How to Remove an Interior Lock from Your Old House

Those of us with very old homes have old fashioned door knobs that once were locked using a skeleton key, also known as a “bit” key. SInce most interior locks were keyed identically, a single bit key could be used to lock and unlock all the doors in the house.

Over time, those old interior skeleton keys often turned up missing, leaving a whole new generation of old house owners without a way to lock the bedrooms and bathrooms. While you may not be able to find an antique key to open those doors, you can have new reproduction skeleton keys made at your local old-time locksmith shop. All you need is to remove the internal lock from one of your doors, and then bring the mechanism to the locksmith where he’ll be able to create a new key that should work on all the doors in your home.

To remove the lock, all you need is a small, flat head screwdriver and a Ziploc bag.

Step 1: Begin by locating the tiny “set” screws that hold the doorknob onto the spindle. Most old door knobs have a set screw holding the knob in place on both sides of the door; however it’s only necessary to remove one of the screws.

Step 2: After removing the screw, place it in the Ziploc bag so it doesn’t get lost.

Step 3: Pull the door knob off the spindle. Next, grab a hold of the other door knob and pull it off the door, taking the spindle along with it. Set the knobs and spindle aside for now.

Step 4: Locate the metal face plate. This is the narrow piece of metal on the edge of the door itself, located in the area between the two door knobs. The face plate is held in place by two tiny screws; one located towards the top of the plate, and the other located near the bottom. Carefully back out the screws, and place them in the Ziploc.

Step 5: Place the head of the screwdriver behind the top edge of the face place, and gently pry forward. If the plate has been painted, you may have to score the top and bottom edges with a utility knife first, so that the plate can be removed more easily.

Step 6: Once you’ve pried the plate away from the edge of the door, use your fingers to continue pulling the lock out from the interior of the door. It’s this squarish shaped, metal box that should be brought to the locksmith so that a new skeleton key can be cut.

In most instances, interior locks tended to be keyed all the same and the key that opens this particular lock should work on all the rest of your interior doors as well. However, if your home has been added onto over the years, keep in mind that some of your interior doors may have once been exterior doors and will require a different skeleton key to open.