Lockwood Symmetry door hardware buying guide
Lockwood Symmetry is a range of round cavity sliding door sets with a retractable door pull, made as passage, privacy and entrance sets in chrome plate, satin pearl and matte black. Each set fits flush against the sliding door panel so the door can slide fully into the wall cavity, and installs into a standard 54mm door preparation with a 60mm backset. This guide explains how a cavity sliding set works, what each of the three sets does, the sizes that decide fit, how the retractable pull, the emergency release and the key lock operate, and how to plan, fit and care for a set. The brand overview is on Lockwood, and the Symmetry deadbolts are on Lockwood deadbolts.
How a cavity sliding set works
A cavity slider runs into a pocket inside the wall, so a handle that projects from the door would stop the door entering the pocket. The Symmetry set solves this with a round body that sits within the thickness of the door, and a retractable door pull that stands out when you need to pull the door and folds back flush when you do not. When the door is closed, the pull can be drawn out to grip. When the door slides into the cavity, the pull sits flat, so the door disappears into the wall with no part catching the frame.
The set has a round body on each face, a latch in the door edge, and the furniture that joins the two. A bolt beak latch, the hook-shaped bolt that catches the strike, holds the door closed. The result is a sliding door that closes, latches and, where needed, locks like a hinged door, with the hardware flush in the face.
The three sets
The range has three sets, each in the same round body and the same sizes.
The passage set latches the door with no lock. It suits a sliding door between living areas, a pantry or any door that is never locked. The privacy set adds a lock that works from inside with a turn plate, and an emergency release on the outside that opens with a coin or a screwdriver, so the door can always be opened in an emergency. It suits a bathroom, a lounge or an office where privacy is wanted. The entrance set locks with a key. The key locks and unlocks the door from outside, and a turn plate locks and unlocks it from inside, so anyone in the house can leave without a key. It protects a secondary external application, such as an interconnecting sliding cavity door to a room that needs to be secured.
The entrance set uses a five pin C4 keyway and is supplied individually keyed with two keys per lock. See sliding door privacy sets, sliding door entrance sets and sliding door passage sets for the wider choice.
Sizes that decide fit
The body is 64mm long and 29mm wide, and it fits a standard 54mm door preparation with a 60mm backset. That means a door drilled for a standard cavity lock takes the Symmetry without changes. The sets suit doors 32 to 40mm thick, and a door at the thin end, 32mm, needs the spacer ring that comes in the box. Measure the thickness of the door with a tape, and check that it falls within the range.
The door also needs to suit the cavity unit. The body sits flush, but the latch and the lock have depth, and the cavity frame has its own clearances. If the unit is already installed, measure the gap on both faces and confirm that the lock body will fit. A cavity unit supplier can confirm the limits for the model you have. The set mounts internally, so it is for interior sliding doors and not for an exposed external slider.
Tested performance
The Symmetry sets conform to the Australian standard for mechanical locksets, AS 4145.2-2008, and are tested to exceed 30,000 turn cycles while withstanding 3 kN of pull force. The turn cycle figure describes how many times the turn can be operated in a test, and the pull force figure describes how much load the lock holds before it fails. For a door used daily, such as a bathroom or an ensuite, a mechanism tested to that level is built to last. A test describes the mechanism and not the installation, so fit the set carefully and check the door first.
The retractable pull
The retractable pull is the feature that sets the Symmetry apart. It is a small fold-out pull in the round body, which lifts to give a grip and lies flat when released, so the door face stays smooth. It combines the style of a flush fitting with the function of a handle. The pull needs room to unfold, so check that the cavity frame and the architrave leave enough space on the leading edge, and that a finger can reach in. If a door is used by people with limited hand strength, test the action before you commit, since a flush pull needs a finger to lift it.
Finishes
The Symmetry is made in chrome plate, satin pearl and matte black. Chrome plate is bright and reflective and suits a bathroom with chrome tapware. Satin pearl is a soft, quiet silver that hides fingerprints and suits stainless steel and brushed finishes. Matte black is neutral and gives a strong contrast on a pale door, and it suits black frames and tapware. The bodies are zinc alloy with the finish applied over them. Choose the finish to match the handles on the hinged doors beside the sliding door, since the two are seen together, and keep the same finish on both faces. See matte black and brushed nickel for the wider choice in those finishes.
Reading the product names
The names follow a pattern. In Lockwood Symmetry Round Cavity Sliding Door Entrance Set Chrome Plate, the brand is Lockwood, the range is Symmetry, the body is round, the door is a cavity sliding door, the function is an entrance set and the finish is chrome plate. A name with Privacy Set means a lock with an emergency release. A name with Passage Set means no lock. The letters after the finish are the supplier code and do not change the product.
What is in the box
A passage or privacy set contains the latch face plate, the front and back furniture, packers, the fixing screws, the installation instructions and a drilling template. The entrance set adds two keys. The packers are small spacers that bring the furniture up to the door thickness, and the spacer ring is used on a 32mm door. The drilling template is the most useful part: mark the position on the door, drill from the template, and the holes line up. Keep the box until the set is fitted and working.
Setting out the door
Decide the function before you drill. A bathroom takes the privacy set, a pantry takes the passage set, and a door to a secured room takes the entrance set. Mark the height of the set on the door, usually around hip height, and use the template to mark the 54mm hole and the edge hole for the latch. Check that the position clears the cavity frame and the architrave. The set sits at the backset of 60mm from the door edge, so the pull falls where a hand expects it.
Fitting a set
Drill the 54mm hole through the door from the template, and drill the edge hole for the latch. Fit the latch into the edge, check that it sits flush and that the bolt beak points the right way, and fit the front and back furniture through the door. Tighten the fixing screws evenly so the furniture sits flush, and check that the retractable pull opens and closes freely. Test the lock from both sides: for an entrance set, test the key from outside and the turn plate from inside, and for a privacy set, test the turn plate and the emergency release. A joiner is the safe choice for a door that is already hung.
The emergency release
A privacy lock is made for a room where the occupant wants privacy, not security, and it must be possible to open it from outside in an emergency. The Symmetry privacy set has a release button on the outside face that opens with a coin or a screwdriver. Test the release the day the lock is fitted, keep a tool where the household can find it, and show everyone in the house how it works, including older children, so a locked bathroom door never becomes a problem. Fit the lock so the turn plate is on the inside of the room.
Planning a keyed sliding door
The entrance set suits a sliding door that needs a key, such as a study or a secondary entry between two rooms. A sliding door lock gives a basic level of privacy and a deterrent, and it is not a substitute for a deadbolt on an external door. Plan who needs a key, keep the keys together, and give a copy to someone you trust. If you want the same key to open more than one lock, ask about keying alike when you order, since keying cannot easily be changed after the lock is fitted.
Cavity slider or surface slider
The Symmetry sets are made for a cavity slider, where the door runs into a pocket inside the wall. A surface slider hangs on a track outside the wall and slides across it, so the door stays visible and needs wall space beside the opening. The Symmetry mounts internally and sits flush, so it suits both when the door is an interior door, but its design pays off most on a cavity slider, where nothing may project. If the door is a surface slider in a place where a handle can project, a different pull may be simpler, so choose by the door and by how it will be used.
Doors the Symmetry suits
The sets suit timber, MDF and hollow core sliding doors 32 to 40mm thick. A hollow core door needs solid timber at the lock block, where the lock body and the fixing screws sit, so check the construction of the door before you drill. A solid core door takes the fixing well. A glass sliding door needs hardware made for glass, so check the product before you order. If the door is thinner than 32mm or thicker than 40mm, the set does not suit it, and a different range may be needed. Measure the door in more than one place, since a door can vary in thickness along its length.
Planning a bathroom or ensuite door
A sliding door to a bathroom or ensuite takes the privacy set. It locks from inside with the turn plate, and the emergency release on the outside lets anyone open it in an emergency with a coin or a screwdriver. Think about moisture: a bathroom door sees steam, and a lock in zinc alloy with a plated or painted finish copes well if the room is ventilated. Use the exhaust fan after a shower, and wipe the furniture with a soft cloth now and then.
A sliding door is also less sound proof than a hinged one, because there is a gap at the jamb. A lock does not change that, so think about the room before you choose a sliding door for a place where sound privacy matters.
Planning a study or an interconnecting door
The entrance set suits a sliding door between two rooms where one needs to be secured, such as a study, a home office or a room that needs to be kept secure. The key locks from the room side where the door is controlled, and the turn plate on the inside lets anyone leave without a key. Decide which side is the secured side before you fit, since the key side and the turn side must be on the right faces. Fit the key cylinder on the face that needs to be locked from outside, and the turn plate on the face inside the room.
Cavity unit questions
The cavity unit sets the limits for the door and the hardware, so ask the supplier three questions before you order a set. What door thickness does the unit take, and what is the clearance on each face? What is the position and depth of the pocket for a lock body? How much clearance is there at the jamb for the retractable pull? The answers tell you whether the set will fit, and they save a return. If the unit is not yet ordered, choose it with the hardware in mind.
Choosing a finish by room
Chrome plate suits a bathroom with chrome tapware, where the bright finish repeats the fittings, but it shows fingerprints and water marks, so wipe it more often. Satin pearl suits a room with stainless steel or brushed finishes, and it hides marks well. Matte black suits a room with black frames, black tapware or a monochrome scheme, and it gives the strongest contrast on a pale door, though it needs a gentle wipe to keep the coating even. Whichever you choose, use it on both faces and match the handles on the hinged doors beside the sliding door.
Setting the height
The set should sit at a height where a hand falls naturally on it, usually around hip height, the same as the handles on the hinged doors in the house. On a cavity slider the position along the door matters as well. The set sits near the leading edge, at the 60mm backset, close enough that you can reach it when the door is nearly closed, but far enough from the edge that the hole does not weaken the stile. Mark both faces at the same height with a level so the furniture lines up through the door.
Troubleshooting
If a sliding door sticks, check the track and the guide first, since dirt and misalignment cause most problems. If the furniture is loose, tighten the fixing screws, and check that the hole is not oversize. If the latch does not catch the strike, check that the strike lines up with the bolt beak and adjust its position. If the key does not turn smoothly, check that the lock is square in its pocket. If the retractable pull does not fold flat, check that nothing is catching on the frame or the architrave. If the door will not slide fully into the cavity, check that the furniture sits flush and the pull is folded.
Common mistakes
A few errors come up often with cavity sets. The first is choosing a set for the wrong door thickness, which leaves the furniture loose or the screws too long. The second is forgetting the spacer ring on a 32mm door. The third is fitting the privacy side on the outside of the room, which locks the door from the wrong face. The fourth is ordering the wrong function, such as an entrance set for a bathroom, which needs a key to leave. The fifth is drilling before checking the cavity unit clearances. Check each before you order.
Replacing an existing set
An existing cavity set can often be replaced without changes to the door. Take off the old furniture and check the size of the hole and the backset. A standard 54mm preparation with a 60mm backset takes the Symmetry directly. If the old set was a different make with a different hole, the door may need adjusting. Photograph the old set from both sides with a tape beside it, and compare the numbers with the Symmetry before you order. Keep the old parts until the new set is fitted and working.
Care
Wipe the furniture with a soft damp cloth and dry it. Keep abrasive pads, polishes and acidic or bleach-based cleaners away from the finish. If the door sticks, check the track and the guide before you blame the hardware. Tighten the fixing screws once a year, and keep the retractable pull free of dust so it moves cleanly. A drop of light oil on the latch tongue frees a sticking latch.
Questions people ask
Does the Symmetry fit a standard cavity door? Yes, it fits a standard 54mm door preparation with a 60mm backset, for doors 32 to 40mm thick, with a spacer ring for the thin end.
Can the privacy set be opened from outside? Yes, with the emergency release button, using a coin or a screwdriver.
Which set suits a bathroom? The privacy set, which locks from inside and has an emergency release outside.
Does the entrance set need a key to leave? No. A turn plate locks and unlocks it from inside, so anyone in the house can leave without a key.
