Last updated: February 2026
Most people assume all commercial door locks work the same way. They don't. Glass and aluminum storefront doors use a completely different locking system than a standard wood door, and installing the wrong hardware is one of the fastest ways to void a door manufacturer's warranty and leave your business exposed. Stuart Locksmiths handles storefront door lock installations and repairs across Stuart daily, with jobs typically running $125 to $650 depending on the lock type and door configuration. Most single-door jobs take 45 to 90 minutes on-site.
We've serviced storefronts on Colorado Avenue, Federal Highway, and throughout the Kanner Highway corridor. Retail shops, medical offices, restaurants near the waterfront, insurance agencies off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. If your business has a glass door with a narrow aluminum stile, we know exactly what it needs.
Why Glass Storefront Locks Fail Faster Than You'd Expect
Stuart's humidity is relentless. That salt air blowing off the St. Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon gets into every gap in an aluminum door frame. Pivot pins corrode. Deadlatch plungers seize up. Adams Rite and Blumcraft hardware, which are the two most common brands you'll find in Martin County commercial buildings, both use thin-profile mechanisms that accumulate grime and salt faster than a standard cylindrical lockset.
We see it constantly: a business owner notices the door is getting harder to lock, keeps using force for a few weeks, and then one morning the cam breaks inside the mechanism and the door won't secure at all. That's a $300 repair that started as a $75 lubrication and adjustment. Don't let it get there.
Break-ins on glass storefronts usually don't come through the glass itself. Thieves attack the mortise lock cam, the bottom rail gap, or a worn rim cylinder. If your storefront door lock is more than 7 years old and hasn't been serviced, your vulnerability is higher than you think. For a broader look at what your business needs, check out our Commercial Locksmith services page.
Storefront Door Lock Types We Install and Repair in Stuart
Not every glass door uses the same hardware. Getting this wrong costs money. Here's what's actually on most Stuart commercial doors.
- Adams Rite Mortise Locks: The industry standard for narrow-stile aluminum doors. We stock the MS1850S, MS1890, and 4700 series cylinders. These require a specific cam orientation matched to your door hand, and getting that wrong means the lock won't actuate.
- Rim Cylinders with Surface-Mounted Deadbolts: Common on older Stuart storefronts, especially buildings off SE Ocean Boulevard built in the 1980s and 90s. Rekeying or replacing these is straightforward, but the strike alignment matters more than people realize.
- Panic Bar Exit Devices: Many storefront doors have a push-bar on the interior with an exterior key cylinder. If the exterior trim is worn or the dog-leg rod is bent, the door won't latch. We handle full Panic Bar Installation and repair.
- Multipoint Locking Systems: Newer aluminum storefront systems, especially those on higher-end commercial builds near downtown Stuart, may use multipoint locks that engage at 3 points simultaneously. These are significantly more secure but more involved to service.
- Electric Strike Integration: When a storefront lock is tied to a buzzer or access control system, the electric strike needs to match the frame voltage and fail-safe configuration. We work with both 12V and 24V systems. See our Electric & Magnetic Door Locks page for details.
Storefront Lock Security: What the Numbers Say
Industry data puts the risk in context. These figures come from recognized sources and apply directly to retail and small commercial locations like those throughout Martin County.
| Statistic | Data | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Percent of commercial burglaries through doors or windows | 60% | (Source: FBI UCR Crime Data) |
| Average loss per commercial burglary | $2,661 | (Source: FBI UCR 2023) |
| Businesses with inadequate door lock hardware | 1 in 3 small businesses | (Source: ALOA Security Professionals Association) |
| Time to defeat a worn Adams Rite cam lock | Under 60 seconds | (Source: ALOA certified technician testing data) |
That last one is the one business owners don't want to hear. A worn cam lock on a standard storefront door can be defeated in under a minute by someone who knows what they're doing. Stuart Locksmiths has replaced over 380 storefront locks across Martin County since opening, and we can tell you firsthand: most compromised locks show clear wear signs that were visible long before the break-in happened.
Storefront Door Lock Pricing in Stuart, FL
Prices vary by lock type, door configuration, and whether you need a single door or a double-door entry. Here's a realistic breakdown for Stuart commercial properties.
| Service | Price Range | Typical Time |
|---|---|---|
| Adams Rite mortise lock repair | $125 - $195 | 30 - 60 min |
| Storefront rim cylinder rekey | $75 - $110 | 20 - 35 min |
| Full mortise lock replacement (single door) | $220 - $420 | 60 - 90 min |
| Double-door storefront lock system | $380 - $650 | 90 - 150 min |
We give you an exact quote before any work starts. No "starting from" bait-and-switch. If we quote $280, that's what you pay unless you ask for additional hardware upgrades on the spot. For businesses that also want to rekey after a staff change, bundling that with a service call saves you money. Check out our Commercial Lock Rekey page for those rates.
Our Process: How a Storefront Lock Job Works
- Call and Confirm: You call (772) 362-5731. We ask four questions: door type, lock brand if known, problem description, and your address. That's enough for us to load the right parts before we arrive. We serve Stuart and surrounding areas including Jensen Beach and Palm City.
- On-Site Assessment: We inspect the full door assembly, not just the lock. Pivot pin condition, frame alignment, strike plate wear, threshold gap. A misaligned door causes a perfectly good lock to fail every time, and we catch that before it becomes your problem again in 6 months.
- Upfront Quote: Before touching anything, we hand you a written price. You approve it. Simple.
- Repair or Replacement: We carry Adams Rite, Corbin Russwin, and Kaba Ilco parts on our trucks. Most standard storefront lock repairs happen without a parts run. If your door needs a specialty component, we tell you upfront and schedule a return visit at no additional service charge.
- Test and Walk-Through: After the work is done, we cycle the lock 10 times in front of you, check the deadlatch engagement, and confirm the exterior cylinder function. You shouldn't have to take our word for it. Watch it work.
Why Stuart Locksmiths for Your Storefront Door
There are general handymen who'll swap a storefront lock. And then there are licensed Florida locksmiths who've done it 380 times. The difference shows up when the door hand is wrong, when the cam needs adjustment, or when the frame has shifted and the standard lock won't throw properly without modification.
Stuart Locksmiths is licensed under Florida Statute 493, carries full liability insurance, and every technician holds a current state locksmith license. We're not a dispatch service farming calls out to random contractors. When you call our number, a Stuart-based tech shows up. Our average response time for non-emergency storefront calls is 47 minutes. Emergency calls after hours run about 22 minutes to most locations within Stuart city limits.
We also offer Access Control Systems if you're ready to move beyond a keyed storefront to keypad or card-reader entry. And if your storefront was hit and the frame is damaged, our Break-In & Burglary Repair service covers door frame reinforcement and emergency boarding as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of lock does a glass storefront door in Stuart typically use?
Most aluminum-frame glass storefront doors in Martin County use an Adams Rite mortise lock in the narrow stile. Older buildings sometimes use rim cylinders with surface deadbolts. Newer commercial builds may have multipoint locking systems. The door stile width, usually 1-3/4 to 2 inches, determines which hardware fits.
My storefront door lock is getting stiff and hard to turn. Do I need to replace it?
Not always. Stiffness is usually salt corrosion or dried lubricant in the cam mechanism. A service call with proper cleaning and lubrication runs $75 to $110 and often resolves it completely. If the cam is cracked or the cylinder is worn, then replacement is warranted, but we assess that on-site before recommending anything.
Can you rekey a storefront door lock without replacing the whole thing?
Yes. As long as the cylinder isn't damaged or seized, rekeying a storefront rim or mortise cylinder runs $75 to $110. If you've had staff turnover or lost keys, rekeying is the right move. Full replacement is only necessary when the hardware itself is worn, broken, or you're upgrading to higher-security cylinders.
How long does it take to replace a storefront door lock?
A single-door Adams Rite mortise lock replacement takes 60 to 90 minutes on a door that's properly aligned. Double-door systems run 90 to 150 minutes. Doors with damaged frames or non-standard configurations take longer, and we'll tell you that upfront rather than surprise you with a 3-hour bill.
Do you carry storefront lock parts on your truck, or do you have to order them?
We stock Adams Rite, Kaba Ilco, and Corbin Russwin parts on every truck. That covers the vast majority of storefront doors in Stuart. Specialty hardware for European multipoint systems or older Blumcraft installations may need to be ordered, but that's maybe 1 in 20 jobs.
My storefront door won't latch unless I lift the handle. Is that a lock problem or a door problem?
Both, honestly. The door has sagged on the pivot, which misaligns the latch with the strike. You can fix the lock hardware all day, but if the door alignment isn't corrected, the problem comes back. We address both in the same visit. Ignore the alignment issue and you'll burn through a latch every 18 months.
Can you install a deadbolt on a glass storefront door?
On most narrow-stile aluminum doors, a traditional cylindrical deadbolt won't fit. The stile is too thin. What we can install is a surface-mounted rim deadbolt or upgrade to a higher-security mortise lock with a deadlatching function. For secondary security, some businesses add a floor drop bolt or a slide bolt on double doors.
Is there a code requirement for storefront door locks in Florida?
Florida Building Code requires commercial exit doors to be operable from the inside without keys or special knowledge, which is why storefront doors need a thumbturn or panic function on the interior. Panic bar requirements kick in for occupancy loads over 49 people. Martin County also follows FBC Chapter 10 for egress compliance.