Commercial · Peterborough
Commercial-Grade Lock Replacement
An inspection report flagged the rear exit as needing hardware that opens with one motion and no key, and that door currently has an ordinary keyed knob on the inside.
Commercial-Grade Lock Replacement
In plain words
A business door rarely fails the same way a house door does, because it opens far more often and often has to satisfy a fire or egress rule a home door never faces. Replacement starts by identifying what the opening actually is: a mortise-prepped steel door, a narrow-stile aluminum storefront, a fire-rated door that needs listed hardware, or an exit serving enough people that code calls for panic-style release. The locksmith fits hardware built for that specific opening, connects it correctly to any electric strike or access-control wiring already present, and hands over keys cut and logged to the business's own system.
How the visit goesAn inspection report flagged the rear exit as needing hardware that opens with one motion and no key, and that door currently has an ordinary keyed knob on the inside.
Peterborough
How the visit goes
Assessing damage from a break-in or forced entry
When the reason for the call is a forced door, the locksmith treats the assessment a little differently: documenting a scarred cylinder, a bent strike or a cracked frame for the business's own records or insurance purposes before removing anything. The door and frame are checked for structural damage beyond the lock itself, since a replacement lock fitted into a damaged strike pocket or a split frame will not hold the way new hardware should. Anything beyond the lock itself is noted as its own repair.
Removing the old hardware cleanly
The existing lock, cylinder and strike come out without enlarging the door's mortise pocket or bore, since a clean prep is what lets the new hardware seat correctly. Any hardware that was previously mismatched to the door, an incorrect backset or a strike screwed in at an angle, is noted so the business understands why the last repair may not have held. The old hardware is set aside for the business to keep, dispose of, or use as a reference for other doors still running the same outdated lockset.
Ready for the next security decision
With current hardware and an accurate key-control record in place, the business is better positioned for whatever comes next: adding a location to the master key system, upgrading a single door to an interchangeable core so staff can rekey it without a service call, or answering an insurer's or landlord's question about what security is on a given door. None of that requires starting from scratch, because the replacement visit leaves behind hardware and documentation that a future decision can build on directly.
Commercial-Grade Lock Replacement
In the van
- Interchangeable-core cylinder
- Restricted keyway cylinder
- Mortise prep and installation tools
- Mortise lock body
- Electric strike
What affects the quote
Same fees day, night or weekend
1Grade and duty rating of the lock
Hardware built for higher cycle counts and rougher daily handling costs more than a lighter-duty equivalent, and the right grade for a busy delivery door is not the same as for a quiet interior office.
2Removal of old hardware
Whether old locks, cylinders and strikes are left with the business, disposed of, or kept as spares for a wider system is a small choice that can affect the time and scope named in the quote.
3Condition of the existing door and frame
A door and frame in good condition accept new hardware into the existing prep with little extra work. Damage from a break-in, a cracked frame or a previously mis-cut mortise pocket adds repair time the quote accounts for separately.
Commercial-Grade Lock Replacement: questions
How do you know if my door is part of a fire separation?
The door and frame usually carry a small metal label stating the assembly's rating, and the building's own fire safety plan or a previous inspection report will identify which doors are part of a fire separation. If a label is missing or unreadable, that is worth raising with your building's fire safety plan holder before hardware is chosen, since it changes what can legally go on the door.
My storefront door is aluminum and glass. Does it need special hardware?
Yes. An aluminum storefront door has a narrow stile, the vertical metal frame around the glass, that a standard mortise or cylindrical lock cannot physically fit into. These doors take a narrow-stile lock or a hookbolt built specifically for that slim profile, and matching the hardware to the frame is what lets the bolt engage the keeper fully instead of catching at an angle.
Is panic hardware the same as fire exit hardware?
Related but not identical. Panic hardware allows single-motion release without a key on any qualifying exit door. Fire exit hardware does the same job on a door that is also part of a fire separation, and it is listed for that combined use with no mechanical hold-open feature, since a fire door has to be able to close and latch on its own at all times.
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Commercial-Grade Lock Replacement near you
From the front door of a house to the back door of a warehouse, the work in Peterborough comes down to a few families of jobs: getting in, changing who can get in, making it harder for the wrong people to get in, and keeping the hardware turning smoothly year after year. Browse the list to find yours.