# How do I fill in the hole for the latch in a doorjamb?



## near3 (Jan 31, 2011)

The moron that installed the lock set butchered the jam. The door doesn't seal correctly with the dead bolt only the door handle. I need to move the opening back about a 1/4" and down about an 1/8". It looks like they used a jigsaw to cut out the opening. There's no jamb left where the screw for the strike plate needs to be. The screw at the top of the strike plate needs to be at the apex of the opening. I've attached a photo of the opening.

How can I fill this in and do it correctly?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

What did they use a hack saw?
May be able to make it work with a Dermal tool and open up the latch plate.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

cut piece/s of a hard wood. and glue them in place. then use a small drill/chisel as needed


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

make the morist uniformly square then make a full patch piece wood and glue it in with construction adhesive.. once the glue sets up fill any voids with autobody filler. sand everything flush then remortise for teh strike plate


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## near3 (Jan 31, 2011)

Thanks! I was trying to avoid going through all that but I guess I don't have any choice. One problem is that there isn't any thing directly behind where the patch will be will the construction adhesive hold it in place?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Not perfect but an adjustable strike plate might work.
http://www.amazon.com/Prime-Line-Pr...12308&sr=8-5&keywords=adjustable+strike+plate


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## ratherbefishing (Jan 13, 2011)

There are also oversized striker plates, used for when a jamb has been damaged. Might be tall enough to require all new screw holes. They usually have the latch and deadbolt holes in one large plate.


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## near3 (Jan 31, 2011)

ratherbefishing that would be great assuming the deadbolt and latch were close to being on the same plane. I think the photo covers the qualtiy of workmanship that was the standard and aligning the opening certainly isn't one of them but thanks any help is appreciated.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

They could've used a sledgehammer and created a "better" hole than that.


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## danpik (Sep 11, 2011)

I would see if I could get one of these to work. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Prime-Li...ch-Strike-Plate-U-9476/100155886#.UppPmVAo7IU


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## near3 (Jan 31, 2011)

danpik thanks that looks perfect!


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## coupe (Nov 25, 2011)

or you, can get a deadbolt keeper plate about 1'1/4 x3 have plenty of room for screws into good wood


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## near3 (Jan 31, 2011)

Thanks everyone. The plate that danpik suggested worked perfectly. Had it in and the door is sealing in 10 minutes!!! Most of the time was rounding up the tools


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## Barrabas (Jan 30, 2013)

For future reference to anyone reading this thread, I had a customer that I installed new slabs in her whole house. She wanted the door handles raised, which I knew would be a pita, but I obliged. 

Something had to be done about the strike plate and screw holes that were in the jamb below the new strike plate. I used Bondo for Wood as was very pleased with the results. Better then using traditional Bondo, has a wood color, is very hard and sandable with regular sandpaper.


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## hand drive (Apr 21, 2012)

maxwage said:


> For future reference to anyone reading this thread, I had a customer that I installed new slabs in her whole house. She wanted the door handles raised, which I knew would be a pita, but I obliged.
> 
> Something had to be done about the strike plate and screw holes that were in the jamb below the new strike plate. I used Bondo for Wood as was very pleased with the results. Better then using traditional Bondo, has a wood color, is very hard and sandable with regular sandpaper.


that is something I've not seen. seen plenty of red auto bondo and the grey all purpose available but not wood bondo. where do you find it?


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