How to change a mortise lock set to a cylinder lock set

[@bethhouck-moser5499]

My husband who was a contractor passed away a few years ago and I've been learning how to do things for myself. This video was very helpful and I removed the old lock set and replaced it with a new one. Thanks!

[@drsophiatailor]

This helped so much. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with the old doors in the house. Now I do not have to replace them. Thank you. Great video.

[@davelambert574]

Wanted to say a big thanks, found your video and you saved me many headaches and a bit of money. We just bought a home with a large 8 foot door with a 30 year old mortise lock in it. after several quotes to replace the mortise lock with another mortise lock, i started looking online for help and found your video. it only took being locked out of the house 3 or 4 times. the final straw happened last week when the old key cylinder rotated and lock my wife out with groceries. it actually went much easier than i thought. thanks for the great video.

[@sfjamie]

Awesome Awesome awesome! Love to hear that this saves someone grief! (time and money are also biggies for me!) :-)

[@OnlyMe2013]

My home has all custom doors and mortise locks on all of them. I am about 4 months pregnant and of course I decided now is the time to start my home renovations, haha. I am big on DIY and do all the work myself. For not only cost of money but I love looking and showing my house off being able to say "I did that." When I saw that it was upwards of $35 a set for each new mortise lock set, I about fell off my chair, so I'm definitely going to go with this option!! Thank you so much for this video! I will probably take the extra step to use putty/wood filler and sand down the sides of the doors. so they look brand new.

[@yvette5521]

I watched too many videos that weren't helping then... BAM! you had every answer I needed! My door thanks you, otherwise I might have accidentally destroyed it.

[@sfjamie]

+Yvette Groover Great to hear! :-) Glad it was a success!

[@laurakrause7538]

I replaced a Mortise with a Cylinder deadbolt and handle this weekend. This video was crucial in doing that job. Given that this was my first time attempting something like this and i had to take care of every tiny detail including chiseling new holes and offsets for the strikeplates and latch/bolt wells, it took nearly 5 hours total of work (the new deadbolt and latch each required their own new sets of boreholes and latch/bolt wells). I'm somewhat experienced with standard cylinder knob replacement but this was a whole 'nother level. At any rate, thanks a ton for the video, as frustrating as the work was, it would have been much worse without this guide.

[@wadeandrews91]

Thanks for the video, the only thing I might do differently is to rotate the wood filler block 90 degrees so you do not have end grain showing on the side of the door. This should make filling, sanding and painting easier.

[@sfjamie]

Awesome! Good idea!

[@garciafamily181]

I just wanted to say thank you for your great video. The step by step instructions and tips were exactly what I needed to change out these locks. I had to replace 6 sets in a property that I just purchased. So, thank you very much!

[@sfjamie]

William, the best thing about the Irwin jig is that both the hole saws and arbor come with it. Search Irwin door hardware instillation kit and it should come up. I just noticed it's only $16.16 right now which is cheaper when I got it. The hole sizes are standard, but the backset of the door handle can be 2 3/8" or 2 3/4" depending on what hardware you buy. The nice thing about the jig is that it allows you to do either with the push of a tab. And yes, the gaps were filled in. Once they are it looks really nice. You could use lightweight spackle, bondo or wood putty. It's not a heavily abused area so you don't need to go to extremes. So use what you are comfortable with. Putty is a good choice though. :-)

[@jessicabobowski3817]

Fantastic. I'm in an old house, and the entire knob and lock set for one of the bedrooms was missing. I picked up a new one, got it home and realized that it was very, very different from what had been there before. Now I can make this work. :)

[@yberhan]

Was planning on buying new door but this video will hopefully mean I don't have to do that. Thanks for the posting this video.

[@feddihoundnellz1588]

Good Morning Jamie ! Thank You I been put this project off for a couple of days cause i didn't have a clue about the block join inside of door now I can finally finish these doors this weekend. I'm going to use liquid nail to hold block in place. Once again Thanks for your Video it really help me see the finish work. Rodney

[@sfjamie]

FeddiHound Nellz Great! Liquid Nails should work well and glad you're getting it off of your to-do list! :-)

[@bethhouck-moser5499]

Wow. I had no idea what I was doing and how to start. This video helped me very much! Thanks for your assistance. Wish me luck!

[@pablofigueroa4713]

Good points on this video. I was wondering how I was going to replace the old 5 Mortise locks with newer cylinder locks I have in my new house. This will be this weekend project. Thanks.

[@seanjellema]

Great video! Thank you for taking the time to do this. I have an old house built in 1890 full of these old mortise locks. I'm trying to preserve the door and hardware as much as possible, but no one seems to sell these anymore (our local Lowes stopped a couple of months back).

[@sfjamie]

You can find them on line, but they are $$$$.

[@landngroove]

Great instructions - I had a basic idea, but it was certainly nice to see the walkthrough and get the tips. Thanks!

[@JeffreyBytes]

Very good video. I will be updating the hardware in my apartment front door soon. I was a bit afraid since it has a deadbolt as part of the faceplate, but it seems I can fill it with a larger piece of wood than what you had to use. Thanks for the video.

[@pptrsha1]

AWESOME!!!! YOU JUST MADE MY DAY! NOW I CAN KEEP MY OLD DOOR!!!

[@markguzman2739]

Hi Jaime, you made this look so simple and easy to do, saving me alot of headscratching. Thank you

[@MrTonyBerrill]

Thanks very much for this, I am a new lock smith and find this invaluable, top man

[@rickyperkins9811]

Hi! Great video. I purchased an old door to go in my house, we took out a "wood box" built in and had a whole door put it in. It had a mortise lockset and I had the porcelain knobs and spindle. I really wanted to leave it and for it to be original to the door. I took the lockset and tried to have a key made. Nope. Isn't going to work. NOW, I have you to refer to and put a regular door knob in. (Love the jig.) ((I am a seamstress, but I am soooo into working with wood. Not a lot of difference in the process)) Thanks again.

[@trim0m]

I have been looking for a video just like this! Thanks. I rehab and all of them are old like this...and many have the mortise locks gone completely so I HAVE to replace/update.

[@sfjamie]

Keep up the good work! There is a lot of life left in these awesome doors! Don't forget to post any tips or tricks you come up with that I didn't mention. It might help someone out on here! Cheers!

[@jasonjaycox2836]

wow. thats was awesome! I had a similar idea but seeing it in practice was much faster than trying to reinvent the wheel. ty. I have 3x to do right now and 3x down the line. well done! j

[@sfjamie]

Good luck with them! I'm sure you'll do well! Just don't rush it and look at the comments here to see if someone mentioned something that might help you in your situation.

[@sparks6666]

My house is filled with these old glass knob mortise doors. I hate them. Knobs constantly falling off and poor fit. Original replacement knobs are super expensive and the knockoffs are super cheap. Thx for this video.

[@sfjamie]

You're welcome! As I said, it's a work in progress and I'm sure there are ways of making it better. If you try doing it and come up with something, please come back and post it here in the comments!

[@edfendley]

So helpful--- thanks so much Jamie! I was unsure how to go about replacing my five circa-1938 mortise locks. I had planned to just try filling the cavity with wood putty -- but I presume solid wood will be much better. Do you agree Jamie? +Thomas Shue, I've maintained these old locks for 20 years now, but was always concerned that their key-and-deadbolt could be harder to unlock in case of emergency if key not in hand, e.g. for someone outside the door. Sometimes new is better imho.

[@johnq748]

Thanks for helping out the little people. Jamie for President !!!

[@anav.3483]

great video, could you please write the names for the tools you used in the video?

[@bobevans9561]

Excellent vid. I have a door in which the old mortise lock is stuck in the door. The knobs are out. The mortise sticks out 3/4" but stuck, won't slip out!! Any ideas how to get it out without destroying the door?

[@sfjamie]

Does it feel like a metallic noise when it stops? maybe something in the lock broke and is sticking out. You could try pushing it back in and looking through the hole to see if something popped out. If it's not that, it might be super tight and if you don't pull evenly from both the top and bottom at the same time if could wedge itself in there. Push it back in and try again.

[@sfjamie]

Oh, one other thing... make sure there isn't a wayward screw in the door that might be going into the lock set preventing it from being pulled out.

[@Shmood]

bro thank you so much you saved my project just finnishing up 😌

[@solarwnz]

Very helpful video! Two questions: What were the sizes of the coring bits you used to drill the holes for the new door knob? And two, did you fill in the gaps with wood putty, sand it down and paint over it?

[@JeffreyBytes]

Standard size of the bore hole is 2-1/8″ and standard size for the cross bore is 1". You should check the packaging of the knob you purchase to be sure though.

[@GxAxV]

I'm a locksmith and he TOOK MY JUUURB!!!

[@sfjamie]

Love this comment! :-) I just picture the guy from South Park saying it!

[@christinepionteksullivan6676]

Hi. My door only has the latch mechanism with the whole mortise lockset. I was able to remove the broken mechanism and now wonder if a modern latch would fit right in the existing hole? Thanks for your help!

[@christinepionteksullivan6676]

I meant to say, without the mortise lock.

[@demon11989]

Thank you! I had a hard time finding any info on how to do this.....now I just have to find all the gear >.>

[@sfjamie]

Wood, screwdriver, glue, nails, Irwin kit, hammer and chisel . Good luck!

[@demon11989]

Jamie Schmitt I don't have a nail gun and I'm worried the wood blocks are still too loose. Would it make sense to use wood filler to fill in the gaps? Would that give it anymore stability?

[@sfjamie]

demon11989 You could try it. Depends on the type of filler you decide to use I guess. A possibility is you could hammer in small finish nails and use a nail setter (Google nail setter, sold in packs of 3 for $6-$11) to sink the heads below the surface. I've done it another way where I fill the entire cavity with nothing but bondo wood filler. It's a little tricky, so I might do a video on that if it comes up again. Do me a favor, if you do try it, give me (and others that read these) and update on what you did, if it worked and any tips you might have for someone if they try it. Good luck!

[@demon11989]

Alright, I finally finished the door. I used spare wood to fill in the gaps, slathered it with wood glue and let it dry for a day. Then I went back and filled in all the crevices I could each with wood filler. It held everything in place perfectly. The only downside was that the nails went right through the filler. It crumbled and fell away in spots....but I just kept drilling into the spare wood so it didn't matter much. As long as the screws reach the wood in the center, wood filler should be fine. And make sure to leave enough space in the filler for the lock cylinder to fit in flush with the door (I forgot and had to chisel some away afterwards) I used wood filler on the latch plate gap too. Mission complete!

[@susanfrombflo8368]

Thank you for the helpful, clear instructions!

[@workaholicjay]

kwikset modernization plates. cover all existing holes.

[@pm4549-n9t]

FABULOUS-JUST WHAT WE NEEDED. THANK YOU.

[@effinchad]

Hello there. Glad to find this video. So far the only one I seen that converts an old mortise lock to a modern cylinder set. However I specifically wish you worked on the second door you showed in the video with the skeleton lock. So my question is, like that second door, what do I do about converting an old mortise with the skeleton key hole(circa 1920) to a modern single cylinder? Is there a backing plate that I can install with a locking knob set that'll wrap the door and cover the second hole that I prefer not to reuse?? Or, am I limited to having to get a new mortise lock that will fit the old mount and wood space? (I have 10+ doors like this to update, for security, and efficacy. They are the oiled bronze finish style.

[@sfjamie]

+effinchad You can get a fix-all or bondo type filler and fill the second hole in the door. You could also do as you said and get hardware with a large plate, but you shouldn't have to. I've refurbished old doors by filling the large cavity left by cylinder hardware with bondo, then re drilling all the holes and they turned out great! Only tip is to try and screed the bondo flush with the hole as best you can when applying. It's super hard to sand.

[@effinchad]

+Jamie Schmitt Thank you for that tip. Sounds doable. Totally new to me to do that much wood fill. I've shopped around and see that many retailers sell modern mortise knob sets, or just the cartridge piece with the pins, mostly online however. Rather expensive some are. I might almost consider refurbishing the ones I have and updating only the knob and their shafts to save money, but only the indoor ones. The exterior ones I expect more security from. It looks as if they make modern mortise systems with modern keylock spindles beside the skeleton. I would hope those fit the standard old-fashioned cartridge space.

[@philipelfman6089]

this is EXACTLY something I was looking to do myself, and I see it indeed is possible. what is the exact measurements height depth and width of the piece of wood. is it plywood or solid pine?

[@sfjamie]

That is EXACTLY what I hope to hear! :-) Great! So I couldn't tell you what your measurements would be. They are all different types of lock sets out there. This is just an overview and you'll have to customize it to your particular dimensions. And, this is important, long ago they would sometimes be mortised out by hand before we had all these jigs to take most of the guess work out of it. So each door is going to be slightly different. Best I can say is take the lock set out and copy those dimensions. Or use a tape measure to see how deep the pocket is and back off that an 1/8th or 3/16ths to give it a little room for glue. That might cut the guesswork down a bit. And I would only use solid wood because you'll be screwing into the end grain and plywood has a tendency to blow out between the layers sometimes.

[@kristinkelley6707]

Great video. Im going to try it on a entry door.

[@TheReapersFear4]

USE A 2 PART EPOXY INSTEAD!! Its the easiest and least time consuming way to fill a mortise.

[@sfjamie]

I've done both and I prefer this way better. Couple of things though... The epoxy in most cases is much harder than the wood and if you have to sand it comes out uneven because they sand at different rates causing a hump. Second, you most likely have to take the door off hinges to do this properly. And extra step that some would find difficult with solid wood doors. (heavy!) But that said, whatever works for you, go for it! The whole point is to save time and money and get a great result in the end. There are multiple roads to get to that point and my video was just one of them.

[@Reginaldsusa2000]

This is just what I needed .. thanks

[@1lostinchrist]

I like the video and plan to do this but I would like to see how to finish the project

[@sfjamie]

Next time I do one I'll see about a finishing video. On this particular job I left it to the painters to finish and I was on to the next project at that point.

[@sfjamie]

Maria L. - You can get them all over the place. Lowe's, Home Depot or on Amazon.com.

[@awl23]

Thank you! This is a big, big help to me.

[@bugalloart]

thank you for this video! it helped so much!!

[@sfjamie]

+Gevaudon Lukeris You are very welcome!

[@DanielCC]

Thanks for this great video!

[@maiadimant7405]

Great video! Where could one buy that Irwin door hardware installation kit?

[@the_tvp]

Thank you for posting this !!!

[@kissythecutie]

thank you so much for this!

[@Beaded_byjenna]

I do have a separate dead bolt and luckily my screen door has a lock. Going to be stripping the varnish off at the same time. So no from door for a day or two. How long for the glue to dry? A day?

[@sfjamie]

A day is fine. Just use a normal waterproof wood glue since it's for an exterior door.

[@momobadilak]

exactly the vicdeo I needed!!! thanks!

[@383magnum1]

Would Gorilla glue work better for the block of wood in the mortise? I realize you would have to clamp the door from being spread apart, because Gorilla glue does expand quite a bit as it cures, but is quite tough once cured. If anyone knows where to get a cylinder type lockset that looks retro, like with the plates that are rectangle, roughly 2" x 7"?

[@sfjamie]

mike oswald Hi Mike, you know I have a love hate relationship with Gorilla Glue. But for this project I would bypass the risk of what the expansion may cause and just use wood glue. And wood glue now a days is often stronger than the wood it's holding together! I use Titebond and I've never had a callback on it. If you do use gorilla glue and something interesting pops up, be sure to tell us about it here so myself and others can learn from it please! Good luck!

[@scothenry7184]

This is very helpful. What type of wood would you suggest for the filler?

[@sfjamie]

You don't have to go nuts and get a really hard wood. I used pine. Poplar would be another good choice if it is heavily used.

[@MuntzDesigns]

is snugglieeee a word...lol - great vid.

[@sfjamie]

Ed Muntz From my lawyer... "Snugglieeeee is a registered trademarked of Jamie Schmitt Inc." :-) Thanks!

[@howlee360]

Hmmmm. We have tubular entry and would like to install a mortise lock. Possible? Impossible?

[@sfjamie]

+Martin and Crystal Howley I haven't done it in that direction. Sorry. Would be interesting though! :-)

[@everythinghomerepair1747]

Yes, you can do that.

[@mikeypea1]

Hi Jamie, At 11:51 there's a 'jump cut' from the wood board being flush with the door to it having a slight indentation to allow room for the face plate. I was wondering how you created this indentation. Did you just use the hole saw that was included with the jig?

[@sfjamie]

Sorry, I've been on a big job and didn't see I had a bunch of comments until now. There is a drill bit and jig included with the Irwin hardware. It's a bit flimsy, but you can use it to create the pocket for the hardware.

[@gruffski]

great video!! very helpful. thank you for making this video.

[@junholee3732]

hey there, thanks for the great video, i have one questions, im trying to fill up the gap after mortise lock with caulk rather than wooden piece, do you think it okay to use caulk?

[@sfjamie]

+Junho Lee (O2Jam Nooob) Nope. At the very least Bondo. Caulk is not a solid base for working with.

[@junholee3732]

Jamie Schmitt thanks for the comment, and i really really appreciate your wonderful video. im now looking for some junk wood chip that i can use :)

[@Beaded_byjenna]

Great video. Going to use this on my 1920's front door so I can use a more update front entry hardware.

[@sfjamie]

Hi Michelle, If I get a job doing an entry door soon I'll do another video of it. It generally follows the same principles as I showed here though. Only it's probably a bit bigger of a pocket you have to fill with the wood blank. One thing you have to think ahead about is that you have to allow dry time for the glue to cut your holes and install your hardware. That means you can't lock the door until that happens. So security is a concern. If there is a separate deadbolt than you are ok, if not you might want to use a fast setting glue and do the work in the morning and finish it at night. Or, do it dry with a crapload of nails! :-)

[@guskearney7633]

fantastic video, thanks for posting

[@TheReapersFear4]

What kind of nail gun is that? brad or finish? thanks

[@sfjamie]

Paslode18 gauge finish nail gun. It's really nice nail gun to use for quick projects.

[@sheeh8536]

Jaime, which Titebond glue did you use?

[@sfjamie]

You can use 2 or 3. 3 if it's exterior though. (waterproof)

[@flyingmonkeyknat]

Or you could replace the locket. You can buy new mortise locks.

[@rickyperkins9811]

Sorry, didn't realize that I was posting in my husband's name. :) Debbie Perkins

[@jgansworth]

great video, bro :)

[@edjr672]

what kind of glue did you use?

[@sfjamie]

Titebond II wood glue. If it's for an exterior use Titebond III. It's a waterproof glue rated for exterior use

[@philipelfman6089]

does 4" H x 3" D x 5/8" W make sense?

[@Berkleesaxman]

Very good!!

[@ThomasShue]

old stuff is better

[@c300g]

mortise lock sets are far superior then cylinder locks. a cylinder lock will last for about 10 years while mortise locks will last forever. cylinder locks are not serviceable. if something breaks, you must replace everything where as a mortise lock is easily serviced. the only thing that will wear out with normal use is the spring which can be replaced for under a dollar. even the spring breaking is rare. is the issue is the lock is painted over, its not complicated to strip the paint and polish the brass or nickle. if its bare steel, a good automotive primer and paint will make them look good as new. many lower models were painted semi gloss black originally anyways. if there is rust, soaking it in vinegar overnight will fix that. replacing a mortise lock with a cylinder lock is as stupid as replacing hardwood with laminate.

[@bobyahatovich]

Why would you ever want to replace those old locks with cheap modern door hardware from China??

[@sfjamie]

+bobyahatovich The old hardware I was replacing was and broken and falling apart. Plus I was being paid to do what my customer wanted. Two pretty good reasons I think. :-)

[@Hughesbayou]

the old locks use skeleton keys, imaging those on your key ring LOL

[@DanielCC]

Thanks for this great video!

[@stephenthompson2229]

What kind of glue did you use?

[@sfjamie]

Titebond II Wood Glue II. Only difference between II and III with them is that II is water resistant and III is water proof. If it is an exterior door, use III. Good luck!