A little on your old locks

Does the lock show below look familiar? It's called a mortise lock; we have been using them in the US since the second quarter of the eighteenth century. They started out being only used in formal rooms for the more expensive houses. Though this changed in the mid 19th century when they became more widespread in more modest housing.

(There I taught ya some history today!)

This week we have had several people come in inquiring about them. If you have one of these on your door, the chances are your lock is starting to look and act tired. Unfortunately, once they start to fail there really isn't much hope in keeping them working properly. Parts are hard to come by and while our technicians can occasionally get these bad boys rigged up and working it tends to be more cost savvy just to replace the lock.

Mildly bad news here, once you remove the lock, it ruins the doors integrity by leaving a large rectangular hole in its place. Leaving you unable to simply fit a standard knob/handle on it.

So lets discuss your two options here.

First option is to put a remodeler kit on your door, as seen in the picture on the left. A remodeler kit is typically the most cost effective of the options. The downside to this is the remodeler plate only comes in two plain colors, brass or stainless steel. So, if you're looking to do an antique brass or something, you're out of luck.

This is also something we don't recommend you try to DIY because there is a large room for failure. At times it requires you to chisel or drill out sections of your door or frame. Definitely something you’d really want to be cautious doing without the proper training. Don't make a $500+ mistake!

Second option would be to browse through the Emtek catalogue. They make modern mortise locks that, after taking the proper measurements, will fit into your door with minimal customization. They have a great selection to pick from and you can pick from multiple colors, styles and designs. Mortise Entry Sets | Emtek.

Any questions, and you can call or swing by the shop. We would be happy to answer and guide you on your purchase.