Last Updated on October 8, 2026
ACME Locksmith repairs and replaces sliding glass door locks in Mesa and throughout the Phoenix metro area. We fix worn latches, replace broken handles and patio door cylinders, and install new locks on doors whose original hardware was discontinued years ago. We also stock sliding door parts at all four shops, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Gilbert. Family owned, in business since 1995, licensed under Arizona ROC #271563.
What Can Go Wrong With Sliding Glass Doors (aka Arcadia Doors)
Around here people call them Arcadia doors, after the Arizona manufacturer that put most of them in. Same door, same locks, same fixes.
Three things go wrong, and they need different answers. The hardware wears out and stops latching. The door can be lifted off its track, which is a security problem the latch has nothing to do with. Or the door locks fine and you just want a key for it. Here is what we do about each one.
Problem: The Latch Is Worn Out and the Door Won’t Lock
The handle flops. The door won’t catch unless you lift it while you push. The lock turns but nothing grabs.
What we do. Sometimes this fix is as easy as an adjustment to your existing latch or strike, sometimes it’s a part replacement. We’ll inspect your strike and latch to find out what’s causing the issue. We stock the most common patio door locks that have been installed throughout Mesa and the Phoenix Valley. If the part is common, we will get your door working in one visit.
What gets in the way. Outdated hardware is the real problem on most of the doors we service. The part was discontinued years ago and there is no match to buy. At that point, hunting for an old part costs more than it is worth, and we will tell you so.
Not only are older parts hard to find, but older sliding glass doors have security flaws that replacing the existing lock won’t fix. Newer aftermarket sliding door lock additions are easier to work with and provide better security for the door. So sometimes the best solution is to add a second lock to the door and leave the existing one alone.
Problem: Somebody Can Lift the Door Off Its Track
This is the one most people never check, and it is how these doors actually get opened.
Older sliding doors can be lifted straight up and out of the track, even with the latch locked. Somebody with a screwdriver pops the panel off in seconds. Test yours: lock the door, get something to pry under the panel and lift. If it rises more than a little, there is room to take it out.
We also run into doors that were installed inside out. The sliding panel belongs on the inside with the fixed panel outboard. On a lot of older installs it is backwards, which puts the moving panel outside where anyone can reach it. If yours is like that, it’s a real problem.
What doesn’t work. A dowel in the track. People cut a broomstick, drop it in the runner, and figure the door is handled. It keeps the door from sliding and does nothing about the door coming off the track. Security bars have the same gap, plus they are bulky and ugly, and you can only set one from inside, so the door is unprotected every time you leave. Hardly anyone uses them anymore and there are better options for about the same money.
What works: a double bolt lock. Double bolt locks mount on the frame above your existing hardware. They secure to the door’s frame with two bolts that go into the strike plate at the top and the bottom. Because it pins the panel at both ends, the door cannot be lifted off its track. It holds up to 1,000 pounds of force, and it does not rely on the worn-out factory latch at all, so a bad latch stops being a security problem the moment it goes on. In our opinion, these are the best sliding glass door locks you can install.
It solves a second problem at the same time. Releasing it takes two hands lifting both bolts at once, which a small child cannot manage. The current model adds a key so you can lock the bolts down completely, which is what you want if there is a pool out back.
We stock it in black and white, and there is an adapter for two sliding glass panels that meet in the middle.
If a double bolt will not fit your door, the fallback is a sliding door pin. We drill the frame at the top or the bottom and set a pin through into the track so the panel cannot rise. Not as convenient to open and lock, but it solves the lifting problem.
Problem: You Want a Key for the Patio Door
Sometimes the door locks fine and the issue is that it only locks from inside. You want to come in the back, or you want the door keyed for a tenant or a house cleaner.
What we do. We stock patio door cylinders in SC1 and KW1, the Schlage and Kwikset keyways. If your house keys are either of those, and most Valley homes are, we can key the patio door to your existing house key. One key front and back, no second key on the ring. The keyed double bolt model is the other way to get there.
Having the house rekeyed anyway? Add the patio door to the same visit. See home rekey service.
Problem: You Don’t Want a Key but Want Exterior Door Access by Code
You can go keyless on a sliding door. The choices are narrower than on a front door and the install is fussier, so it is worth reading before you buy: smart locks for sliding and patio doors.
How We Do the Work in Mesa
Sliding door hardware gets installed on site. A tech comes out, measures what you have, and puts the lock on. Parts are stocked at all four shops, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Gilbert, so most jobs finish on the first visit instead of waiting on an order.
Now what about that front door? The best thing you can do there costs about five dollars: 3-inch screws into the wall studs.
Sliding Door Questions
Can I install a double bolt lock myself?
Most people do. It mounts above the existing hardware with a few screws and the existing lock stays where it is. If you would rather not drill into an aluminum frame, we install them.
Will a double bolt lock fit a wood sliding door?
No. Wood sliders take different hardware, and we stock a National lock with a plunger bolt for those. Send us a photo of the door edge and we will tell you which one you need.
Will a new lock leave holes in my door?
A double bolt mounts on the frame above the factory latch, so your original lock stays in place and nothing gets removed. Replacing a worn latch reuses the existing holes.
Are Arcadia doors the same as sliding doors?
Yes. Arcadia door, patio door, slider, sliding glass door, they are all the same door and take the same locks. Arcadia is just what people call them in Arizona.
