Lock installation and replacement around St. Augustine

Choosing locks for coast, city and suburb

A new lock has to suit the door it goes on. In St. Johns County that can mean a heavy wooden door in the old city, a condo entry a block from the Atlantic, or a fiberglass door in a subdivision that was still a set of plans a decade ago. A locksmith can match the hardware to the door and the setting, and install it so the bolt fully engages.

Historic districts: check before you change the look

In St. Augustine's Historic Preservation zoning districts, exterior alterations go before the Historic Architectural Review Board, and most work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness under the city's Architectural Guidelines for Historic Preservation. A new visible handle set or exterior keypad may fall under that. Talk to the city's planning office first. Rekeying, or replacing parts that can't be seen, avoids the question.

Salt air and ocean-side doors

Close to the ocean in St. Augustine Beach, Vilano Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach, salt air corrodes cheap finishes and stiffens lock mechanisms. Ask about hardware with finishes and internal parts made for coastal exposure, and plan on occasional lubrication with a lock-safe product. A lock that turns gritty is telling you it needs attention before it seizes.

Sliding doors and balconies

Beach condos and many newer homes rely on sliding glass doors to the patio or balcony. The factory latch on a slider is often the weakest lock in the house. A secondary lock, a pin or a bar in the track adds a lot of resistance for very little effort. Ground-floor condos and homes whose sliders open onto a pool enclosure or a dune walkway are the first places to add one.

Getting the strike right

On any door, a deadbolt is only as strong as the frame it locks into. A reinforced strike plate fixed with long screws into the stud behind the jamb makes the door much harder to force. Before storm season, it's also worth checking that every exterior door latches firmly, since doors that barely catch are the ones that rattle loose.

Need something else in St. Johns County?

See everything on the St. Johns County locksmith page, or browse Florida locksmiths.

Want the background first? Read our guide: Lock Installation & Replacement.