In this article, we will go through the steps to get your door prepared for the installation of the passage door handle lockset available for purchase on from Luxterior.com.au.

Important: Each door handle lockset is different from others. Performing exactly the instruction below will prepare your doors ONLY for the following products on Luxterior.com.au:

• Bold Series – Passage Door Handle in Gun Metal
• Curve Series – Passage Door Handle in Gun Metal
• Shine Series – Passage Lock Set – Gun Metal

For door handle lockset that is not on the list above, the required locations and sizes of the holes might be different. Therefore, please refer to the user manual that comes with your purchase. While the instruction below can be served as a general guideline for door preparation, Luxterior.com.au will not be responsible for any door damage if it is applied for the wrong lockset. For instance, John bought a passage door handle with a backset distance of 70mm from Retailer X. John then followed the instruction in this article which is for 60mm backset. John’s lockset eventually will not fit his door because this instruction is not meant for John’s purchase.

What you need?

• A pencil
• A measuring tape
• A square
• A drill with 25mm and 6mm drill bits.
• A chisel
• A hammer.

Step 1: Determine the height of the door handle

The first step is to determine the height of your door handle. This is up to your preference but a common height is somewhere between 90cm and 100cm. The preferable height of your door handle should be taken into account when you purchase your door. Some doors come with moulded panels or rout designs that make the door handle only appropriate at some certain locations. For instance, the Hayman internal door from Hume Doors has non-symmetrical patterns, therefore having the door handle anywhere outside the imaginary green zone will result in unjustified look. Doors like the HAG9 Accent series will welcome handles at any heights, and will give you more room to decide a handle height that suits your preference.

Once the height is decided, measure from the floor and make the edge of the door with a pencil. Also it is worth knowing that for hollow doors, manufacturers tend to place a door lock block to only 1 end of the door. Therefore the other end is only suitable for the hinges. It is important that you research the door structure from the manufacturers’ website to determine which end should be for the hinges and which end is suitable for the door handle. The pencil mark that indicates the height and the following steps should be performed on the proper end of the door only.

Step 2: Mark the drill holes

Use a square, measure 60cm from the door edge and mark with a pencil, this is where you are gonna drill the hole for the spindle. Note that the 60cm is the backset distance, which is the distance from the edge of the door (or the latch face) to the hole where the spindle goes through. Again, with the square, mark another 2 points, each 19mm away from the spindle hole. These 2 points will be where you drill the holes for the connecting screws. Repeat this step for the other side of the door.

Step 3: Drill the holes

Drill the spindle hole with a 25mm drill bit and the connecting screw holes with a 6mm drill bit. It is important that the drill is straight so that it goes through the other side of the door at the marked location. Tip: it is recommended to drill one side of the door half way through, then move on and drill the other side. This method will ensure there is no mismatch even though the drill is not perfectly straight. Another method is to use one of the vertical / right angle drill jigs that can be found on Ebay (A$20 to A$40) to ensure a straight drill.

Step 4: Drill the hole for the latch.

Remember the pencil line that indicates the door handle height? This time, mark the centre point that indicates half of the door thickness. This is where you will drill a hole that houses the passage latch. Drill a hole into the door body with a 25mm drill bit. The hole is 60mm deep, you will know when to stop when the drill bit meets the spindle hole. It is worth noting that drill into the door body will be harder than perpendicularly through the door. Again, it is very important that the drill is straight into the door body. It is essential that you have some tool to assist with this step. An affordable tool is the Craftright Door Lock Installation Kit that cost only A$12.95 (at the time of writing) from Bunnings. The kit does not only include a drill template that assists a perfectly right angle drill but also a 25mm bi metal holeshaw which make it perfect for this purpose.

Step 5: Chisel out the door frame.

Use the latch face itself as the template, draw an outline on the door frame. And then use a hammer and a proper size chisel to chisel out the door frame. The depth should be equal to the thickness of the latch face. It is recommended to chisel in a granular manner and keep checking by inserting the latch to avoid removing too much material. Ideally, the latch face should sit flush to the door frame. Having the latch sitting too deep into the door frame might result in the door handle fails to function properly and you might end up with having to buy a new door.

In the end, remove the pencil marks with a rubber and you are done. Your door is now ready for the installation of our door handle passage lockset.

Conclusion

Getting the door ready is probably the most difficult part of the installation process. It take times and a little bit of effort. Failing to perform the above steps probably might result in further trouble during the installation. Therefore it is important that you pay attention to the guide above and have all the steps done correctly. Once it is done the way it should be, putting the door handle lockset together will feel like a breeze.

Although this guide was made specifically for passage door handle lockset from Luxterior.com.au (see the list at the top), the techniques and the tips above can be applied and extended for any passage lockset on the market. If you want to use this guide to install a different lockset, factors that you should pay attention to includes the backset distance, the holes’ sizes and locations. Last but not least, please refer to the manual that comes with your products as each lockset was made differently.