Perhaps you are building or have recently purchased a new home. Or maybe you're renovating and have big plans to transform your home. In any case, there will probably come a time when you have to make a decision about a key aspect of your home: The door hardware!

If you don't know door hardware, it can be quite confusing. But, I'm here today to clear up some of that confusion by talking about two common types of locks found in American homes and breaking down their main differences between mortise locks and tubular locks.

Different lock bodies:

At first glance, the locks may not seem so different from each other. However, if you take a look at the edge of the door, you will see the most obvious difference: the lock bodies.

(Tubular lock. Image Credit: @thejennaogle )

Mortise locks have a single long, rectangular lock body, while tubular locks have two separate cylindrical pieces that fit inside drilled holes.

(Mortice lock or mortise style lock Image Credit @blankslatereno )

Door preparation:

Different lock bodies mean that doors must be prepared differently before installation. Due to the rectangular hole that must be chiseled for mortise locks, a professional is usually required to prepare the door and install the lock. On the other hand, the owner can install the tubular lock himself, as long as his door is already prepared with the two holes.

Note: If you are not sure how to install a tubular lock, consult a professional.

Security and price:

Other significant differences to consider are safety and price. Mortise locks are made more secure by two very useful features: the anti-saw inserts and the anti-pick safety latch. These provide your home with added protection against intruders.

By contrast, tubular locks do not include these features. Which is not to say that tubular locks are not secure, however they simply do not contain those additional means of protection.

The higher the security, the higher the price. Mortise locks often sell for more than tubular locks.

Additional characteristics:

Additionally, some mortise locks come with an emergency exit or thumb-press lock feature. This means that the lever will automatically lock when the door is closed, unless you deactivate it with the buttons on the edge of the door. This feature is not available on tubular locks.

If you decide on one of these models, be careful not to be left out.

Regardless of the model you choose, it's important to make an informed decision when choosing new hardware for your home. I hope I have helped with the debate between mortise vs. tubular locks.