Installing a Custom Kick Plate on the Front Door

Remember when I cleaned off years of sloppy paint jobs and restored our midcentury door hardware? The icing on the cake turned out to be that custom-order solid brass kick plate, which tied everything together. I promised instructions on how to order and install a kick plate, so here goes.

I knew that I wanted solid brass, so I did some shopping around. Baldwin makes them in custom sizes, with a lifetime warranty. They are pricey, but I found mine 40% off at Build.com.

Our door is 33-1/4 wide and the bottom panel where the kick plate would sit is 9 inches high. I wanted space all around, so I ordered mine 6" x 30" and it fit perfectly. There were several brass finishes to choose from. I chose satin. It took about 6 weeks to arrive.

Assembly was straightforward. The kick plate arrived with matching brass hardware. It takes 10 screws and it was packaged with 16, which is nice. Our door is metal - all doors in New York City are. to comply with fire code. So, I picked up a new set of titanium drill bits, good for drilling metal. I have a set, but they are more than 10 years old, and the small bits that I use frequently to make pilot holes get worn. I wanted clean pilot holes the first time out so that I did not run the risk of scratching the brass while screwing it in.

Here are the tools you will need.

Tools & Supplies

• Kick plate
• Screws
• Drill
• Pilot hole drill bit
• Philips head attachment
• Pencil
• Level

Step 1: Hold the kick plate approximately where you want it and check to see that it is level. 

Step 2: Mark just two holes at the far right and the far left and drill two pilot holes. 

Step 3: Screw in just those two screws. 

Step 4: Check again to be sure it's level. 

Step 5: Now drill in the rest of your pilot holes.

Step 6: Screw in the rest of the screws.

Step 7: Sit back and admire your handiwork. 

Before:

After: