Fitting A Lock To A Front Door

Fitting a mortise lock.

Fitting a lock to a front door.

Since most homes have multiple doors with multiple locks re keying can get expensive. The key to success is getting the hole for the cylinder in the right position. Locksmiths typically charge a fee to re key an individual lock even when you bring it to their shop. Re keying kits are available for most lock brands but they re not interchangeable.

It s annoying to fumble through half a dozen keys because the front door key doesn t fit the backdoor or the side door locks and vice versa. You can re key a lock like a pro at a fraction of the cost. Where the door is self closing the latch has an angled or rounded edge and is sprung so that it automatically locks when the door is closed. It doesn t really pay to have interior door knobs or locks professionally repaired unless they are special.

Interior doors are usually fitted with a mortise lock with a latch operated by the door handle or knob. Most interior door knobs are relatively inexpensive to replace. An improperly functioning latch may be the result of a poorly fitting door. Take care with the marking out and drilling to ensure excellent results.

If you don t get this precise the lock may not fit properly. For serious lock problems it is usually best to call a locksmith or to replace the lock entirely. The convenience of having a single key fit all the. To install this lock see section 4 below.

A mortise lock will normally specify the thickness of door it is designed to fit problems will only normally arise if an attempt is made to fit a lock to a too thin a door. When possible fit two locks on your front door both to bs3621 standard. Fitting a front door rim lock fitting a rim lock the yale type lock on your front door is fairly straight forward. If the deadbolt comes with an interior plate and a decorative outer plate with a recessed screw just place the interior plate over the hole from the inside.

Insert the exterior part of the lock into the door by feeding the long metal piece through the opening in the center of the bolt. If you only fit one lock go for an automatically dead locking night latch made to bs3621. The difference between a rim lock and a mortice lock is that a rim lock is fitted on the surface of the door whilst a mortice lock is fitted in the door edge.