How Do I Lock My Bedroom Door?

Replacing the Doorknob

• 1

  Take the screws out of the existing doorknob using a screwdriver. Although different doorknobs vary, most have two screws, usually on the side of the doorknob outside of the bedroom. Once the screws are removed, grab the doorknob on either side of the door and pull away from the door, removing the knob.

• 2

  Unscrew the screws that hold the bolt in the door. The bolt is the slanted tongue that catches when you close the door. Usually these have two screws. Once removed, pull the bolt through the side of the door.

• 3

  Place a bolt from a locking doorknob into the door through the same hole you took the original bolt from. Position it so the slanted edge of the bolt faces the door frame when the door opens. Secure the new locking bolt with two screws.

• 4

  Place a doorknob with a lock on it in the hole. Put the long centerpiece of the doorknob through the hole in the bolt mechanism. Place the knob with the lock on it on the inside of the room. Place the other doorknob on the outside of the door, positioning it so that the long centerpiece of the other knob fits in the hole in the second doorknob.

• 5

  Reattach the doorknobs using two more screws.

Chain Lock

• 6

  Hold the lock plate up to the door, 3 inches above the existing door handle and 1 inch in from the door’s edge. The lock plate is the part that is on the door itself and is not permanently attached to the chain. Use a pencil to mark the screw holes from the plate on the door.

• 7

  Remove the plate. Use a drill to predrill the screw holes that you marked. Use the appropriate drill bit based on the screws that came with the chain lock.

• 8

  Hold the plate back up to the door and screw the screws through the holes in the plate into the drilled holes.

• 9

  Hold the chain mount, which is the piece that holds the chain, up to the door frame. Position it at the same height as the lock plate. Mark the screw holes in the chain mount onto the door frame.

• 10

  Remove the chain mount and predrill the screw holes as you did the lock plate. Put the chain mount back up to the door frame and attach it with the screws.