Sliding door lock & handle repair.

Symptoms

• The lock won't turn or won't catch the keeper
• You have to lift or shove the door to get it to lock
• The handle is loose, cracked, or snapped off
• The latch sticks or springs back
• The keeper (strike) is bent or corroded

What causes lock failures

Sliding-door mortise locks are compact spring-and-hook mechanisms. Salt air and humidity corrode the internals; daily use wears the spring; and if the door has dropped on worn rollers, the lock no longer lines up with its keeper. Handles crack from age, sun, and force.

Repair vs. replacement

If the mechanism is just misaligned, an adjustment fixes it. If it's corroded or worn, we replace the mortise lock and/or handle with matching hardware. See lock repair vs. replacement.

Security upgrades

If security is the concern, we can fit better locks and add secondary measures. Our guide on making a slider more secure covers the options — especially useful for ground-floor doors and rentals.

Alignment matters

Often the lock isn't broken — the door dropped because the rollers wore, so the hook no longer meets the keeper. In that case we correct the roller height and the lock works again.

Cost, time & child safety

Lock and handle jobs are usually quick and affordable. If you have young children, a door that won't lock is worth fixing promptly — see sliding doors and child safety.