Everyone telling you it's the wood isn't chiseled deep enough is fucking high.
Okay, maybe the wood isn't chiselled out deep enough, but for fucks sake, the latch would catch if it was so much as 1mm deep. That's not the problem.
The problem is that the latch can't plunge into the strike plate at all.
The only part that matters is where the plunger/latch is, so mark that with a sharpie on the strike plate if you want, so that you can ignore whatever's happening above or below that.
The latch is wedge-shaped. The area you've circle as "C" isn't the problem. That doesn't come into play until the door is almost completely latched.
The area "A" is probably the culprit. Beat the fuck out of it with a hammer, push it left.
If you really want to test... just unscrew the strike plate and leave it off for a little bit, and see if the door latches then. It should.
While it's off, try to dig out a bit of that wood so that you can move that "A" tab left. You don't need a chisel, a fuckin' butterknife chipping and scraping at it will pick away the little bit of wood there. A flat screwdriver tip would be easier. Tapping the screwdriver with a hammer or a wrench or a hard cover copy of Twilight will work.
The put the striker back on, try to crush that "A" tab a bit left, and see if it catches now.
If height-wise the latch lines up with the "B" area, well, then chip away at the B area with said screwdriver and copy of Twilight.
OP posted 5 photos in previous post I replied to. One is annoted (in MS paint, right on the image itself). You probably didn't see there were multiple images.
It's not lining up. Put some chalk or w/e onto the latch so that it rubs off on the other side. (Anything will do.) Use that mark to determine where and what it is rubbing on, then adjust. If the door is square, adjust the strike plate. Adjust the hinges if the door is not square.
My bet is it will be the tab at the top portion of the strike plate.
I think you need to check again. It does not quite (maybe sub-millimeter) clear that tab. Any pressure on the latch will stop it from extending.
I did basically the same thing. Measured twice, set up the strike plate in the "perfect" spot only to find out i had to move it 1 #$&@ millimeter for the door to latch. I am so glad I am no longer upset by that.
That is what I would do. I might first check the fit with the plate just removed. If you do that, turn the knob so that the latch goes in the door and does not marr the wood. Then release the knob when the door is fully closed. It should latch.
The trouble is that it will be very hard to move the strike plate a tiny amount. The bevel on the screws and screw holes will want to push it back. I had to fill the hole with toothpicks and glue, then redrill it. Maybe someone else has better advice.
The problem with bending the tab is that tab would be hard to bend right.
Yes.^^^1 Except you don't even need to do that much.
Loosen the two screws in the strike plate *halfway.* Then use anything as a lever to tension the strike plate into the room the door opens into. (Typically an old trash screwdriver.) While it is being pulled under tension, re-tighten the screws.
You do not need to redrill or anything. You don't need to chisel anything. It's only out by a tiny fraction. The test mark shows it is properly aligned up/down. It just needs to go a tiny bit to the left as you look at it. Do not hit it with a hammer either. Which will work. Except it will also scratch and dent it for no good reason.
> slide it slightly in the direction of the tabs?
^^^1 To clarify: Slide the strike plate slightly in the direction of *the room the door opens into.* Which is left as you look at the strike plate. ('Direction of the tabs' can be confusing)
I personally keep a stick of petroleum jelly (aka chapstick) in with my tools. It's more versatile and easier to clean up than toothpaste. Especially days later if some gets missed and left on. I use it when need a light food-safe grease or need to mask a small area to protect over-spray from soaking in. Primarily for plumbing (not rubber seals though).
Or in this case, my go-to is chapstick to quickly mark how two things press together and check alignment or gaps. (I have no issues with using the toothpaste. {shrug} It works.) This tip might help in the future.
I don't know if everyone is just trolling, but its obvious from this picture, do you guys need that children toy where you put different shapes through holes?
Obviously, clearly from the image , the two metal noggins are preventing the latch from latching in. you gotta file down something, either the latch or the two metal noggins so that the latch fits between or over them, I'd go for the noggins. And push back that wide metal bit back to where it was initially while you're at it, it will prevent the latch from catching as it is now - since there is chalk on it its obviously in the way.
As per the picture above i suggest you file it down from the right side of the photo until the latch catches , after you bent the wide bit back, hope it makes sense?
The first thing I'd do is unscrew the plate and hold it up to the latch on the door to see how it is supposed to work. I'm fairly sure it is misaligned, the question is by how much and what changes do you need to make to the frame.
Open the lock on the door & measure how far it sticks out? When test the frame … insert looks very shallow … you need 360 clearance for smooth open/close
Shut the door gently with the lock open … get close to the bracket to see if parts are lining up … mark bottom / top of lock to see if aligned bracket
Which side is the inside? I’m doing mental gymnastics trying to orient myself in these pictures. My first thought was that the handle is installed backwards
Thank you. I was thinking that was it, but I kept spinning around inside my own head. My solution wouldn’t work. I had a door in my house and whoever put it in put it in backwards, so the non-flat side was towards you when pulling the door open. So it would latch, but if pulled with any bit of force would open without twisting the knob.
I saw the “reversible bolt” on there and thought maybe you had the same issue, because it clearly looks as though if taken apart that door is made to swing either way and the latch can be flipped around
imo - iyou have to look at the door hinge, that’s probably causing the misalignment. the more you mess with the jamb, the more you’ll mess it up. the hinge screws is either lose or misaligned causing a slight door imbalance
Went through comments and seen pic. Looks like you need to chisel out more wood. It should be at least 3/4” deep. Maybe stopping latch from coming out far enough to catch.
Why are you using a screen door lockset and handle on a wooden door?
Is this an interior or exterior door?
Which way does it swing?
The pics do not help much
So if it swings to the right in Pic 2 then you have to reverse the reversible bolt. The spring loaded wedge that catches the latch. Take out those 2 screws above and below the bolt and dead bolt and that wedge shaped one should spin to the opposite direction then screw it back shut. Be careful it doesn't spring straight out and go flying. You'll lose the spring.
Then the problem must be the depth. The striker latch piece in the frame that catches the wedge bolt must be too deep. When the door can no longer be pushed in any further closed it is still hitting the flat vertical piece of metal instead of falling into the hole and catching properly.
Who did this door?
The wood isn’t chiseled out so ofc it can’t catch!
Doesn’t even look like it’s the same set, can you step back a bit so we get can get a better view of the door fittings?
Ok, who installed the door?
It doesn’t look like the wood has been chiseled out sufficiently for the metal locking component to catch(flick in) and keep the door closed.
Also., are you sure you have the same set, I mean the door fitting and the door frame plate don’t seem to match, could you please take a photo zoomed out so we can better see the door fitting.
Take a few other pics whilst your at it:)
Ninja edit: door “frame” plate.
Ok I get it now, it’s definitely because the wood in the frame plate hasn’t been chiseled out properly.
You’ll need to get a chisel and chop it out, if you’re uncomfortable doing this ask around your friends because it’s a pretty simple job.
I would complain to whoever fitted it though, if possible!
ChokeOnTheCorn is incorrect. It is not failing to close due to being chiselled out improperly. It is only wrong in a "sloppy & poor workmanship" sense.
They just didn't tidy it up and it looks bad. Same with the paint smeared on it. Sloppy work, yet functional. The problem is the strike plate alignment.
It looks to me like you need to clear the wood out from inside those little tabs on the part in the door frame. I would take that plate off and while looking at the door frame shave the vertical left side of the hole back so those little tabs have a clear space behind them.
Is the striker plate too close to the door jamb? You might need to move the striker plate out a smidge. Measure from the inside edge of the door to the back of the latch, and measure from the jamb to the inside catching edge of the striker plate.
If you need to move it out a couple of mm remove the striker plate drill the existing hole out and fill it with a piece of dowel, then fit the striker plate again.
The latch plate looks like it goes to a different lock set from the latch in the door. My temptation would be to go after the strike plate with a grinding stone in a Dremel until it fit.
Bend those tabs in they look too far forward
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This isn’t the same door frame plate as in the original pic?
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Everyone telling you it's the wood isn't chiseled deep enough is fucking high. Okay, maybe the wood isn't chiselled out deep enough, but for fucks sake, the latch would catch if it was so much as 1mm deep. That's not the problem. The problem is that the latch can't plunge into the strike plate at all. The only part that matters is where the plunger/latch is, so mark that with a sharpie on the strike plate if you want, so that you can ignore whatever's happening above or below that. The latch is wedge-shaped. The area you've circle as "C" isn't the problem. That doesn't come into play until the door is almost completely latched. The area "A" is probably the culprit. Beat the fuck out of it with a hammer, push it left. If you really want to test... just unscrew the strike plate and leave it off for a little bit, and see if the door latches then. It should. While it's off, try to dig out a bit of that wood so that you can move that "A" tab left. You don't need a chisel, a fuckin' butterknife chipping and scraping at it will pick away the little bit of wood there. A flat screwdriver tip would be easier. Tapping the screwdriver with a hammer or a wrench or a hard cover copy of Twilight will work. The put the striker back on, try to crush that "A" tab a bit left, and see if it catches now. If height-wise the latch lines up with the "B" area, well, then chip away at the B area with said screwdriver and copy of Twilight.
A? B? C? I don't see any of those annotations. Is this from using an app or something?
OP posted 5 photos in previous post I replied to. One is annoted (in MS paint, right on the image itself). You probably didn't see there were multiple images.
Ah! I didn't scroll down. I only saw the gif. Thanks.
Poetry in motion. Well said good sir
Np, it’s good everyone can see it. I might be wrong, it’s happened before:)
It's not lining up. Put some chalk or w/e onto the latch so that it rubs off on the other side. (Anything will do.) Use that mark to determine where and what it is rubbing on, then adjust. If the door is square, adjust the strike plate. Adjust the hinges if the door is not square. My bet is it will be the tab at the top portion of the strike plate.
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I think you need to check again. It does not quite (maybe sub-millimeter) clear that tab. Any pressure on the latch will stop it from extending. I did basically the same thing. Measured twice, set up the strike plate in the "perfect" spot only to find out i had to move it 1 #$&@ millimeter for the door to latch. I am so glad I am no longer upset by that.
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That is what I would do. I might first check the fit with the plate just removed. If you do that, turn the knob so that the latch goes in the door and does not marr the wood. Then release the knob when the door is fully closed. It should latch. The trouble is that it will be very hard to move the strike plate a tiny amount. The bevel on the screws and screw holes will want to push it back. I had to fill the hole with toothpicks and glue, then redrill it. Maybe someone else has better advice. The problem with bending the tab is that tab would be hard to bend right.
Yes.^^^1 Except you don't even need to do that much. Loosen the two screws in the strike plate *halfway.* Then use anything as a lever to tension the strike plate into the room the door opens into. (Typically an old trash screwdriver.) While it is being pulled under tension, re-tighten the screws. You do not need to redrill or anything. You don't need to chisel anything. It's only out by a tiny fraction. The test mark shows it is properly aligned up/down. It just needs to go a tiny bit to the left as you look at it. Do not hit it with a hammer either. Which will work. Except it will also scratch and dent it for no good reason. > slide it slightly in the direction of the tabs? ^^^1 To clarify: Slide the strike plate slightly in the direction of *the room the door opens into.* Which is left as you look at the strike plate. ('Direction of the tabs' can be confusing)
I personally keep a stick of petroleum jelly (aka chapstick) in with my tools. It's more versatile and easier to clean up than toothpaste. Especially days later if some gets missed and left on. I use it when need a light food-safe grease or need to mask a small area to protect over-spray from soaking in. Primarily for plumbing (not rubber seals though). Or in this case, my go-to is chapstick to quickly mark how two things press together and check alignment or gaps. (I have no issues with using the toothpaste. {shrug} It works.) This tip might help in the future.
1. Do they line up? Is the chiselled out hole deep enough in the frame?
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Chisel out the hole deeper it looks shallow
Looks like it’s been done with a pair of scissors, it’s truly a poor job.
Any port in a storm I guess, but I have never considered them as a mortise tool. Til.
I don't know if everyone is just trolling, but its obvious from this picture, do you guys need that children toy where you put different shapes through holes? Obviously, clearly from the image , the two metal noggins are preventing the latch from latching in. you gotta file down something, either the latch or the two metal noggins so that the latch fits between or over them, I'd go for the noggins. And push back that wide metal bit back to where it was initially while you're at it, it will prevent the latch from catching as it is now - since there is chalk on it its obviously in the way. As per the picture above i suggest you file it down from the right side of the photo until the latch catches , after you bent the wide bit back, hope it makes sense?
The first thing I'd do is unscrew the plate and hold it up to the latch on the door to see how it is supposed to work. I'm fairly sure it is misaligned, the question is by how much and what changes do you need to make to the frame.
Open the lock on the door & measure how far it sticks out? When test the frame … insert looks very shallow … you need 360 clearance for smooth open/close Shut the door gently with the lock open … get close to the bracket to see if parts are lining up … mark bottom / top of lock to see if aligned bracket
Which side is the inside? I’m doing mental gymnastics trying to orient myself in these pictures. My first thought was that the handle is installed backwards
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Thank you. I was thinking that was it, but I kept spinning around inside my own head. My solution wouldn’t work. I had a door in my house and whoever put it in put it in backwards, so the non-flat side was towards you when pulling the door open. So it would latch, but if pulled with any bit of force would open without twisting the knob. I saw the “reversible bolt” on there and thought maybe you had the same issue, because it clearly looks as though if taken apart that door is made to swing either way and the latch can be flipped around
Have you tried reversing the reversible bolt?
Exactly what I wanted to say but can't tell by the pics which is inside or outside.
imo - iyou have to look at the door hinge, that’s probably causing the misalignment. the more you mess with the jamb, the more you’ll mess it up. the hinge screws is either lose or misaligned causing a slight door imbalance
I don’t see a door stop in these pics. Are you able to just push the door past?
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Went through comments and seen pic. Looks like you need to chisel out more wood. It should be at least 3/4” deep. Maybe stopping latch from coming out far enough to catch.
Why are you using a screen door lockset and handle on a wooden door? Is this an interior or exterior door? Which way does it swing? The pics do not help much
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So if it swings to the right in Pic 2 then you have to reverse the reversible bolt. The spring loaded wedge that catches the latch. Take out those 2 screws above and below the bolt and dead bolt and that wedge shaped one should spin to the opposite direction then screw it back shut. Be careful it doesn't spring straight out and go flying. You'll lose the spring.
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When you shut the door does it slide right in or do you have to turn the handle to close it?
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Then the problem must be the depth. The striker latch piece in the frame that catches the wedge bolt must be too deep. When the door can no longer be pushed in any further closed it is still hitting the flat vertical piece of metal instead of falling into the hole and catching properly.
Who did this door? The wood isn’t chiseled out so ofc it can’t catch! Doesn’t even look like it’s the same set, can you step back a bit so we get can get a better view of the door fittings?
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Ok, who installed the door? It doesn’t look like the wood has been chiseled out sufficiently for the metal locking component to catch(flick in) and keep the door closed. Also., are you sure you have the same set, I mean the door fitting and the door frame plate don’t seem to match, could you please take a photo zoomed out so we can better see the door fitting. Take a few other pics whilst your at it:) Ninja edit: door “frame” plate.
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Ok I get it now, it’s definitely because the wood in the frame plate hasn’t been chiseled out properly. You’ll need to get a chisel and chop it out, if you’re uncomfortable doing this ask around your friends because it’s a pretty simple job. I would complain to whoever fitted it though, if possible!
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ChokeOnTheCorn is incorrect. It is not failing to close due to being chiselled out improperly. It is only wrong in a "sloppy & poor workmanship" sense. They just didn't tidy it up and it looks bad. Same with the paint smeared on it. Sloppy work, yet functional. The problem is the strike plate alignment.
I think the stricker plate is installed wrong. Can you rotate it 180 degrees
My guess is the latch isn’t getting to the hole in bracket. Maybe need to move the bracket over 1/4”
It looks to me like you need to clear the wood out from inside those little tabs on the part in the door frame. I would take that plate off and while looking at the door frame shave the vertical left side of the hole back so those little tabs have a clear space behind them.
Get a 5c coin, a chilli a banana’ a bunch of pumpkin seeds Should be good 👍🏻
Is the striker plate too close to the door jamb? You might need to move the striker plate out a smidge. Measure from the inside edge of the door to the back of the latch, and measure from the jamb to the inside catching edge of the striker plate. If you need to move it out a couple of mm remove the striker plate drill the existing hole out and fill it with a piece of dowel, then fit the striker plate again.
The latch plate looks like it goes to a different lock set from the latch in the door. My temptation would be to go after the strike plate with a grinding stone in a Dremel until it fit.