Another DIY security article from professional locksmith, Adam Carr.
Many people wrongly consider a door that is hard to lock or hard to unlock a minor inconvenience. But it can be a big deal if you have kids that can’t unlock it in an emergency. If you leave it long enough it can also damage your lock and cost you more money.
Here’s how to easily fix doors that don’t lock or unlock smoothly…
If you read all the tips below and are still having issues, simply take some photos and email them to me at carrslockshop@gmail.com or simply give me a call at XX.
Step 1: Take a pencil and mark the top and bottom of the latch where it touches the strike plate.
Step 2: Transfer your marks across the strike plate using a speed square or a straight edge of some kind.
Step 3: Now that we know where the latch is hitting we can fix it by either adjusting the position of the strike plate or filing it to make sure the latch has enough space to fall into the strike hole. Pro tip… make sure you use a round file in the corners of the strike so it looks like a factory cut.
Step 4: In this case the latch was hitting too low and wasn’t travelling far enough to fall into the strike hole. I had to file a small amount off the bottom of the strike and also push it out away from the door stop. You can do this by loosening the screws and applying pressure to the strike away from the door stop while you re-tighten the screws.
Step 5: Now that the latch has enough room to fall into the strike hole the last thing we are going to do is chisel out any wood showing inside the strike hole to prevent the latch from getting stuck.
Now you have the perfect alignment of the latch and strike plate so the door will close and latch every time with ease. Don’t forget to erase your pencil marks.