What we do on sliding doors
- Mortise hook latches replaced
- Handle sets with or without a key outside
- Latches that no longer catch the keeper
- Keepers moved and reinforced
- Secondary foot bolts and pin locks
- Doors adjusted so the latch lines up
- Sliding doors keyed to the house key
- Locks on sliding doors to the garage or side yard
Why sliders are the weak door
A sliding door's latch is a hook no bigger than a thumb, set in a frame that flexes, catching a keeper held by two screws. When the door drops on its rollers, the hook meets the keeper low or not at all, and a door that feels locked can be lifted and slid open. We start by adjusting the door where its rollers allow it, so the hook lines up, then fit a new latch and keeper, and add a second lock at the bottom or the top of the door that does not depend on the latch at all. That second lock is the part that actually stops the door being lifted out.
Where we fix sliding doors
Tract homes across Valencia, Saugus, Canyon Country and Stevenson Ranch, where nearly every house has a slider to the yard, ranch-style homes through the San Fernando Valley, and condos and townhouses with sliders onto balconies and patios. On the Westside we work by appointment.
Sliding door locks in 57 cities
Santa Clarita Valley: Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Newhall, Saugus, Castaic, Val Verde, Acton, Agua Dulce
San Fernando Valley: San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, North Hollywood, Valley Village, Burbank, Glendale, Tarzana, Northridge, Reseda, Winnetka, Panorama City
West Valley: Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, West Hills
North Valley: Granada Hills, Sylmar, Pacoima, Mission Hills, San Fernando
Crescenta Valley: La Crescenta, La Cañada Flintridge
Central LA: Hollywood, West Hollywood
Las Virgenes: Calabasas, Agoura Hills
Conejo Valley: Westlake Village
East Ventura County: Simi Valley, Moorpark
Heritage Valley: Fillmore, Piru, Santa Paula
Antelope Valley: Lancaster, Palmdale, Quartz Hill, Littlerock, Leona Valley
Westside, by appointment: Brentwood, West Los Angeles, Culver City, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey, Playa Vista, Venice, Santa Monica
Sliding door lock questions
My sliding door locks but I can still jiggle it open. Why?
The latch hook is catching the edge of the keeper or missing it, usually because the door has dropped on its rollers. We realign the door and replace the latch and keeper so it catches fully, then add a secondary lock.
Can I have a key on the outside of the slider?
Yes. Many handle sets take a keyed cylinder on the outside, and we key it to the rest of the house so it is the same key as the front door.
Is a bar in the track enough?
It stops the door sliding, which helps, but it does not stop the door being lifted. A foot bolt or pin lock through the frame does both, and it is always in place rather than a bar someone forgets.
Do you replace the whole sliding door?
No, that is a door or glass company's job. We handle the locking side: the latch, the handle, the keeper, secondary locks and the adjustment that makes them line up.
Sliding door that barely latches?
Text a photo of the handle and the edge of the door, and we will send a price.