Patching Door Lock Hole For Reuse

Pack a couple of paper towels into the hole.

Patching door lock hole for reuse. For durability and structural integrity it s hard to beat real wood when filling a large hole in a door. Place strips of tape around the exterior and interior patched holes to protect the finish on the door. Once you have successfully drilled out the block and removed the plug from the bit you will notice a small 1 4 inch hole in the center. Crumple up a small bit of newspaper or paper towels and push the wad lightly into the hollow area of the door surrounding the hole.

Do the same for the recessed patch on the edge of the door. If the latch does not reach the strike plate shim out the plate or add another strike plate on top of it remove the screws and run them through both plates. Lightly sand the patched areas. Push in 3 or 4 paper towels until they re firmly set in place and won t slip lower within the door.

Replace the plate fill the gap at the top or bottom with wood putty and refinish. Repairing a hole in exterior wood doors. You ll need the paper towels in the hole to support the expanding foam you re about to add. If the latch still will not reach shim out the door s hinges.

Remove the set screw under the edge of the inside handle and pull both knobs from the door. Remove the two screws from the door s edge and pry the lock out with a small screwdriver. Take a long 1 4 inch bolt that should just fit in that hole and using washers and a nut fasten it to the plug. Remove the four corner screws from the plate on either side of the door and pry the plates away gently with a flat screwdriver blade.

Without the paper towels the foam would fall to the bottom of the hollow door. For wood doors that are solid or when the unwanted hole is in an area of the door that is solid the most effective technique to repair the unwanted hole is to cut a piece of dowel that is the same diameter of the unwanted hole slightly longer about 1 32 inch than the thickness of the door.