Emergency Board-Up

Emergency board-up starts from $150. Locksmith Auto secures damaged doors, broken windows, and compromised entry points with plywood, temporary locks, and weather barriers. Same day response to stop further damage, keep people out, and protect against the elements.

You need board-up after break-ins, storms, vehicle impacts, vandalism, fire damage, or anything that leaves a hole in your building. An open entry point invites more problems fast: theft, squatters, rain damage, pests, and complications with your insurance claim. Most policies actually require you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage. Board-up service checks that box.

How we do it depends on the opening. Standard window board-up uses 1/2-inch or 5/8-inch plywood cut to overlap the frame by 2-4 inches on each side, fastened with Tapcon screws into masonry or lag bolts into framing. Door board-up means either securing what's left of the existing door and reinforcing it, or covering the whole opening if the door is destroyed. We carry pre-cut plywood sheets, fasteners, and temporary lock hardware on the van.

Pricing by the job. Single standard window board-up costs $150-200. Residential door is $125-200. Large commercial windows or storefront glass runs $150-300 per opening. Multiple openings on the same visit get volume pricing. Locksmith Auto quotes the total on-site before starting. No surprises.

We don't just nail plywood over everything and leave. We install temporary lock hardware so you still have a keyed entry point while waiting on permanent repairs. You're not locked out of your own boarded-up property. For commercial buildings, we can put temporary panic hardware on the board-up to keep fire code compliance during the repair period.

Every board-up job comes with a detailed receipt and photo documentation. Your insurance company needs both, and the photos prove you acted fast to prevent further damage. We coordinate with your contractor or glass company for the handoff. When they're ready to do permanent repairs, we pull the board-up material. 90-day warranty on all fastening and temporary lock hardware.