I bought a new lock for my pocket door
 

Need someone to help me install it. The locksmiths are ridiculous.

I ordered the lock thru Amazon
I will need a hole drilled into the pocket door door frame


.Amazon.com

A local handyman should be able to do it easily

I agree with above for the handyman, hopefully the new lock came with insrtuctions for the size of the hole and the location.

Hold on! Certainly your pocket door had a lock before and you are just replacing it? There are different kinds of pocket door hardware. Is this a new pocket door and if so who installed it without the lock? Help me understand!

Should have a template that you align with door edge at proper height for the hole saw. Just don’t know how one ends up with an installed pocket door without the hardware as part of the deal. Maybe it’s a replacement door but installation of the door is the hard part the lock is easy comparatively

Personally, I would bite the bullet and hire a locksmith. A handyman could screw it up, especially if it is someone you are not familiar with. I doubt that most handymen have installed very many pocket door locks.

Piece of cake, lock should come with instructions and template. Get the proper size hole saw bit listed in the instructions, use the template, drill the hole, and install per instructions.

Maybe, but it is more than just drilling a hole in the door frame. You need to drill holes and cutouts in the door. A pocket door is different from a regular door. I would want someone who has done it before to install it. I would pay extra for an experienced locksmith, not a handyman who I didn't know. My opinion.

What is a 'pocket door'?

What kind of pocket door needs a lock like that?

A door that slides into the wall rather than swinging on hinges.

Pretty expensive for a pocket door lock. Appears to be a good one, though. I've been thinking of installing one, myself. I've replaced other door locks, including bolt locks and what not, so it should be pretty fast and simple job. But, if you are going to pay that much for a decent lock, you might as well go all the way and hire a professional to install it.

I have pocket door leading into master bath. No key hole lock. It only has flip latch from inside and square plate covering the latch mechanism up. So evidently wants key lock on door? Why? I don’t know.

Not to mention the free-play pocket doors have, a lock is easily defeated by simply lifting the door.

This particular lock has some bad reviews for both quality and installation problems. If I wanted to lock it I would just use a hook and eye on the inside unless it's a room you want to lock up when you are not around.

Good luck on that if the plunger/ lock is engaged

You nailed that. Locking vs locking with a key

After reading some of the reviews of the lock you purchased, I would return the lock to Amazon. Then, I would hire a locksmith to provide and install a lock. Get three quotes. I think you are asking for trouble to hire a handyman to install that lock.

Good luck on what? A pocket door has an upward travel limit of at least an inch.

Much like a privacy latch on a standard bathroom door. They’re worthless

IMO, a lock on a pocket door is like a screen door on a submarine.

I am assuming this is a rental, and the owner has some of their property in the closet that they want locked up, I would get a simple hasp locking mechanism that covers all of the screws when closed, and put a high quality lock on it. This will keep honest people out, others will simply break the hollow core door to get in.

Crowd control
 

my locked pocket door seperates 2 of my 3 bed rooms and 2nd bath from the rest of the home.
Party guests and other company at various occasions then use the half bath near the vestibule for their needs.

Take a look at the lock the OP wants to install and tell me you are going to lift the door to take it off the top track. Even with a normal locking latch you would play hell lifting it. I have installed more pocket doors than you have ever touched I promise you

Ok so looking at the picture from the OP assuming the door has a round lock on it now(not a rectangular one) then after the old lock is removed a hole is drilled into the door edge and one into the jamb (with the proper size bit) and then just mortising the door and jamb with a chisel so the lock plate and receiver fit flush. If a handyman can’t do that they need their title changed

Any handyman worth his weight has installed many pocket doors. What goes along with that is installing the lock set that every pocket door normally has. I would put more faith in a decent handyman before I decided on a locksmith. Thanks

That may be correct. But, my pocket door has a 2.5 inch square cutout on the edge of the door with a recessed metal pull, and no hole or any hardware on the door frame. The pocket door does not have a lock on it at all. The builder installs a lot of pocket doors to separate the bedrooms from the main living area, with no means to lock the pocket door. I don't see how the lock that the OP purchased could be installed on my pocket door with the existing square cutout in the edge of the door, unless you installed it above the existing cutout. I think that whoever installs the lock would need to inspect the existing door and select a lock that can be installed without cosmetic issues.

What sort of door pull and locking mechanism does your door have at present? A photo of mine is below. That’s been standard for over fifty years. Note that it has a slot mortised in the edge, not a hole, and a rectangle mortised on each side. Not circles and not in the right places. So what are you going to do with those rectangles and the unpainted areas behind the hardware? That removed wood is going to weaken the door a lot when someone drills the new holes, and it’s going to be very tough to make it look as nice as you are going to want it to look. A good finish carpenter might cut wood blocks that can be glued into the slots, then drill new holes. But that is going to be expensive. I’m not sure locksmiths do that. Some carpenters will tell you—probably correctly—that if you want it to look good, your best bet is to install a new door and properly drill the holes before installation. But removing and installing a pocket door is not easy, and it also has to be painted. Done properly, this little project with parts and your $115 lock could cost you $500. Maybe more. Some of us might be able to do it ourselves, but this is not a simple lock and doorknob replacement.

Be Careful
 

Pocket doors are fitted with a latch consisting of two square pieces of metal which are fitted to each side of the door. The square pieces cover a square cut-out in the wood frame of the door. The standard pocket door latch is very different from what you have purchased on Amazon.

The latch shown in the photo is akin to a regular door-set latch in which a large hole is drilled through the door frame and a smaller hole drilled from the edge of the door into the larger hole. The latch is pushed into the smaller hole and the rectangular plate fitted into the edge of the door using a chisel.

Your new latch cannot be made to fit the square cut into an existing pocket door. Either you must have a new, uncut, door or your new latch will have to be installed in a different location on an existing door, leaving you with two latches.

I looked up your latch on Amazon. It came with detailed instructions for its installation. If you insist on using this latch, you should call Romac, which will send a competent installer with the correct equipment. Plan on spending $200, if not more. Personally, I'd return the latch to Amazon and have it refund the $95 you paid.

OP, see Post No. 26. If your existing pocket door has the same type of 2.5 inch square recessed metal pull, it appears that you can easily convert the pull mechanism into a lock, with a key on the outside and a latch on the inside. Here is a link to a lock from Lowes.

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I can help you with the lock. Let me know. Thanks.

Manny The Handyman, LLC
352-530-2583 office
610-570-5303 cell

"Locksmiths are ridiculous"? I just wish there was a little more support for trained professionals. Maybe we wouldn't have such a lack of them.

Wayne Themuda 401-265-7701
He works warranty on doors in The Villages and does work on the side. Did an excellent job for me. He is also a Villager himself.

“Passive” doors do not have locks

Larry Days Larry Days | Facebook

Larry Days Larry Days | Facebook

Have we scare off the OP?

Well hopefully the Op is smart enough to know what kind of current mechanism he /she has on the door. If it is the round one then the new lock will fit with a little work

A lack of what? There is no shortage of tradespeople here, including locksmiths.