Trade in the broken, shabby push-button handle on your screen- or storm-door for a shiny new easy-opening lever handle. Replacement handles will fit most aluminum, steel and some wood doors. The handles are available at hardware stores and home centers. You can swap out the handle in about ten minutes.
1. Remove the old storm-door handle by unscrewing the two screws that hold the two halves together. Pull the interior and exterior handles apart and remove the center spindle. Discard the old handle.
2. You’ll see three vertically spaced mounting holes in the screen door (wood doors may require different hardware). Measure the distance from the edge of the door to the center of one of these holes. This distance is called the backset. Buy a new handle with the same backset, or use the manufacturer’s enclosed drilling template to relocate the 5/16-in. mounting screw holes. Assemble the new door handle according to the instructions on the packaging and slide the spindle through the center hole.
3. Slide the interior latch over the protruding spindle and screw the two halves together with the machine screws provided. Start the screws by hand to make sure the threads are aligned before tightening them with a screwdriver.
4. Hold the new strike plate in place with the door closed (have a helper push it tight from the outside). Mark the center of the mounting slots for maximum adjustability. Drill 3/32-in. pilot holes in the door jamb and screw down the new strike plate to the door frame. (Use the plastic shims provided to shim the plate if necessary. Adjust the strike plate until the door latches firmly, then tighten the screws.)