Installing new locks in Manassas

Choosing and fitting locks in Manassas

Replacing locks in Manassas, VA is usually straightforward — until the door is older than the hardware you bought. Across the city there are houses from many decades, and around Old Town there are buildings far older. A locksmith fits the lock to the door you have, corrects old bore holes and makes sure the bolt seats properly in the frame.

It pays to think about how each door is used before choosing hardware. A front door you lock with a key twice a day needs something different from a back door that mostly stays bolted, or a door from the garage that everyone uses with arms full of groceries.

Buildings in a historic overlay district

The City of Manassas Architectural Review Board issues Certificates of Appropriateness for construction, reconstruction and substantial exterior alterations in its historic overlay districts. Replacing an entrance door or changing the look of a historic facade can fall under that, so talk to city planning staff before ordering visible hardware. Interior locks, rekeying and like-for-like cylinder swaps don't alter the exterior.

Mid-century houses and original hardware

Neighborhoods that went up in the 1960s, like Georgetown South, still have homes with early hardware or a deadbolt added decades later. A new deadbolt with a reinforced strike — long screws driven into the framing behind the jamb — does far more against a kick than the lock alone.

Storm doors and secondary entrances

Many Manassas houses have a storm door in front of the main door and a back or side door that gets less attention. Give the secondary doors the same grade of deadbolt as the front, and make sure storm-door hardware doesn't stop the main door from closing and latching fully.

Picking a grade

ANSI/BHMA grades rate durability: Grade 1 is heaviest, Grade 2 is solid for most homes, Grade 3 is basic. For a door you use constantly, a higher grade lasts longer. If you like the look of an older home's hardware, ask about finishes and styles that suit the house while still giving you a modern deadbolt.

Need something else in Manassas?

See everything on the Manassas locksmith page, or browse Virginia locksmiths.

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