FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
How-To

How to Installing a Lockset in a Door

The keys to a successful installation are careful layout and sharp tools.

By Tom O'Brien Issue 174

Unlike old-fashioned and complicated mortise locks, most of the locksets you see these days are of the cylindrical variety and are fairly easy to install. Basically, installation requires a large hole drilled through the face of the door and a smaller hole drilled through the edge. After the holes are drilled, the most difficult part of the job is cutting the mortises for the strike and latch plates.

There are two keys to a successful installation: careful layout and sharp tools. In addition to a tape measure, a combination square, and a hammer, you’ll need a scratch awl, a 21/8-in. hole saw, a 15/16-in. spade bit, and a 1-in. chisel. Assembling the lockset varies slightly from brand to brand, so it’s important to read the manufacturer’s instructions.

Steady the door,then drill the large and small holes

Step 1: Use a combination square for layout. Most lockset packages include a paper template for locating the face and the edge bore. It’s easier and more accurate to use a combination square, especially if you’ve got more than one lockset to install. Begin the job by wedging the door halfway open with a couple of shims under the bottom edge. Mark the face on both sides, 2 3/8 in. from the leading edge of the door (2 3/4 in. for exterior doors) and typically 36 in. from the floor. The edge bore is marked at the center of the door, in line with the face marks.

Step 2: Pilot holes pave the way for the big bits. To make sure the holes for the cylinders start in the right place and don’t wander, use a scratch awl to punch the precise starting points. Then drill pilot holes with a 1/8-in. bit in the edge and in both faces of the door.

Step 3: Drill the face bore first. Holding the tool level and square to the door, drill halfway through one side with a 21/8-in. hole saw. Then complete the bore from the other side of the door.

Step 4: Use a nail to mark the center of the strikeplate hole. Close the door and hold it tight to the stop, then push a 6d nail through the 1/8-in. pilot hole in the door edge until it pierces the door jamb; a pry bar provides leverage if necessary.

Step 5: Drill holes for the latch and the strike using a 15/16-in. spade bit. (A 7/8-in. bit is too small for most latch mechanisms, and the hole left by a 1-in. bit won’t be covered completely by the latch plate.)

A jig for foolproof hole alignment

Carpenters who install door hardware for a living use commercial boring jigs that get the job done quickly and accurately. You can buy a light-duty version of the $250 jig for about $15.
Made by Black & Decker (www.blackanddecker.com), this plastic jig clamps onto a door edge and aligns the face and edge holes automatically. Two hole saws (21/8 in. and 1 in. dia.) and a common mandrel are included in the kit. The jig will handle both 2 3/8-in. and 2 3/4-in. backsets.

Step 6: Use the latch as a template. After drilling the edge bore, insert the latch mechanism and secure it with the screws provided; then trace around the edges with a sharp utility knife. Be especially careful when cutting vertically along the grain because the knife may wander. Some carpenters prefer to use a scratch awl to cut along the grain.

Step 7: Take your time with the chisel. Hold a sharp chisel at about a 45° angle to the work, and score the face of the mortise by gently tapping the chisel with a hammer; cut across the grain in increments of 1/8 in. or so. Now carve away the waste, working the chisel toward the center. Check the fit of the latch plate; it should lie flush with the door surface. If you end up carving too deep, cut a piece of cardboard to shim the latch plate flush with the edge of the door.

Step 8: Align the strike with the latch. Close the door, and transfer the top and bottom edges of the latch plate to the door jamb. Now measure the space between the edge of the latch plate and the inside face of the door, and allow the same amount of space between the back of the strike plate and the doorstop. For a 1 3/8-in. door (if the latch is centered properly), that space should be a heavy 1/8 in.

Step 9: Cut the strike mortise following the same procedure used for the latch plate.

Photos by: Charles Bickford

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Featured Story

IBSx Roundtable: Behind the Siding—WRB, Drainable WRB, or Rainscreen?

Fine Homebuilding hosts a panel of building pros in a discussion of the various types of high-quality substrates that can be installed under siding to make a wall assembly more durable.

Featured Video

SawStop's Portable Tablesaw is Bigger and Better Than Before

The 10-in. Jobsite Saw PRO has a wider table, a new dust-control port, and a more versatile fence, along with the same reliable safety mechanism included in all SawStop tablesaws.

Related Stories

  • Phenomenal Fenestration

  • Scribing Made Simple

  • Temporary Door Control

  • The Cornerstones of Comfort: How To Choose the Right Windows and Doors for Your Climate

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Podcast 193: Understanding Permeability, Insulating Behind Fiberboard Sheathing, and Building a Patio Door

  • How to Frame an Arched Doorway

  • How to Test Paint Stripper for Your Next Refinishing Project

  • Video: Build a Dutch Door

View All

Finish Carpentry

View All
  • scribing

    Scribing Made Simple

  • How to install PVC soffit and fascia

    Exterior PVC Trim: Soffits, Fascias, and Rakes

  • how to install PVC trim

    Exterior PVC Trim: Layout and Preparation

  • Rustic Oak Brackets

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 297 - Feb/Mar 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls
  • Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020

    • A Practical Guide to Fall Protection
    • Installing Frameless Cabinets
    • Make Any Tablesaw Safer

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • CA Privacy Rights

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in