Installing a lock in your front door seems like it would be the easiest thing in the world, right? Maybe, but it depends on the lock you want to install. There is also the question about whether or not you are installing a new door that does not have pre-drilled holes for a lock. Taking into account the factors which can influence your installation of a door lock or having a locksmith do it for you, here are two ways to install a door lock.
New Door, No Pre-Drilled Holes
It is very unusual to get a new front door from the store or factory and not have pre-drilled holes in the door for the lock. However, there is an advantage to this. It means that you can install any kind of lock you want, and place it on any spot along a side edge of the door frame.
The lock you choose often comes with instructions on how to install it and how to drill and cut holes to fit the lock. Make sure you have a reciprocating saw, a drill with the correct size drill bit, and a circular hole cutter bit for the drill, if you chose a circular handle/lock combo. You will need all of these to cut the right shape and size of hole in the door, as well as drilling to place the holes for the screws.
New Door or Old Door with Pre-Drilled Holes
The other way to install a lock is with pre-drilled holes. These holes already exist in the door you have, or they come that way on a door you purchase from the store or the factory. The one advantage to this is that you do not have to drill or cut any more holes in your door so long as your lock/handle fits into the open holes.
There are a few disadvantages to pre-drilled holes. You will have to drill a different set of holes if you pick different locks that do not fit the set of holes your door currently has. You may have to make new click-plates (places in the door frame where a metal plate is screwed in over a small opening meant for the lock's catch button) in the frame of the door too. This is because not all pre-drilled holes for locks are in the same position on your old door or door frame as they are on the new door. The holes do not meet, so the lock's components do not meet either.
For more information, contact a professional in your area or visit a website like http://www.alocksmithriverside.com.
Share24 October 2016
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