We service the opening, not just the lock
A commercial door is an assembly: the slab, the frame, the hinges, the closer, the latch or exit device, the strike, the threshold and increasingly the access control. Those components work against each other constantly, and when one moves out of position the symptom almost always shows up at the lock.
That is why so many businesses have had the same lock replaced two or three times on one door. The lock was never the fault. The door had dropped on worn hinges, the frame had racked, or the closer had stopped pulling the door fully into its strike — and each new lock was fitted into the same misalignment and wore out on the same schedule.
We diagnose the reveal, the hinges and the frame before we touch the hardware. Quite often the fix is an adjustment rather than a part, and we would rather tell you that and keep you as a customer.
Grades, and why they decide the cost of ownership
North American door hardware is graded by ANSI/BHMA from Grade 3 through Grade 1, based on cycle testing and strength. The grade is not a badge — it is a statement about how many open-and-close cycles the component is built to survive.
A distribution unit man-door on the 427 corridor can cycle several hundred times a shift. A residential-grade closer on that door fails in weeks; a Grade 1 unit runs for years. Specifying up front is almost always cheaper than replacing hardware annually, and it is the single most common place we see money wasted on commercial doors.
Compliance is part of the job
Exit devices, fire-rated assemblies, maglocks and any electric locking on an egress door are governed by the Ontario Building Code and the Fire Code. Getting these wrong is not a paperwork problem — a chained fire exit or a maglock with no fire-alarm interface is a genuine life-safety hazard, and both are things we have found and removed in occupied GTA buildings.
Where the arrangement you want is not permitted, we will say so and propose the compliant way to solve the underlying problem. For unauthorised use of a rear exit, that is an alarmed exit device — legal, effective, and considerably cheaper than the consequences of the alternative.
Commercial Locksmith — questions
Why does my door slam even though it has a closer?
Almost always the latching-speed valve is open too far, or the closer has lost hydraulic fluid and can no longer control the final few inches. If the unit is dry, no amount of adjustment will fix it — the fluid that provides the resistance is gone and the closer needs replacing. If it still holds fluid, adjusting the latch valve usually resolves it in minutes.
Can I put a padlock on my fire exit after hours?
No. A required exit must be openable from the inside without a key, tool or special knowledge whenever the building is occupied, and padlocking one is a serious Fire Code violation that carries real penalties and real risk. If the problem is unauthorised use or after-hours entry, an alarmed exit device or a delayed-egress system solves it legally. We fit these regularly for exactly this reason.
My door will not latch in summer but is fine in winter. Why?
On a wood door, that is moisture — the door absorbs humidity and swells, and it binds. On a metal door in a metal frame it is more likely thermal expansion combined with a latch that already has almost no margin. Either way, the correct fix is to create the clearance the door needs rather than to force the latch, because a latch operating with no margin will fail at some point regardless of season.
What happens if a master key is lost?
How bad this is depends entirely on the keyway. On a restricted system, a lost key cannot easily be copied, so you have time to respond in a measured way — reissue at the affected level rather than rekeying the site. On an open keyway you have to assume copies could be made, and the prudent response is rekeying every cylinder the lost key operated. This difference is the strongest practical argument for restricted keyways on any system of consequence.
Are high-security locks worth the cost?
On the right door, clearly yes — particularly for the key control, which is the benefit most businesses actually use day to day. On the wrong door they are wasted money, and the wrong door is any door where the surrounding construction is the weak point. We assess the whole opening and tell you where the money is best spent, which is sometimes a reinforced strike and frame rather than a better cylinder.
My storefront door lock turns but the door still opens. What is wrong?
The cylinder is turning without driving the latch — usually the cam or the tailpiece has failed, or the set screws holding the cylinder have backed out. It can also mean the hook bolt has broken internally. It is not a door you should leave overnight in that state, because it is effectively unlocked while appearing locked.
Can an old mortise lock be repaired or does it need replacing?
Far more often than people expect, it can be repaired. Old lock cases were built to be opened and serviced, and the usual fault is accumulated dust and dried lubricant rather than a broken part. Cleaning, inspecting and relubricating a seized case frequently restores full function. Where a spring or a lever has actually failed, replacing the internal case while keeping the original trim is usually the sensible route.
Will an electric strike work with my existing lock?
In most cases yes — that is the main attraction. The strike replaces the keeper in the frame and the lockset stays as it is, so long as the latch profile is compatible with the strike. Deadbolts are the exception: a thrown deadbolt cannot be released by a strike, so doors that need electric release use a latch, not a deadbolt.
Are magnetic locks safe? What if there is a fire?
A correctly installed maglock is safe, and safety is entirely a function of the installation rather than the device. It must release on loss of power, on fire alarm, and on a request-to-exit device, with an emergency release button on the egress side wired to cut power directly. A maglock without those is genuinely dangerous, and we have encountered installations like that. If you are unsure about an existing one, it is worth having checked.
How often do fire doors need to be inspected?
Annual inspection of fire door assemblies is the widely applied standard, and Ontario Fire Code maintenance obligations require that fire separations and their closures be kept in good working order. Buildings with heavy traffic or a history of deficiencies benefit from more frequent checks. Your insurer may also set its own interval, which sometimes exceeds the code minimum.
Is rekeying cheaper than replacing locks?
Substantially, in almost every case. Rekeying re-pins the cylinder you already own; replacement buys new hardware and refits it. On a site with a dozen or more doors the difference is large. Replacement only wins when the existing hardware is worn out, wrong for the application, or on a keyway you need to move away from.
Can a kicked-in door frame be repaired or does it need replacing?
Repair is usually possible and usually the right call. A split jamb can be structurally repaired and reinforced so it ends up considerably stronger than it was before — glued and clamped, backed with a reinforcing plate, and re-anchored into the stud. Full replacement is needed when the frame is racked out of square or the damage runs the full height.
Do I need an automatic door opener for accessibility compliance?
Not automatically. The requirement is about opening force and clear width on a barrier-free path, and some doors meet it with a correctly adjusted closer. An operator becomes the answer where the door physically cannot meet the force limit, which is common on heavy exterior doors. What applies to your building depends on whether it is new construction, a renovation, or existing stock, so it is worth establishing that before spending anything.