How to fit Hinges, Handles, Locks and Latches to Doors. 

Good explanation of what can be a tricky job, Stuart. Pro chippie here, a few tips worth mentioning: -If you have to cut down the height, do it from the bottom otherwise the top rail will look out of proportion. You only ever need to plane the top if the frame header is off level. If you have to go more than 25mm, plane the hardboard face off the wooden bar you've cut from the rail, then glue and clamp the bar back into the hollow gap. -Hollow doors have "lock-block" of wood fitted in the core on one side, at handle height, which you can use to set your furniture. This will be indicated by the word "lock" on the top of the door. Put a bit of tape on the door at handle height, to remind you when you're fitting it. -Normal screws are fine in the lock-block for long backplate handles, but always use through-bolts for round-rose handles. -Couple of other ways to do the latch hole. One is to use a 22mm bit and square the top and bottom of the hole with a chisel. Easy with hollow core and engineered doors, a bit more work with solid doors. You can get away with a 25mm bit, but it's worth drilling a test hole on some scrap wood to check if the hole peeks out the sides. I find using a sharp forstner bit on the door edge first, with a pilot point to start, prevents any chip out or wandering. Once you've gone through the edge, you can blast it with a flat bit or auger bit. My only issue with drilling two holes is there's less wood to fix the latch faceplate, but whatever works, works! Love the channel - every day's a school day! Cheers

The technique for drilling the two holes side by side is just ingenious. I hope to remember that when I have to take this approach.

What no one told me was how much better the acoustics were in each room when you change hollow doors to solid ones. Noise doesn’t escape or enter the room so easily

When I size a hollow door, I always trim the top off and if it exposes the cardboard inside I take the door skin of the off cut then glue and clamp it back in. 👍

Excellent. Your videos are like having a big DIY book in video form. You do realise, Stuart, you're becoming the Barry Bucknell of UK RU-vid. Ha ha.

I use painters tape on the doors when marking out lines so after drilling it can just be peeled off without leaving pencil marks or embossed lines.

Never seen anyone fit the hinges on the same side as the lock and handles before 😄 Great video Stuart! Some handy tips and tricks, awesome!

A few "tradesmen" could do with watching this. (I'm looking at you Bovis!). I like the idea of those through bolt jobs, I'm forever sticking matchsticks in my doors to give the little screws some bite as they are forever going loose!

When you had traditional wooden doors you generally had a 9" bottom rail , so the bottom hinge was kept above that , or you had the end grain of the Tennons !

Fantastic Stuart! Viewers, don’t try to drill the “through” holes for the handle with just one pass with a long drill bit. The chances that the far side hole will end up in the exact right spot are slim. Mark both sides carefully and do the holes one side at a time, testing after each hole.

4:49 the old standard of 6 and 9 inches for the hinge locations in the door was to avoid the tenons on a traditional door as to avoid putting screws into and chiseling into end grain.

Nice video Stuart. There is a solution when you trim the door to far. You can take some of the cardboard out or push in. Then glue a wooden bar in. A bit work but it works.

Quite a few hollow doors I've fitted have a larger wooden block inside where the handle/lock will go. You can screw the handle directly into that if you have one. It's only on one side of the door though (and usually indicated with an arrow on the top of the door) so it's worth checking before you start fitting either latch or hinges.

Love that oval drilling technique, definitely using that next

I stopped using spade bits when I found Forstner bits, really good for drilling overlapping holes as well.

I have watched door lock installation videos all week and this man is clearly a master craftsman. Techniques and tips in this video are unique and I have not seen them in other videos. Thank you 10/10 video.

Best D.I.Y channel on RU-vid....keep up the good work!!!

I had 150 year+ solid wood doors in my bedrooms and were thickly overpainted badly and repaired so much over their life. The doorframes are so out of square it would have been quite a chore to put in new door, so I repaired all the doors instead. Probably took me twice as long and the costs were comparable to fitting a new door, but they really are worth saving, the wood is so old and slow grown, it is almost as tough as oak.

Not sure why I watched this, as a carpenter, but still enjoyed it all the same

I had to chuckle. Our house was struck by a cyclone many years ago. The top part of the house was lifted up and skewed slightly. The house itself is not completely square, including the door frames (metal). Despite this, the house itself has been brought up to code and is completely livable. It reains however, an oddity, but we love it

I'm glad that I found this channel

You are an absolute genius. I've just found your channel and cheesed off that I've not seen you before cos I might have saved some money😂. Subscribed straight away. The tip re using spade bits side by side is something I've never seen before, and really changes the game. Thanks 👍 I'm now gonna binge watch 😂

the 'oval' hole trick is great, thank you.

Handy tip for the latch hole drilling 😀

Here in Romania we have these cheap doors as well but they've got pine instead of MDF as backbone.

the callipers made me laugh as I just watched your Temu video yesterday 🙂, brilliant as usual thx

Hinges are cut 6”, 9” or 10”,14” regarding foreshortening. When you stand back they look equal. An old architecture trick. 👍

Thank you, I have to install a door and it will be very helpful. The effect of the hinges mounted on the same side of the lock for demonstration is very funny ^____^

Those door handles with the circular mounts are a proper pain, especially when the supplied screws appear to be made from cheese and have points that have been deliberately blunted before packaging.

Your demonstration of all the work necessary was very useful in assuring me that I make the right decision to employ a professional carpenter/joiner to do such skilled tasks!

The chain drilling technique is great!

That was worth watching just for the tip about reversing the hinge for repeatability when marking out

The hinge position is about perspective when you’re looking at the door hinges look the same

Your presentation of stuff is just amazingly clear. I have gained so much knowledge and gotten so much better well done.

Great Stuart, well done!

The hinge is 9 inches at the bottom so that when looking down at it, it looks the same spacing as six inches from the top. If both are at 6 inches, when looking down the bottom hinge looks like it is not evenly spaced with the top hinge. I remember seeing that This Old House or some similar program.

Another very interesting and informative video Stuart, Many Thanks.

Now I know how to fit the hinges, handles and locks. How about how to fit the door. Really enjoy the programs. 👍

Excellent video as usual Stuart well done

Very good, thanks!

And if you have issues getting those through bolts to line up just use a plastic straw that goes through the hole to the other side and that gives them something to sit in while you line them up instead of the things falling into the void in the door. Trust me, it saves hours of swearing trying to line the bloody things up.

It be interesting to see you put same things but on solid wooden door and solid core doors, and how to also put on lock that’s required a key to lock it and open it ie external door or front door and how to replace chain on door (same side as hinges go) so the doors shut by themselves

Great job 😃👍

Love the two holes thingy. Very clever. Cheers for sharing.

Perfect timing Stuart as I'm about to tackle the horrendous door installs in my property... !

I am a DIYER but had to change 8 old doors to prefinished ones (24 hinges in total) - I already had a router so decided to buy Robin Clevett 76mm hinge jig. Saved me so much time and stress! I actually enjoyed it!

Great tips thank you. 👍

Thoroughly enjoy your videos. Thanks very much. Ps I clearly need to sharpen my chisels better 😂

Great tips here from a pro

Nice work, very useful 🇬🇧👍

Great job Stuart

Just note cheaper barrels don't have a through hole for the through bolts

That "bathroom" lockset is also about the same size as the old fashioned mortise locksets that take the old fashioned skeleton style keys. I've replaced several of those in my home as the old keys were long gone before I bought the place. Fortunately they still make the old style locksets so I only replaced the inner workings and left the original knobs and plates and now they're functional again as I have new skeleton style keys with the new locksets.

Great tips thanks

now just need to learn to hang it. thanks mate

Wow, that was certainly worth watching. I particularly like that trick with the depth stop on the router! Thank you, Stuart.

When I did my chippy apprenticeship, I was told that the reason for 9" at the bottom hinge and 6" at the top hinge was to do with perspective. A bit like the writing on a road painted on in large stretchy writing - looking down the distance of 9" doesn't look that far and 6" at the top is much closer to eye level.

Great video !! thanks

Some great tips there, on how to.... Thank you.

Great video, and great timing as we've just started replacing all ours, only 14 doors to do! How about a video on replacing hinges etc on doors that already have them fitted, rather than new, we've found it quite challenging, but the drill bits you recommended along with gluing dowels into the existing holes has really helped. We could not find drop in replacements which has meant a LOT of work. BTW my son still talks about meeting you and having his photo taken at the NEC, thank you for being so welcoming 😄

Thanks Stuart, was only thinking about fitting handles after painting the rad and ceiling. today..l'll have a practice on piece of wood first..

It 6-9 inches for an interior door for an external door it’s 3-6-middle. For hinges. These spacing are for visual on internal but strength on external. You can use a trimming router for cutting out.

Great video as always

Great upload. Very useful solution for drilling side by side for the slot.

Great tips and hints as usual

Only discovered your site a couple of weeks back. Really enjoy it. Do a lot aroun d the house and this helps to reinforce what I do as well as teach me a few things I do not know. Very practical. From the other side of the world. N.Z.

I would definitely reinforce / seal the routed / drilled MDF surface(s) by brushing them with a 50-50 water and PVA glue mix (and letting it dry). It makes it much harder and more resistant to moisture.

Amazing. Thanks for the tips!

Thank you. Very useful

As usual some useful tips 😀 Thanks

Found the through bolts invaluable when fixing handles on one of these "cardboard" doors. If you update the video suggest you include some close ups of the holes you chopped out for door lock etc.

Lovely job

Thanks Stuart for the really useful tips 😊

Thanks Stuart, coincidentally I had to fit a new latch the day before this video popped up, I'm comfortable in doing these jobs (the old fashioned way) but it's always worth watching your videos for those little tips I might not have known. The main take away for me is to avoid doors like that, we have similar faux panelled hollow doors but at least the timber edges are softwood and a decent thickness not 20mm MDF - those look a poor alternative to me !

Great video thanks for the tips especially multi hole with spade bit, how much grief will that stop.

Great information Stuart, especially the double drilling, and as always clearly explained. Thanks.

excellent advice

Perfect! 👍 Clear and informatieve as ever. I hope you will continue this for a very long time! I’m really hooked to this chanel. Although in Holland we do use somethimes different installation tools and methods, your channel is still very helpfull!

I have learned so much from your videos. Going to be using some of these techniques later today!

My favorite part is having the handle on the same edge as the hinge

I suppose I just happened to luck out when installing door hardware in a solid door as I had a brace and bit that happened to be the perfect size hole for the handle hardware and then I just used a speed bit to make the hole for the latch and the corresponding hole for the striker plate's hole. I don't really even remember measuring anything, just eyeballing it and it worked fine. Of course it was for a simple bedroom door.

Fantastic video i have metal door frames to make it a bit harder

Hi Stuart. Its Purely aesthetic that the bottom hinge is 9"up. From our eyeliner it just looks right. A wall cupboard will have hinges equally spaced because that looks right from our eyeliner, if that makes any sense 😁

Excellent

Stuart, another fantastic video and it has given me the confidence to have a go at some new doors, I’m sure the wife will be delighted lol 😝 Can you provide a link for the self centering drill bits pls.

Hi. Awesome content 👌. Really good professional ideas there. They work very well. Thank you for sharing. 👍

I have just replaced handles for 11 doors inn my home after having the doors spray painted. Put on exactly the same handles for mine which are solid wood. Wondered what ghe bolt things where for as there where no instructions in the boxes, off course i didn't need them. 😂

Can you do a follow-on video on fitting the door into a door frame please?.

very useful

Excellent as always, great tips! Are you going to do a companion video on fitting door frames next?

Nice job, Stuart. Sadly, at this stage of my life, living in this modern age, I really shouldn’t be surprised by how crappily made so much of the stuff used to build and finish homes is. Equally sadly, I am so often disappointed and somewhat depressed with the quality of materials available in the UK marketplace, even at a price-point where you might expect better. Ho hum ...

Great video Stuart, very useful and handy tip's . Those hollow doors are useless my Mum and Dad have got them up stairs in there house horrible to work with. Like all your video's good and useful Take care

As I found out to my cost, butchering in a bathroom door lock, chisels and drill bits need to be really sharp.

Genuine question not a comment on how it's done. Could you use the router to cut the holes for the latch? Instead of drilling all the holes?

Nice tidy jobs pal

I thought the rough guide for hinges was 6” from the top and 9” from the bottom was because it “looks” correct to the eye - when your eyes are 5 to 6 feet from the floor! (It’s a bit of an optical illusion)

Fitting bottom hinge 9 inches from the bottom is nothing to do with skirting, its simply for aesthetic reasons , so when your eye view looks down they appear more closely matched to one another in height from top and bottom of the door .

Another great informative video Stuart.👍 I could have done with it about 4 months ago though as I tried in vain to dissuade my son from changing the solid wood doors in my late mother in laws home. (He bought it after she passed on) 6 Horrible horrible new, hollow, part glazed doors that I ended up changing (and keeping the originals for myself. 😉) The main issue I found wasn’t so much the doors though but the cheap loose circlips on the handles themselves which seemed loose. Cheap far eastern tat to be honest. Kids today eh? Now. Idea for next video. Do you have any tips for fitting handles onto kitchen cupboards by any chance? I bought a guide from the well known 2 letter diy store with holes that doesn’t even fit THEIR handles so will probably end up having to make my own. All the best good sir.

Just wondering where all the content for the new land improvement is coming out

stuart u missed out the multi lock front door mine is kaput and need replacing its a munster joinery lock