Before and After: Replace Old Mortise Lock on Front Door

This part of our "Before and After" series, showcasing the installations done by our locksmiths.

Problem: Replacing broken antique mortise lock on an extra thick door.

This door is 2 1/4” thick. Standard door locks fit up to 1 3/4” thick doors. The existing lock is about 100 years old and no parts are available to repair it.


Solution: In this case the best answer is to install another mortise lock, special ordered to fit the 2 1/4” thick door.

The customer chose the Morgan style mortise lock by Emtek (emtek.com). The inside and outside trim were large enough to cover all the holes and scarring from the old lock. The medium bronze finish was dark, similar to the old lock and other hardware on the door.

The special order for the thick door took two weeks to come in, but it was worth the wait. The customer was very happy to have the same type of lock and a design that complimented his front door so well.


Before and After: Replacing Antique Bathroom Lock

This is the first in our "Before and After" series, showcasing the installations done by our locksmiths.

Problem: The bathroom lock was an old mortise style lock. It was probably 90-100 years old and the latch was broken.

Current similar replacements for this lock are very poor quality and usually don't last very long with normal usage.

A modern lock could be installed using plates to cover all the cut-outs from the old lock. But this was not the look the customer wanted.


Solution: Replace with a quality lock that looks similar to the old lock and looks like it belongs.

Our locksmith created a custom metal plate for the edge of the door. This would hold the new latch and bolt in place while covering the gap left by the old lock. With this edge plate the customer was able to choose from the Emtek line of sideplate thumbturn Privacy locks. (emtek.com)

The final picture is of the Emtek oval beaded plates with beaded egg knobs in a French Antique finish.

The lock works great and looks great!