Luxury Door Hardware is Hard to Install

Updated: May 25, 2020

Installing door hardware is not for everyone and many carpenters hate doing it. It’s fiddly, delicate work that requires a lot of patients! You pretty much need to be a perfectionist to fit out a whole house without making any mistakes, ensuring the locks and handles work perfectly.

Each brand of hardware has it's own special way of fitting to the door and some handles are not compatible with certain locks. It’s frustrating and to be familiar with so many different types of hardware takes years of experience.

The expensive brands have 1-3 mm tolerance for the cut outs so there isn’t much room for error. You have to be a craftsman to install quickly without making a costly mistake. It is high risk and most carpenters would prefer someone else installed.

Installing takes a lot of concentration and because you are always working in a doorway, other people break your focus wanting to get past all the time. People passing by are fascinated so they want to stare and ask questions all the time. One distraction may cause you to make a mistake which could mean having to replace the door! That is why I say this type of installation work is NOT for everyone.

My installation service takes all the risk off the builders and carpenters. It makes perfect sense for a builder to use my installation service because I have over 10,000 hours of experience!

A builders carpenter takes too long trying to work out all the hardware and installing 50+ items correctly without any mistakes. Cutting into expensive doors while working fast is high risk and you have to be confident you know what you’re doing!

Many carpenters would spend at least half a day trying to install a flush pull lock set on a sliding door and would still make a total mess of the door. I know because builders would go back to the supplier and ask if they had an installer they could recommend. I would get called to the job and asked if there was anything I could do to fix it.

I don’t think anyone has seen as many bad installations in Sydney as I have. It may sound harsh when I say that locksmiths and carpenters should not be allowed to install luxury door hardware but now you can understand why.

When a house is being built or renovated, the owner simply trusts that their builder will have the right trades people to do each job. No one realises how tricky the designer hardware can be to install. For the owner, consequences of a bad installation aren’t realised until it’s too late.

I get to witness so many shocking attempts by locksmiths and carpenters installing door hardware, all in high end homes.

If you are a house proud owner looking to invest in luxury door hardware, please search carefully for a professional door and lock installation service.

My specialist Lock Carpentry service in Sydney has been around for over 15 years and it's only just now I see locksmiths and handymen trying to copy my unique service. They advertise as being "architectural door hardware installers" or "lock up carpenters", yet they show very few photos of their work on their websites. Most locksmiths and handymen use stock photos which are bought from American sites.

Don't fall for cheap imitations. Contact The Tidy Tradie - Lock Carpenter if you want your luxury door hardware professionally installed!

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