Baldwin 8105 7' Ornamental Cremone Bolt Less Knob

That is exactly the condition the Baldwin 8105 is built for. It is a surface-applied ornamental cremone bolt for French doors with very narrow stile conditions, so it goes on where a mortise multipoint or a bored lock would need more stile than the door has. The rods run the full height of the leaf and throw into the head and the sill, so the door is held top and bottom rather than at one point in the middle of the stile.

The 8105 is the 7 foot version, so it suits a door leaf up to roughly 7 feet of rod run. On a standard 6 foot 8 inch French door leaf it covers the height with the guides distributed up the stile; on a true 7 foot opening it is the correct length rather than the shorter cremone. Measure the stile from sill to head before ordering, because the rod length is fixed at 7 feet and is not something you extend on site.

Handing matters here. The 8105 is made left hand and right hand, and the two are not interchangeable, so determine the hand of the active leaf before you order. On a pair of French doors the cremone goes on the active leaf and the hand follows that leaf. Ordering the wrong hand puts the operating mechanism on the wrong side of the stile.

One finish: 031 non-lacquered brass. Non-lacquered means the brass is bare, so it will darken and patina with handling and exposure rather than holding a bright factory look. If you want it kept bright you will be polishing it periodically. If you are matching it to other Baldwin Estate Series trim already on the doors, match to the same 031 living finish, not to a lacquered brass, or the two will age differently.

Solid forged brass, not plated pot metal or brass-clad steel. That is why it holds up as an operating rod over a 7 foot run and why the non-lacquered finish can be polished back rather than wearing through to a different base metal underneath.

A pair of surface bolts, one at the head and one at the sill, does the same holding job cheaper, but the person closing the door has to bend down and reach up separately every time. The 8105 cremone links both rods to a single knob at a comfortable height, so one turn throws top and bottom together. On an inactive leaf that gets opened rarely, flush or surface bolts are fine. On a leaf that is operated daily, or where the hardware is meant to be seen, the cremone is the one to spec.

The 8105 is a residential product in Baldwin's Estate Series, meant for French doors in homes and high-end residential work. For a commercial opening that has to meet egress and life-safety requirements, a cremone bolt of this type is the wrong direction; look at a rated exit device or a multipoint listed for the application instead.