Putting Glass Door Knobs on the Closet Doors

I bought glass door knobs for the entire house, but we have agreed that more modern handle sets are a better idea. Cliff works for Schlage locks and was unhappy with my choice of vintage style glass door knobs.

He is perfectly content with using them on the closets, though. So, here are three different ways to put glass door knobs onto closet doors. One method has way more photos than you probably need.

The closets have double doors, so the handles only work as pulls, like on a cabinet door.

The First Method

I had ordered dummy spindles on Amazon. These are parts to just screw onto a cabinet door or drawer so that you can use a vintage door knob as a pull handle.  We might end up using these somewhere else, but this is how Cliff decided to put the door knobs on.

The Second Method

First, Cliff broke a box and put it under the door to catch the sawdust. He brought over a trash to throw away packaging and anything else.

Then he removed the handles that were on the door.

He measured and marked.

He has a lot of tools, so he used two drills and a screw gun so he wouldn’t have to change bits.

He drilled the first hole for the spindle. He pulled the drill back occasionally to pull the sawdust out of the hole.

He lined the new rosette up to check his marks for the little screws that hold it on. The new outside holes are very close to the old holes, but they are just to hold the rosette in place. They aren’t going to be under stress.

He drilled the holes with a very thin bit, then cleaned the entrance to all of the holes with this.

He moved the door, folded the box and poured the sawdust into the trash can.

So, here it is, ready to screw in the screws. If you screw these in before the door knob is on, it is easier to go in straight. I know that is obvious, but the final method does not result in straight… anything.

Cliff attached the glass doorknob to the spindle and pushed the spindle through the door. He lined up the rosette on the other side, screwed in the screws and attached the other doorknob.

The old doorknob and the new doorknob.

The Third Method

I put an old door knob onto a Bifold door in a house I used to live in. I used a long drywall screw and screwed it all the way through the small hole that was already on the door. Then, using the claws of a hammer I pulled the screw back out. It didn’t want to come. So, using plyers, I sawed and twisted until I enlarged the hole enough to force the spindle of the door knob through. I threaded the rosette over the doorknob and pounded the doorknob through the door with the heel of a shoe. I put a folded up t-shirt from the laundry over the doorknob first, so I wouldn’t hurt it. I only had one rosette, so I stacked a few washers on the inside of the closet door and screwed the doorknobs together tightly. Then I screwed in the side screws on the rosette. They went in crooked, because the door knob was in the way. I forced them, because I hadn’t started the hole in any way. They were pointy, so they were meant for making their own hole. It looked great! There were a few issues… but if people are going to look that hard, you should give them something to find, right?

For the rest of the doors, I am thinking I would love to have the Schlage Brookshire locks with lever handles in Aged Bronze finish.  Aren’t they beautiful?