Hardware Basics: All About Extended Strikes

Door strikes are one of those items that no one notices – until there’s a problem, anyway. Many door locks come with a standard full lip strike, which works fine as long as the trim around the door is narrow enough to fit behind the strike plate. If your house has thicker or more decorative casing, a standard strike won’t cover it, and, before long, the trim will be gouged and scuffed.

Extended lip strikes are an easy, DIY-friendly answer to this common problem! These strikes come in a variety of lengths and help protect the door casing from wear and tear caused by the latch. You can easily install them with just a screwdriver, and if you choose strikes with rounded (radius) corners, they’ll fit inside the existing strike cutout in many door jambs.

If you’re replacing a too-short strike plate with an extended strike, be sure to choose one that matches your existing hardware. In addition to traditional finishes like polished brass and satin chrome, extended strike plates also come in a wide variety of finishes, including the popular matte black, oil-rubbed bronze, and satin nickel finishes.

How do you know what length strike will cover your trim? After all, a strike that’s too long will stick out into the opening and catch on purse straps, belt loops, and pockets. The easiest way to determine what size strike you’ll need is to measure from the center of the screw holes on the prepared jamb to the edge of the trim and then add ¼”. So, if your trim measures 1-1/2” from the center of where the screw holes are, you should order a 1-3/4” extended strike.

Keep in mind that the measurements for the extended strikes are also from the center of the screw holes to the end of the lip, so your 1-3/4” strike will actually measure 2-1/4” overall. This accounts for the ½” from the center of the screw holes to the back of the strike.

So, grab a measuring tape and a screwdriver and replace any strikes that aren’t quite cutting it. You’ll be glad you did!