Repair Or Replace?

that is the magic ' maybe' ^^^

HOW THICK is the door, number 1 question, and what KIND of lock is on the door? a big long (6" give or take) rectangular box that you can see on the EDGE of the door? about 5/8-3/4" wide?

if the door is UNDER 1 3/8" AND has that rectangle piece of metal showing on the edge of the door-GET HELP (common old door dimension thickness was 1 5/16") if it IS this thin door, I might heavily suggest REPLACING door AND frame..

and if its OVER 1 3/4" thick, you are going to need help again..

I run into these situations all the time and tell the person if they must keep the door, they need a GOOD SKILLED woodworker/cabinetmaker (neighbor or otherwise) to plug the door so it can be redrilled. Most folks do not have the necessary wood working skills OR tools to do such. --Shiva--

We really don't have enough information to know. But since you're asking the question, I'd have to suggest calling a locksmith. Folks who have the skills seldom post on usenet -- they just go ahead and do it.

This depends on many factors. I would aproch this from why there is a problem, then what is the problem, then what is the best approach the problem.

As an example, since you have a 100 year old house, are you sure the door is warped? Or is it just swolen from seasonal moisture? Has the house settled?

Does the lock you have function? Often the lock is fine but the alignment is an issue.

If the problem is seasonal often you can wait until the wood dries and then give a coat of paint to the top and bottom of the door to seal the moisture out.

A one hundred year old house? Do you think it's the original hardware? If it is, do whatever you can to save it! If theres a screw on the throat of the knob, you might unscrew it and remove the knob pulling the square spindle from the casett portion of the lock. Inspect the spindle to ensure it is still square and straight. Look for wear in the lockbody where the spindle goes through as well, make sure the square it goes into is still square and not worn. If the lockset works well with the door open, it's likley a weather problem that could be remedied with a cautious strike adjustment. It might be best to wait a full year to see what the seasons do in effecting the operation of the door. Too much adjustment of the strike in the winter, might make it slop in the summer. Also, make sure the hinge screws are secure and tight.