Door Lock Installation Guide

The decision for door lock installation in a house is one that many homeowners will face at some point in their lives. Door locks and doors themselves wear out over time. People also lose keys. There could be a rental situation where you want to feel safe in knowing that no one else has a key to your residence. There are often a multitude of keys floating around that belong to a rental property. Door lock installation is something that can be done easily and without a great deal of knowledge or experience.

Determining Type of Door Lock

The first thing that you need to do when deciding to install door locks is to decide what kind of locks you want to use. Do you want keyed locks? Are you looking more toward a deadbolt system? Perhaps, you want a lock that requires a key both inside and outside of the house. Still some people want more strength and added security than what their current door locks give them. No matter which type you decide to go with, you can still perform the installation yourself and have a functional door lock system.

Latch Plate Modifications

Once you have decided on the type of door locks that you want, you are ready to begin installing them. You may have to make the latch plate divot deeper before you can install door locks. You want to make sure that the faceplate will sit even with the door. This is a very important thing to keep in mind. If the faceplate does not sit even with the door, you risk having the locks not fit right or not work properly. This can lead to you having to undo all the work and adjust and modify things for it to work.

Sizing Your Locks

New door lock installation kits will come with a template that you can put in the position of your existing locks to determine if the holes are the appropriate size. If they are not big enough, you will need to enlarge them so that they are big enough for the new locks. This is especially true when you are installing a deadbolt lock for the first time. There are usually factory templates in a door. However, these standard templates are not appropriately sized for all the locks. There are often modifications that need to be made. However, it is easy to modify the holes.

Strike Plate and Finishing

An existing strike plate can be left where it is in the door. However, you are going to want to take out the existing screws and use screws that are three inches long. Make sure that the hole in the strike plate is deep enough for your new latch bolt to go all the way into it. The strike plate also needs to be facing the right direction for the deadbolt assembly system to be depressed properly. However, if you decide that you want to put in a new strike plate, there are many options available that are more durable and stronger. Shimming behind the strike plate will reduce or eliminate any gaps that exist between the door and the frame.

Conclusion

These steps will help you to effectively install your new door locks. Door lock installation is something that you can do quickly and easily. You do not have to be a professional and do not have to have special tools to install new locks on your doors.