Fitting a door handle should take less than half an hour if the correct tools and know-how are in place. We’ve put together this DIY guide to fitting a door handle so that homeowners can do this without needing to call in a costly professional. Replacing door handles when they’re broken or they’re making noises for example is easier than you think.
Table of contents
Door handle preparation and placement
The first step is to lay a dust sheet as best you can as you’ll need to drill and chisel the door. When it comes to chiselling the strike plate if you’re not confident we advise enlisting the help of a professional as you will have a hole in the side of the door if you do it wrong. The most common height for a door handle is 1000mm from the floor. If you pick this height it’s best to stick with it around the house for all internal doors, for convenience and aesthetics too. Standard UK regulations say door handles must be installed between 900mm and 1050mm off the floor.
How to mark out a door handle
This step-by-step guide will have your door handles in the perfect place.
- Place a tape measure on the floor in front of the door, in line with how deep the handle needs to go.
- Mark out 1000mm with a pencil on both sides of the door.
- Door handles often come with a marking-out template, telling you where you need to drill holes.
- Use this to make small pencil marks and then drill small holes to mark these when you’re happy with them.
- Keeping the drill level with the floor, use the recommended drill bit size to make the final holes.
How to fit the door handle
Fitting the door handle comes after all the fiddly work, but it still requires a good eye.
- Use the handle’s face plate to trace the outline with a pencil.
- Consult the template for the faceplate depth and chisel this part of the door out.
- Screw the faceplate into the side of the door.
- Place the door handles into the holes and check for alignment.
- Once everything is aligned drill the handles into place and check to see if they work.
- Now attach the strike plate to the door jamb and close the door.
If the door handle is installed correctly the door will stay shut when it’s supposed to and it will open and close with no creaking and squeaking from the handles being operated. Contact us on 01752 422 501 for more information or advice, or use our live chat in the bottom right.
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