06 / Journal

Entry door hardware encompasses more than just door handles. It also includes the lock behind them, the plates around the keyhole, and the finish, which needs to withstand weather conditions over many years. This guide explains what a complete entry door set includes, how the main locking options differ and how to choose the best entry door hardware to suit the style of your home. You can explore the Lo & Co Entry collection as you read on.

Table of Contents:

What's Included in a Complete Entry Door Hardware Set

Door Handles vs Door Pulls for Entry Doors

Door Lever Handles

Door Pulls

Understanding Entry Locking Options

Choosing a Finish for Exterior Exposure

Matching Your Entry Hardware to Your Interior

Shop Entry Hardware with Lo & Co

Frequently Asked Questions

What's Included in a Complete Entry Door Hardware Set

Most door hardware entry sets are made up of three parts, and knowing about them makes shopping much simpler. The lockset is the mechanism housed inside the door, consisting of the latch, the cylinder that takes the key and the internal turn. The lever or pull is the part you hold, fixed to a backplate o r a rose on each face of the door. The escutcheon (the plate that frames the keyhole or cylinder) finishes the outside and protects the timber around the lock. Some sets bundle all three, and others let you pair a pull with a lock of your choice.

Door Handles vs Door Pulls for Entry Doors

In practical terms, choosing between a lever handle and a pull affects how the door secures itself. A lever set usually integrates the latch and lock into a single unit, allowing a single piece of hardware to perform the opening, closing and locking functions. In contrast, a pull is mounted on the surface of a door and lacks built-in locking features. It simply provides a grip, with locking managed by a separate deadlatch or deadbolt fitted alongside.

Door Lever Handles

A lever remains the most functional part for a door. It operates the latch with a light press of the hand and works for children and anyone with their hands full, such as when carrying shopping bags. Aesthetically, a lever suits heritage facades, cottages and any architecture that leans towards a traditional look. Our solid brass entry levers are made for this role.

Door Pulls

A pull transforms the door into an architectural statement. A long vertical bar on a full-height panel draws the eye upwards and offers a comfortable grip. It gives the entry real presence from the street. This is the best choice for contemporary builds, pivot doors and wide double entries. Our entry pull range is available in at least six finishes to suit all kinds of entry doors.

Understanding Entry Locking Options

Locking terminology can sometimes be confusing, so it’s good to define what each option does so you’re clear about what’s available.

A keyed entry set uses a key on the outside and a turn or snib on the inside. It’s normally built into a lever or knob set and locks the handle itself.

A deadlatch latches automatically when the door swings shut, then can be deadlocked with the key so the latch can’t be pushed back from the outside. It’s the front-door lock used on most Australian homes because it combines convenience and security in a single body.

A deadbolt is a solid bolt thrown into the frame by the key. It has no spring latch, so it must be locked deliberately. It’s typically fitted in addition to a latch as a second line of security.

Another element to consider from a design perspective is the escutcheon. A plain cylinder can undermine an otherwise beautiful door, but a solid brass or matching black escutcheon plate frames the keyhole in the same finish as the pull or lever. This transforms a mechanical necessity into a deliberate detail.

Choosing a Finish for Exterior Exposure

Front entry door hardware lives a harder life than anything inside the home. It takes in sunlight throughout the afternoon, rain in a storm and a hundred hands a week. Coastal homes face the added challenge of salt air, which is the toughest test for any finish. 

Every piece we make starts as solid brass, so the core of your hardware is built to last. What changes outdoors is the surface. For exposed doors, we recommend an electroplated finish such as Black, Nickel, Pewter, Bronze, Aged Brass, Polished Nickel or Tumbled Nickel. Each is electroplated over solid brass and sealed with an industrial lacquer, giving greater resistance to patina than our lacquered brass finishes. Brass, Polished Brass and Tumbled Brass are protected by lacquer too, but like all real brass, that lacquer will wear with time and exposure, and faster by the coast.

If you love the idea of hardware that changes with your home, a living finish is an honest choice. Live Brass is left unlacquered, while Natural Brass and Oil Rubbed Bronze are waxed, so each one is designed to deepen and patina rather than hold its original colour. Expect that process to move faster in salt air and humidity, and choose it because you want to watch it happen.

Whichever finish you choose, coastal air, humidity and weather will speed up how any surface ages, so it's worth factoring your door's exposure into the decision.

The style is dictated by the home facade. Brass warms a rendered white or pale brick exterior and glows against dark timber. Black suits crisp contemporary render, charcoal cladding and steel framed glazing. Nickel and bronze offer softer middle grounds, with bronze being particularly flattering against red brick and heritage stone. Our guide to finishes shows each one at close range so you can picture them against your exterior.

Matching Your Entry Hardware to Your Interior

In an open-plan home, the front door is often visible from the living space. It’s why the entry door finish becomes part of the interior palette instead of being something left on the doorstep. Maintaining that same finish on the internal door levers, cabinet pulls and hooks creates a seamless continuity that visitors instinctively notice even if they can’t articulate it. Decorative entry door hardware in brass, for instance, pairs naturally with brass kitchen handles glimpsed through the hallway. If you prefer a contrast, keep it to one deliberate alternative so the eye still travels comfortably from outside to in.

Shop Entry Hardware with Lo & Co

To recap, a full entry set consists of a lock, a lever or pull and an escutcheon in one finish. Levers keep everything in a single unit. Pulls pair with a separate deadlatch or deadbolt. Regardless of the style, solid brass is the ideal material for enduring outside. Browse by finish, starting with brass entry pulls or black entry pulls, or return to the full Lo & Co Entry collection mentioned at the start to see all levers, pulls and plates together.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s included in an entry door hardware set?

A lockset (latch, cylinder and internal turn), a lever for each face of the door and an escutcheon plate around the keyhole. Some sets supply all three and others leave the lock to be chosen separately.

What's the difference between a deadlatch and a deadbolt?

A deadlatch latches on its own when the door closes and can then be locked with a key. A deadbolt has no latch and must be locked deliberately, which is why it’s often added as a second lock.

Can I use a door pull instead of a handle on my front door?

Yes. A pull simply needs a separate deadlatch or deadbolt fitted beside it to secure the door.

What finish is best for an entry door in a coastal area?

Solid brass, ideally in a living or unlacquered finish that can patina over time rather than a coating that salt air will eventually lift.

Should my entry hardware match my interior hardware?

It isn’t strictly necessary, but in open-plan homes where the front door is visible from the living areas, the same finish creates a far more cohesive result.