Doors – Latching interior café door

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In my 1924 house, I have a swing door between the kitchen and the dining room.

We use the dining room to contain our dogs on rainy days when we don't want them in the rest of the house. The problem is that one of our dogs has figured out that the door does not latch, and then gets out to roam the rest of the house.

I'm trying to find some kind of double sided latch so that the door will latch no matter which side we push.

It seems like my searches always bring me back to regular door handles with one-sided latch, or dead bolts that can be unlocked only on one side.

I don't want to lock the room, like with a key. The latch or bolt must be operated from either side. And it can't be a fence latch, not for a door in my house. The problem is, I don't know if this exists, and I don't know how it would be called.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or have a practical solution?

Thank you,

Steven

Best Answer

I am assuming that when you say you have a "swing door" you mean that it swings both ways. That would be called double acting, and most that I have seen in residential settings use an adjustable-tension ball or roller catch:

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These are catches as opposed to latches, there is no positive connection. The tension is adjusted by screwing the ball in/out which changes the force the spring behind it applies. A smart dog with a head of steam might be able to head-butt it open, but if adjusted right it might knock him silly unless it's a bulldog.