A knob lock is a bored lock, hardware fitting a round hole through the door, with a knob on each side. The call we take most: a knob that spins while the latch stays put. King Locksmith and Doors Inc. repairs, rekeys and replaces knob locks across Washington DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland, 25 years in, licensed, insured and bonded.
A knob lock is a cylindrical lock: a round chassis, the metal body inside the 2-1/8 inch hole bored through the door. ANSI/BHMA A156.2 sets the function codes, what each side does: F81 entrance, F86 storeroom, F76 privacy. A spindle, the bar between the knobs, turns the retractor, the part that pulls the latch back.
Prep, cylinder and trim decide fit. Knob locks use a 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inch backset, door edge to knob center. Cylinders run from five-pin SC1, the common house key, to SFIC, the removable commercial core. Ball and tulip knobs in brass and bronze sit on District of Columbia rowhouses and back-of-house doors. We measure first.
A knob lock offers the same functions as a lever, entrance, storeroom, passage or privacy, in the smallest package. No lever arm catches a sleeve, and no return spring tires and droops, so the knob stays level for years.
Knob locks use the same 2-1/8 inch bore as levers: a worn knob upgrades to Grade 2 or Grade 1, the two commercial ratings, with no drilling. Cylinders rekey to SC1 or KW1 keys homes carry, and brass finishes match older trim. Loose knob? One visit.
Across Maryland, knob locks run on rowhouse and single-family entry doors, bedrooms, bathrooms, closets and garages, and on back-of-house commercial doors: storage and mechanical rooms and staff restrooms, where an F86 storeroom knob, always locked outside, keeps stock secured.
Wrong fit: any public or employee door covered by ADA, which requires hardware worked without grasping or twisting, so a lever belongs there. Still not sure which your door needs? We survey it free, and our knob lock locksmith brings both.
Tell us the door, the key you carry and the budget. We pick the right knob lock from stock we trust and install it today.
These five brands ride on our trucks because their knob locks hold up, parts arrive fast, and cylinders key into the systems you already run.
Schlage D Series is a Grade 1 knob, the highest commercial rating: we carry its spindles, retractors and cylinders, so repairs finish in one visit.
Sargent 6 Line knobs guard older office and school back doors, and its Grade 1 chassis takes replacement parts we stock, so repair beats replacement.
Best 8K knobs take interchangeable cores, the keyed section a control key lifts out, so we rekey knobs building-wide without pulling a single lock apart.
Corbin Russwin CK4200 is a Grade 1 knob for high-traffic doors, and its cylinder and knob swap on site, so worn hardware is fixed fast.
Knob turns, latch stays put: the spindle has stripped, or the retractor has worn. Cylinder spins in the knob: its retainer clip has let go, so the key no longer moves the latch. Whole lock rotates on the door: the through-bolts have backed out, or the cross bore is oversize.
On arrival we check the through-bolts, pull the knob and inspect spindle, retractor and cylinder retainer in that order, since each fault mimics the next. Locked out? Our mobile units respond 24/7. Call (240) 345-1455 in Maryland or (202) 800-2622 in Washington DC and NOVA.
A stripped spindle or worn retractor gets truck-stock parts, then set the latch to its full 1/2 inch throw, its reach into the frame. A spinning cylinder gets a fresh retainer clip. A rotating chassis gets new through-bolts, plus a wrap plate if the bore is oversize. A cracked chassis means replacement.
Replacement follows a break-in, a wrong function, or an ADA lever upgrade. We match backset, bore, function code, grade and finish so the new knob fits the existing prep, rekey to your key where keyways allow, then test latch and egress. Our in-house door expert squares sagging frames. Free estimates across North Virginia.
Our locksmith opens your knob lock, prices the repair against a new lock while you watch, and finishes whichever you choose today. Free estimates, 24/7.
Straight answers from King Locksmith Technicans to on Knob Locks questions customers ask us most.
(240) 345-1455
There is no single code. ANSI/BHMA A156.2 assigns it by what each side does: F81 entrance, F86 storeroom, F75 passage, F76 privacy.
Grade 2 suits most office and retail back doors. Grade 1, the top rating, belongs on exterior or high-traffic doors turned all day.
Yes, when that model carries a UL fire listing, the lab mark for fire doors, and ADA does not demand a lever.
A 2-1/8 inch cross bore through the face, a 1 inch latch bore in the edge, and a 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inch backset.
