Residential & Commercial Security - Locks, Keys & Dead Bolts - Is there a standard for unlocking a door?

My husband and I are building a new home.

The sub-contractor recently installed the Kwikset door knobs with thumb-turn locks as well the deadbolt locks, which ended up as a mixture of which way you have to turn the key or thumb-turn button lock to unlock and lock the door lock.

When I complained that I wanted all the doors to be consistent in the way they locked and unlocked throughout the house and garage, I was told there is no industry standard regarding this. Kwikset's web site doesn't address anything about this subject. I learned many years ago that you unlock a door by turning the key or button away (counterclockwise) from the door jam...and to lock a door, you turn the key or thumb-turn button toward the door jam (clockwise).

Is there a standard or rule-of-thumb for locking and/or unlocking a door? Please help me out here. When you stop and think about what the bolt or latch is doing to achieve the end result -- locked or unlocked -- isn't it just plain common sense? Thank you!

I think that regardless of there being a standard you are paying the bill and your request is not unreasonable.

As a subcontractor your contractor is ultimately responsible to you.
Suggest that you will withold a couple of hundred bucks to pay someone else to fix it.

I think that regardless of there being a standard you are paying the bill and your request is not unreasonable.

As a subcontractor your contractor is ultimately responsible to you.
Suggest that you will withold a couple of hundred bucks to pay someone else to fix it.

if there is no standard and you didn't make your request prior to the install I would expect the contractor to require a change order and charge you for the costs associated

the works done and its going to cost someone to change it , why should the contractor or sub eat the costs ?



you want ,you pay

Ya, I think you are right about paying for something not included in the job.
I think though you could look at it as a workmanship issue.

If you were to hire an experienced and qualified locksmith to install these locks they would have been installed in a consistent manner as long as the locksets would allow it.

I mis-spoke in my previous post.
I meant to say that the sub is responsible to the general who is responsible to you.

No standard really except being consistent on the doors-which is simply good professional practice-GregH summed it up nicely.

Usually on deadbolts the thumbturn will turn the same direction the bolt is going. Keep in mind the handing of the door though.

In my example if a room had a left and a right hand door, the thumbturn would turn counterclockwise on the left hand door to lock and clockwise on the right hand door to lock.

If all your doors are the same hand then by all means the locks should be turning the same direction.

The only standard, consistant across the country is the international building code and ADA compliance. There isnt any specification for direction of turn, but AFAIK the USA requires that a key or handle never turn 360º to lock or unlock.

Worth noting, is that many sub-contractors, trained in the European installation method, will install a lock with the keyhole upside down.

Or the sub-contractor does not know how or cant be bothered to alter the handing of the lock.

All the Kwikset locks should be installed so that the cut edge of the key is up when inserted into the lock. If the contractor disagrees simply show him the installation instructions for this product.
If correctly installed all the deadbolts will lock by turning the key/thumbturn towards the latching edge of the frame.
Kwikset key-in-knob/lever locks always turn counterclockwise to lock and clockwise to unlock (I think, or else the opposite). These locks may also be specified as right-handed or left-handed. To correctly realign the cylinders may require the services of a locksmith.
Upside-down lock cylinders may have a shortened lifespan as debris will collect in the spring/driver chambers like debris at the bottom of a catch basin.

Not necessarily Locksmith. There are versions of Kwikset lever locks that have the blade inserted sideways.