Frequently Asked Questions

In Saskatoon and Regina we are usually on site within the hour, and often faster inside the city. Distance, weather and how many calls are already in the queue set the real time; we give you an honest estimate when you call.

Proof that you are allowed to be inside. For a home that is photo ID with the address, or a lease or utility bill; for a business, ID plus authorization from the owner or property manager. We will not open a door for someone who cannot show they have the right to enter.

Almost never. We use non-destructive entry techniques first, and most residential and commercial locks open without any damage. Drilling is a last resort reserved for high-security cylinders or locks that have failed internally, and we tell you before we do it.

Yes. We can decode the lock and cut a new key by code, or rekey the lock so the lost key no longer works. If someone else may have your old key, rekeying is the safer choice.

After-hours and weekend calls carry a higher service rate than daytime visits, and the total depends on travel distance and the type of lock. We quote the rate before dispatching so there is no surprise on arrival.

Yes. We handle vehicle lockouts and broken-key extractions in both cities. Cutting and programming car keys and fobs is done out of our Saskatoon shop — see our automotive keys page for the makes we cover.

It is electronic control of who can open a door, when, and with a record of who did. A credential (fob, card, PIN or phone) is read at the door, a controller decides yes or no, and an electric strike, mag lock or electrified lever releases the door. Software lets you add and remove people without changing a lock.

The price is driven by the number of doors, the locking hardware each door needs, whether wiring already exists, and whether you choose a cloud-hosted or on-premises system. A single-door retrofit is a modest project; a multi-building system with dozens of doors is a capital investment. We quote per door after a site walk.

Yes, and most of our installs are retrofits. Existing doors usually need an electric strike or mag lock, a reader, and a cable path to a controller. Wireless and battery-powered locks reduce the cabling on hard-to-reach doors.

Fobs and cards are cheap and familiar but can be shared or, with older 125 kHz technology, cloned. Keypads need no credential but PINs get passed around. Mobile credentials are the hardest to share and easiest to revoke. Many buildings mix them: fobs for staff, PINs for contractors, mobile for managers.

Yes. A lost or stolen credential is deactivated in the software in seconds, from anywhere on a cloud system. That is the core advantage over keys, where a lost master key can mean rekeying the whole building.

It depends on how each door is specified. Fail-secure hardware stays locked without power and is used where security matters most; fail-safe hardware unlocks and is required on doors that must release for egress or when the fire alarm activates. We design each opening to meet the building and fire code that applies to it.

Yes. Every modern system supports schedules, so a cleaning crew can enter only on weekday evenings or a front door can unlock automatically during business hours. Schedules can also be paused for holidays or lockdowns.

The common causes are, in order: the operator has been switched off or is in hold-closed mode, the activation device (push plate, sensor or access reader) has failed or lost power, the safety sensors see an obstruction such as snow or a sign, or the operator has faulted after meeting too much resistance. A technician can identify which within minutes.

Usually a sensor is seeing something it should not: a plant, a mat edge, blowing snow, sun glare or a reflective floor. Less often the closing force is set high enough that the door meets resistance and reverses for safety. Both are adjustments rather than repairs.

The opening limit or speed has drifted, the door is meeting resistance from a stiff closer or ice, or the floor stop has been moved. Low-energy operators are designed to stop if they meet an obstruction, so a door that stops partway is protecting someone rather than failing.

In most cases, yes. A low-energy operator fits on the header of many existing hollow metal, wood and aluminum doors, and works with your current closer, lock and access control. We check the door weight, frame condition and clearances during the site visit.

It is an operator that opens the door slowly and with limited force, so it is safe to use without the overhead safety sensors a full-energy door needs. Low-energy operators are activated by a push plate or access reader and are the standard choice for accessible entrances at offices, clinics and washrooms.

Have a daily walk-past by your own staff to confirm the door opens, closes and reverses, and a professional inspection at least annually, or seasonally in Saskatchewan where cold weather changes how the door and closer behave. Manufacturers and the applicable standards expect regular documented inspection.

Yes. The operator is simply told to open once the access system has released the electric strike or mag lock. Sequencing the two correctly matters, and we install both so they are set up as one system.

Usually, yes, as long as they share the same keyway or can be swapped to one. We rekey every cylinder to a single key, or set up a small master key system so some keys open everything and others open only certain doors.

Often. Worn pins, springs and cams can be replaced, and a cylinder can be cleaned and relubricated. If the housing is cracked, the bolt is bent or the lock is a low-grade unit that will fail again, we will tell you replacement is the better value.

The cylinder is working but the connection behind it has failed: a broken tailpiece, a stripped cam, a latch that has seized in the pocket, or a door that has shifted so the bolt binds in the strike. Do not force it. We can usually open the door without damage and repair the part that failed.

Replace when the lock has been damaged in a break-in, when it no longer meets the grade the door needs, when parts are unavailable, or when you want features it cannot offer such as a restricted keyway. Repair when the hardware is sound and the fault is a worn part or a misaligned door.

Use an alcohol-based lock de-icer or gently warm the key; never hot water, which refreezes deeper, and never force the key. Once dry, lubricate with a dry PTFE or graphite lubricant. A lock that freezes repeatedly has a water problem, usually a failed sweep or seal, and that is what we fix.

Yes, and it is usually same-day. After a break-in we also check the door, frame and strike for damage that would let the next attempt succeed. For rental turnover we can rekey the suite, mailbox and any common-area keys in one visit.

The most common causes are a door closer whose latch speed is set too slow, a strike that no longer lines up because the hinges have worn or the frame has shifted, weatherstripping that is too thick, and building air pressure holding the door off the frame. Our article on commercial doors that will not latch walks through nine causes in the order to check them.

The closer's main speed or latch speed is set too fast, or the back-check that should cushion the last few inches has been backed off. On a hot day the hydraulic fluid thins and a closer set for winter will slam. A quarter turn on the right valve usually cures it; a closer that cannot hold an adjustment is worn out.

No. Once a closer weeps hydraulic fluid the seals have failed and it cannot be resealed in the field. It should be replaced before it loses enough fluid to let the door slam or fail to latch, which on a fire door is a code problem as well as a nuisance.

A good Grade 1 closer on a properly hung door lasts ten to twenty years. Doors that are propped, wind-loaded, or left fighting a misaligned frame wear closers out in a fraction of that, so fixing the door usually extends the life of the closer.

Usually, yes. A continuous hinge spreads the door's weight along the full height of the frame instead of on two or three butt hinges, so it stops the sag and the latch-side rub that come with worn hinges on heavy or high-traffic doors. It is our standard recommendation for entrances that have sagged more than once.

Exterior doors in Saskatchewan benefit from a spring and fall visit, because closers and seals set for one season are wrong for the other. Interior doors and fire doors should be checked at least annually. Many property managers put their buildings on a scheduled maintenance visit so nothing is missed.

Yes. A scheduled visit covers closers, exit devices, hinges, seals, locks and automatic operators on every opening, with a written report of what was adjusted and what should be budgeted. It is the cheapest way to avoid emergency calls.

In general the building owner or property manager is responsible for the building's exterior doors, common areas and the condition of suite doors, while the lease sets out who pays for lock changes and lost keys inside a suite. We work for owners, managers and tenants and can advise on what the lease should say about keys.

It depends on the occupancy type, how many people the space holds and how the doors are used, all of which are set by the building and fire codes that apply to your building. Exit doors that serve larger occupancies or hazardous uses generally require panic hardware. We assess each door and install code-compliant exit devices where they are needed.

Yes, within the limits of the door's listing. Hardware, closers, seals and minor damage can be repaired or replaced with rated components. A fire door that has been cut, drilled or badly bent may no longer carry its rating and must be replaced, and we will tell you which case you are in.

Yes. We design master key systems and restricted keyways that span several buildings, so managers carry one key and each site keeps its own tenant keys. The same applies to access control, where one system can manage doors in Saskatoon and Regina together.

A restricted key uses a patented keyway that only authorized locksmiths can cut, and only for the people on your signed authorization list. Unlike a key stamped Do Not Duplicate, which anyone can still copy, a restricted key cannot be duplicated at a hardware store or kiosk.

Surface-mounted closers are less expensive, easier to service and fit almost any door, which is why they are the default in commercial buildings. Concealed closers hide in the header or floor and suit storefronts and feature entrances where appearance matters, at a higher cost when they eventually need replacing.

Small adjustments, yes: an eighth to a quarter turn on the sweep or latch valve, then test the door. Never back a valve fully out, which blows the seal, and never adjust a closer on a fire door without confirming it still closes and latches from any open position.

Hydraulic fluid thins in heat and thickens in cold, so a closer set for one season is wrong for the other. In Saskatchewan that means a twice-yearly adjustment on exterior doors. Closers that cannot hold a setting across seasons should be replaced with a heavier-duty unit.

Back-check slows the door in the last part of its opening swing so it cannot be thrown into the wall or the stop by wind or an impatient user. It protects the door, the frame and the closer arm, and it is the setting most often found backed off completely on damaged doors.

Exit device is the general term for hardware that unlatches a door when the bar or paddle is pushed. Panic hardware is an exit device tested for panic conditions; fire exit hardware is a version listed for fire doors, which also means it cannot have a mechanical dogging feature that holds it unlatched.

Either the latch is not reaching the strike because the door has sagged or the frame has moved, or the device itself is worn, dogged down, or full of debris or ice. On vertical-rod devices the rods go out of adjustment and the top or bottom latch stops engaging. All of these are repairable.

Yes, from the outside only. An exit device can have a keyed cylinder or an access control reader on the exterior while the inside always opens with a single push. What you can never do is chain, bolt or block an exit door from the inside, which is a fire-code violation.

A rim device latches at the frame and is the choice for single doors. Pairs of doors without a centre mullion need vertical-rod devices that latch at the top and bottom, or a removable mullion so each leaf can take a rim device. Rim devices are more reliable and cheaper to maintain, so we add a mullion where the door use allows it.

Usually, yes. An electric strike, electrified latch retraction, or an exterior trim with a reader can be added to most current devices. Older or obsolete devices may need replacing to get a listed combination.

Each cylinder is pinned so it opens with its own change key and also with a master key. Additional pins let one lock accept several keys, and a chart records which key opens which door. Levels can be added so a building has suite keys, floor masters and a grand master.

Every door that master opens is compromised, and the honest fix is to rekey them. This is why master keys should be restricted keys that cannot be copied, and why key issue should be logged. A well-planned system limits how many doors any one key opens, so a loss costs less to recover from.

Yes, if the cylinders share a keyway or can be swapped to one. Most commercial cylinders are re-pinned in place. We survey the doors, design the chart, then rekey the building in a single visit so keys change over cleanly.

Master keying is about which keys open which doors. Restricted keying is about who can have keys cut. The best commercial systems are both: a master key chart built on a restricted keyway, so the hierarchy cannot be undermined by unauthorized copies.

For common areas, mechanical rooms and staff access, yes. For suite doors it is a policy decision: a master gives staff emergency access but is a serious liability if lost. Many buildings master the common doors and keep suites on individual keys or move them to access control.

Pick and drill resistance built into the cylinder, hardened components, and a patented restricted keyway so blanks are not freely available. Products from manufacturers such as Medeco and Mul-T-Lock carry independent UL or BHMA ratings for these attacks.

Legally, very little. It is a request, and most hardware stores and kiosks will copy the key anyway. If you need to control who has keys, the answer is a restricted keyway where blanks are only available to authorized locksmiths and cuts are only made for people on your signed list.

Not through normal channels. The blanks are patent-protected and supplied only to authorized dealers, who cut them only for the signatories on your key control agreement. That control is the whole point of the system.

In most cases, yes. High-security cylinders are made to retrofit standard commercial locksets, deadbolts, exit devices and padlocks, so you keep your existing hardware and upgrade only the cylinder.

An electric strike keeps your existing lockset and lets the door open freely from the inside, so it is the default for most doors. A mag lock holds the door shut from both sides and needs a release device inside, so it is used where a strike will not fit or where the door has no latch, such as glass doors.

Fail-secure hardware stays locked when power is lost; fail-safe unlocks. Mag locks are always fail-safe. Strikes come in both. Doors on the exit path or tied to the fire alarm generally need to release, while stockrooms and server rooms usually stay locked. We specify each door individually.

Locks on the path of exit must release on alarm, which is done by interrupting their power through the fire alarm panel. Doors that can always be opened from the inside by a lever or exit device may not need this, but the fire code decides, not preference. We coordinate the interface with your alarm contractor.

Often, yes, if it is the right voltage and fail mode for the new design and is still latching reliably. Strikes are inexpensive relative to the rest of the system, so we replace worn ones during the upgrade rather than inherit a fault.

If the rust is at the bottom edge and the core is sound, we cut out the damage, weld in new steel and refinish. Once rust has spread into the face sheets or the door has lost its shape, replacement is cheaper and, on a fire door, the only compliant option.

Yes, as long as the frame is square, anchored and undamaged. We measure the frame, order a door prepped for your existing hardware and hang it in the same opening. A frame that is out of square, rusted through or badly bent should be replaced with the door.

Worn hinges and loose hinge screws, a frame that has moved because its anchors or the wall have shifted, and years of the door being slammed or wind-loaded. A continuous hinge and frame realignment usually correct it without a new door.

Only with rated parts and only for the kinds of repair the door's listing allows: hardware, closers, seals, glazing and minor surface repair. Field welding or cutting new openings generally voids the label, so we tell you before we start whether the door can stay rated.

Warm, moist indoor air is leaking past a failed seal and freezing where it meets the cold door or frame. Find the gap the ice is marking, usually a hardened jamb seal, a worn sweep or a door that is not fully latching, and fix that. De-icing treats the symptom.

Check, in order: the door latches fully, the jamb and header seals compress against the door, the sweep touches the threshold along its whole length, and pairs of doors have an astragal closing the centre gap. Each is a straightforward fix, and together they make the biggest difference to heating cost.

A sweep is simple, cheap and fine for most doors. An automatic door bottom drops its seal only when the door closes, so it does not drag on uneven floors or carpet and does not wear out from sliding. It costs more and suits doors where a sweep keeps failing or rubbing.

When it stops springing back. Neoprene and silicone seals on a busy Saskatchewan door typically last five to ten years; sweeps wear faster. Press the seal with your thumb: if it stays flat, is cracked, or has gone hard, it is no longer sealing.

The pivots or offset hinges have worn and the door has dropped, or the door has racked out of square from being slammed or wind-loaded. Worn pivots are replaced and the door re-shimmed; a racked door can often be straightened, but a badly twisted one is replaced.

Yes. Pivots, offset hinges, overhead concealed closers, floor closers and push-pull hardware are all replaceable, and we stock or source parts for the common storefront systems. Replacing worn pivots is the most frequent aluminum-door repair we do.

Repair when the door is square and the damage is to hardware, glass or weather seals. Replace when the rails or stiles are cracked or twisted, the finish has failed beyond refinishing, or you want a thermally broken door to cut heat loss and frost.

The door has moved relative to the frame: hinges have worn or loosened, the frame has shifted, or the door has swollen or warped. Tightening or replacing hinges, or fitting a continuous hinge, corrects most rubs. Planing the door is a last resort because it changes the gaps the seals depend on.

Building air pressure from the HVAC system, a closer with too much spring power or a stuck back-check, a binding latch, or ice and debris in the threshold. If the door is hard to open for everyone, it is also failing accessibility requirements and should be looked at promptly.

Yes. Uneven gaps mean the door or frame has moved, which leads to latching failures, drafts, ice and easy prying. On a fire door the allowable clearances are specified and a wide gap can void the assembly. We realign the door and adjust or replace seals to close it.

Yes, including same-day board-up and securing. We repair or replace the lock, strike and latch guard, straighten or weld the frame, and reinforce the opening so the next attempt fails. Forced-entry repair is one of the most common calls to both branches.

You deactivate it in the software and issue a new one; the lost fob stops working immediately. Compare that to a lost key, which means rekeying every door it opened. Keep a record of which fob was issued to whom so revocation is one click.

Yes, on systems that support mobile credentials. Your phone acts as the credential over Bluetooth or NFC, can be revoked remotely, and is far harder to lend to someone else than a fob. Many buildings run phones and fobs side by side during the changeover.

Battery-powered locks warn for weeks before they run flat, and every unit we install keeps a mechanical key override or an external power point for emergencies. Cold weather shortens battery life, so exterior doors get lithium cells and a shorter replacement schedule.

The operator itself is the largest part, followed by the activation devices, electrical work to get power to the header, and any repairs the door needs first, since an operator will not fix a door that already drags or fails to latch. A single low-energy door is a modest project; we quote after a site visit.

Yes. Operators are rated by door weight and width, and heavy hollow metal or wide storefront doors simply need a higher-rated unit. The frame and header must be sound enough to carry it, which we confirm on site.

Yes. A wall or bollard-mounted push plate is the most common activation for low-energy operators, and can be wired or wireless. Touchless wave sensors, access readers and remote fobs are alternatives, and several can be combined on one door.

It is a steel plate that covers the gap between the door edge and the frame at the latch, so a bar or screwdriver cannot be forced against the bolt. It is the single cheapest upgrade against the most common commercial break-in method, and we weld or bolt it on to match the door.

It closes the gap between the two leaves of a pair of doors. A weather astragal seals out wind and snow; a security astragal, usually a full-height steel strip on the active leaf, stops the doors being pried apart at the centre. Many pairs need both.

The right models do. We install units rated for our temperature range, use lithium batteries on exterior doors, and make sure the door is properly aligned so the motor is not straining against a binding bolt, which is what drains batteries and burns out mechanisms in the cold.

Many retrofit smart locks replace only the inside thumb-turn and keep your existing deadbolt and keys. Full replacements swap the whole lock and add a keypad outside. We match the option to your door and to how you want to manage codes.

Every model we install warns you well before that and keeps a mechanical key override or an external battery contact so you are never locked out. Expect months of life indoors and a shorter cycle on exterior doors in winter.

Yes. If we have the key code, the lock, or the door we can decode and cut a new key, or rekey the lock and issue a fresh set. For restricted keys you must be an authorized signatory on the system.

Each copy of a copy drifts a little from the original cuts, and worn machines and blanks add more error. We cut by code where possible, on precision Silca and Ilco machines, so the key matches the lock's pinning rather than a worn key.

Yes. You cannot know how many copies the previous tenant made, and a rekey is far cheaper than the liability of an unauthorized entry. On a master key system the suite is re-pinned to a new change key while the building master keeps working, so it takes minutes per door.

Move the buildings onto a restricted keyway. Blanks are only available to authorized locksmiths and cuts are only made for the people on your signed authorization list, so a tenant or former employee cannot copy a key at a hardware store. Pair it with a key issue log.

Yes. We have a branch in each city, so one contract covers both markets and the communities around them. You get one point of contact, one hardware standard and one set of records across the portfolio.

Every exterior and fire door: closer speeds and back-check, latching from any open position, hinge condition, seals and sweeps, exit device operation, lock function and, where fitted, automatic operator cycle and sensors. You get a report of what was adjusted and what should be budgeted.

Three things cut them most: a restricted master key system so lost keys stop triggering rekeys, seasonal closer and seal adjustment so doors keep latching in winter, and access control on entrances so revoking a fob replaces a service call.

Access control, in most cases. Entrance keys get copied and never come back, so the door is effectively unlocked within a few years. Fobs or mobile credentials are revoked individually when someone moves out, and the log tells you when the door was propped.

That is set by the lease and by the residential tenancy rules that apply, not by the locksmith. Many landlords rekey at their cost between tenancies and charge for lost keys during a tenancy. We invoice whoever you tell us to and can rekey suites on the building master so your staff key keeps working.

Yes, with the owners' agreement. A restricted keyway with a building master gives the corporation emergency access and stops uncontrolled copies, while each owner keeps a unique suite key. We handle the bylaw-side questions with your property manager before starting.

Rated fire doors must be self-closing and self-latching, and wedged or propped fire doors are a common fire inspection failure. We service the closers, latches and seals so they close from any position, and we install hold-open devices that release on alarm where doors genuinely need to stay open.

Break-ins are usually found first thing in the morning, and both branches treat that as a same-day call. Outside business hours, leave a voicemail or send a text — voice mails and text messages reach our entire team, and we will come out if a locksmith is free. On the first visit we secure the opening, repair or replace the damaged lock and strike, and where the frame is bent we weld or brace it so the store can open in the morning. Permanent hardening, such as latch guards and a restricted key system, follows.

A latch guard on each exterior door. It covers the gap that a bar or screwdriver is forced into, which is how most commercial doors are attacked. A Grade 1 deadbolt or high-security cylinder behind it, and good lighting, complete the basics.

Yes. A restricted keyway with a master chart lets district staff carry one key while each store has its own, and lets us cut keys only for the names on your list. We already run systems that span Saskatoon and Regina.

Repair, in most cases. Worn pivots, a dropped door and a tired closer are all replaceable parts on an aluminum storefront door. Replacement makes sense when the door is racked or cracked, or when you want a thermally broken door to stop frost and heat loss.

Often, yes. We straighten and weld frames on site and replace the door if it is bent beyond truing. If the frame is torn from its anchors or the opening is fire-rated and the damage affects the rating, we replace the assembly and tell you which case you are in before starting.

Wind loading on large openings overwhelms standard closers, and doors beside dock doors also see pressure changes when the dock opens. A heavy-duty closer with back-check, a correctly adjusted latch speed and, on pairs, a mullion or astragal usually solve it.

Yes, when the hardware is specified for it. Sealed readers that work through gloves, exterior-rated electric strikes, lithium batteries on any wireless locks and proper conduit make the difference. Interior-grade hardware on an industrial door fails within a season.

Yes. Many padlock lines accept the same cylinders as door hardware, so a single restricted master key system can cover doors, gates, cages and lockers. It ends the ring of forty padlock keys and lets you revoke access by rekeying instead of cutting locks off.

A classroom security function lock: it locks the outside lever with a key or thumbturn from inside, while the inside lever always opens the door so nobody is ever locked in. It is the accepted approach because it keeps the door a free exit. Barricade devices that block egress are not.

A low-energy automatic operator on the entrance, activated by a push plate, tied to access control so the door only powers open when the reader or the schedule releases it. Visitors use an intercom or office release. We install and sequence both as one system.

Yes. We survey every cylinder, decode what is actually pinned, and design a new chart on a restricted keyway with room to grow. The changeover is scheduled for a break or shutdown so the building rekeys in one pass and every key issued is recorded from day one.

Yes. We routinely schedule evenings, breaks and summer shutdowns for institutional work, and we plan multi-door projects so doors are never left unsecured overnight.

Yes. We design one restricted master key system and one hardware specification, then roll it out site by site so district staff carry one key and every location behaves the same. Keys are cut only for names on your authorization list.

Yes. Each visit is documented per site with what was found, what was adjusted or replaced and what should be budgeted, in whatever format your facilities team or national account program needs.

Saskatoon and Regina from our two branches, plus the communities around each. For sites elsewhere in Saskatchewan we tell you honestly whether we can reach them and what the travel adds, and we can coordinate with your contractors in other provinces on a common specification.

Yes. Cloud-hosted access control manages doors in Saskatoon, Regina and anywhere else from one console, with the same credentials working at every site and one place to revoke them.