs and door handles.

Passage, privacy and entrance sets

The ranges are sold as sets in three functions. A passage set latches the door and has no lock, and it suits hallways and living areas. A privacy set adds a lock that works from the inside, for bathrooms and bedrooms. An entrance set locks with a key and is made for front doors and exterior doors. The Restorers Collection comes as passage, privacy or entrance sets in the same shape, so one range can carry a whole house.

The entrance sets include a high security lock. Each set arrives with its fixings and instructions. For sets by function, see passage door handles, privacy door handles and entry door lock sets.

Round rose, square rose and backplate

The plate behind the handle changes the look as much as the handle does. A round rose is a small disc, and the Victorian and Milton ranges use it. A square rose gives a crisper, more architectural shape, and the Menton range uses it. A long backplate runs down the door and hides the fixing screws, which is the traditional way to finish a lever or knob, and the Reims and Bungalow ranges use it. The Reims plate is 240mm long and 43mm wide, and the Bungalow plate is 197mm long and 68mm wide.

A long backplate suits a flat door or a tall stile. On a four panel door the plate must fit within the stile, so measure the width of the stile before you choose. A round or square rose takes less room and works on a narrower stile.

Fit and measurements

The sets suit doors 35 to 60mm thick. The backset on the tubular latch sets is 60mm, which is the common size on interior doors, so a replacement set usually fits the existing hole. The rim lock set is the exception: its backset is 112mm, and because the lock is surface mounted it does not need the edge to be cut as a mortice lock does.

Check three things before you order: the door thickness, the backset of the old latch, and the width of the stile for a backplate set. Photograph the old handle from both sides, and measure the hole where the spindle passes through. If you are changing from a different make of handle, check that the fixing centres of the plate suit the existing holes, or be ready to fill and redrill.

Rim locks and milled edge knobs

A rim lock sits on the face of the door in a box, and a bolt travels into a keeper on the frame. It is the older way of locking a door, and it is simple to fit because no mortice is cut into the door edge, which makes it practical for old doors that are already thin or fragile. The TradCo set is made of sheet brass, with a stepped profile and symmetrical proportions, and the milled edge knob, 47mm across, has a finely turned rim. It is a passage set, so it latches the door and does not lock it.

The large milled edge mortice knob is a related piece, made from hollow sheet brass with a milled edge and a round rose, 52mm across. It comes with screws, and it suits everyday doors without a lock. A window needs a different part, and the key operated locking sash fastener in the range draws the two halves of a sliding sash window together and locks with a key. It is zinc alloy, 64mm long and 20mm wide, and comes with standard and security screws.

Door stops

Four door stops are made in the same finishes as the handles. The domed stop is a low, round, solid brass stop that fixes to the floor behind the door, with a rubber buffer. It is 50mm long and 30mm wide. The oval stop is a softer elongated shape, also floor mounted, with a 29mm projection and oval spacers sold separately. The small concealed fix stop hides its screws, mounts to the wall and projects 80mm. The magnetic stop holds the door open against a magnet, with a separate keeper that fixes to the door, and it measures 95mm long and 44mm wide with a 75mm projection.

A stop protects the wall behind the door and the handle. Place it where the handle would otherwise meet the wall. Floor stops sit low and catch the door at its lower edge, and wall stops catch it at handle height. If a floor is carpeted or timber, check that the screw has solid fixing underneath. The wider choice is on door stops.

Robe hooks

The range includes single and double robe hooks in solid brass. The double hook is 75mm long and projects 30mm from the wall, with two hooks to take a towel and a robe, or two towels. It suits a bathroom, an ensuite, or the back of a bedroom or laundry door. It is wall mounted with face fix screws. See double robe hooks and single robe hooks for more.

Finishes

TradCo hardware is made in matte black, polished brass, antique copper, satin chrome, antique brass and chrome plated. Antique brass, antique copper and polished brass are warm tones that suit timber, cream paint and period colours. Satin chrome and chrome plated are cool and suit a bathroom or a house with chrome tapware. Matte black is a neutral that works with most colours.

The coating depends on the product. Most of the sets are lacquered, which protects the brass, and the Menton lever and the matte black pieces are powder coated. A few, such as the Victorian lever in satin chrome, are plated. Lacquered brass should be wiped with a soft damp cloth and never scoured, because scouring takes the lacquer off and leaves the bare brass to tarnish. Antique finishes are meant to show some wear over time, and that is part of their appeal. See brass door handles and matte black door handles for those finishes from other brands.

Range by range: plate sizes and reach

The long backplate sets differ in size, and the plate length is the number that decides whether a set suits a narrow stile. The Victorian plate is the smallest at 152mm long and 42mm wide, with a 59mm projection. The Bungalow plate is 197mm long and 68mm wide with a 60mm projection, the widest of the group. The Milton plate is 200mm long and 50mm wide, with the lever projecting 68mm and the knob 74mm. The Menton plate is 225mm long and 50mm wide with a 75mm projection, and the Reims plate is the longest at 240mm, 43mm wide, with a 70mm projection.

On a round or square rose, the Milton lever is 125mm long on a 63mm rose and projects 68mm, the Victorian lever is the same 125mm length and projects 58mm, the Menton lever sits on a 60mm square rose and projects 70mm, and the Milton knob is 54mm across and projects 65mm. A small difference in projection matters in a narrow hallway. The Victorian lever, at 58mm, leaves the most clear space beside the door, and the Menton lever at 70mm needs the most.

If you are comparing two ranges for the same door, put the figures side by side: plate length against the stile, projection against the nearest wall, and rose or plate width against any glazing bars or panel mouldings. A handle that is a good shape on a screen can be too long for the stile, and the figures show it before the order is placed.

Entrance sets and the lock

The entrance sets are different from the passage and privacy sets in how they are made. The passage and privacy sets use a tubular latch with a 60mm backset. The entrance sets use a euro mortice lock with a 57mm backset, a key on both sides, and three keys in the box. That is a three millimetre difference, so an entrance set does not swap into a door that was cut for a 60mm tubular latch without checking, and a door that was cut for a mortice lock will need the mortice to match.

The lock is a high security lock, and the handles on an entrance set are fixed with the plate that covers the lock body. Because the key works from both sides, the set suits a front or rear door where the door is locked from either side. Entrance sets are made in the Victorian, Milton, Bungalow, Menton and Reims shapes, so an entrance door can match the rest of the house. If you want an entry door with a deadbolt as well, see entry door lock sets for the options that sit alongside the handle.

The rim lock set and its finishes

The rim lock set is the only product in the group with a two tone finish, because the lock box and the knob are made in different tones. The combinations are matte black with antique copper, matte black with a polished brass keyhole, polished brass with antique copper, polished brass with matte black, and matte black with antique copper and a polished brass keyhole. The box is 47mm by 46mm with a 46mm projection, and the backset is 112mm, much deeper than the 60mm used on the tubular latch sets.

When choosing a finish combination, look at the door and the frame. A matte black box with a polished brass keyhole stands out against a pale door, and a polished brass box with an antique copper knob is warmer and suits timber. Because the lock sits on the surface of the door, the finish is seen every day, so it should match the hinges and any other fittings nearby.

Single robe hooks and small fittings

The single robe hook is 45mm long and projects 42mm from the wall, and an oval backplate version is 50mm long. The double hook is 75mm long and projects 30mm, which is a shallower reach, so a bulky robe sits closer to the door. Choose a single hook for a place that holds one item, such as a dressing gown, and a double for a spot that has to hold two. These fittings are the quickest way to carry a period finish into a bathroom or bedroom, since they match the handles on the door. For other brands and finishes, see brass robe hooks and chrome robe hooks.

Replacing existing hardware

Period houses often carry decades of paint and several generations of hardware, so measure before you order. Take off the old handle and check the spindle hole, the screw holes and the backset. If the old plate was larger than the new one, the paint line will show around it, and a larger plate hides the old marks. If the old lock was a mortice lock, a mortice entrance set will go back in the same pocket, and a tubular latch set will not. Fill old screw holes with timber filler and sand them before the new plate goes on.

It is also worth checking how the door sits on its hinges. A door that drops at the latch edge will make any handle feel loose and any latch bind, and fixing the hinge first saves redoing the handle. See hinges for matching parts.

Fitting and care

Fitting a set takes a screwdriver, a drill and a tape measure. Fit the latch first, then the spindle and handles, then the plates, and check the handle returns to level when released. For a backplate set, mark the plate position against the stile before drilling. Tighten the fixings once a year, since timber moves with the seasons. Keep the brass dry and wipe it clean, and use a mild cleaner on the plated finishes.

Choosing a set

Start with the age of the house and the range that fits it. Choose a lever or a knob, then a finish that goes with the room. Choose the set by function, passage, privacy or entrance, and check the plate against the width of the stile. Order the stops and hooks in the same finish at the same time, so the whole house has one look. The Milton range has its own page with the full set of kits and finishes at TradCo Milton door hardware.