My laundry room door knob locked up yesterday and the door can't be opened. A thorough search revealed no screws, latches or any discernible way to remove the knob. I got the door knob off with pliers and can now see that the screws are on the other side. I've tried pounding them out with a screwdriver and hammer, but no luck.
Any way to remove the knob, trip the latch, or unscrew the screws from the opposite side?
Thanks for any advice!
You should be able to trip the latch, if you can see what you say you see - there should be something coming from the latch side which can be pulled or manipulated (often rotated, as that's what the knob would do) to do that.
If the hardware is really fouled up, a slim prybar next to the latch between the door and frame will often find enough flex in the framing to free it up, or allow you to pop the latch with a butterknife or the like, without major damage.
When you pass the point of caring about damage, the prybar nearly always works, or opens the way for the less slim one that does.
As you have the hinge pins out, beware of the door falling over when it gets freed up.
I see bits in there that you should be able to catch with a screwdriver and slide to the right.
Next time, use a passage lockset intended for closets (which has no locking feature at all) or a privacy lockset intended for bathrooms (which is unlocked with a simple hole in the center of the knob that you jab with a skewer).
