Home
Door backset not fitting in new door?
We bought a new 28x80 door from Menards, and we bought new door knobs but cannot seem to get them to fit at 2 3/4. We assumed we would need to go get 3” ones because that seems like it would fix the problem but apparently those don’t exist and this should fit somehow. Anyone know what we aren’t doing?
Discussion
Make sure that plate recesses into the door. If it’s not the same shape, mark it out with a pencil and carve it out with a razor and chisel. Secondly those mechanisms are adjustable in length.
Remove it and then you can twist it. 180° and it will make it a different size.
i was wondering if it was the type that fits two different hole locations. indeed, you take it out of the door and twist it.
if not, you probably need to buy a different one
here is one that might fit, but do some research with actual dimensions:
This isn’t a twisty latch.
It's already set to the deeper 2 3/4" size.
Looking at it closer that hole seems too far off for some reason. Can you measure and go compare to another door or at another store.
It looks like the one you are putting in there is supposed to be mortised into the edge of the door. Did it come with the drive in option. Some will come both options, the drive in option is just a ring and not a plate, so you remove plate and add ring and push it in the hole.
Looks like you need to mortise the plate on the latch into the edge of the door so it is flush. Look at another door in your house to see what it is done.
Looks like it’s not recessed completely into the door. It looks like the strike is sticking out a good 1/8”. You may need to scribe and chisel to mortise the door out more to accept it. That plate should be flush. Edit: yes that latch is adjustable but you have it set correctly assuming you do as above. If still no go you will either have to bore the door out more to allow the rose to move closer to the strike side of the door.
Instead of mortising the door for the plate, some latches allow you to remove the plate from the rest of the latch, leaving just a round latch - those normally go right into the correct depth on new doors (without requiring mortising).
Use a door latch / hinge mortise jig and route out the depth of the latch plate so it fits flush.
Using a utility knife and a sharp chisel is much cheaper than a $49 jig for a one time job.
2-3/8" is standard backset of interior doors and 2-3/4" is typical of an exterior door or a heavy duty interior door. Once you mortise out for the strike then that'll push it back enough to be able to install the knob.
Correct. They need to measure to the center of the hole for the backset. It's seems too far over. The distance from the edge of the door and the edge of the hole should be around 1 1/4" or so.
You have two problems
- The faceplate of the latch needs to be flush with the surface of the door edge. There should be a mortise in the door edge that match the faceplate. You might have to mark around the edges of the faceplate(use a utility knife to scribe around the faceplate), then remove the faceplate & latch, then chisel out the mortise a little to make the mortise match the faceplate. Start from the center of the mortise and work outward to your scribe line.
- You also need to adjust the backset on the latch. There should be a tab or something to release it so it can be adjusted for a 2 3/8 center. Look at the instructions that came with the door knob. The markings on the latch show it is set to 2 3/4.
That is not a 2 3/8 bore location. If it is not hitting at 2 3/4, there is no way 2 3/8 will work. Looks like the door was mis-bored.
It appears that OP may have cut the lockset hole themselves. From the pictures, it looks like it is too far in.
It looks like it is too far in for either. A 2 3/8 will be close to the center of the rail.
From the edge of the door to closest edge of the hole
should be about about 1 1/4" with a 2 3/8 center.
Hole is in the wrong place.
Wong hole. Wong hole.
The hole is in the wrong place! How does no one see that? The plate recessing into the door 1/8" isn't going to magically move the center of the latch 3/4" to the right. The latch is already adjusted to the deeper 2 3/4" setting. This is not going to work. Return the door and get one where the center of the knob hole is 2 3/8" from the edge of the door like it's supposed to be.
When Menards sells doors, you have to order the handle bore (lockset bore) separately for $1.50, It looks like someone may have drilled the bore too far from the edge.
That’s 2 3/8. You need 2 3/4 back set. What you have in that pic is 2 3/8 back set. I can’t tell from Here but if it’s a dual back set latch then you need to read the instructions to extend it. Plus you faceplate is sticking out. You need to mortise out wood to make the latch plate sit flush with the door edge
Why the crap do I have to scroll so far down to see someone that actually knows some shit. Everyone else on here just offering wrong answers as facts!
You need to notch it out with a chisel so it sits flush.
Mortising the latch won't move it enough, it looks like it's off by almost 1/2". Measure the distance to the center of the bore and post pictures of the hand set you removed and the hole the latch goes in.
There are 3 3/4" backset handles, but it looks like that would be too much. Your knob probably came with the bits to change to a round hole instead of the mortised plate if that's what you have and why you have the plate mounted proud, but that shouldn't change the backset.
Hello, what is a hand set? We don’t have an round anything, the plate is just proud because we don’t know what we’re doing lol
Sorry, another word for knob.
I just reread the post and saw that it's a new door. If the hole was pre drilled it's probably for a round latch. Look at this: https://www.schlage.com/content/dam/sch-us/documents/pdf/installation-manuals/FC21-schlage-custom-combined-interior-installation-instructions.pdf
Step 3 has a and b depending on whether the door has a mortise for a plate or a round collar for the latch. Your knob probably came with the bits to change which installation type. If the door didn't have the space for the plate mortised so it's flush with the edge of the door it's probably the other type.
You have to make sure that the last plate is recessed flush with the door edge other than that I don't see anything else that's wrong but you haven't mentioned anything if you have a router take it down a tad more if not you'll have to use some very sharp chisels and be careful
Did the door come with the handle bore or did you do it yourself?
Menard's standard lockset bore is at 2 3/8" .
This would also explain why the faceplate is sitting proud.
It came with all the holes
That hole looks too far over, and was there a mortise (a recess in the edge) cut for the faceplate?
It looks like the hole was centered too far in.
What is the distance from the door edge to the nearest edge of the hole?
There isn’t a hole for the faceplate, we are gonna try and mortise it and pray
From the edge, measure to the center of the hole. If it not 2 3/8 or 2 3/4 , take the door back. The hole is in the wrong place. This can't be fixed.
First question is - was the hole pre drilled or did you make the hole?
Pre drilled
Have you notched out so the faceplate is flush? Appears to be sitting proud in both photos.