Replacing An Old Mortise Door Lock With A Modern Lock

If you want to switch to a cylindrical design typical modern knobset mechanism is housed in the knobs and a cross bore rather than in a mortise or a rim surface mount lock you ll either want to leave the old mortise lock in place or glue in a block cut to exactly fill the space it occupied since otherwise the empty space would weaken the door.

Replacing an old mortise door lock with a modern lock. If you have an older house with knobs that slip latches that are stuck inside the door or other minor problems then you should follow these instructions to remove the lock dis assemble it clean and perform minor repairs. You d have to fill the mortise hole with a solid block of wood which might well entail digging out more of the door to get a good fit. Use a screwdriver to remove all screws rather than a drill. Once you ve removed the door lock template you have a space perfectly primed for your new lock.

Cleaning and repairing an antique mortise door lock. The problem with replacing the mortise with a bored cylindrical lock is that the new lock is smaller than the old and really has to be in the same location on the door as it s the strongest part of the door. Replacing an interior mortise lock skeleton key with a modern lock with privacy latch press any key replacing an interior mortise lock skeleton key with a modern lock with privacy latch this seems to be one of the more popular posts on my blog. Instead of fixing the mortise lock it can be replaced with another mortise lock.

Paint over the block to match the rest of the doorjamb. Remove the screws attaching the inside face plate to the edge of the door as well as the plates on the door faces. Same issue exists regarding old holes in the door faces. For budget conscious people such as landlords not willing to lavish their tenants with expensive locks another choice is retrofitting the door with conventional tubular locks such as those available at big box stores.