| You home may be your castle, but even the | | | | Here are the basics: |
| lords and ladies had to eventually hang a | | | | |
| "For Sale" sign out on their sprawling | | | | 1. Remove the old doorknobs. Find the side |
| estates. | | | | with the screws and loosen them until you can |
| | | | pull the bolts out. |
| Of course, kings and queens didn't have to | | | | |
| worry about such paltry details as doorknobs. | | | | 2. Insert the new lock with the screw holes |
| They hadn't become popular yet. Most of the | | | | on the same side as the one you just removed. |
| doorways in castles were covered with | | | | Line the two sides up so the shaft slides |
| portieres, fancy tapestries of silk that were | | | | into the other side of the lock. Make sure |
| embroidered. These kept the drafts out of the | | | | they are both aligned. |
| various rooms without having to constantly | | | | |
| push open a heavy oak door. These were left | | | | If you're replacing the latch as well, remove |
| to the exterior entrances where stout hearted | | | | the faceplate and pull the old latch out |
| men could move them with ease. | | | | first. Then insert the new one before doing |
| | | | step 2. |
| If you're contemplating selling your own | | | | |
| estate, you probably can't get away with | | | | 3. Once the shaft is inserted, tighten the |
| installing portieres. No matter how grand | | | | bolts until they are snug but not fully |
| they may look to you, the buyer may not be so | | | | tightened. Test your doorknobs. If they |
| impressed. | | | | stick, it's an alignment issue. If the latch |
| | | | doesn't retract when you twist the knob, you |
| But there's an easier way to give your doors | | | | didn't catch the latch when you inserted the |
| a brand new look without replacing them | | | | shaft. Loosen the bolts and recapture the |
| entirely. | | | | latch. |
| | | | |
| The secret is doorknobs. Doorknobs, which are | | | | 4. Test again. If everything works correctly, |
| also call locksets, allow you to put a new | | | | tighten the bolts snugly so they hold the |
| face on your door without facing the prospect | | | | doorknobs in place. Don't over tighten or the |
| of having to replace it entirely. In fact, | | | | knobs can damage the door or ruin the |
| with the right doorknobs a buyer may not even | | | | alignment. |
| notice the door itself, taken instead with | | | | |
| your fantastic selection of wood, stone, | | | | That's all there is to it really. Doorknobs |
| glass or metal knobs in an endless array of | | | | are very easy to replace and will give your |
| styles and shapes. | | | | doors an entirely new look. |
| | | | |
| Replacing doorknobs is easy too. It's one of | | | | If you plan to keep your existing doorknobs |
| the easiest things you can do in the way of | | | | but they stick, try a lubricant on them. |
| home improvements actually. Just by removing | | | | WD-40 works well. Sewing machine oil is |
| two screws, your doorknobs will pop out of | | | | another good choice. You'll have to remove |
| the door easily, allowing you to add a new | | | | the lock to get to the inner workings, but it |
| one in minutes. | | | | is usually a very easy and a quick fix and |
| | | | will have your doorknobs working like new. |