The front door is hard to lock sometimes. You must push the door strongly to get the deadbolt into the hole. The mechanism turns easily when not attempting to lock the door.
The deadbolt strike (?) needs to be closer inside to line up with the door latch but that requires mitering and digging out the hole more. I moved the latch strike (?) more in line with the deadbolt but then it doesn't catch the latch when door is shut.
What's involved in fixing this properly without damaging the
Modify the strike by taking it off and filing just the deadbolt hole hole to match better. To determine how much material to remove, coat the end of the deadbolt first with something that will leave a mark on the strike when the unit is operated, maybe a dab of wet paint or some such. If you're worried about screwing up the strike, any good locksmith will have replacements. Maybe even better ways of fixing it.
Joe
Sounds like a reallignment problem. You'd have to
On 11/1/2008 11:32 AM badgolferman spake thus:
Although your post appears to be incomplete and is a little confusing, I think I get it that your deadbolt is misaligned with its strike, or the door latch with its strike, or both.
Whatever is the case, it's a matter of moving the strike to line up with the bolt or latch, as you guessed. Having done this many times, I can tell you it's sometimes a messy job, the problem being that you may need to move the strike to a place where it's hard to get a screw into the jamb, if you move it on top of an existing hole.
First thing is to figure out where the strike needs to go. Sight the bolt or latch as you close the door and mark its position on the jamb. Hint: masking tape can come in handy here as a marker. Measure from the back of the door to the front of the bolt/latch to determine how far back in the jamb the strike should go. Mark the new position carefully on the jamb (again, tape is an easy way to do this).
Couple of tricks here:
o If you need to move it just a fraction of an inch, you may need to fill the old screw holes and drill new ones close by. To do this, get some white glue (any kind, no need for "carpenter's glue" or whatever) and some slivers of wood or toothpicks. Fill the old holes with glue and drive in the slivers or toothpicks. Let dry, then drill the new holes.
o Ditto for the bolt/latch hole: if it turns out you need to move the strike so that the screw goes into the hole for the bolt or latch, you may need to fill it. Cut a small block of wood to fit into the hole, then glue it in. It doesn't need to fit precisely, but its top should be level with the recess for the strike.
When you have the holes filled and drilled, then you can chisel out a new mortise for the strike's new position. Screw it in, then you're good to go.
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