Door and lock repair
The door that will not close, the lock that sticks, the key that snapped, and the European-style multipoint hardware nobody else wants to touch.
| Repair | Price |
|---|---|
| Door will not close, or lock is sticking alignment, strike plates, hinges, worn cylinders | $250–$600 |
| European-style multipoint door service thumb turn repair at one end, full multipoint locking strip at the other | $450–$1,250 |
| Broken key extraction | From $250 |
| Replacing a standard lock | $150 |
| Door and frame prep for a new bore — per lock | $100 |
What the price includes:
- Diagnosing what is actually wrong rather than replacing the visible part
- The mobile service charge
- Adjustment, alignment and strike plate work
- Testing the door and lock through a full cycle before we leave
What costs extra, and how much:
- Replacement hardware, if a part is genuinely beyond repair — from $150
- Door and frame preparation for a new bore — $100
- Multipoint and non-standard cylinders are ordered to the door and quoted before fitting
- After 5 PM the mobile service charge is $350, collected before dispatch
Prices shown are in effect from August 2026 and remain in effect until updated on this page. Final price is confirmed with you before any work begins. Ranges here are wide because the diagnosis genuinely varies. Send a photo or video first — estimates by text are free and usually narrow it down before anyone drives out.
It is almost never the lock
The most common repair call we get is “the lock is broken” and the most common cause is that the lock is fine. The house settled, the frame moved a few millimetres, the hinges loosened, or the wood swelled with the season — and the bolt no longer lines up with the hole it is supposed to go into.
A deadbolt that only throws halfway is not a locked door. It looks locked, it feels locked, and it will come open under a shoulder. That is worth fixing properly, and it is usually a smaller job than people expect.
European-style multipoint doors
Plenty of nicer North Jersey houses have a patio or side entry door where lifting the handle throws several bolts along the whole edge of the door at once. That is a multipoint mechanism, and it is a genuinely different animal — the cylinders are often not standard American parts, and the mechanism inside the door is not something you improvise around.
Most locksmiths will look at one and quote you a whole new door. We service them. It is a higher-ticket job because it is not stock hardware, and we will be straight with you about that before we start rather than discovering it halfway through.
Mailbox locks
A small job with an outsized nuisance factor, and one of the few things on this list where people are genuinely stuck. If the key is lost, a mailbox is not something you can drill yourself without replacing the whole door of it, and the postal service will not open it for you.
$325 covers the whole thing — opening it without wrecking the door, supplying and fitting a new lock, and cutting keys on site so you can test them before we leave. It is bookable online like anything else; you do not need to call.
| Mailbox lock | Price |
|---|---|
| Mailbox lock opened, replaced and keyed includes the visit, the lock, fitting and keys cut on site | $325 |
| Additional mailbox on the same visit | Quoted on the day — considerably less |
What the price includes:
- Coming to you — there is no separate trip charge on top
- Opening the mailbox without damaging the door where the lock allows it
- A new lock, supplied and fitted
- Keys cut and tested on site before we leave
What costs extra, and how much:
- Additional mailboxes on the same visit — quoted on the day, and much less than the first
- A mailbox door damaged before we arrived, or that has to be drilled — quoted before we start
- After 5 PM the mobile service charge is $350, collected before dispatch
Prices shown are in effect from August 2026 and remain in effect until updated on this page. Final price is confirmed with you before any work begins. Cluster and gang mailboxes owned by a building or association usually need the management company's authorisation. Tell us the setup when you book.
Repair questions
My door will not close properly. Is that a lock problem?
Usually not. It is normally the door, the frame or the hinges having moved — houses settle, wood swells, screws work loose. The lock is just where you notice it. We fix the actual cause rather than replacing a lock that was never broken.
How much does it cost?
It starts at the $250 mobile service charge and goes up with what is actually wrong. Straightforward alignment and strike plate work is usually at the lower end. Send a photo or a short video first — estimates by text are free and we can often tell you before anyone drives anywhere.
My key snapped off in the lock.
Do not try to get it out with pliers or glue, because that turns a small job into a new lock. We extract it and, if the lock survived, rekey it so the broken key's twin no longer matters.
Do you work on European-style patio and entry doors?
Yes, and most locksmiths will not. These use a multipoint mechanism — one handle throwing several bolts up and down the length of the door — and the cylinders are often not standard American parts. It is more involved and it is priced accordingly, but it is work we are set up for.
How much is multipoint door work?
Between $450 and $1,250, depending on whether it is a handle or thumb turn repair at one end or a full multipoint locking strip along the side of the door at the other. We will narrow that down from photos before you commit.
Is it worth repairing or should I replace the door?
Repair, in most cases. Doors on nice houses are expensive and often better made than what would replace them, and the failure is usually in a part rather than the whole thing. We will tell you when it genuinely is past saving.
What repair customers say
We had excellent service. Timothy, the Locksmith arrived within a half hour of phone call. He repaired two locks for us and new keys for our front door. I would definitely recommend his service and I would definitely call him again if I needed him
Geraldine M.Google review
Timothy from Major Key Locksmith was such a nice and honest guy. He did a great job rekeying the locks at my house in Hasbouck Heights. He explained how the keypad works and was so patient with me. He is a very polite and cleaned up after the job was done. Would definitely recommend him to my friends and family.
Ann M.Google review
Called Tim this morning problem with two anderson French doors locks one not locking one loose handle keeps falling off. Tim was great fast efficient and resolved both issues quickly. We are in north caldwell private home in essex county. Highly recommend Tim he comes out and does the work himself.
Rima N.Google review
Excellent service and attention to detail. Tim was able to troubleshoot a number of mechanical issues with competence and creativity. Got everything working smoothly and efficiently. Tech options explained clearly. Highly recommended!
Julie G.Google review
Those are real, and they are quoted exactly as written — but they are still five we chose. Read them where they live — unedited, in whatever order Google puts them, including any we would rather you skipped.
400+ reviews is not a handful of friends. It is nine years of doors.
Opens Google · nothing to sign up for