Skip to content
Facer Locksmith SpecialistsRequest a visit
Open 24/7(289) 432-1115Call now
Technician inspecting splintered wood around a door-frame strike plate. — Break-In Damage Lock Repair, Shipman

Emergency Lockouts · Shipman

Break-In Damage Lock Repair in Shipman

They did not get in. The attempt left a screwdriver gouge in the door edge, a strike plate bent outward and a deadbolt that now needs a shove to throw.

Call now · open 24/7(289) 432-1115

Request a visit

In plain words

When a home is broken into, the locks are not the only thing that has changed hands. Keys hanging in the hall, a spare in a drawer, a garage remote on a visor or a house key on a stolen car's ring may all be gone. Part of break-in damage repair is closing that door too. Every cylinder those keys fit is rekeyed or replaced and fresh keys are cut, the mailbox and padlocks are considered, and you are reminded to reset the garage opener and any alarm codes that were written down. The forced door gets fixed, and the missing keys stop mattering at the same time.

Sound familiar?

Police have come and gone, the occurrence number is on a sticky note, and you are standing in a cold hallway looking at a splintered frame, wondering how the house gets locked before everyone tries to sleep.

How the visit goes

Break-In Damage Lock Repair · Shipman

How the visit goes

Illustrative locksmith scene — Shipman
  1. 1

    Which keys and codes are gone

    Break-ins change who holds the keys, so the assessment includes a short inventory. Were house keys hanging by the door, in a drawer or on a hook in the garage? Was a car taken with a garage remote and a house key on its ring? Was a bag or wallet with keys inside stolen? Are alarm codes or safe combinations written anywhere that was disturbed? Each yes adds a cylinder to be rekeyed, a remote to be erased from the opener or a code to reset. The locksmith lists every lock those keys fit, including the mailbox, padlocks and a rental unit's suite door, so nothing that opened yesterday still opens tomorrow.

  2. 2

    Storefront and commercial doors

    Aluminum storefront doors fail differently: the narrow stile bends under a pry bar, the hookbolt or deadlatch is forced, or the glass is broken. The locksmith straightens or replaces the stile section where possible, fits a new narrow-stile deadbolt or hookbolt with a matching strike, and adds a latch guard plate or an anti-pry astragal along the meeting edge so a bar has nothing to grip. Interchangeable cores are rekeyed and access codes reviewed with the owner. Where the door is part of an exit route, the inside hardware is kept as a single-motion release so the repair strengthens the entrance without changing how people leave.

  3. 3

    Watching the repair settle

    Wood that has been split and glued back, and screws that have been driven into fresh pilot holes, settle over their first few weeks. Check after a month that the bolt still throws without effort and that the strike and hinge screws are snug, then repeat at each change of season, since humidity swells doors in summer and shrinks them in dry winter air. A door that starts to need a shoulder, or a bolt that begins to catch on the strike lip, is asking for a small adjustment before it becomes a problem. Whatever lubricant and interval that new cylinder's own maker specifies keeps the key turning cleanly.

In the van

  • Grade 1 deadbolt with one-inch throw
  • Anti-lift blocks and foot bolt
  • Latch guard plate
  • Wrap-around door edge reinforcer
  • Three-inch strike and hinge screws

What affects the quote

  1. 1

    Keys cut

    New keys are cut from the fresh pinning and counted separately: enough for each adult, the dog walker and a trusted neighbour, however many you decide you need.

  2. 2

    Number of cylinders rekeyed

    Every lock a taken key fits is rekeyed individually, so a house with four exterior doors, a mailbox and two padlocks is more work than one front door. Bringing them all onto a single key is part of the count.

  3. 3

    Sliding door hardware

    Putting a slider back on its track, replacing its latch and adding anti-lift blocks, a foot bolt or an auxiliary lock is a different parts list from a hinged door, and is quoted as such.

Same fees day, night or weekend.

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

(289) 432-1115

Break-In Damage Lock Repair: questions

Advice · (289) 432-1115

How long does a break-in repair take?

It depends on how much gave way. A new lockset and a reinforced strike on a sound frame is a modest job. Bonding a split jamb, sleeving a crushed door edge, reinforcing the hinges and rekeying several cylinders takes longer, and a shattered frame means a securing visit now and a second visit after the carpenter. The locksmith gives a sense of the time once the damage has been seen, and the opening is secured before leaving even when a part has to be ordered.

My car was stolen with the garage remote and a house key inside. What now?

Treat it as two exposures. The house key is handled by rekeying every lock it fits. The remote is handled at the garage door opener: its memory is erased so every old remote stops working, and new remotes are programmed. If the car had your address on its paperwork, do both before anything else. A locksmith can rekey the doors and, on many openers, clear the remotes during the same visit or show you the learn button on the motor unit.

How is a forced storefront door repaired?

Aluminum storefront doors are attacked at the narrow stile, which bends under a pry bar, or at the hookbolt and glass. The locksmith straightens or replaces the damaged section where possible, fits a new narrow-stile deadbolt or hookbolt with its strike, and adds a latch guard or anti-pry astragal along the meeting edge so a bar has no purchase. Cores are rekeyed and codes reviewed. The inside release stays a single motion so the exit route is unchanged.

Niagara, Ontario

Shipman information

Town
Shipman, Niagara, Ontario
In business
12 years
Hours
Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
Visits
On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.

What the census means at the door

71%

Older homes. About 71% of homes in St. Catharines were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.

Decades of seasons move a frame, and an older house often has a front door that locks easily in summer and fights in winter. Setting the strike with the seasons in mind, and choosing a lubricant that stays fluid in the cold, keeps it working year round.

56%

A mix of homes. Single-detached houses make up about 56% of homes in St. Catharines (2021 Census).

In an area with both houses and attached homes, the work varies by the door. A detached house wants all its exterior doors on one key; a suite door wants a cylinder that suits a metal frame and respects building rules. A locksmith carries parts for both.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population

Open Shipman in Google Maps

Open 24/7

Request a visit

They did not get in.

Call now · open 24/7(289) 432-1115
  • On-site assessment preferred
  • Same fees day, night or weekend
  • 12 years in business