How to fit an interior door handle

Video by Tommy's Trade Secrets. This walk-through is based on the video "Tommy's Trade Secrets - How To Fit An Interior Door Handle" from Tommy's Trade Secrets, a long-running UK trade how-to channel that covers the job clearly from start to finish. The part on marking the latch position accurately before drilling is worth watching closely if you have not done this before.

1. Choose the right handle and latch

Most interior door handles sold in UK DIY sheds come as a pack: two lever handles, a square spindle bar, and a tubular latch. Check the backset measurement before you buy — that is the distance from the edge of the door to the centre of the latch bolt. Standard backsets are 64 mm or 44 mm, and buying the wrong one means the handle will not operate the latch properly.

If you are replacing an existing handle and the old latch is still working fine, you may be able to keep it in place and just swap the handles and spindle. It depends on whether the new handle's rose or backplate is large enough to cover the old fixing holes. Take a quick measurement before you buy.

2. Mark the latch position on the door edge

Hold the latch body against the edge of the door at the height you want — typically around 1,000 mm from the floor for a lever handle, though it should match the existing height if you are replacing rather than fitting fresh. Use a pencil to mark the centre of the latch body and the edges of the faceplate.

Most tubular latches come with a paper template. Use it. Fold it around the door edge, align it with your centre mark, and mark the hole positions for both the latch body and the spindle. A centre punch or sharp bradawl makes a clean starting point and stops your drill bit wandering when you start drilling. That said, on older softwood doors found in many Victorian and Edwardian properties around Sandwich, you can usually skip the punch and go straight in with a sharp bit.

3. Drill the latch hole and spindle hole

Use a flat wood bit or a Forstner bit to drill the latch body hole into the door edge. The diameter should match the latch barrel — typically 25 mm. Drill straight in from the edge, keeping the bit perpendicular to the door. Going at an angle here will cause the latch to bind in the door frame when it is fitted.

For the spindle hole, switch to the appropriate flat bit (usually 16 mm or as specified in the handle pack) and drill in from one face of the door. Stop just before you break through the other side, then finish from the opposite face — that way you avoid the splintering you would get drilling all the way through in one pass. On hollow-core doors, which are common in more recent builds, take care not to enlarge the hole unnecessarily; the inner structure is not always where you expect it.

4. Chisel the faceplate recess

Offer the latch up into the hole and draw around the faceplate with a sharp pencil. Remove the latch and score along the lines with a Stanley knife, then chisel out the recess to the depth of the faceplate. You want the faceplate to sit flush with the door edge — proud and it will prevent the door from closing properly; too deep and it looks untidy.

Work with light chisel cuts across the grain first, then pare back toward your score line. Clean out the corners carefully — a sharp corner chisel helps, but a standard bevel-edge chisel used at an angle will do it. Fit the latch into the hole and check it sits flush before fixing the screws.

5. Fit the latch and attach the handles

Screw the latch faceplate into its recess. Most latches use two screws into the door edge. Do not overtighten — strip the screws here and you will have a loose latch rattling around indefinitely.

Thread the square spindle bar through the spindle hole in the latch and push one handle rose onto the door face, aligning the spindle with the square hole in the handle. Fix the rose or backplate with the supplied screws, then fit the second handle on the other side and tighten the fixing screws so both handles sit square and firm. Check the latch bolt retracts and springs back cleanly before moving on. If it is stiff, the spindle may be a fraction too long — some come with a slot that lets you adjust the depth slightly.

6. Fit the striker plate on the door frame

Close the door and mark where the latch bolt touches the frame. A dab of lipstick or chalk on the end of the bolt, then closing the door, gives you an exact mark. Transfer that position to the frame and mark the striker plate position around it.

Chisel out the recess for the striker plate in the same way as the faceplate — score, chisel across the grain, pare back to the line. Drill or chisel the mortice for the latch bolt itself. Screw the striker plate in, close the door, and check the latch seats cleanly and the door closes without rattling. A little adjustment to the striker plate position is normal — slotted screw holes on some plates allow minor tweaking without starting again.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if the door itself is warped or has dropped and is not sitting square in the frame — no amount of handle adjustment will fix that without addressing the door or frame first. Old properties in Sandwich and the surrounding villages quite often have doors that have moved over the years, and fitting new hardware on a door that does not close properly is a frustration best avoided. Richard can plane the door, re-hang it, and fit the new handle in one visit.