Deadbolt Installation and Smart Lock Install on Any Door
A back door with only a knob lock, a front door that needs a keypad, or a smart lock that came with the house and never fit the door right. We bore, mortise, and reinforce the strike.
JMB Builders does deadbolt installation and smart lock installation across the Twin Cities metro. On a door with no deadbolt we bore the face and edge holes with a jig, mortise the bolt and strike, and add a reinforced strike plate with long screws into the framing. On an existing bore we fit a keypad or Wi-Fi lock and adjust the door so the bolt throws freely. Priced per door, quoted from photos within one business day.
- Priced per door
- New deadbolt bores cut with a jig, square to the door
- Reinforced strike with long screws into framing
- You set up the app; we make the bolt throw clean
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A door that locks only at the knob is held shut by a spring latch and a couple of short screws in a thin strike plate. A deadbolt is a solid bar that goes into the jamb and, done right, into the stud behind it. Adding one to a door that never had one means boring a big hole through the face of the door and a smaller one in from the edge, both dead square, and cutting a mortise in the jamb for the strike. Freehand that with a hole saw and you get a bolt that binds; we use a boring jig that clamps to the door and keeps everything square and at the standard spacing above the knob.
Smart locks and keypad deadbolts are the same hardware with a bigger body on the inside. Most are made to drop into a standard deadbolt bore, but on older doors the bore is often undersize, the backset is different, or the door is thick or thin enough that the lock does not seat. We open up the bore, shim or spacer the lock, and fit the inside body so it sits flat and the bolt throws with no drag. On steel and fiberglass doors we cut the bore with the right bits so the skin does not tear.
The strike is where a deadbolt earns its keep. We mortise it flush and fasten it with long screws that reach through the jamb into the framing, and add a reinforced strike plate when the jamb is soft or split. Then we check the door: a bolt that scrapes the strike or needs the door pulled to throw is a door that is sagging or a strike that is off, and we fix that instead of leaving you to fight the lock. Setting up the lock's app, Wi-Fi or codes is your side of the job; we get the hardware in and confirm the bolt throws with the door closed.
What you supply
- The deadbolt, keypad or smart lock, with its strike, bolt and the batteries it takes
- Photos of the door from inside and outside, a close-up of the edge of the door at knob height, and a photo of any existing deadbolt bore
- Your phone and the lock's app for pairing and codes after the hardware is in
What JMB supplies
- Boring jig, hole saws and bits sized for wood, steel or fiberglass doors
- Face and edge bores at standard spacing above the knob, mortised bolt plate and strike
- Reinforced strike plate and long screws into the framing when the jamb needs it
- Bore enlargement, spacers or a filler plate when a smart lock does not fit an old bore
- Door and strike adjustment so the bolt throws without touching the strike
- Photos of the finished lock in your job folder
How it is priced: per door
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- New bore in a door with no deadbolt vs. swapping a lock into an existing bore
- Wood door vs. steel or fiberglass, which take different bits and more care at the skin
- Old or undersize bore that has to be opened up or filled and re-bored for a smart lock
- Jamb condition — a split or soft jamb gets a reinforced strike and may need a jamb repair
- Door sag or a strike that is off, which has to be corrected before any bolt throws right
- How many doors in the same visit
Send a photo of the edge of the door at knob height with a tape on it and a link to the lock you bought, and we can tell you before the visit whether it will fit.
How long it takes
Swapping a lock into an existing bore: under an hour. Boring a new deadbolt and setting the strike: about an hour to two per door. Several doors in one visit.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
New deadbolt in a door with no deadbolt
Jig clamped to the door, face and edge bores cut square at the standard spacing above the knob, bolt mortised flush, strike mortised into the jamb with long screws into the stud. Works on wood, steel and fiberglass doors.
Keypad or smart lock swap
Old deadbolt out, new keypad or Wi-Fi lock in the same bore. We check the backset and bore size, fit the inside body flat with spacers if needed, and run the bolt until it throws clean. You pair the app and set the codes.
Smart lock on an old or odd door
Undersize bore, off backset, thick slab or a thin steel door. We open up or fill and re-bore the hole, add the right spacer plates, and mount the lock so it sits square. Most locks that will not fit come down to one of these.
Strike reinforcement
A jamb that has split at the strike, or a door that has been kicked, gets a reinforced strike plate with long screws into the framing, and a jamb repair if the wood is gone. Done on its own or with any new lock.
Deadbolt Installation and Smart Lock Install on Any Door: questions, answered
Can you add a deadbolt to a door that doesn't have one?
Yes. We clamp a boring jig to the door so the face hole and the edge hole come out square and at the standard spacing above the knob, mortise the bolt plate into the edge, and cut the strike mortise in the jamb. On steel and fiberglass doors we use bits made for the skin so it does not tear. The bolt goes in, the strike goes on with long screws into the framing, and we run it until it throws clean with the door closed.
Will a smart lock fit my old door?
Most will, with some fitting. Smart locks are built for a standard modern deadbolt bore and backset; older doors often have a smaller bore, a different backset or a thickness the lock's bolts do not reach. We open up the bore, use the lock's alternate backset if it has one, and add spacers or a filler plate so the inside body sits flat. Send a photo of the door edge with a tape on it and a link to the lock and we will tell you before the visit.
Do you set up the Wi-Fi and app on the smart lock?
No — that part is yours. We install the hardware, put the batteries in, and confirm the bolt throws and retracts cleanly with the door closed, which is the part that has to be right mechanically. Pairing the lock to your phone, connecting it to Wi-Fi and setting codes is done in the lock's app on your account, and it goes faster with you holding the phone.
What is a reinforced strike plate and do I need one?
A standard strike is a thin plate held by two short screws into the jamb. A reinforced strike is a heavier plate, often with a box behind it, fastened with long screws that reach through the jamb into the stud, so a kick has to move the framing and not just the trim. We fasten every strike with long screws and add the reinforced plate when the jamb is soft, split, or on a door you want to hold up to more than a latch.
Can you install a keypad lock on a steel or fiberglass door?
Yes. The bore is cut with a hole saw and bits meant for the door's skin, with the jig keeping it square, and the inside of the door is usually foam or a wood block that the lock's bolts pass through. Keypad and smart locks mount to these doors the same as to wood. On a door with a decorative glass insert we check that the lock body clears the frame around the glass before cutting.
What if the deadbolt doesn't line up with the strike?
Then the door has moved, not the lock. A sagging door, loose hinge screws or a jamb that has shifted puts the bolt above or below the strike hole, and forcing it wears out both. We tighten or reset the hinges, adjust the strike, and mortise it fresh if it has to move, so the bolt throws with the door closed and nobody has to lift or pull on the handle to lock it.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All doors pages
Where we work
Doors near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: