Doors – Does such a door knob/handle exist that has the latch bolt installed on the outside of the door

doorknobdoors

I am building a custom, soundproof door out of two layers of 3/4" MDF. It's not as rigid as I'd like it to be and has a bit of bow to it which will eventually compromise the neoprene seal that I will be installing around the stop.

What I need is a low-profile method of reinforcing this door and Menard's seems to have what I need, a 1 1/2"x1/8"x6' steel strip. It is very rigid and will definitely keep the door from warping or bowing. My initial idea was to fix this strip to the inside edge of the door and drill a 1" hold through it for the door handle's latch bolt. Someone else on this site brought up several complications in that method, so it may not work.

However, I still want to use the metal strip for reinforcement. If I could find a door knob/handle that has the latch on the outside, I wouldn't have to worry about drilling a hole through steel. Does such a thing exists and, if so, what do you call such an assembly as this?

Best Answer

You might want to investigate rim locks. These are decorative/antique styles, but there may be more utilitarian ones if that is what you want.