Repair a damaged door and lock in Hong Kong

My three year old toddler recently locked himself In his room and I had to kick the door in. How can I fix It?

First you have to decide whether you can just fix the damaged areas, or need to replace the entire door. Nine times out of 10 it may be easier to replace it with a new one, as Internal doors are usually just a framework of two-by-one-inch timber lengths covered with plywood veneer. Hence, it's difficult to make them look presentable once damaged.

If the door is going to be painted anyway you could try cutting out the damaged veneer and piecing a new bit in, using glue and panel pins, covering the joints with wood filler and then finishing with a coat of paint.

If you plan to replace the door, unscrew the hinges [usually two or three) from the frame, measure the exact dimensions of the damaged door and take the measurements to your timber merchant to have a replacement made. Sam Shing Timber (176 Wellington Street, Central, tel: 2850 6161) can also paint or lacquer a door to order for around HK$400.

On the new door, mark in exact hinge locations to match the door frame then, using a hand saw, cut down three-quarters of an inch along the marks. Cut out the areas using a wood chisel and hammer, taking care not to split the edges. Re-attach the hinges to the door then attach the new door to the frame.

Finally, remove the handle from your old door and duplicate all the cuts and holes on the new door.

You can buy a lock installation kit (HK$45 from Wing Lee Hardware) - basically drill bits that will create holes to fit all standard locks. When drilling the large hole where the handle will slot into, start from one side of the door and stop just as the drill tip comes through and finish the hole from the other side. This will prevent the door face from splitting.

Where Can You Get Custom Doors Made in Hong Kong?

One of the things I genuinely appreciate about Hong Kong is that you can still get things custom-made for a fraction of what it would cost in Europe or the US. For replacement interior doors, you have several good options:

• Shim Shing Timber (176 Wellington Street, Central) — As mentioned above, they can make a door to your exact measurements and paint or lacquer it to order. Expect to pay around HK$400-$800 depending on size, timber type, and finish.
• Hop Sze Timber (25 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, tel: 2833 6069) — Another reliable option. They stock a good range of plywood, MDF, and solid timber and can cut panels to size. A basic flush door in MDF starts from around HK$300.
• Sheung Wan timber merchants — The stretch of Wing Lok Street and Bonham Strand in Sheung Wan has several timber yards that cater to furniture makers and carpenters. Prices can be slightly lower here because they deal in bulk.

Most Hong Kong flats use standard-height doors of around 2,030mm to 2,040mm, but widths vary significantly — I have measured everything from 680mm in tiny bathrooms to 900mm for main bedroom doors. Always measure your own door rather than assuming a standard size. Measure the width at the top, middle, and bottom, because door frames in older buildings are rarely perfectly square.

The most common door types in Hong Kong flats are:

• Hollow-core flush doors — Cheap, lightweight, and what most developers install. These are the ones that get kicked in easily. Around HK$200-$400 to replace.
• Solid-core flush doors — Much heavier and more durable. Better sound insulation too, which matters in small flats. HK$500-$1,000.
• Panel doors — Less common in newer flats but you see them in older buildings and village houses. HK$800-$1,500 depending on design.

How Do You Install a New Door Lock Yourself?

Fitting a new lock is straightforward if you have the right tools and take your time. Here is the process I follow:

• Step 1: Hold the new lock body against the door edge at handle height (typically 1,000mm from the floor) and mark the centre point for the latch hole.
• Step 2: Use a spade bit or Forstner bit to drill the latch hole through the door edge. This is typically 22mm-25mm diameter.
• Step 3: Mark and drill the large handle hole from the door face using a hole saw (usually 54mm for standard tubular locks). As I mentioned above, drill from one side until the pilot bit just pokes through, then flip the door and finish from the other side. This prevents the face veneer from splitting.
• Step 4: Chisel out a shallow recess for the latch faceplate so it sits flush with the door edge.
• Step 5: Insert the latch, attach the handles, and test the action before fitting the strike plate on the frame.

A lock installation kit (around HK$45 from Wing Lee Hardware on Wellington Street) includes the hole saw and spade bits you need. It is a worthwhile investment if you plan to do more than one door.

For the lock itself, you can buy decent tubular lever locks from HK$80-$200 at any hardware store. If you want something more secure for your front door, consider a proper mortice deadlock — these are more complex to fit but offer far better security. If you are looking to improve your door security more broadly, deadbolts and security chains are worth adding to exterior doors.

And if your toddler has a habit of locking themselves in rooms, consider replacing standard privacy locks with the type that has an emergency release slot on the outside — a coin or flathead screwdriver can pop them open. It saves you having to kick the door down again. For wardrobe and cupboard doors that have gone wobbly, the repair approach is quite different — have a look at our guide to fixing Ikea wardrobe doors for that. More interior repair guides are available on our interiors page.

When Should You Call a Professional?

Door and lock work is generally manageable for a confident DIYer, but there are situations where it pays to call someone in:

• If your door frame is set into a concrete wall and the frame itself is damaged or out of alignment, adjusting it requires specialist tools and experience
• If you need to fit a security-grade front door lock — mortice deadlocks need precise chisel work and a poorly fitted lock is worse than no lock at all
• If the door has warped badly from humidity (common in Hong Kong, especially bathroom doors), it may need planing or the frame may need adjusting
• If you are replacing a fire-rated door in a commercial property or stairwell, this must be done to code and certified

Last updated: March 2026