Door Security - Deadbolts - Install - Template - Drill - Spring Latch Plate - Strikeplate
Margin of Error: Exact
Most Common Mistakes
- Marking wrong location of hole.
- Locating new latch at same level as previous strike plate.
In the package with your entrance lock (or deadbolt) you will find a small paper template. This template is supplied in order to show you exactly where to locate the two holes you need to drill to install the system. You will need to drill a hole through the door face for the lock or deadbolt and one through the edge for the latch. These two holes must be coordinated so the mechanism will properly fit together. The template is your guide in doing this.
First, locate how high on the door you want to install the lock For entrance locks it is usually 36" above the floor. The main thing to watch for here is the location of the old strike plate. If you will not reuse this strike plate (and usually you will not), be sure you do not install the new strike plate directly on top of the old. The chewed-up area of the frame at this point will not provide a good surface for the new strike plate screws to bite into.
Instructions on the use of the template are usually provided in the package. Most of the time you simply bend the template and wrap it around the door so that one specified side is on the face of the door and the other side is on the edge. Two holes are provided in the template, to make your marks on both the edge and the face. With a sharp instrument or nail, make marks in the doors at these two points Check your work to be sure everything is as it should be. You don't want to scrap a good door because a hole was drilled off.
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