South West Broker

How to Change your Locks in Five Simple Steps


Changing locks in your home sounds so simple, and it can be if you know what youre doing. Of course there are on the market different styles of handles, and certain styles have different locking mechanisms. Each style has its own unique function, so if youre going to change your lock, know what type works best and why. Read on and learn a little about how to change a basic lock, and other style issues and uses.

You need to know what youre using your lock for before changing out the lock. Here are a few styles that youll want to consider.

1. Free through Passage Handles. If you need to change the handles in your house for a closet then you wont have to fool with locks on this one. Its free through exactly as the name sates. You can buy them in a knob type handle style, or a lever type that is very popular. Of course make sure that you dont need one a lock before purchasing a free through handle. Any medications that are stored will need to be locked if you have small children around.
2. Privacy Door Knobs. Commonly used in the areas of a bedroom or bathroom where privacy is most desired. The lock on these doors are made where you can unlock the door from the inside by turning an extra switch, or just by turning the knob.
3. Entrance Locks. This type of lock is very popular for a garage door or anywhere that youll want limited access to areas that might have dangerous chemicals, or sharp machinery or tools. The style is not totally secure because if its used on fencing around a pool someone can hop the fence, and get right into the area youre trying to keep closed. Consider enclosing any area like this with a much taller fencing system for better security.
4. Decorative Door Knobs. These types of knobs are used for spicing up the look of your house. Popular places for placement are on French doors. You can use them on pantries too as long as you dont have anything in there thats hazardous. Theres no lock on these, so make sure that youll use them in the correct way. Handles can be placed on both sides of the door, but youve got a choice of having them only on one side too. A cap in a matching color is on the other side with fake trim.
5. Security Single Deadbolt Lock. This lock is good for any entrance door to the home, such as a front or back door. You can put them on interior doors that lead from a garage to inside of the house too. Its advisable to use this type of lock with doors that dont have glass panes or side lights. It would be very easy to enter by just breaking the glass and reaching in to turn the knob. It has one cylinder on the outside. Youll enter by using a key from the outside of the door.
6. Security Double Deadbolt Lock. Use this type of lock when you want extra strength and security for you doors. This deadbolt lock can be locked from the inside or outside of the door using a key. Other types of locking mechanisms can be added for security such as a chain too.
7. Decorative Deadbolt and Latch Set. This type can be made as either a knob or handle type. Its a deadbolt lock and a door latch in one. You can use the two configurations by themselves too. It just depends on your needs.

Now that youve got an idea about the different types of styles and their locking mechanisms youll need to figure out if the door handle that youve got now is appropriate, or if you just want a new style of lock and handle to replace the older one.

Considerations for changing your lock are below. If youre upgrading your lock these are a few tips that will come in handy when doing it.

Latch plate. The latch plate hole might not be deep enough for a better quality latch. The latch plate is on the interior part of your door. Open it and remove the existing latch plate.
Try fitting the new latch plate into the old hole. If it doesnt fit flush with the hole, youll need to chisel out the old hole to a deeper depth.
Check to make sure that the plunger for the deadbolt matches up with the hole in the door frame. The lock wont do any good for security if the holes dont line up.
For extra security add longer screws to the pre drilled areas on the plate.
Readjust if needed for security purposes.

Foreclosure homes happens when numerous mortgage payments have been missed and the homeowner is unable to rectify the situation with payments.

Three Top Reasons NOT to Tile over Vinyl Flooring

Though more and more people are tiling right over their existing flooring, there are many disadvantages to this. Though you may think that this will save you time, tiling right over vinyl can compromise the stability and look of your ceramic tile. Here are the top three reasons not to tile directly over vinyl flooring.
1. It wont stick well.
The top layer of vinyl is similar to plastic and it is very difficult to adhere anything to it. Vinyl is shining with an artificial shine and as your base it isnt porous which means a good bond is very difficult to achieve. No matter what kind of glue you try to apply to the vinyl, your tiles will not bond well to the vinyl. There are some who recommend roughing up the surface of the vinyl for a better bond, but this really isnt an effective method.
Because the tile and vinyl will not adhere well to one another, there might be lifting after you lay the floor. If the vinyl begins lifting and pushing the tile up, you may have to replace a section or the entire floor. If you do tile directly over vinyl or linoleum flooring, you may find at a later date that you need to remove the new tile floor to get to the old vinyl because of lifting and instability. It is probably better to save yourself the time, money and hassle by removing it now.
It is important that your new tile floor is secure and stable and direct adhesion to vinyl flooring will not ensure that. There isnt a mortar on the market that will stick to the surface of vinyl at the level needed for tile installation.
2. It wont be level.
It is much more difficult to get the floor level if you tile right over vinyl. You wont be able to figure out the anchoring pattern when you tile on top of vinyl and this is one of the key factors in a stable and level floor surface. It will also be difficult when trying to insert transitions where the floor rises or where spaces must be filled. If you start with a fresh or existing sub-floor you will have a much more stable and level end result.
3. The sub-surface under the vinyl isnt suitable for tile.
Vinyl flooring is usually installed on 1/4 plywood or particleboard. These substrates are not approved for tile because of a different material make-up. If you lay tile right over vinyl or linoleum the safety of your floor will be compromised. Tile on top of a cushioned floor is very unstable and you can develop cracks in the tiles or the grout. Because vinyl flexes, it can crack the tile. It is nearly impossible to replace a tile with a chip or a crack once it is adhered so you may end up having to replace the entire floor in the future because of the vinyl lifting and flexing.
If you do want to leave your vinyl down, then you need to prepare the floor structurally for the tiling. You will need to screw down the old vinyl and then create a mortar base using mesh and concrete. If you dont want to get into pouring cement, you can lay down a plywood sub-floor. There are products on the market now that increase the crack resistance of tiles placed on wooden sub-floors. This method isnt really much different from lifting the vinyl up. It may seem like a lot of work right now, but taking your time and doing it properly now will save you a lot of time and money down the road.
If you are still determined to keep your vinyl down, then you might consider talking to a professional tile installer. They can go over all of the pros and cons with you and look at your specific situation.
Before you proceed with your plans to tile directly over vinyl flooring, keep all of this information in mind. Not only will you have difficulty with bonding and leveling, but you will also end up with a floor that is unstable and in some cases unsafe. This money-saving and timesaving route could end up costing you a lot in the future.