Frequently Asked Questions

  • How do I determine if I need to buy a right-hand or left-hand lever for my door?

    Handing is required for Baldwin Prestige dummy levers, as well as Images & Estate mortise locks, keyed entry levers, and handlesets with a lever interior style. Determining the handing of a door is simple; facing the door from the outside of the room or home, locate the location of the door hinges. If the hinges are on the right, it is a right-hand door. If the hinges are on the left, it is a left-hand door.

  • How Should I Clean My Hardware?

    For the majority of our finishes we suggest:

    Use warm, soapy water and then towel-dry the hardware.

    Spray rubbing alcohol on the hardware and allow the hardware to air-dry.

    For our living finishes (those intended to age over time due to the natural oils on your hands), we suggest:

    Spray rubbing alcohol on the hardware and allow the hardware to air-dry.

  • My front door is currently drilled for a tubular handleset with 6” between the handle grip and deadbolt. Can I install any of the tubular ¾ or full escutcheon handlesets designs? What about emergency-exit handlesets?

    No. All Baldwin ¾ and full escutcheon handlesets are designed to accommodate a 5-1/2” center-to-center spacing between the handle grip and the deadbolt. If your door is drilled to a dimension other than 5-1/2”, we recommend you use either a sectional handleset or deadbolt with the knob or lever of your choice. All Baldwin emergency-exit handleset designs use a large one-piece escutcheon on the interior which requires a 5-1/2" center-to-center spacing.

  • What are the Differences Between Traditional Baldwin and Baldwin Prestige?

    The traditional Baldwin product, Estate provides the discriminating showroom customers the broadest style, finish, and function offering within the decorative hardware industry. Baldwin Prestige, a newer line to the Baldwin brand, was designed and developed to exceed the expectations of the big-box retail customer. While the traditional Estate Baldwin product leverages a diamond shaped broach on both tubular and mortise mechanics, the Baldwin Prestige product leverages a tubular only chassis with a half round design meant to be easier to install for the do-it-yourself consumer. Solid forged brass material is used throughout the traditional Baldwin line of entrance sets, knobs, levers, and deadbolts; Baldwin Prestige uses solid forged brass for the entrance sets and other solid material for knobs and levers. Both the traditional and Prestige lines offer a limited lifetime mechanical warranty. Traditional Baldwin product features the C-Keyway pin and tumbler entry technology along with the classic Baldwin key bow shape that customers have recognized for over 60 years. Unlike the Baldwin traditional product, Baldwin Prestige features SmartKey® Re-key Technology, which allows consumers to re-key their lock themselves.