Lock Replacement in Trenton, NJ

Older doors in Trenton's historic districts

The Trenton Historical Society counts eight city historic districts, six of them residential in character. Colonial-era Federal-style buildings stand in Mill Hill, Hanover/Academy and Greenwood/Hamilton, and later Greek Revival, Italianate, French Second Empire and Victorian buildings follow them. A door from before bored cylindrical locks became common may still have a mortise lock, a rectangular case sitting in a pocket cut into the door's edge.

Fitting a different style of lock to a door like that can mean altering the door. The usual options for a lock replacement on these doors are:

• Like-for-like mortise body. A new case sized to the existing pocket, keeping the trim.
• Cylinder only. When the case works but the cylinder is worn, only the cylinder changes.
• An added deadbolt. A separate deadbolt above the original lock, if the door and frame are sound.

Visible changes go to the city first

The City Landmarks Commission designates historic districts and individual landmarks, with City Council's concurrence, and exterior alterations to them come before it. New street-side trim, a different handle style or a keypad all change how a door looks from the street, so ask the city before ordering hardware. Berkeley Square, on the more suburban west side, is a historic district too, and the same question applies there. This is general information, not legal advice.

Signs a lock is worn out

A lock is due for replacement rather than repair when:

1. The key turns only with pressure or at a particular angle.
2. The latch or bolt no longer catches the strike.
3. The cylinder spins or shifts in the door.
4. The deadbolt cannot be thrown all the way.

On a mortise door, the first three signs can point to the cylinder alone, which keeps the original case and trim. If the hardware is sound and the worry is who holds keys, lock rekeying keeps the lock and changes the key.

Photos and measurements to send

Photograph both faces of the door and the edge showing the faceplate, measure the door's thickness, and say which neighborhood the house is in and whether it sits in a historic district. Mention if you want to match an existing finish. For the full list of districts, see the Trenton page.