Pair Makers

A pair maker is the meeting-stile strip that lets two single door leaves work as a pair. It closes the gap between them, gives the slave leaf something to shut against, and hides the joint, which is what stops a pair of ordinary doors from looking like two doors pushed together.

Using a pair maker

Decide which leaf is active and which is the slave, fit the pair maker to the slave, and hold that leaf steady with flush bolts at the head and foot. Rebated versions give a better seal against draught and sound than a plain flat strip.

Pair makers are usually needed on French doors and room dividers. Never fit one to a certified leaf unless it is part of that door tested specification, see fire doors. Other fixings and trims are in D2F accessories.

What a pair maker does

A pair maker is a rebate conversion kit. It lets two single door leaves be hung as a pair, by rebating the meeting stiles so one leaf overlaps the other instead of the two edges simply butting together. The kit supplies the rebated timber sections and the fixings, and the result is a pair that closes properly, resists draughts and gives the lock something to engage into.

Why you would use one

Buying two single leaves and a pair maker is usually cheaper and far more flexible than sourcing a factory-made pair, and it means you can create a pair in a finish and style that is only sold as a single. It is the standard approach for wide openings between a hall and a living room, for room dividers and for a set of doors onto a garden room. The kits here are supplied by LPD to match their own leaves.

What else the opening needs

A pair needs a lining or frame wide enough for both leaves plus the rebate, so measure the structural opening before ordering and read how to measure a door. The passive leaf is held by flush bolts top and bottom, and both leaves need their own hinges and matching handles. See internal frames for linings, room dividers for pre-made multi-leaf sets, and french doors if a glazed pair is what you are after. Never rebate a certified fire door: check the fire door guide first.