Front Door Thumb Latch Stuck

Unscrew the thumblatch off the door.

Front door thumb latch stuck.

Sometimes the lock button being stuck is endemic of the latch bolt freezing so you might not be able to take advantage of spring loaded latch through the gap between the door and the frame. To take yours out just use your phillips screw driver again to take out the two screws in the face plate. Antique thumb latch front door pull handle gothic twist vintage brass or bronze 155 00 lot of 3 antique heavy brass door pulls thumb latch handle great bronze patina. The knob will not turn to retract the stuck door latch.

You can see where the cylinder entered the dead latch mechanism and pulled the latch back. Remove the two screws on the inside door knob faceplate with a phillips screwdriver. When possible it s easiest to file the slot in the strike plate a little bit so that it will receive the latch. Open the door wide and put on a pair of safety glasses to protect your eyes.

For less than a 1 8 inch misalignment of the latch bolt and strike plate file the inside edges of the plate to enlarge the opening. On the kwikset locks this looks like two little teeth that the cylinder pushes back. Filing the strike 1. Disassembling the door knob.

Equip a rotary tool with a carbide tip bit. There may be a through bolt whose head is hidden by a screw cap below the knob. A latch bolt that sticks in the strike often leave tell tale. This will probably require an 1 8 allen wrench for the interior knob or lever.

Insert the tip into the latch. The door latch is not extended before rotating the knob. The handle or knob must be jiggled to unstick the latch. A sticking door latch might require some lubrication or it might be jamming against the.

If door latch doesn t align adjust the position of the strike plate. Taking the lock of the door is often simpler than it would be to take a deadbolt or exterior door knob lock of the door. How to fix a latch that sticks in a door knob identifying a sticking door. Inspect the strike plate on the edge of the door frame.

If this works then you can open the door and it s time to replace the dead latch. You may want to spray wd40 or other lubricant on the lock mechanism.