Old door, the wood around the lock is breaking apart. Today a chunk of the material fell off. The chunk that fell off feels like rock and not wood.
I wonder it they previously try to patch it up with Bondo or something like it.
What should I do to secure the mechanism into place?
Do I need to remove the lock mechanism, extract all that is deteriorating and then fill the void with a solid piece of wood?
(Yes. That is a piece of tape holding a loose screw.)
Is it salvageable or is it time to get another door? I would rather that replacement be the last option bc our door is not a common size and I think will be expensive to replace.
Best Answer
You have an old wood door that used to have a Mortise lock in it. Someone 'upgraded' it.
You have 2 choices:
stuff the cavity with whatever you can find, bondo, wood putty, etc. Then buy a metal plate that "wraps around" the lock area.
Pull the lock out, pull out everything that smacks of wood filler. Carefully measure the cavity and use a bandsaw, planer, jointer, etc. to take a piece of wood and shape it to slide into the cavity. Make it just a bit wider and taller than the cavity so that it has to be tapped in with a hammer. Then liberally smear it and the cavity with wood glue, tap it in, and clamp the door down tight in between 2x4's. When everything has hardened redrill the doorknob holes.