Mortise vs. Cylindrical: What's on Your Door
A mortise lock lives in a rectangular pocket cut into the door's edge. One body handles the latch, deadbolt, and lever together, and it's the standard on pre-war apartments, brownstones, and older commercial doors. Cylindrical locks install through round bored holes — faster to fit, cheaper to buy, and what you'll find on most doors built after mid-century. The rule: match what the door was built for. Converting a mortise door to cylindrical leaves a weakened pocket behind, and forcing a mortise body into a thin modern slab rarely ends well. We carry both and install both.
Lock Grades Without the Jargon
ANSI/BHMA grades run from 3 (light duty) up to 1 (heaviest duty). For a street-facing door, a shared building entrance, or any commercial space, Grade 1 hardware earns its price in cycle life and attack resistance. Apartment entry doors do well with Grade 2 or better plus a quality deadbolt. Interior doors can take Grade 3 without worry. For doors facing real break-in risk, we step up to Medeco and Mul-T-Lock high-security locks with pick-resistant cylinders and controlled keys.
We Supply It, We Install It
You don't have to guess at a hardware store shelf. Tell us the door — apartment, storefront, office suite, basement gate — and we bring matched options: deadbolts, mortise bodies, knob and lever sets, high-security cylinders. One visit covers selection, supply, and installation, and every lock gets tested with you watching. If the old hardware should go entirely, a lock change handles removal and replacement in the same trip.
Common Questions
What kind of lock does an NYC apartment door need?
Most apartment entry doors do best with a Grade 2 or better lockset plus a solid deadbolt. Pre-war doors usually take mortise hardware. We confirm what your door needs before quoting anything.
How much do new locks cost in NYC?
Prices vary by grade and lock type. You get a transparent quote before work begins, no hidden fees.
Do you sell locks or just install them?
Both. We supply the hardware and install it in one visit, including Medeco and Mul-T-Lock high-security lines.
Mortise or cylindrical — which is more secure?
Either can be very secure at Grade 1. What matters more is matching the lock to the door's construction and pairing it with a quality cylinder.