How to Install Exterior Door Hardware

Use a tape measure to determine the length of the backset to ensure you have the right size door latch. This is the distance between the center of the cross bore hole already drilled in the door for the doorknob and the edge of the door. If you have the door hardware that you removed, you can also measure its length. Most locksets have a 2-1/8-inch cross bore hole with a backset that measures 2-3/8 inches.

Slide the door latch into the hole for the backset. Position the latch so the flat portion of the protruding part of the latch faces the house's interior.

Position the door hardware on the outside of the door. Align the inside portion of the doorknob by lining up the screw holes as well as the posts on the latch. Put the screws that came with the door hardware into their holes and tighten them securely with a screwdriver to secure all three pieces of the door hardware.

Close the door. Mark where to install the security plate for the door latch. Hold the latch's security plate in position. Mark its location with a pencil. Use a 1/4-inch drill bit to drill holes through the door jamb where you marked. Mark where the door latch extends into the door jamb. Use a drill bit to make room for the door latch on the jamb, if the door latch does not extend fully when in position.

Screw the security plate into position. Sink the longer screws provided with the security plate into the door's framing to make it harder for an intruder to break in.

Hold the finish plate in position over the security plate. Predrill 5/32-inch holes through the door jamb. Secure the finish plate with the shorter screws attached to the door jamb.