Selecting your Pivot Door Hardware

Entrance Pull Handles 1

Pivot doors are a dramatic and contemporary alternative to the common door designs. A pivot door can often greatly enhance the aesthetic of a room or a house entrance.

The main advantage of a pivot door is that it is supported by a pivot on the floor with help from another pivot at the top of the door. This makes it a great substitute to a typical door, which is hung on a door frame with hinges. A hinged frame has to support the weight of the entire door and if the door is heavy, the frame has to be reinforced to provide stability for a standard timber door.

Despite the many advantages of a pivot door, we often get asked – what hardware should we use on a pivot door?

Choosing your pivot door hardware can sometimes be a daunting prospect. In this article we seek to simplify the process for you into two or three easy steps.

Step 1 – Choosing your handle.

Typically an Entrance Pull Handle would be used with a pivot door. This makes it very simple for a user to push or pull the door with ease. Pull Handles come in varying lengths, shapes and colours. To make a statement, we recommend a pull handle 900mm or above. 1800mm length Pull Handles are often used on pivot doors. If your pivot door has a glass infill, consider using an offset pull handle especially if you are using it with a lock (see to the right).

At Zanda we have a very wide range of Pull Handles to suit your Pivot Door requirements. Our unique range comprises of 18 different styles and 58 different sizes. These range from 300mm right up to 1800mm in length. What’s more, all of Zanda’s Pull Handles are constructed from 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel making them ideally suited to corrosive or high humidity situations. Click here for more information on our extensive Pull Handle range.

It is worth noting some people would use a standard lever handle set, a flush pull or occasionally no handle at all on a pivot door. However our team of experts believe although workable, an

7143 Round Offset Pull Handle

Step 2 – Choosing your pivot system.

The pivot system you choose depends on the weight and width of your door. There are three main pivot door hardware options for your consideration.

1. Floor Springs

Floor springs are hydraulic units fitted to aid automatic door closing. Floor Springs are cut into the floor and come with a plate to cover over the mechanism so it is basically completely concealed. Sometimes they are refered to as floor closers. They also have adjustable closing speed, latching speed and backcheck.

Zanda has four different floor springs options, depending on your door weight and width. You’re always better to spec up rather than down when it comes to choosing your size. We have put it in a helpful chart below.

All these floor springs are available in either hold-open or non hold-open and in single action or double action. For ease and flexibility we recommend using Hold Open and Double Action on your Floor Spring. For more information on our Floor Springs click here.

2. Transom Closers

Transom Closer Ts80002

The concealed overhead transom door closer is designed to be concealed within the transom header bar of the door. It provides controlled closing of a single or double action door. Features built into the concealed door closer include dual closing speed to allow flexibility in closing.

At Zanda we have three different Transom Door Closer options, depending on your door weight and width. As with Floor Spring Closers, you’re always better to spec up rather than down when it comes to choosing your power size. The chart here-under is a good guide.

The Transom Closers come in Hold Open & Non Hold Open and once again we recommend going with the hold open option for convenience. Click here for more information on our Transom Door Closers. 

3. Non hydraulic pivot sets

If your door is very light weight then this could be a good option for you. However this is non hydraulic meaning you cant control the closing speed or any of the features that comes with a Floor Spring or Transom Closers. This could be potentially dangerous if a child, (or anyone for that matter) got their fingers caught in the door.

If using these Non hydraulic pivots we recommend the Zanda PS.180 Top Pivot and PS.260 Bottom Pivot. For more information on these click here.

If your budget is endless, a fantastic system which is completely concealed is the Fitz Jurgens pivot closer. Although this is very costly, these are entirely invisible and can take door weights up to 500kg in weight.

Step 3 – Choosing your locking system (if applicable).

If your pivot door is internal and does not need to be locked with a key then ignore this section. The above two steps have you covered. Although there are many different locking options we could recommend here, we have nailed the three main ones for your consideration.

Roller Lock Kits

The Zanda Roller Lock Kits include a lock, cylinder and choice of either round or square escutcheon plate. The Roller Bolt is operated by a push or pull from either side (no lever handle required).  It holds shut without locking which is ideal for going outside without being locked out and has a deadbolt for when secure locking is required.  The roller strength is adjustable.

For more info on the Roller Lock Kits click here.

Double Turn Lock Kits

The Zanda Double Turn Lock Kits come with a neat, compact thumb turn action that retracts a positive latch. This stops the problem of door blowing shut and you being locked out. It also wont blow open in the wind and requires no adjustment once installed. Available in round or square, these locks have been specifically designed for Australian conditions.

For more info on our Double Turn Lock Kits click here.

Stealth Digital Lock

Stealth Lock For Web1 E1459751861595

The Stealth Electronic Deadbolt offers the ultimate in electronic convenience. Enjoy three levels of convenience for deadbolt security with total peace of mind. The Stealth can be opened via remote, pin code or key. So whether you have an armful of groceries, you’re tired of fumbling with keys or you want the convenience and freedom of choice, take a closer look at the Stealth security system. Useful for the elderly and people on the move, Stealth delivers security with style.

If using the Stealth with a Pull Handle, it must be used with a 1195 Roller Lock Kit to keep the door latched.

For more info on our Stealth Digital Deadbolts click here.

If using a lock on a pivot door, an extended strike plate is also required.

For more information or assistance with selecting your pivot door hardware, please give the friendly Zanda team a call on 1300 926 321. We distribute our pivot door hardware primarily through Australia, but also export to overseas markets. We look forward to helping you.

Browse our Pivot Door Gallery for some further inspiration.