Suitable door gear for a 1940s door

[Charlie]

Following our move I have finally got round to painting the original

1940s doors in the upstairs of the house. These doors look like: have the most inappropriate 'black antique' door handles, without any shaft or mortice latches - just the plastic roller latches. These handles look like: we just have normal modern door 4 panel doors with door handles like: my questions are: What sort of door handles should I put on them? Should I use an external latch?

Other points worth mentioning are:

1) The roller latch which was fitted is the only latch that has been fitted in the body of the door - and it doesn't line up with any previous keyholes etc.

2) I guess originally some kind of surface latch was mounted on the inside of the door

3) Any door handle is going to have to be mounted a lot higher than on the doors downstairs. Is this going to look funny if I choose the same door handles as downstairs.

4) The downstairs of the house has been extended twice and has a comtemporary feel to the layout - open plan etc. However the upstairs has the original room layout (1940's) and a less contemporary feel.

5) This is the last bit of decorating I'm doing on the house so I don't want to have to go round changing other stuff if I can help it.

Any help would be gladly appreciated - I just feel uneasy with any ideas I have come up with already.

Thanks in advance

Charlie

[Christian McArdle]

My grandparents had a house done out in 1940s style, presumably during the

1940s. The doors had roller latches and pull handles. I can't find exact matches on screwfix. The closest is:

the originals were much more curvaceous in more than one plane and more interesting looking.

closer (SAA Bow Handle 180mm).

Christian.

[Steve P]

Check out

for ideas?

[s--p--o--n--i--x]

Originally, these would have had brown bakelite handles, either lever or round. (How do I know? My parents house which was completed in

1939/1940 had almost identical doors.)

I doubt you'll find any lever ones as they tended to snap. However, the round ones should be available from a salvage yard. Alternatively, I have seen white plastic ones in an almost identical size/shape.

s

[Charlie]

Alternatively,

Do you mean these?

[Derek *]

Just a round plastic doorknob on a circular metal bezel fastened with two screws.

A bit like the old brass one on this page only made out of brown mottled bakelite,

your browser to search down the page for doorknob .

DG

[Rob Morley]

These probably originally had a rim catch something like the bottom right one here

although it probably had bakelite knobs or levers something like ?ViewItem&item=7311095159If you want a lever that won't look out of place in a contemporary or period setting something like this might work a basic yet authentic approach use something like a knob like this ?item=dk003.jpgLots of links for door furniture here

[s--p--o--n--i--x]

[Charlie]

original

However,

Euuuccch! Glad you don't see too many of those around nowadays.

I didn't necessarily want to get original fittings. I really wanted some advice with a view to getting something that wouldn't look out of place.

I'm leaning towards some white round porcelain door knobs at the moment.

[s--p--o--n--i--x]

You gotta remember the 40's were very austere...there was a war on after all.

The other sort we had were round bakelite with a round bakelite bezel. I have also seen round black ones on 1940's doors.

[nightjar]

That style of door is a utility (i.e. cheap) design and it would have had utility door handles. As others have said, brown bakelite round handlees with round escutcheons behind them are the most probable. I would use a simple mortice latch with round brass handles to give a period feel, without being too accurate about the period.

Colin Bignell

[bigcat]

I dont think those fancy bezels would have been used in most cases. More like just the plastic knob and a pressed metal washer, or a round disc of plastic behind the knob.

Screwfix still sells what may have been fiited originally, black plastic doorknbs, but who buys them I dont know. Euuuchhh is the word.

The 40s was a time of poverty. A cake would have taken a month's egg rations. Throwing away anything edible was a criminal offence. People dug their gardens up en masse and grew veg so they could eat.

Your doors would most likely have had very cheap nasty fittings. You can just about make this look work if you have a whole house in 40s styling, and are skilful at making crap look interesting. Otherwise I'd abandon any attempt at orignality and use fittings that will look good with the door now. I like your suggestion of a white porcelain knob, seems to suit it.

If you want the knob lower down, a rim mechanism would enable that. So would using a roller catch, no door knob is needed, just a latch.

You could also use the roller catch and add a doorknob lower down, just pull the knob to open. I once watched someone turning the knob on such a door back and forth in an attempt to get out!!

NT

[Derek *]

For the epitome of Euuuchhh :

for me is reminiscent of prefab schools built for the baby-boom.

DG

[basil]

Utility doors didn't have panels!

These are typical 1930's doors, from Canada, Douglas Fir or Candian Redwood. Clear of kNots they look good stripped and varnished. I'd then put on Art Deco style (1920's 30's) handles eg:

[Charlie]

Thanks for everyone's advice - very useful and interesting as always.

I have finally plumped for round porcelain handles. I might have chosen brass but there are no brass fittings anywhere else in the house. The white should just blend tastefully in without being too prominent.

Thanks again

Charlie

[bigcat]

baby-boom.

yes, exactly what I'd expect to see on the average 40s door. Screwfix still sell them.

NT

[Rob Morley]

I've used something similar to that on a couple of doors to replace the original curved Bakelite levers which have broken. At some time I might have a go at making replacements to the original pattern, but until then the cheapo round knobs don't look out of place.