Bedroom won't open - Please help

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Hi,

I closed my bedroom door entirely yesterday and now it won't open. I tried opening with force but it just won't budge. I removed the handle but can't see anything that will help me to force it open. Can you please advise which tools I would need to get in without damaging the door?

Photos attached.
 

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on one of the similar doors, please photograph the latch, looking at the edge of the door; and the keep; looking at the hole in the doorframe.

When you turn the square spindle in the latch, what happens? Does it rotate the usual quarter-turn or so and then stop? Is it a tight fit in the handle? Will it rotate the other way, and does that release the latch?
 
here's what the other bedroom door handle looks like. The square spinder won't even turn. I've even tried with pliers with all my strength :(
 

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I think we can assume there will be some damage.

I will guess that the mechanism in the latch has somehow broken or come apart. If the square won't turn even when you take the spindle out, it can't be the inside handle that has jammed.

If you are ready to start causing damage, grab the grey metal square part, and pull it out. This will bend or break the shell of the latch. If it comes out, you will find the square is moulded into a round part with two projections on it, like an anchor. Once it is out, you need to find the long metal part inside the casing, that slides backwards and forwards, and force it away from the doorframe direction. This has the brass latch on the end of it, so if you can force it inwards by half an inch or so, the door will open. The biggest screwdriver you can find or borrow will do. A nailfile won't.

If you can't do that, put a heavy object such as a plank or a piece of wood against the door, covering the handle hole, and touching the doorframe (this is to spread the load and reduce risk of damage to the door) and strike it, hard, with a heavy object such as a big hammer, a fencepost, or the shoulder or boot of a person. This will eventually break away the keep in the doorframe, and a sliver of wood from the frame. With luck you will find it breaks out in one piece and can be glued back in later and painted. This is a fairly cheap DIY repair. Damaging the door would cost more to put right. If you know any burly men, they might do it for you. The plank or shelf is important to protect the door.

If you can get inside the room, it can be opened much more easily using a couple of tableknives or thin screwdrivers.

internal doors and frames (and their locks) are usually quite flimsy and easy to break. From what I can see, this applies to yours. A proper front door and lock would be much harder.

If there is anyone trapped inside the room, especially a child or invalid, call the Fire brigade and they will do it.
 
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when you are doing your repair, you will need a new Tubular Latch to replace the broken one.
https://www.morehandles.co.uk/blog/...se-the-correct-tubular-latch-for-your-project

It must be the same length as your old one.

You can get cheap ones in hardware stores or DIY sheds.
I will guess that the one that went wrong was a cheap one.

If you want a better-quality one that will probably not go wrong as long as you live, these yellow Altro ones are really good, but cost a few pounds more. Considering the trouble they may save, it's worth it. Especially in a bathroom where a child may get locked in and panic.
https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk...65mm-case-44mm-backset-satin-stainless-376113

Measure very carefully to get the right size.
 
Last edited:
nobody trapped inside the room thankfully. Thanks for the response. I sprayed a crap load of WD40 down the side, I also used a much smaller pair of pliers in the square bracket in the door, I pulled a little bit. A tiny bit of metal fell off. I placed the handle back on the spindle and push/pulled aggresively. That did the trick! Thanks for the advice! I'm not sure what fixed it exactly but pulling at the grey square part must've done something to unjam the mechanism.
 
Hooray!

But now take the tubular latch out of the door by removing the two small screws and both handles. If you put the spindle or a big screwdriver in the hole and bang it towards the edge, it will probably jolt the latch out. If not, you can pull it with your pliers or get a screwdriver undr the rectangular plate.

Once it is out you needn't worry about it jamming again. You must consider the old one to be faulty.
 

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