Georgetown Main Street Shops: Keeping Old Doors Working

Small-town shopping streets such as Georgetown’s Main Street have doors of many ages: old wood-and-glass doors, aluminum frames added in the last decades and a few modern replacements. All of them are opened all day, and the ones that fail tend to fail at opening time.

Common problems

A storefront door drops as the hinge or pivot wears, then drags on the floor and stops latching. A closer loses adjustment. A cylinder gets stiff. A rim lock or a hook bolt no longer aligns with its strike. Glass doors also get cracked or chipped around hardware.

Adjust before you replace

Often the fix is an adjustment: a hinge or pivot re-set, a closer tuned, or a strike moved. See storefront door repair. Only when parts are worn out do you need to replace them.

Locks for glass doors

Glass doors often use a hook-bolt or a narrow-stile lock. Because the stile is narrow, the lock is limited in size. A locksmith can advise on the best option that fits.

Security and safety

A storefront needs to be secure at night and safe to leave during the day. Exit doors must open from inside without a key when the business is open. Consider master keys for multi-tenant buildings.

After a break-in

Photograph the damage, tell your insurer and secure the door. A locksmith can make the door safe temporarily. See emergency break-in repair.

Routine care

Every month, check the closer, the hinges, the strike and the cylinder. Keep the threshold clear.

Contact

Tell us the door type and the problem. See the Halton Hills page.

Older doors, everyday wear

Main Street doors take a lot of use, and frames in older buildings can move with the seasons. Look for a door that rubs at the top, a latch that does not line up or a closer that leaks oil. Adjust or repair these early to avoid a lockout on a busy Saturday. Keep a record of when hardware was last serviced and who holds keys. If your landlord owns the door, agree who pays for repairs before a problem arises.