Letter Plates
A letter plate is the perfect way to finish off your main entrance door. It can give your home a traditional look and offer excellent appeal. While it may or may not be functional for the delivery of letters and other items; the look it offers can add detail and give your home a sense of that something special. A letter plate is usually seen on traditional terraced homes, as these have short front yards, which makes for easy access by postal officers. For these homes having a plate installed will look natural, but you can install these on any style home you wish.
You can find these in our online shop in the door hardware section. You can select a plate in a variety of finishes, including antique brass, antique copper, black, chrome, polished brass and satin chrome. Try to pick something that complements the style of your current home. For a modern look it can be hard to go past the sleek sliver of either chrome or satin chrome. If you’re more interested in a traditional look, black has that old-world charm, and the antique finishes offer a quality finish that has a certain aged appearance.
Although a letter plate is commonly installed into a door, you can install them anywhere you like. They are perfect for general wooden letter boxes, and you can even install them into brickwork! Where you install one is totally up to your imagination. Ideally it is best to install them for a specific function. If they're installed into your front door, they can offer security for anything that is placed into it; this is perfect for letters, but also many other smaller items such as packages, keys and phones. If you’re running a business and need things like keys regularly dropped off (but you don’t want to answer the door), an easy access point can give you that extra security all while keeping a natural appearance for your home.
If you’re replacing an existing letter plate, then you may need to check on the size of your current plate and get something that is of larger or similar size. If you buy a plate that is smaller it will be difficult to fit, and you may end up with gaps around the outside, which will look like it’s been installed incorrectly. If you already have a spot cut out of your door, but you’re unsure of the size, it is possible to repair the front door by gluing in a patch. This is a little more work, but much cheaper than buying an entire new door.
Our letter plates are made from a variety of materials and finishes, and we believe these are suitable for most homes, from any period style. They offer a clean and classic look, without the ostentatious feel that you can get with some over the top plates. These are relatively understated all while having a premium appearance.
If you're considering updating the front door to your home, there are many available options to get that perfect appearance. The front door to a home can often be your first impression and depending on what you want that to be can usually determine what accents you’d like to choose. Most people go for the standard door knob, although the centre door knob is becoming very popular, you can match this with a door knocker or doorbell. Although, don't forget about the most important feature of any home, the house numbers. All of these are available in our online shop.
How To Install A Letter Plate?
A letter plate is relatively easy to install, and you don't need to be an expert in DIY to get it done. However, this will be going in your front door, so you’ll need to be confident using tools. If you need to cut a hole in the door, it’s best to take the door off the hinges, and place it on a flat surface to cut the hole for the plate.
For this simple guide, we’ll assume you’re replacing or upgrading a current plate. Locate the screws on the existing plate and remove them, then it should just pop out. If it’s quite old you might be able to salvage it, as some people like to use old parts over new.
If the new plate needs a bigger hole to fit, use a square to mark out the size (or check if the manufacturers included a paper template), and use a jigsaw to make the hole bigger. For the best results hold a straight edge on the door for a cleaner cut. After the hole is cut, place the new letter plate up to the door, mark out the screw holes and drill them out. Use a screwdriver to turn the screws until tight. Then test the plate and make sure everything is perfect, and then you're done!
Buying Your Letter Plate
At Restoration Online you can buy a letter plate in our online shop. We also have a huge variety of items to upgrade or restore your home's main entrance, some of these include, French door accessories, door bolts, push plates, escutcheons, door stops, and cabin hooks. If you’re working on other parts of your home, you can find all sorts of items in our hardware section.
We ship Australia wide, and offer a 21-day return policy, so if anything doesn’t meet your standards or isn’t quite what you were after you can arrange for a return and choose something else. We have a huge selection that will suit any restoration project.
