Metro Detroit is home to some of the most stunning early 20th-century architecture in the country. Neighborhoods like Palmer Woods and Indian Village are filled with homes boasting thick, solid wood doors equipped with heavy, original cast brass mortise locks. And yet, contractors are tearing them out every single day.
The Modern Mistake
When a new homeowner moves in and realizes the old skeleton keys are missing, the instinct is often to rip out the heavy mortise box, patch the giant hole with wood filler, and slap a cheap, flimsy tubular deadbolt on top of it. This is a tragedy. You are destroying the aesthetic integrity of the door and replacing superior, century-old engineering with inferior modern zinc.
Restoration Over Replacement
Those old locks were built to last forever. They contain heavy brass levers, robust springs, and intricate mechanical actions that modern mass-market locks simply cannot match. If the mechanism is jammed or the keys are lost, it doesn't mean the lock is dead.
At EZ Locksmith, we specialize in antique lock restoration. We can extract the original mortise box, carefully disassemble it, clean decades of grime out of the casing, repair or replace broken springs, and most importantly: hand-fabricate a brand new skeleton key tailored exactly to the lock's levers.
Preserve Your Home's History
If you own a historic home, don't let an amateur drill new holes into your 100-year-old oak door. Call a specialist. Keep the brass. Keep the history. We will make it function flawlessly once again.