The buildings and the hardware
The local building stock affects the hardware we use. Many houses here have older wood doors and deeper frames, which often hold mortise or rim locks rather than modern cylindrical latches; that changes the size of the replacement lockset and the mounting screws you need. Multiunit buildings and storefronts tend to use standard cylindrical locks and commercial-grade exit hardware, and apartment managers sometimes request keyed-alike or master-key setups. Weather exposure, paint buildup and seasonal frame movement are common causes of misalignment; addressing those means longer screws, reinforced strike plates, and sometimes door-trim or frame minor repairs before installing new hardware.
