Today I finished a job I started... hm... two years ago? We bought all new interior door handles to replace the existing (circa 1971) handles, and I installed about 10 of them, but somehow left three undone. I put the last three on a shelf and never got around to getting them in until today. It’s one of those fairly simple projects that you put off because it’s so simple, and it ends up never getting done. Well, today was the day.
When I say fairly simple, I should distinguish between interior and exterior handles and between installing and replacing. Interior handles are easier because they don’t have to keep out burglars, and replacing is easier than installing because the holes already exist.
Removing the existing door handles requires a Phillips screwdriver with a
fairly long shaft. Screws on most interior door handles are close enough to the knob to prevent the screwdriver blades from engaging the screw straight on. A longer shaft helps engage the screw just enough to be able to loosen it, without having to use a stubby or offset screwdriver (time consuming). I have a 4“ Phillips bit for my drill that works like a charm. This is where your variable speed drill comes in handy; you can very gently reverse the screw out until you’re sure you won’t strip it, but you get the benefit of speed once you get it going. The bolt comes out of the edge of the door pretty easily; no explanation required, right? OK.
Your replacement handle should come with corresponding parts for everything you just removed. In my case, one of the handles I was replacing was on one side of a double door that had the strike plate but not a bolt. That meant that the previous handles were not integrated, meaning there was no hole all the way through the door for the two parts of the set to meet in the middle, they were just screwed on the face of the door on either side. I had to bore a new hole for my new handles, just like you would if you were installing a handle on a new door. You need a kind of drill bit called a hole saw to cut holes the size you need for handle installation; usually a door handle needs a 2 5/8 inch circle but handle sets vary, so I have a bunch of various sizes of hole saw in case I need ‘em.
For most installations you use the template provided in your handle set to determine the backset for the hole; it needs to be an exact distance from the edge of the door to meet up with the inner workings of the bolt. In this case I just had to make a hole for the handle in the same spot as the previous handles. I started on one side with the hole saw and went about halfway through. Then I changed to a regular drill bit, and made a hole all the way through the door using the guide hole created by the hole saw. Then I changed back to the hole saw and started from the other side following the guide hole; this way you don’t get a bunch of splintering when you break through with the hole saw. Then it’s just a matter of putting the two halves of your handle set together in the new hole and screwing them tight.
Replacing a bolt and a strike plate can be slightly trickier if the existing holes are not exactly the same as the ones you need for your new set. This may require a small amount of chiseling away at the edge of the existing hole to make it large enough for the new hardware. (PUT THE NEW BOLT IN FIRST. The placement of the strike plate is determined by where the bolt hits the door frame). If you have a wood chisel, great; but if you don’t, a utility knife and standard screwdriver will do in a pinch. The faceplate for the bolt and the edge of the strike plate require a shallow outline around the deeper hole for the bolt. This edge can be widened by slicing around the new plate with your utility knife to the depth of your plate (not much more than 5 or 7 millimeters, usually) and chiseling out the border with a small (smaller means a sharper blade) standard screwdriver. Be careful and go slow with the utility knife; it can get away from you if you are trying too hard. Make several shallow cuts instead of one deep one.
If you have to carve out some of the bolt hole you really do need a chisel. This happens with newer strike plates sometimes; you need it to rest closer to the edge of the door for the bolt to engage. Be careful that you don’t dig out so much of the frame that the structure is weakened; if the bolt won’t engage without just a little modification of the existing strike plate hole there’s something wrong with the door and the bolt installation. However, you do also need try to get enough space between the old screw holes and the new ones that you don’t weaken or blow out your new holes. Drill a pilot hole first, it keeps your new screws from cracking the wood.
That's about it -- if you have any questions, let me know! There’s a bit more to installing new hardware on a new door; you need to use the templates that come with the set to drill the required holes, and you’ll need a couple of different sized hole saws, and you’ll have to chisel out the faceplate areas. It’s also critical to drill pilot holes for your new installation before putting the screws in. Other than that, it’s pretty straightforward and what I have just described pretty much covers it. Most locksets come with comprehensive directions if you’re unsure. The only other thing I would add is that even though I am a huge fan of cordless drills, you need a pretty powerful and tough one to drill a lot of door handle holes. A corded drill works quite a bit better, faster and more reliably.
When I say fairly simple, I should distinguish between interior and exterior handles and between installing and replacing. Interior handles are easier because they don’t have to keep out burglars, and replacing is easier than installing because the holes already exist.
Removing the existing door handles requires a Phillips screwdriver with a
fairly long shaft. Screws on most interior door handles are close enough to the knob to prevent the screwdriver blades from engaging the screw straight on. A longer shaft helps engage the screw just enough to be able to loosen it, without having to use a stubby or offset screwdriver (time consuming). I have a 4“ Phillips bit for my drill that works like a charm. This is where your variable speed drill comes in handy; you can very gently reverse the screw out until you’re sure you won’t strip it, but you get the benefit of speed once you get it going. The bolt comes out of the edge of the door pretty easily; no explanation required, right? OK.Your replacement handle should come with corresponding parts for everything you just removed. In my case, one of the handles I was replacing was on one side of a double door that had the strike plate but not a bolt. That meant that the previous handles were not integrated, meaning there was no hole all the way through the door for the two parts of the set to meet in the middle, they were just screwed on the face of the door on either side. I had to bore a new hole for my new handles, just like you would if you were installing a handle on a new door. You need a kind of drill bit called a hole saw to cut holes the size you need for handle installation; usually a door handle needs a 2 5/8 inch circle but handle sets vary, so I have a bunch of various sizes of hole saw in case I need ‘em.
For most installations you use the template provided in your handle set to determine the backset for the hole; it needs to be an exact distance from the edge of the door to meet up with the inner workings of the bolt. In this case I just had to make a hole for the handle in the same spot as the previous handles. I started on one side with the hole saw and went about halfway through. Then I changed to a regular drill bit, and made a hole all the way through the door using the guide hole created by the hole saw. Then I changed back to the hole saw and started from the other side following the guide hole; this way you don’t get a bunch of splintering when you break through with the hole saw. Then it’s just a matter of putting the two halves of your handle set together in the new hole and screwing them tight.
Replacing a bolt and a strike plate can be slightly trickier if the existing holes are not exactly the same as the ones you need for your new set. This may require a small amount of chiseling away at the edge of the existing hole to make it large enough for the new hardware. (PUT THE NEW BOLT IN FIRST. The placement of the strike plate is determined by where the bolt hits the door frame). If you have a wood chisel, great; but if you don’t, a utility knife and standard screwdriver will do in a pinch. The faceplate for the bolt and the edge of the strike plate require a shallow outline around the deeper hole for the bolt. This edge can be widened by slicing around the new plate with your utility knife to the depth of your plate (not much more than 5 or 7 millimeters, usually) and chiseling out the border with a small (smaller means a sharper blade) standard screwdriver. Be careful and go slow with the utility knife; it can get away from you if you are trying too hard. Make several shallow cuts instead of one deep one.
If you have to carve out some of the bolt hole you really do need a chisel. This happens with newer strike plates sometimes; you need it to rest closer to the edge of the door for the bolt to engage. Be careful that you don’t dig out so much of the frame that the structure is weakened; if the bolt won’t engage without just a little modification of the existing strike plate hole there’s something wrong with the door and the bolt installation. However, you do also need try to get enough space between the old screw holes and the new ones that you don’t weaken or blow out your new holes. Drill a pilot hole first, it keeps your new screws from cracking the wood.
That's about it -- if you have any questions, let me know! There’s a bit more to installing new hardware on a new door; you need to use the templates that come with the set to drill the required holes, and you’ll need a couple of different sized hole saws, and you’ll have to chisel out the faceplate areas. It’s also critical to drill pilot holes for your new installation before putting the screws in. Other than that, it’s pretty straightforward and what I have just described pretty much covers it. Most locksets come with comprehensive directions if you’re unsure. The only other thing I would add is that even though I am a huge fan of cordless drills, you need a pretty powerful and tough one to drill a lot of door handle holes. A corded drill works quite a bit better, faster and more reliably.
