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elizamamma

Doorknob source?

21 years ago

Hello,

I'm not certain this is the appropriate forum, but here goes. We are at the end of a large renovation in our 1923 house. We added an addition, and used old doors in order to match the rest of the house. I'm now searching for doorknobs and backplates which will match our existing ones. All that I can find is upwards of $60 a set. Is there a less expensive alternative for a very plain doorknob with a standard rectangle backplate?

Thanks!

Liz

Comments (9)

  • 21 years ago

    try historic house parts.
    www.historichouseparts.com
    they have alot of that stuff, but i don't know how much it costs. Lehigh valley hardware also has alot of stuff like that. I think 60 dollars a set is not a bad price though. If you can not afford that right now search antique stores and flea markets. You will most likely be able to find used ones at a good price. They may require some work though (paint scraping or removing rust) but may be worth the deal.
    -renee

  • 21 years ago

    See if you have any salvage places near by. Where I live we don't BUT we do have a group of peeps who salvage stuff all year long from old houses and once a year they hold a sale and sell off all they've saved. The money they get goes into restoring old homes that might otherwise be torn down.
    They have only a little ad in the paper so you have to look for it. Might be the same in your area.

  • 21 years ago

    I'm pretty sure I spent less than that for a Schlage matte antique brass one at an independent hardware store. It did not come with a backplate, however.

  • 21 years ago

    I bought lots of beautiful antique glass doorknobs on Ebay. You have to search on "antique", "vintage", "glass door knob" in different combinations. I found some wonderful knobs, a few that weren't so wonderful--read the descriptions carefully! After getting lots of single knobs at great prices but paying postage and insurance, I finally wound up buying about a dozen sparkly clean knobs from a seller who specializes in knobs, hardware and stained glass. I think I paid $169 for 10 perfect knobs using "Buy it now". They cost more but were in perfect condition. Prices for single knobs ranged from $10-20, but that doesn't include backplates. Also, be sure that you are getting knobs that fit your house hardware--the mechanisms in old houses are different. A good source for reproduction hardware is Rejuvenation Hardware. They are online and have a great catalogue. Expensive but excellent quality and service. By the way, the fun of collecting old knobs is noticing the many variations--they are quite wonderful. I'm going to make a shadowbox to display the ones I didn't use on the doors!

  • 21 years ago

    You could also try Restoration Hardware for some interesting stuff. Is that what you were referring to, Samantha?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Restoration Hardware

  • 21 years ago

    Knobs made by Nostalgic Warehouse are slightly less at some websites (in the low $50 range). But beware that their New York knobs are only two inches in diameter. I returned some because they felt small compared to the 2.25 inch ones in the rest of our 1904 house. I ended up getting mine from Rejuvenation instead. The finish is smoother on the Rejuvenation ones also - the NW ones feel a little rustic to me. You can also try salvage places as some folks have mentioned. The one that I go to near Cape Cod sells all knob sets for about $10, but they are in pretty rough condition and mostly white or black enamel.

  • 21 years ago

    Try google searches for "emtek" doorknobs. They seem to be a manufacturer that makes a variety of good old fashioned knobs (porcelain and crystal). We bought a number of knobs, but I had to search a number of emtek sellers to find the best price. Prices were all over the board, so a little web searching could save you plenty. Good luck.

  • 21 years ago

    Liz,

    Forgive me for saying this but, if you've just completed a major renovation presumably costing thousands of dollars, and you've found doorknobs that you like (which happen to cost $60) I say just buy them. Half the battle is finding something you like. I confess that I'm really good at spending other peoples money, but in relation to the cost of renovation (even if you spent $300 on doorknobs) it's still a small price to pay for getting it how you want it. I know that money probably gets tight at the end of a big project, but you've come this far... finish the job right. There's nothing like a good, expensive, solid doorknob to make a home feel substantial. (Emtek's are great by the way, and Nostalgic Warehouse is good but not as solid in my opinion.)

  • 21 years ago

    ebay

    vintage glass doorknobs

    vintage metal doorknobs

    etc