Lock Repair in Washington, DC

Residential lock repairs usually fall into one of three categories: a worn cylinder that's hard to turn, a misaligned deadbolt that doesn't throw fully into the strike plate, or a spring-loaded mechanism that's lost tension. The first is a cylinder issue — rekeying or replacing the cylinder may be enough. The second is a door frame issue — the door may have shifted seasonally, and adjusting or moving the strike plate solves it. The third is a hardware failure that warrants full replacement. A quick diagnosis on site usually confirms which category before any parts are ordered.

We carry springs, tailpieces, strike plates, latches, screws and the hand tools to set things right in one visit. When a lock truly is at end-of-life, we'll say so plainly and quote the replacement before we touch anything else.

DC's humidity swings move doors. A door that closed cleanly in February will pinch the latch in August. That's almost never the lock's fault — but it shows up as a lock symptom: hard to turn the key, deadbolt won't fully extend, knob feels gritty.

Other common triggers: a kid yanking on a knob until it loosens, a smart-lock battery swap that left the motor unsynced, or a key that's been turned thousands of times and finally wore out the springs.

We start with the door cycle, not the lock. Open, close, latch, deadbolt — with the door ajar and shut — to see whether the symptom is hardware, alignment, or both. Most DC homes need a strike adjustment as part of any real repair.

Once we know what's actually wrong, we fix it on-site and re-test the full cycle. If a lock genuinely needs replacement, we quote it before any further work.

Repair pricing depends on parts. Adjusting a strike plate and tightening a tailpiece is one of the cheapest jobs we do. Replacing a worn cylinder, swapping out a smart-lock latch, or rebuilding a mortise lock takes longer and costs more.

We flat-quote on-site after the diagnosis — you'll know the all-in number before we start, and we won't upsell a replacement if a repair is the honest call.