Tubular locks are everyday locks that let you lock your door by key, button or thumbturn, using a slim latch that fits the holes most doors already have. Whatever handle your door has now, one fits with no new drilling. King Locksmith and Doors Inc. replaces, repairs and rekeys them across the DMV, licensed, insured and bonded for 25 years.
Locksmiths call this a tubular chassis: the latch is a separate tube-shaped unit in the door edge, and the trim bolts through it. A spindle, the bar the handle turns, passes through the latch hub and pulls the bolt back. It fits standard door prep: a 2-1/8 inch cross bore, a 1 inch latch bore and a 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inch backset, edge to handle center.
Cylinders are five-pin plugs on the Kwikset KW1 and Schlage SC1 keyways that dominate the front doors we service, and each rekeys to one key for front, back and garage. We meet them on rental entries across the District of Columbia and interior doors.
You get a keyed, working lock on almost any door without a carpenter, because the tubular latch and trim fit the holes bored when the door was hung. Replacement takes one visit and no patching.
You pay less than a commercial cylindrical lock and still run one key, because five-pin cylinders key alike on every door. A Grade 2 tubular lock is the right buy for a rental or interior door; for a shop door taking hundreds of turns daily, we will quote the upgrade.
Tubular locks run entrance and privacy functions on front and back doors of most homes, townhouses and rental units in Northern Virginia, the bedroom and bathroom doors behind them, basement apartments and small shop offices.
They are the wrong choice on a storefront, a school corridor or any door taking hundreds of turns daily; that door needs a Grade 1 cylindrical lock, whose one-piece body absorbs wear a tubular latch cannot. Not sure which your door needs? We survey it free.
Our locksmith inspects your tubular lock, prices repair against replacement on the spot, and completes whichever you choose before leaving. Free estimates, day or night.
Five brands earned space on our trucks by fitting standard bored doors, rekeying cleanly and lasting on home entries: parts stocked, finishes matched, keys coordinated.
Schlage F Series carries the SC1 keyway and a Grade 2 rating, a durability step above most home locks, so your replacement entry lock lasts.
Kwikset SmartKey cylinders rekey with a learning tool in seconds, no lock removal, so after a lost key we reset your whole home that visit.
Baldwin Prestige adds solid brass trim to a standard tubular latch, so you get a heavier front door handle without drilling a single new hole.
Emtek tubular sets ship on the Schlage-compatible keyway with lever, knob and finish choices, so we match your existing key and your door's look together.
The latch clicks but the door stays shut: the retractor, the piece that pulls the bolt back, wore out, or the spindle has twisted. The cylinder spins in the knob: the retainer clip has let go or its screws stripped. The lock rotates on the door: the through-bolts loosened or the bore is oversized, and a lock with no rigid body cannot stay square.
We check latch throw, spindle engagement, through-bolt torque and strike alignment. Locked out? Our mobile units respond 24/7. Call (202) 800-2622 in Washington DC and NOVA or (240) 345-1455 in Maryland
A latch that will not retract gets a new tubular latch in your door’s 2-3/8 or 2-3/4 inch backset. A spinning cylinder gets a new retainer clip, pinned to your current key. A rotating lock gets new through-bolts, or a plate over an oversized bore.
We replace forced locks, discontinued models, or anything you want stronger than Grade 3. We match backset, the 2-1/8 inch cross bore, keyway and finish so it drops in without drilling, rekeyed to your key where keyways match. Measure, match, install, test latch, key and inside release. Our in-house door expert squares rubbing frames the same visit. Free estimates.
A tubular lock that spins, sticks or will not latch is an open door, not a small annoyance. Call (202) 800-2622 now or book online.
Tubular locks secure home entries, rentals and interior doors, but every door has its match. Browse our lock type resources below to see each function, its applications and our services.
Straight answers from King Locksmith Technicans to on Tubular Locks questions customers ask us most.
(240) 345-1455
A tubular lock bolts separate latch and handles through the door; a cylindrical lock is one solid body, so it earns Grade 1 while tubular stops at 2.
Yes, if they share a keyway like Kwikset KW1 or Schlage SC1; we pin each to the same cuts.
Ten to fifteen years on a family entry across the DMV, less on rentals; latch and springs wear first, both replaceable.
Almost always: the standard face hole and edge hole fit. We confirm the 2-1/8 inch bore and backset on site in Maryland.
