I am going to be building a set of custom interior French doors and would like one of them to latch into the door frame, while the other door is a normal door latch. However, I want the latching mechanism for the door frame to be operated by a door handle, rather than with those small levers at the top and bottom typically found on the door.
The reason for wanting one door to latch into the frame is simply so that the set of doors will remain closed if there is a cross breeze occurring between the rooms (which would want to push the doors open a bit).
Does anyone know a source for this kind of hardware, or at least what the proper term for this hardware is so I can search for it?
Best Answer
As far as I know, what you're looking for doesn't exist as a flush bolt. If you think about it, you'd need to do quite a bit of woodworking on the door in order to install a mechanism that actuates rods at the top and bottom of a door via a handle in the center. This type of arrangement DOES exist in surface bolts, where the rods connect to the door externally -- think commercial door hardware.
However, there may be a different way to accomplish what you're trying to do: Automatic flush bolts. These are actuated not by a handle, but by lever that is pushed on by the other door when it's closed against it. Then, you could use a dummy handle on the door with the flush bolts, and that door will swing freely when the other door is open.
This page describes how they work