A couple of years ago I decided that I would install a deadbolt lock onto our door as added protection as my husband was gone out of town a couple of weeks for a new job. This was a DIY project that I was unsure of, but found easier than I imagined.
I gathered up the list of supplies that I needed: single cylinder deadbolt lock, power drill, hole saw bit, spade bit, pencil, utility knife, chisel, hammer and (2) 3 inch screws. Of course, I kept the directions to the deadbolt close by as well.
Important! When installing a dead bolt, make sure you get the one that fits the way your door opens. Begin by taping the template to the door at a comfortable work height. Mark the center of the two holes that need to be drilled, one through the door and one into the door edge. Using a hole saw bit and your power drill, drill a hole through both sides of the door, so the wood doesn’t easily split. Continue installation, using a spade bit to drill a hole into the door edge.
Once the holes are drilled, insert the locking mechanism through the hole on the door and insert the two halves of the lock into the hole and the locking mechanism. Screw these together with the screws provided in the package. Close the door and place the strike plate where your lock will go into the door edge at, beside the door frame at the lock height and mark this position with the pencil.
To form a depression or mortise for the strike plate, open the door again and place the strike plate where you marked it to be and trace around it with the pencil. Using the utility knife, score just the inside of the pencil markings and make a series of cuts across the depression with a chisel and hammer. This is best done by using these at a 45 degree angle. Chisel out the depth that you will need to match the depth of the plate.
Using the spade bit, drill a hole into the door frame or wall. Screw the plate over the mortise and screw into the deadbolt hole using the three inch screws, into the door and wall.
Your lock is now installed and will safeguard your home a little better than just the door lock.