How to Change a Door Handle

Door handles are one of, if not the, most used thing in your home or building.

Just think about it, anyone who wants to enter the property has to use the door handle, just as they will have to when they leave. Whether you’re going to enjoy the garden, take out the bins, or heading to work, you’ll be pushing that door handle on your way.

With that said then, it’s no surprise if old, low-quality door handles get worn or become loose and need replacing. In this guide, we will show you how to replace a door handle.

Dealing with an awkward, loose door handle can be very frustrating, whilst a faded old handle can really bring down the look of your door and wider home.

So, how do you go about dealing with this problem? Well, luckily, it’s quite easy to replace the handle of your door if you follow a few specific steps.

How to Fit UPVC Door Handles

When changing door handles, just remember to follow these important steps.

How to Measure a Door Handle

Before you do anything, the most important step is to measure your existing door handle so that you can be sure that the replacement will fit. There are only two key measurements that you will need to find to ensure full working operation of your new UPVC door handle.

The first is the “PZ measurement”, which is the distance from the centre of the keyhole to the centre of the handle lever or spindle hole.

The other measurement is the distance between the fixing points – the screw holes on the door handle backplate.

These are the only measurements that you will need to ensure that your door handle fits and operates perfectly, all other dimensions listed will only affect the way the door handle looks, not the way it works.

Still unsure? Find out more on how to identify and measure your uPVC door handle.

Choosing a Door Handle

Once the measurements are taken it’s time for the fun part – choosing your new door handle!

Choose the uPVC door handle using the measurement you took using the guide above. Our website allows you to filter door handles by your measurements which will then show you our range of compatible uPVC door handles.

A lot of people have a vision of UPVC door handles being white and plain, but we stock a fantastic range of different UPVC door handle styles including chrome, polished gold, black and more to suit all doors.

Choose your new upvc door handle and then it’s time to start fitting

How to Remove Your Door Handle Covers

Before you can fit your shiny new door handle, you will need to remove your old handle. To do this you will need to use a phillips head screwdriver to remove the covers and screws holding the existing handle in place.

How to Take a Door Handle Off

After removing the door handle covers, simply loosen the screws on the backplate that hold the handle on, and then both sides of the uPVC door handle should slide away from the door.

Fitting a Door Handle

Steps

Now it’s time for the exciting part, fitting your brand new uPVC door handle replacement and transforming the look and feel of your door.

• Remove both sides of the uPVC door handle and all its accessories from the bag. If your door handle is sprung it will come with additional spring cassettes which you will need to insert in the back of your door handles.
• Next, insert the spindle into the back of the inside door handle and slide into and through the door mechanism.
• Take the outside handle and slide it on to the spindle which is now visible on the outside of your door.
• Take both the fixings screws, inserting them into the two fixing holes and tighten up with a Phillips head screwdriver.
• Now give the door handle a test by lifting the lever up and down and ensuring it operates your door lock mechanism.
• Finished! It really is that simple.