This video demonstrates the process of installing a new deadbolt and door knob using a Dutchman repair technique. The process involves cutting out the damaged area and using a 2 1/8 hole saw to cut a new hole. Once the epoxy sets, remove the screws and counterbore the holes with wood plugs with glue (not dowels) to seal the holes. Place the hole saw jig on the door, positioning it three feet off the ground. Set the backset measurement to either 2 3/8″ or 2 _”, depending on the style of the door and personal preference.
To cover the deadbolt hole on your door, use the wood filler method or the Dutchman wood repair. You can also put a hole cover on it for a simpler solution to the problem. With some woodworking skills and the right tools, you can seamlessly patch a doorknob hole using a technique called a Dutchman repair. This method involves cutting out the damaged area and putting the handle farther away from the jamb.
In a piece of wood, drill a holesaw of 2 1/4 or 2 3/8, and the plug should fit snuggly into the existing hole. Tie the string in the middle of the stick and put some PVA glue on one side. Slide the stick into the hole and pull on it so that the side with the glue on is flush with the door.
With a 1.5″ hole saw, cut a piece of 2×4 and plug the hole. Sand or wrap it in paper to make it fit snuggly. Then, use auto body epoxy filler and paint after sanding. If you’re careful, you can use a booboo plate or simply fill the area of the hole that shows with Bondo, then sand and paint.
📹 How to Patch a Doorknob Hole With a Dutchman | This Old House
This Old House general contractor Tom Silva installs an undetectable wood patch in an old door. (See below for a shopping list …
📹 How To Install A Door Hole Cover Plate: Quick & Easy
I teach you how to install a door hole cover plate quickly and easily.
I am repairing a 150 year old door. It is a Douglas fir door . So the old mortised lock is larger then the one I am replacing and precious homeowners put all kinds of other deadbolts and hinge locks . So I am using this method to fix them all, I have 2 of them fixed and it came out flawless, just one more to go, thanks for this article, if I didn’t see this we would have had to buy a new old door lol, love Tommy’s tricks
Thank you so much for showing us how to fix this! I had a renter and without asking me,he had a friend replace this type lock with a New one and it doesn’t fit the hole and he threw away the original lock. WHERE do you think I can get another “old timey” lock AND would you fix the other side exactly at the same spot or offset because of the “glue to it “on the inside?
This is a great article. I have watched this article many times. I am still trying to figure out the best way to repair the door knob hole on my front door. In this article, the pine board is less than half of the door thickness. Do you think it is okay to cut out a section from the door completely and replace it with a lumber or board of full door thickness? My idea is to use both glue and toe nailing (with 3″ inch screw) to fix it into the door, then make the hole from scratch. I think this way will give it more strength.
I like how contractors criticize other peoples work. (00:30) But when you say they didn’t do a good job on something, they walk out on the job. I had a contractor who said the previous guy working on my house didn’t know what he was doing. I then told him his trim work doesn’t have 90 degree angles on the doors. He ran away after that. But later came back to demand his pay.
In my book the mark of a real craftsman is to respect those who came before him. The casual (and almost universal) slur on the worksmanship of “the man who did such a bad job last time” was uncalled for derision. Maybe he didn’t have a smart router or modern adhesives or a cross- cut saw, back then. On a more practical note, removing so much of the side style has reduced the strength to only a quarter of its original thickness.
The best way to make this is to cut half out the vertical member, open mortise the wood and prepare a piece that slides in, re-cut the hole and move on. It’s the most solid variant and, it has one major benefit. Later, if you want to move to another form of lock, you remove the piece you just made and put another. Obviously, you don’t glue it in, just hold it with wood nails, as they did in the old days.
I feel that the door was very weakened with that dutchman being so short and narrow and you have not enough good wood exposed on length and breath to get a good joint. A longer and wider dutchman with a scarph edge would be much stronger and this can be used on both sides, getting rid of the rotting wood and joining on to virgin wood on both sides. A little more work, but with modern tools, it is not that difficult. That simple repair, well one bang of that door on a windy day or children being rough and cracks will show on all the three sides of the dutchman as the strength of the frame of the door was not put back, it could have been.
I could really use some help! I’ve got an old wooden door and the door knob is placed about three inches further away from the latch bolt. The latch bolt is approximately 5″ long. The door knob is 60+ years old and doesn’t work nor locks. I need to replace it as it is an exterior door. I was thinking of filling the hole and then drilling a new hole in the appropriate place for a new door knob. But I’m not sure what would be the best thing to fill it in with. Any suggestions????
I needed to buy a new door I had to get a hammer and smash the door knob in because the door seized up and it was stuck I tryed nearly every thing to get it open it just was not opening so I just started smashing the door knob until i could open it. P.S I needed to get in there urgently to get some paper work for work
I guess as long as the is not an exterior door or a security door it would work. That door patch is far to weak to do any real good other than to keep it from swinging open in the wind. One hard shove and that whole patch would just snap right out. The routing out and repair boards should run at least half the vertical length of the door for it to have any real resistant strength to it.
By the time you go thru all those steps to put that plate in you could probably rebuild the entire door in Oak by hand. Plys like others have said, I can’t see how this repair will hold up over time. That door handle and plate will take a lot of pounding and slamming, but I am far from an expert. Maybe a lot of screws would help strengthen those glued areas.
Great article but this patch is not a real dutchman, which has beveled sides to increase gluing surface. Also it is too short. In time and after a few door slams, the glue filled space along the end grain will show a crack because of the small glue surface and the flexing of the door at that spot. A bevel of at least 3 to 1 ratio would have been preferable, along with a longer “dutchman” of at least 12 inches.
With how cheap new doors are no need for this,did u see the shape of door edge looked like someone had a go with an axe just because it’s old doesn’t mean it was a good tradesmen that fitted it there was shit tradesmen back then to door needed dipped and straighten with that costs alone new door cheaper