Zanda Cabinet Handles

Cabinet Handles by Zanda: Buying Guide

Zanda handles come as named ranges, and the range name says more than the finish does. The Mayfair is a slim bar with a deep projection, the Marco is a D-shaped pull with a curved inner edge, and the Manhattan pairs a bar with a square knob. The Zurich, Nedlands and Florida are knurled pieces in satin brass and matte black. Finishes on this page run from brushed nickel and chrome to satin brass and matte black. The page sets the ranges side by side using the figures for each piece and shows how zinc alloy and solid brass differ inside one brand. It then covers finish, sizing, fitting and care. For handles from every maker, start at cabinet handles. For Zanda door furniture in matching finishes, see Zanda door hardware.

The ranges at a glance

Overall length is the whole handle, the fixing distance is the gap between the two screw holes, and projection is how far the handle stands off the door.

• The Zanda Mayfair handle has a brushed nickel finish. It pairs 152mm overall with a 128mm fixing distance, 220mm with 192mm, then 318mm with 288mm, all with a 40mm projection. The matching 32mm knob comes in brushed nickel and chrome.
• The Zanda Manhattan handle is also brushed nickel. Its pairs are 149mm on 128mm, 210mm on 192mm, then 306mm on 288mm. The Manhattan knob is square, 30mm by 30mm, and projects 26mm.
• The Zanda Marco is a D-shaped pull in brushed nickel and in matte black. It pairs 157mm with 128mm, 193mm with 160mm, 225mm with 192mm, then 356mm with 320mm, all with a 26mm projection.
• The Zanda Zurich pull is a knurled bar in satin brass, 195mm overall on a 160mm fixing distance, 11mm wide, with a 30.5mm projection and screws included. The Zurich T-knob is 90mm long and 13mm wide, with a 34mm projection.
• The Zanda Nedlands is a knurled pull in matte black. It pairs 139mm with 128mm and 235mm with 224mm, with a 37mm projection.
• The Zanda Florida is a knurled knob in satin brass with a 30mm projection.

Mayfair: a slim bar for traditional rooms

The Mayfair comes in brushed nickel and chrome plate, with satin brass among its finishes, and has a 40mm projection. It is a Hamptons and French provincial style of handle, and it sits in the Hamptons and Traditional Style groups here. Its lengths run from 152mm to 318mm. The matching 32mm knob lets a run of cabinets carry the handle on big fronts and the knob on small ones, in a single design.

Marco: the D-shaped pull

The Marco is Zanda's biggest selling cabinet handle. It has very simple, uncluttered lines with a base in Modernism and a curved inside edge that makes it comfortable in the hand, and it projects 26mm. For other D-shaped pulls, see D-shaped cabinet handles.

The Marco comes in fixing distances of 128mm, 160mm, 192mm and 320mm. If you need a 96mm or 240mm fixing distance, the Marco does not offer it, so measure before you choose. The brushed nickel Marco is solid brass and the matte black Marco is zinc alloy. The next section explains why that matters.

Zinc alloy and solid brass in one brand

Zanda uses two base metals. The Mayfair is zinc alloy, and so is the Marco in matte black, along with the Zurich, Nedlands and Florida pieces. The Manhattan handle and knob, and the Marco in brushed nickel, are solid brass. The Manhattan spec lines carry no material line of their own, so read the product page before assuming.

The Zamak grade is not named, so this page makes no claim about it. What the coating does is more useful to know. Zinc itself does not rust, but die-cast zinc handles corrode badly outdoors without a corrosion-proof finish, whether plated or coated. A deep scratch through plating on zinc shows a dull grey, where a deep scratch on plated brass shows yellow brass. Thin electroplated zinc alloy can fail in bathroom splash zones. All of that is a reason to check the finish on a zinc alloy handle and to wipe it dry in a bathroom. See zinc alloy cabinet handles and solid brass cabinet handles for each material.

Knurled pieces: Zurich, Nedlands and Florida

The Zurich T-knob is 90mm long, 13mm at its widest and has a 34mm projection, with a satin brass finish over a zinc alloy body. The practical point is the grip. A T-knob gives the whole hand something to hold on a deep drawer, and the knurled surface keeps that grip from slipping when the hand is damp, which suits a vanity or a laundry. The Nedlands pull in matte black and the Zurich pull in satin brass do the same job on wider fronts.

Choosing a finish

Brushed nickel is the main finish on the Mayfair and Manhattan, and it also appears on the Marco. It is a nickel-based plated or coated finish over a base material, a soft metallic silver with a slight warm grey undertone and a low satin sheen that disguises fingerprints. A brass handle with a nickel coating will not rust, while a steel handle can rust if the coating is scratched through. Brushed nickel tarnishes over time in humid places unless it is lacquered, and a soft cloth with soapy water removes the tarnish. See brushed nickel cabinet handles.

Chrome appears on the Mayfair knob. Decorative chrome is a thin chromium layer electroplated on a metal object, usually over bright nickel plating, with zinc alloys among the base materials. Chrome is highly reflective and cool, and it shows fingerprints and water spots more readily than brushed nickel. It suits a room with chrome tapware, where the match is the point. See chrome cabinet handles.

Satin brass appears on the Zurich and Florida pieces, and on the Mayfair too. Names such as brushed brass and satin gold are used almost interchangeably, so compare colour in the photographs and keep one range in a room. The Zurich spec calls its finish Satin Brass, and the same finish is an electroplated brushed brass. See brushed brass cabinet handles.

Matte black appears on the Marco and Nedlands. Matte finishes resist fingerprints and smudges, though a flat dark surface can show oily fingerprints as shiny spots, because nothing is fingerprint-proof. Wipe a matte black handle with a soft cloth and mild soap, and keep abrasive pads away, since they can leave shiny patches. See black cabinet handles.

Handles and knobs together

Knobs are gripped with the fingers, take a single screw and suit small to medium doors and drawers, while pulls are gripped with the whole hand, take two or more screws and suit large or heavy doors. Give each style a job, such as knobs on swing doors and pulls on drawers, with one finish throughout. The Mayfair and Manhattan each come as a handle and a knob in brushed nickel, so a kitchen can use the handle on drawers and the knob on upper doors without mixing finishes, and the Zurich and Florida do the same in satin brass. A room should use one dominant finish and no more than two metals. See cabinet pull handles and cabinet knobs.

Keep the pieces within one range where you can. The Marco and the Mayfair differ in profile and projection, so one drawer from each reads as two different decisions. A square Manhattan knob beside round Mayfair knobs makes the same point at a smaller scale, so pick a single knob shape for a room. See square shaped cabinet handles for the square pieces.

Choosing a size by drawer and door

Fixing distance sets the handle length, not the overall length. Centre-to-centre is the key figure, and ordering by overall length is the first mistake buyers make. A pull is commonly about one third of the drawer or door width, as a guide and not a strict rule.

Replacing handles and fitting new ones

When replacing, measure the distance between the existing holes and not the handle itself. A 128mm handle will not fit 160mm holes without drilling new ones, which can leave marks on a painted or veneered front. The standard centres start at 32mm and run up to 448mm, with 128mm the most common in Australia. The Nedlands 224mm fixing distance sits off that list, so check it against your holes.

Only the Zurich pull is confirmed to include screws, and no screw length is given for the others. Check the product page against your panel thickness before you drill. A drawer handle goes at the centre of the front, on a base door it sits near the top corner opposite the hinges, and on a wall door near the bottom corner. A starting point is 40 to 60mm in from the door edge.

Choosing for the room

Bathrooms are more humid, so solid brass, stainless steel or quality PVD suit, because thin electroplated zinc alloy can fail in splash zones. For a vanity, that points to the solid brass Manhattan, or to a zinc alloy piece that is dried after use. Within about five kilometres of the bay or ocean, salt corrodes standard metals, and 316 marine grade stainless steel is the choice there, as it is for salt air and pools. A coastal house should therefore treat any Zanda handle as a fitting that needs regular washing and drying. See bathroom vanities.

Caring for Zanda handles

Plain methods work on every finish here. Bathroom hardware needs wiping more often because steam leaves marks, and the cleaner goes on the cloth and not on the hardware. Avoid alcohol-based, acid or solvent cleaners on nickel. Dull handles are usually hand oil and cooking residue, and warm water with a soft cloth, then drying, clears them. Avoid brass polishes and abrasive pads on coated finishes.

A short checklist before you order

• Measure the gap between the screw holes and match it to the fixing distances above.
• Read the material line, because one range can use zinc alloy and solid brass.
• Keep one finish in the room, and one knob shape.
• Check projection if the handle sits near a doorway.

Compare other makers at cabinet handles.