If you tuned in last week, you’d have seen that the front door has been refreshed both inside and out – the green’s lively and fun, and that faux light wood interior? The wallpaper continues to fool friends and family. Now shift your attention to our new knob and lock:
The old deadbolt had been busted for awhile, like, super broken. This was probably 20% due to sheer old age and 80% due to my extreme strength, because I managed to bust steel with my bare hands one time when the UPS man was ringing the doorbell and the dog was barking and the baby was napping, the trifecta with potential to destroy anyone’s productive afternoon. Functionally, it kept our home reasonably secure right up until I found it’s replacement, but maintenance like that isn’t the kind of stuff you point out until it’s repaired and the house is fully secured again.
Knowing that I was needing to replace it timed nicely with the DIY Network door makeover projects. I had researched a few accessible knob/lock styles (i.e. big box stores, a few places online, smart locksets), but some divine-hardware-intervention occurred when I happened upon an EMTEK product brochure displayed on a high shelf in Rochester-based Matthews & Fields Lumber Company. EMTEK orders have to go through a retailer (locally, that was M&F), but its website is comprehensive so I made a long list of the products I liked best, sent my contact a bazillion links, and let them price it all out for me. A few of my favorites?
- Martinique deadbolt (onyx inset version)
- Brass Neos deadbolt (in flat black – and all of the flat black options were lovely)
- Key in Hanover lever
- And, the set that we bought which is the Key In Round knob with square rosette, and the Brass Square Style deadbolt, both in the satin nickel finish.
If you’re looking for modern door hardware, you’ll probably fall for something in EMTEK’s line of products, which is why I’m here to tell you to look for yourself – the collections are available in multiple finishes and with various rosettes to alter the appearance, and not exorbitantly priced (which is to vaguely imply, somewhere in between builder basic and a bar of gold; ~$280 for the knob, ~$150 for the deadbolt, but I’m not looking at my receipts so I might be high or low). The products that arrived were super heavy-duty-solid to the touch, and really quite impressive overall. The keys are huge and heavy, and the finish is gorgeous.
They feel luxe, and if the last handset lasted 65 years, hopefully these have just as much life in them.
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