How to Install Kwikset Smartkey Deadbolts

Make a mark on your door that is either 2-3/8 inches in from the edge or 2-3/4 inches in, depending on the specifications of your deadbolt model. Make this mark exactly 5-1/2 inches above the center of the lockset.

Draw a light, perfectly level line from the mark you just made to the edge of the door. Continue this line across the door edge. Make a dot in the center of the door edge along this line.

Drill a 1/8-inch pilot hole into each of these two marks.

Attach the 2-1/8-inch drill bit to your drill and create a hole through the door, centered on the first mark you made.

Insert a 2-inch nail into the large hole you just made, and from there insert it through the intersecting pilot hole. Close the door and push in the nail as far as it will go, creating a mark on the doorjamb. Remove the nail and open the door.

Use a 1-inch bit to create a hole through the edge of the door, centered on the second pencil mark you made. Stop drilling the second hole once you have drilled into the side of the first hole.

Place a piece of tape on the end of the 1-inch drill bit, exactly 1 inch from the end. Drill into the doorjamb, centered on the mark you made with the nail. Stop drilling once the tape reaches the doorjamb.

Place the latch faceplate over the hole on the edge of the door, which will also require you to insert the latch mechanism into the hole. Trace the outline of the faceplate with your pencil.

Remove the mechanism and score into the edge of the door with your utility knife along the outline you just drew. The depth of your score marks should equal the thickness of the faceplate.

Place a chisel in the box you just created with your utility knife, keeping the chisel at a 90-degree angle from the edge of the door. Tap the end of the chisel with a hammer until it cuts into the door at a depth equal to the score marks you made with the utility knife. Move the chisel up or down a fraction of an inch, and repeat this process until the entire area inside the box has been cut.

Turn the chisel so the flat side is facing out. Place it against the bottom of the box and hold it at a 30-degree angle from the edge of the door. Tap up on the chisel with your hammer to cut into the scored pieces, removing them and leaving just a recessed area.

Repeat the entire process of creating the recessed area on the doorjamb, using the strike plate instead of the faceplate. Since the strike plate will hang over the edge of the doorjamb, you will only score three sides to make this rectangle.

Wrap tape around your 1/8-inch drill bit at a distance from the end equal to the length of the four plate screws that came with your Kwikset deadbolt kit.

Drill two 1/8-inch holes directly above and below the hole in the edge of the door and the hole in the doorjamb. Place the mechanism and strike plate in place to line up your pilot holes with the holes on the plates. Once the pilot holes are in place, use the screws to secure the mechanism and the strike plate.

Insert the external side of the deadbolt into the hole in the door. The metal prongs on the deadbolt will slide through the holes in the mechanism.

Put the inner side of the deadbolt in place as well. Insert the two long screws provided with the kit into the holes on the inner side of the deadbolt. Screw them in place, and then turn the latch to make sure it is working.