In order to have safety and security in your home, you should install a deadbolt lock. Old fashioned locks, such as chain locks, are ineffective, especially in older homes as the thieves can easily push into the door and unhinge the lock from the doorframe.
While deadbolt locks are not thief proof, they are a deterrent and can further insure your safety. Those who are looking to break into a house to look for quick money or items that can be sold will most likely move on to another home if your doors are securely dead bolted. Any door that leads to the outside should have a deadbolt lock.
You do not have to hire a professional to install a deadbolt lock. Go to your nearest home improvement store and pick out a lock. Tools that you will need to install the deadbolt lock
Electric drill with large drill bit
Small chisel
Pencil
Lock set
Screwdriver
After you purchase the deadbolt lock, take a look at the directions regarding the size hole that you have to drill into your door. You will have to drill a hole through the door to install the lock and into the door jamb to make sure the lock is secure. Read the directions so you know what size hole.
If the directions come with a template, use it. You can put the template on the door and you are ready to start drilling. If you do not have a template, either create your own or draw a circle or square on the door, which ever the lock requires, in the size specified in the directions.
Drilling the hole
You have to drill a hole using the large drill blade that will go through the entire depth of the door. Once you have drilled a few holes with the drill bit, chisel out the rest to accommodate the lock mechanism. You can also use a jigsaw for this process.
The next step, after you have drilled through the door face, is to drill a hole through the hole in the door towards the door jamb where the door will lock. After this, you are ready to drill a hole in the door jamb.
Drilling in the door jamb
You need to close the door so that you will be able to match up where you have to drill the hole in the door jamb that will secure the lock. Mark it with a pencil, open up the door and drill into the jamb to the size indicated on the instructions.
Installing the lock
Once all of the holes have been drilled, you may want to smooth them out using a small chisel so that there are no loose bits of wood that will impede the lock. After this has been completed, you can then insert the lock by using a screwdriver to insert the deadbolt plate as well as the lock on the door jamb. The deadbolt is in three pieces, one plate with a key lock for the outside or the inside and outside of the door and the lock plate on the side of the door where the mechanism fits into place. You will need to use the screws that come in the kit to attach these to the holes that have been drilled.
Test it out
Only tighten the screws lightly to make sure the lock works. If everything is lined up and you followed these instructions as well as other instructions, you should have no problem. Once you have discovered that your installation is a success, you can then tighten all of the screws.
Congratulations! A deadbolt lock costs anywhere from $5 to $15. Installation by a professional locksmith can cost about $50. You have just saved yourself some money by doing it yourself!
