How to Install a Door Latch
After you’ve installed the door hinges and door knob, you can now move on to installing a door latch. This helpful door hardware is very easy to install, if you know the right procedure. Here’s how to install a door latch properly.
What You’ll Need:
Door latch kit
Screws
Mortise plate
Chisel
Pencil
Hammer
Procedure:
Position the mortise plate and the door latch against the door’s edge. It should be centered at the cross bore hole. Using a sharp pencil, trace the latch and mark the perimeter. This lets you know where you should chisel the wood out from the door, so the plate will fit nice and flush on the surface. If the mortise plate is not flush on the wall, the door won’t shut correctly, or close at all. It also looks neater.
Use a sharp chisel to clean the center of the perimeter you made. The sharper the chisel you use, then neater the end result will be. Start by scoring the edges, to box in the area which you’ll remove. If you don’t do this, you might remove material outside the perimeter. Score the area inside the borders as precisely and cleanly as you can.
Scrape the scored and splintered wood within the pencil marks using the chisel. Lay the mortise plate and latch and see if they fit flatly and snugly yet. If not, keep scraping. You may need to chisel a few more times to get the right depth.
Install the door latch, making sure its curvature at the end is correctly places, so it strikes the jamb (the strike plate’s location). If not, you might need to take everything apart then put them back together again.
There are screws that come along with your door latch kit when you buy it. Put them in place using a screwdriver. Don’t screw them too tightly, or your work will look sloppy.
You don’t have to be an expert do-it-yourself handyman to install a door latch. All you need are the right materials and these steps, and you’ll finish this task in no time.