Magnetic Locks & Door Hardware
Maglocks, electric strikes, closers and electronic door hardware, installed right.
The hardware that makes it work
Access control depends on the right door hardware. We install and service magnetic locks, electric strikes, closers and the electronic hardware that secures each opening.
- Magnetic locks (maglocks)
- Electric strikes and closers
- Electronic door hardware
- Installed to work with your access system
Frequently asked questions
What is a magnetic lock?
A maglock uses an electromagnet to hold a door secure and releases on a valid credential or exit request — common in access-controlled doors.
Do you service existing door hardware?
Yes — we install new hardware and service or upgrade existing door hardware.
Magnetic Locks vs. Electric Strikes: Which Fits Your Door
Magnetic locks (maglocks) and electric strikes both let a door be released electronically, but they work in opposite ways and suit different openings. A maglock is a surface-mounted electromagnet and steel armature plate that holds the door shut by magnetic force as long as power is applied; cut the power and the door is free. An electric strike instead replaces the metal pocket the latch sits in, so the door's existing latch or deadlatch still does the mechanical locking and the strike simply pivots to let it open on a signal. Knowing which one a door wants is the difference between a clean install and a door that drags, sticks, or fails inspection.
The core distinction is fail-safe versus fail-secure. A maglock is inherently fail-safe: it unlocks on power loss, which is the right behavior for most code-required egress doors and many stairwell or corridor doors. A standard electric strike can be ordered fail-secure (stays locked on power loss, so the opening is never left open) or fail-safe, which makes strikes the common pick for offices, suites, and IT or supply rooms where you want the door to stay secured even during an outage. The decision depends on the door's role, the building's fire and life-safety plan, and how you want the opening to behave when the power or the network goes down.
- Maglock: holds by magnet, always fail-safe (unlocks on power loss), good for glass, aluminum-frame, and high-traffic egress doors
- Electric strike: works with the existing latch, available fail-secure or fail-safe, good for wood/metal doors with a standard lockset
- Fail-safe = unlocks when power is cut (favors free egress); fail-secure = stays locked when power is cut (favors continuous security)
- Glass storefront and frameless glass doors usually take a maglock with the right bracket; doors with a solid frame and lockset often suit a strike
What Affects a Magnetic Lock or Electronic Hardware Install
No two openings are identical, and the details of your specific door drive both the hardware choice and the labor. Door material and construction matter first: a frameless glass door, an aluminum storefront, a hollow metal door, and a solid wood door each call for different brackets, mounting plates, and reinforcement. Outswing versus inswing changes whether a standard maglock mounts directly or needs an L-bracket, Z-bracket, or filler plate so the armature meets the magnet flat and flush. Getting that geometry right is what keeps the lock holding at full strength instead of pulling loose over time.
Power and wiring are the next big factor. Maglocks and many electronic locking devices need a dedicated low-voltage power supply, and the cabling has to be routed to the lock, often through a door loop or hinge transfer for doors where the device sits on the moving leaf. If the opening ties into a card or fob reader, a keypad, a request-to-exit sensor, a door position switch, or a building access control system, each of those adds a connection that has to be planned and tested together. We walk the opening with you, confirm how you want it to behave day to day, and account for these factors before any drilling so the finished door operates the way it should.
Code and life-safety requirements shape the rest. Doors in a path of egress generally must release without special knowledge or effort, which is why maglock openings are paired with release hardware such as a request-to-exit motion sensor and a clearly marked exit device or push-to-exit button, and why fire-rated openings have their own rules about what can be installed. We size the holding force to the door, plan the egress release, and verify the opening locks, releases, and re-secures correctly before we leave.
- Door type and swing: glass, aluminum storefront, hollow metal, or solid wood, and inswing vs. outswing, decide brackets and mounting
- Power supply and cabling: dedicated low-voltage power, plus door loops or hinge transfers for hardware on the moving leaf
- Integration points: card/fob readers, keypads, request-to-exit sensors, door position switches, and access control all need to be wired and tested together
- Egress and life-safety: free, marked exit and proper release hardware on doors in the path of travel; special handling for fire-rated openings
- Holding force matched to the door, then a full lock, release, and re-secure test before the job is called done
Ready to move forward?
Tell us about your property and what you need secured — we'll recommend the right system.
Call (669) 777-6811