Sanity check, do they make different thickness interior door faceplates?

[TT_Vert]

Basically I have a bunch of new doors and the opening for the latch face plate to go in is not deep enough for the faceplate to sit flush. It's a good 1/16" too shallow. The faceplate thickness is 1/8" and the recess is 1/8" I racked my brain trying to figure this one out. it does fit in my fire door as it's opening is deeper but all 8 of my interior doors have this shallower recess. Am I missing something here?



Thanks much.

Dave

 

[The Cobbler]

just need to chisel ( mortise) them deeper

 

[TT_Vert]

Is that normal? I assumed that all doors would have a fairly standard depth for a standard lock no? I certainly cannot mortise the curved areas and I don't even have decent chisels to do that. Manufacturer intentionally would do this?


Dave

 

[TT_Vert]

I should also mention, 2 of the 9 are the correct depth.

Dave

 

[yeldogt]

You often have to adjust them -- normally only around the center on the ones with rounded corners .......don't take too much out and set them with a light hammer strike.

 

[TT_Vert]

It seems the depth is pretty even throughout the entire recess. I have a feeling i'm going to have to chisel out the corner areas also. I'm just curious if this is normal or if I should go back to Home depot or jeldwen and complain and see if I can have this resolved?


Thanks
Dave

 

[jbwilkins]

Is that normal? I assumed that all doors would have a fairly standard depth for a standard lock no? I certainly cannot mortise the curved areas and I don't even have decent chisels to do that. Manufacturer intentionally would do this?


Dave

That is typically done in a door shop, the door is shipped as a blank and everything is milled in a shop...their equipment tolerances can vary....

 

[firebirdparts]

It is normal. Chisel them. You do wonder whether any lock actually fits that door. I always wonder anyway.

 

[driftpin]

Probably a good use for a Dremel and a correct bit for the corners, I'd probably chisel the majority of it.

 

[Toolfool]

Absolutely normal. They rout out a generic depth since not all lock brands are the same thickness. You just have to chisel out for your specific plates. A 1/4" chisel is enough to do the rounded corners. A 1/2" for the rest. Don't strike the chisel too hard along the vertical edges, you can split the door.

 

[tcianci]

You can clean up the depth of the rounded corners of the mortise by using a Forstner bit that matches the radius of the mortise, then clean up the rest with a good sharp chisel. As others have said, this is completely normal. If the door was mortised from the shop for the thickest latch face, everyone else would have to shim a thinner latch.

 

[TT_Vert]

Yeah I guess I'm just frustrated that $100+ doors require me to buy more tools to make a door lock fit or pay my carpenter to do it. Every door hardware i've installed was the same depth. Didn't run into this at all at my other house but I only replaced 2 doors on that one. I'm not a wood guy so I have little to no wood working equipment sadly. I had to google a forstner bit. I contacted HD and the manuf to see what they have to say. Perhaps it's general knowledge that a prehung door needs additional labor to make a door lock/latch fit but their website and product info doesn't mention this.

Dave

 

[James-W]

As has been mentioned, a chisel works fine. Not that you would want to do this, but they do make a jig where you use a router to remove the material in order to get to the right depth. They have a jig using a router for the hinges as well.

 

[TT_Vert]

Ill google the best way to use a chisel to make a round corner and give one a go.


Dave

 

[The Cobbler]

in many thousands of passage sets I've installed over 30 plus yrs I can honestly say that any latch plates I've seen are roughly the same thickness . I don't do a lot of prehung doors but I suspect their depth is on the shy side for whatever reason
a brad point bit would work for the radius too. a good sharp utility knife to outline the mortise and chisel away . a 1" chisel for the main area would be best IMO, a smaller sharp chisel with hand motion to clean up the ends where the radius is

 

[PugetDude]

I should also mention, 2 of the 9 are the correct depth.

Dave

It seems the depth is pretty even throughout the entire recess. I have a feeling i'm going to have to chisel out the corner areas also. I'm just curious if this is normal or if I should go back to Home depot or jeldwen and complain and see if I can have this resolved?


Thanks
Dave

2 hinge mortises? 1/16" deep? You can chisel them out faster than you can drive back to Home Depot or fill out a complaint form on the internet. It's normal to have to make minor adjustments; it's not Home Depot or Jeldwen's fault you don't own a chisel.

Score around the perimeter with a razor knife, pare out the mortise, set the striker plate with a light hammer tap to ensure the screws will pull it up flush... done.

 

[kursplat]

when you remember the door industry is owned by the tool Illuminati this all makes sense

 

[gnpenning]

As mentioned several times, quick fix and normal.

Btw $100 door is the bottom rung of doors that require expectations to match the low price.

 

[TT_Vert]

$100 was the best interior door HD had given the size i needed. It was a solid core door so i wasn't aware that interior doors were that expensive then. Either way I know that i've never run into this before just was looking to determine if this was commonplace.
Dave

 

[ckennedy]

If you want to get by without buying some chisels, a flat head screw driver and a couple of whacks with a hammer will do the trick as well. Tops 5 minutes a door. I would suggest a straight whack along the outline and then at an angle to chip the wood out. I think you will find its pretty easy.

 

[PugetDude]

If you want to get by without buying some chisels, a flat head screw driver and a couple of whacks with a hammer will do the trick as well. Tops 5 minutes a door. I would suggest a straight whack along the outline and then at an angle to chip the wood out.

I think you will find its pretty easy....

...to make a mess out of the hinge mortise. Use a utility knife and a sharp chisel, neither of which have to be top of the line. Garage Sale specials or HF would be more than adequate for this application, and far superior to a dull screwdriver.

 

[TT_Vert]

I actually think I have some HF chisels however i've used them for non woodworking so they are pretty beat up. May sharpen on my grinder or just go buy some more HF ones. These aren't for the hinges though just the latch cover on door.

 

[Radix2]

I'm surprised that they mortised for the latch in the door edge at all. Standard prehung doors these days seem to be bored only. Then you can remove the latch cover retainer ( see slots in your pictures) and use the supplied trim ring for a cleaner no screw look.

Of course that method has the issue of the bores often being a bit oversized....

You can probably remove the rear latch cover retainer, but still use the latch cover and it will solve your issue. The retainer is not really needed once you have the screws in. Then it will be only 1/16 thick.

 

[ddawg16]

I personally will never use those types of doors again.

I did a 2-story addition to my house....replaced all the interior doors...SOLID knotty Alder.....yea, I paid almost $300 per set (including door frame). But...worth it...

 

[TT_Vert]

I'm surprised that they mortised for the latch in the door edge at all. Standard prehung doors these days seem to be bored only. Then you can remove the latch cover retainer ( see slots in your pictures) and use the supplied trim ring for a cleaner no screw look.

Of course that method has the issue of the bores often being a bit oversized....

You can probably remove the rear latch cover retainer, but still use the latch cover and it will solve your issue. The retainer is not really needed once you have the screws in. Then it will be only 1/16 thick.

I thought of doing just that this afternoon before I posted here but the way it is set up that sleeve for press in has a bigger ID than the mortise so it won't sit into the mortice to allow the latch cover to sit in the mortice flush. I could trim two sides flat however and it may work.

 

[Ch3No2]

If I was the door maker....I would want the carpenter/home owner to only have to remove material rather than add material

 

[TT_Vert]

If I was the door maker....I would want the carpenter/home owner to only have to remove material rather than add material

Or just make it right to begin with. I've still not seen a door latch plate that is thinner than about 1/8".

Dave

 

[dave_dj1]

Just smack them in with a hammer. The wood in there is soft and they will recess in just fine. If not, take a Forstner bit and just drill out a bit.

 

[TT_Vert]

Thanks. I don't have a forstner bit. Maybe I'll go grab some at HF while I'm getting my chisels.

Dave

 

[PugetDude]

Thanks. I don't have a forstner bit. Maybe I'll go grab some at HF while I'm getting my chisels.

Dave

A Forstner bit in a hand drill is a recipe for disaster. Don't do it.
You can sharpen your chisels on a grinder, flatten the back on a piece of sandpaper and have those two mortises deepened 1/16" quicker than driving to HF.. Don't overcomplicate this.

 

[TT_Vert]

A Forstner bit in a hand drill is a recipe for disaster. Don't do it.
You can sharpen your chisels on a grinder, flatten the back on a piece of sandpaper and have those two mortises deepened 1/16" quicker than driving to HF.. Don't overcomplicate this.

What i was thinking was using one w/ the exact radius is the current corner and just using that as a guide to go a hair deeper then just use the chisel on the flat areas. I have to drive 40 minutes to this house anyway to do this so another 10 minutes to HF isn't a huge deal. Plus I'm trying to educate myself on woodworking a bit more so those bits may come in handy at some point, especially when using my drill press.

Dave

 

[Bill Wright]

The best solution for the future is use a local Door Shop. One that only does doors maybe Windows too.
When you deal with home center you are dealing with barely knowledgeable people.
A door shop, you can take your old door in to have it matched. Just that, it will match everything about the old door from the three degree bevel on the lead edge to the depth of your lock mechanism.

 

[TT_Vert]

Yeah like most people I would have little idea a door shop exists, especially in this day and age. I don't plan to replace any more doors until I build my next house 10 years from now and then I'll let the builder deal w/ everything.

Dave

 

[the gypsy]

Hi TT_ Vert. I believe that the doors you purchased are machined for the newer handles on the market. The newer handles have a latch system which can be used in 2 different ways. One way is to use it with the cylindrical latch press fit into the door or you can add the facade which is a flimsy stamped sheet metal piece usually put in from the rear of the latch. This piece serves strictly as a facade for doors with the rectangle machined. So seeing as they are not as thick as the better handles with the older type latches, this is what you are experiencing.

The remedy is a sharp chisel ( I don't suggest any hammering) line up your chisel and try to rock it so that it will enter the wood to square up the corners. Patience is important because it is easy to scrap a new door ESPECIALLY if you use a screwdriver and hammer.

 

[TT_Vert]

Thanks much. It seems these doors are made of a soft wood so maybe this won't be so bad. My concern (Aside from not being able to chisel a 1/8" radius) was not chiselling parallel and having the top or bottom of the door sunk in further than the other which to me will look bad. Nobody else would ever notice it.

My latches are those which you describe. You can pull of that square trim piece, rotate the backing and put a press in cylinder on it and press that into the door. Is that what you refer to? If so, that is what I have and they are 1/8" thick total.

Dave

 

[the gypsy]

The latch I am referring to has a serrated front piece with a thinner piece of rectangular sheet, not like yours. Your latch seems quite beefier like some of the older ones without the removable facade. But yes you get the idea. Chances are you may have purchased a better quality handle than the cheapies I am referring to.

 

[The Cobbler]

lets call the serrated front piece the latch plate . it is a removable pc that is supplied so you can use either the latch as a drive in (1" bore in the door and latch is driven in with a hammer) , or use the plate for a mortised latch( latch is mortised and the plate is screwed to the door rail).
I have not seen a latch plate that is thinner than the the plate on a mortise latch . everyone I have seen is about bang on the same as the mortise plate. not saying they don't exist, just I haven't run across them. I've installed lots of passage sets in 35 plus years.
the bottom line , (IMO) is the doors were prepped with the strike mortise depth a bit shy of standard.

 

[TT_Vert]

Well they're all schlage, no idea of the quality, they were here when we got the house and we decided to retain them.

This is what I have minus that tiny part that presses in independently. I'll see what HD has to say on this but it'd be nice if one thing went right on this house lol. Basically just pry the cosmetic square, rotate the backing piece and pull off and put on the press in insert if you want to go that way, or replace w/ the square corner plate. And actually looking at that pic, I don't think I have to worry about getting the radii correct as the back part is a bit smaller than the plate.

 

[the gypsy]

This is what I am referring to. As you can see one is more substantial in thickness than the other.

 

[the gypsy]

Schlage is very reputable door lock. I believe it is much better than many other brands out there.