DoorKnob - Massive Hole for Face Plate -- Front Door

[Sherman Oaks Jeff]

I've been struggling with securing my front door for months -- I just can't figure out how to get my door to take a doorknob/lock assembly. Get this: the door has a 1/8 inch deep, 10 inch long section taken out of the side of the door where the face plate would go. Then, within this recessed portion, about an inch and a half from the bottom of the recess, there's a carve out that perfectly fits the face plate. SO, when the assembly is installed so that the face plate sits in its carved out portion, the first 1/8 inch of the latch is actually embedded in the door, and only the rest of the latch fastens.

This solution is less that ideal -- i.e., not very secure. Has anyone ever encountered a door like this? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[mm]

How wide?

Face plate?. My door has no face plate. By side of the door, do you mean edge of the door?

Of the bolt? The dead bolt or the spring bolt?

All but an eighth of an inch? Isn't that most of it?

Maybe others will understand your description, but I have no idea what you mean. The seven questions I asked only scratch the surface of my failure to understand.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Mikepier]

It sounds like you have a mortise lock. Is that what you have now, or not?

[ameijers]

I've actually seen that before, once, many years ago. Normal knob guts and deadbolt guts were dressed up with surface trim to give the 'look' of a traditional mortise-style entry lock. The striker and deadbolt were extra-length to compensate. I bet if OP measures, he'll find the knob hole center is also 1/8" further in than he thinks as well.

As to a fix- if I couldn't find an exact match for the old hardware, or mix-n-match same-branded old and new pieces to come up with something that fits, I'd probably shim the striker hole and bondo the rest of the recessed area, and use an extended or adjustable striker if needed to make the knob hole work. I have seen people bondo the knob hole, and just move it down a couple of inches. If the door was nothing historic and getting tired, I'd even price out a new door blank.

aem sends...

[kevin]

Is a 1/8"-too-short deadbolt really a problem? Seems like it doesn't much to me at all, so long as most of the deadbolt latches properly.

And if you are really concerned, can't you just get a deadbolt with a longer throw?

-kevin

[RicodJour]

It's not a big deal. If the latch is engaging the strike plate, that

1/8" probably won't decrease the security of the door at all.

If you want to make the door look better, which I would, cut a piece of wood to fit the recess, glue/epoxy it in place, and then cut the new mortise to fit your lock assembly.

R

[BiloxiBoy]

Bondo... Sand... Paint... DONE!!

Has worked for me many times and the results have thus far lasted many years.

[Goedjn]

This is actually not true, for two reasons:

1: Most door latches have that second little rod so the door can tell it's closed. If that little rod has to much play, then you can unlatch the door from the outside, with a credit card or bit of wire. 2: Most doorframes have a fair amount of spring in them, and every bit of latch that extends into the socket in the door-frame is that much more protection you have against someone just levering the door sideways until the latch clears.

[RicodJour]

Deadbolts are for security. The other, as far as I'm concerned, are to keep the door tightly closed when the wind blows.

That little pin has far more than an 1/8" of operating range. I suppose if there's a 1/4" gap or more plus the 1/8" from the recessed lock there could be a problem, but the 1/8" by itself _probably_ won't decrease the security of the door at all.

Again, the deadbolt is for security...and the dog. ;)

R