Frustration with Entry Door (Home Depot, installation, build, standard)

[rickeames]

I bought a house a year ago that was built in 1980 and so it feels like nothing is standard. I went out yesterday and picked out a nice keyless entry deadbolt as my kids keep losing keys and it's easier to remember a code. I brought it home, took off the old deadbolt and lo and behold: the hole is smaller than normal. Sigh.

So, my options are: replace the entire door, which looks very difficult, or somehow drill the hole bigger and hope to hell I don't mess up on the centering.

I'm hoping someone has suggestions. As you can see from the picture, the frame is pretty tricky. I have no idea how to go about replacing a front door like that. When did hole size change?

[Coldjensens]

They make templates for drilling those holes. Just get one made for your lockset configuration and door thickness. Some you can do with a drill motor. Some you need a router.

[akck]

I don't believe the hole is smaller than normal. I believe door locks come mainly in two sizes and you chose one with a bigger size (could be that's the only size they are). I've had to enlarge the hole on a metal door. It wasn't easy, but it's doable. One nice thing is that the lock trim is large enough to cover some of the hole imperfections.

Here's one method:

Enlarging Lockset Holes | Doors | This Old House - 1

[K'ledgeBldr]

And the other method-
Door Lock Installation Kit # 3111002 by Irwin Tools

[TrapperL]

^^^^Here's another one from DeWalt, a boring ***. It comes with all of the drill bits. To use all you have to do is set the cams for the right backset which are clearly marked, use the bolt drill for a guide in setting it up on the door, and drill the hole out from each side. Pretty easy to use and hard to screw up. I mention this as it's available at most Home Depots. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Irwin tools accept availability sometimes.


The pic shows the hole saw for the body of the lockset already thru the *** with the saw teeth coming out of the left side. The bolt drill is shown from the wrong side actually as you use it from the front of the pic. I've found a 1/2" drill works better than a 3/8" but you're only talking one hole.