A door survey is a written and photographed record of an existing door, made before any lock or hardware is chosen. It covers the door and frame, the cutouts and hardware already there, any wiring or powered parts, how the door closes and latches, and who uses it. That record lets the hardware fit the door, instead of forcing the door to accept a product.
A door survey narrows the choices before a product does
A door survey works as a filter. Each lock and hardware type suits doors of certain materials, sizes, and existing cutouts, so every fact you record rules some options out. Pick a product first, and the door may need cutting, patching, or reinforcing to take it. Record the door first, and the shortlist already fits what is there.
Fixed facts about the door and frame
Fixed facts are what a new lock has to live with. Preferences, like a keypad over a key or a lever over a knob, can change later. Record the fixed facts first, because they decide which preferences are possible.
Start with the material: wood, hollow metal, aluminum framed around glass, or all glass. On a storefront door, check the stile, the vertical frame piece along the lock edge. A narrow aluminum stile leaves little room for a lock body, and that alone rules out many common locks.
Measure the door's thickness, width, and height, plus the backset, which is the distance from the door edge to the center of the existing lock hole. Note the handing: which side the hinges are on, and whether the door swings toward you or away from you when you stand outside. Say whether it is a single door or a pair, and note any glass in the door or in sidelites, the fixed panels beside it.
Record the frame material, then every existing cutout. That means a round bore through the door face, a rectangular pocket in the edge for a mortise lock (a box-shaped lock set into the door), old holes left by earlier hardware, and the strike opening in the frame. Hardware that uses the existing cutouts is a simpler change than hardware that needs new ones or needs old ones covered.
What is already installed, and how it behaves
Identify the current lock: knob, lever, deadbolt, mortise lock, or a push bar across the door. Note the closer at the top of the door, the type and number of hinges, and the strike plate, the metal piece on the frame that the latch catches in.
Next, look for anything wired or powered: a card reader beside the door, a magnetic lock at the head of the frame, an electric strike, an intercom panel, or a cable entering the frame. Photograph each one and note where the cable seems to lead, without opening covers or disconnecting anything. Where power and cabling already reach the door, an access control or intercom upgrade can be close to a hardware swap. Where they do not, wire has to be brought to the door first.
Then open and close the door several times. Listen for scraping. Watch whether it slams or stops short, and whether the latch catches without a push. Look for a gap that widens toward the top corner, loose hinge screws, and fresh rub marks on the frame. Write these down rather than adjusting anything. A new lock on a door that binds will still behave badly.
Working through the survey in order
Each answer narrows the next question, so the order matters.
- Use and users. Note who passes through, how often, and whether they are staff, residents, visitors, or the public. A main entry used all day wears hardware harder than a closet door.
- Locked or open. Note whether the door must stay locked, stand open during set hours, or switch on a schedule. A schedule points toward smart lock, access control, or intercom options.
- Door facts. Material, measurements, handing, frame, and cutouts remove anything that cannot physically fit.
- Condition. Binding, sagging, or a weak closer may need attention before or alongside new hardware.
- The goal. Choose between keyed, smart lock, access control, intercom or video entry, or a high-security lock.
- Shortlist. Only now compare products, and only those that survived the earlier steps.
Run that sequence on a glass storefront door with public traffic and set hours, then on a solid wood office door used by a handful of people, and the two shortlists barely overlap.
What to hand over, and what a survey cannot settle
A locksmith can work from a survey when the record is consistent from door to door. Give each door a short code tied to its location, such as floor number then order from the main stair: 2-01, 2-02. Put that code on the sheet, in every photo file name, and on a strip of painter's tape on the door if others will walk the building with you.
- Photos of each door, taken from the same set of angles
- One row per door covering material, measurements, handing, frame, and cutouts
- Current hardware and any wired parts, with their locations
- Condition notes written as you observed them
- Users, traffic, and whether the door locks on a schedule
- The goal for that door
Photos and notes cannot show what is inside the door or frame: hidden reinforcement, whether a frame is filled solid, or whether there is a clear path for wire. Those questions need someone at the door, and a good record gives that visit a clear starting point. If you want to talk a survey through before anything is shortlisted, call Imperial Locksmith & Security at (917) 500-1145.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do the door survey myself or does it need a locksmith on site?
Most of a door survey can be done by whoever manages the door: measurements, photos, condition notes, and how the door is used. Anything hidden inside the door or frame, such as wire paths or reinforcement, still needs someone on site, as does confirming what will actually fit. A survey prepared in advance gives that visit a clear starting point.
Do I need to survey every door in the building or just the ones being changed?
Survey the doors being changed, plus any door that shares keys, cards, or wiring with them. In a master key system or an access control system, a change on one door can affect other doors on the same keying or the same controller. Those doors belong in the record even if their own hardware stays put.
What photos are most useful to take of an existing door?
The most useful photos of an existing door show it straight on from each side, plus the lock edge with the lock face visible. Add the strike on the frame, the hinges, and the top of the door showing any closer. Photograph any reader, button, or cable nearby. One shot with a tape measure held across the door edge shows thickness at a glance.
Does the survey change if I am planning a smart lock instead of a standard lock?
A smart lock survey adds a few items. With the door closed, check whether the deadbolt extends and retracts easily, because a motor handles binding worse than a hand does. Measure the free space on the inside face around the lock, since the interior unit is usually larger than a thumbturn. Also note any trim or second lock sitting close by.