Door & window repair, statewide
Door Lock & Handle Repair
Usually the door moved, not the lock
Deadbolts you have to lift the door to turn, latches that miss the plate, handles that spin, and doors you have quietly stopped locking because it is too much effort. We fix the hardware and the alignment behind it.
A lock you have to fight is a lock that stops being used
When a deadbolt stops throwing cleanly, the natural assumption is that the lock has worn out. Most of the time it has not. The door has moved — the slab dropped on its hinges, or the opening racked slightly — and the bolt no longer lines up with the hole it is meant to enter.
This matters because swapping the lock does not fix it. Fit a brand new deadbolt to a misaligned door and it binds the same way within a week.
It also matters because of what people do next: they stop locking the door. A back door or patio slider that has become awkward to secure is the one that gets left unlocked, and that is worth solving properly.
The most common lock repair we do involves no new lock at all.
Lock and handle work we handle
Entry doors, back doors, patio sliders and interior doors alike.
Deadbolts
Bolts that stick, bind, will not throw fully or need the door lifted. Repaired, realigned or replaced.
Handles and levers
Spinning handles, stripped spindles, levers that no longer spring back and knobs that have worked loose.
Latches and cylinders
Worn latch mechanisms, sticking cylinders and keys that need increasing force to turn.
Strike plate alignment
The most common fix of all. We reposition or rebuild the strike so the bolt meets it cleanly.
Patio door locks
Slider latches, foot bolts and auxiliary locks on what is the most common entry point in a California home.
Security upgrades
Reinforced strikes, long screws anchored into framing rather than jamb trim, and secondary locks where a door needs to be harder to force.
Why locks fall out of line here
Nearly every misaligned lock in California traces back to something that moved.
Seismic and soil movement
Living on moving ground means openings shift over time. A strike that was perfect at installation can be several millimetres out a decade later, and that is enough to stop a bolt entering cleanly.
Sagging hinges
Screws work loose in jamb wood and the slab drops. The bolt then sits low of the strike, and you start lifting the door to lock it — which is the single most common complaint we hear.
Sliders as the weak point
Patio doors are the most common forced entry point in California homes, and a latch that no longer seats properly makes an already vulnerable door easier still.
Why call us rather than just buy a lock
We treat it as a door problem, which is what it almost always is.
Diagnosis before hardware
A new lock on a misaligned door binds just as badly. We fix the geometry first and replace hardware only when it is genuinely worn.
An honest security assessment
We will tell you plainly where a door is weak and what would actually make a difference, rather than selling you the most expensive lock in the van.
Small jobs welcome
Strike realignment is often a short visit. We are happy to do short visits.
Free estimates
No charge to look and no obligation afterwards.
Three steps, no runaround
Tell us what the lock does
Whether you lift the door, jiggle the key, or shoulder it closed — those details point straight at the cause.
We check the door, not just the lock
Hinges, slab, frame and strike, then a firm price.
We repair it
Most lock and alignment work is finished in a single visit.
We are a mobile service covering the whole state. Pick your city below, or call and we will come to you.
Door Lock & Handle Repair Across California
Lock and handle questions
I have to lift the door to lock it. What is wrong?
The slab has dropped on its hinges so the bolt sits below the strike. It is usually loose hinge screws in softened jamb wood, and it is a quick repair.
Do I need a whole new lock?
Often not. If the mechanism still works, the fix is alignment. We replace hardware only when it is actually worn out.
My patio door lock will not catch.
Slider latches go out of line when the panel drops on worn rollers, so the lock is frequently a symptom of a roller problem we can fix at the same visit.
Can you make my doors more secure?
Yes. Reinforced strike plates, long screws anchored into the framing rather than just the jamb, and secondary locks on sliders all make a measurable difference.
Do you rekey or cut keys?
Our focus is the mechanical repair and alignment side. For rekeying we will tell you honestly if a locksmith is the better call.
Other repairs we handle
Doors and windows are all we do, so whatever has failed, it is probably on this list.