Change or rekey · Port Colborne
Lock Replacement & Upgrade
The house is fifteen years old and every exterior door still wears the light hardware the builder fitted: a short bolt, a thin strike held by two small screws, and a knob lock that never suited a street entrance.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade
In plain words
A replacement lock has to fit holes that already exist, and that is where the visit begins. The locksmith measures the backset, the distance from the door edge to the centre of the bore, which on most doors is 60 or 70 millimetres, checks the cross-bore diameter and edge-bore size, notes door thickness and handing, and looks at the strike cut-out. Most residential hardware is made to these standard preparations, so the new lock usually drops into place with no new drilling. Where a mortise lock or a thick door departs from the norm, filler plates, extension kits or a careful new bore bring the door up to standard.
How the visit goesThree teenagers, a dog walker, a cleaner and one house key that keeps going missing. You are tired of cutting copies and would rather give each person a code you can switch off, with a proper deadbolt behind it.
Port Colborne
How the visit goes
Function, and the way out
Each door has a job, and the hardware should match it. The main entrance needs a keyed deadbolt with an interior thumb-turn so anyone inside can leave without hunting for a key. A door with glass beside it is better served by a reinforced strike and glass protection than by a keyed cylinder on the inside. Interior doors may want passage, privacy or a keyed function, and a lever suits hands that find a knob awkward. Sorting function out first keeps looks from overriding how the door has to work.
Taking the old hardware off without harm
Removal is done with the same care as fitting. Interior trim screws come out first, then the interior rose or thumb-turn, and the exterior housing lifts away with its tailpiece. The latch or bolt slides out of the edge bore once its two faceplate screws are released, and the old strike comes off the jamb. Painted-over screws are scored free rather than forced, seized screws are eased with a hand driver of the right size, and a stripped head is drilled out only as a last step. The bore and edge mortise are then cleaned of paint build-up and debris so the new parts seat properly.
The rental paperwork, quietly sorted
If the door belongs to a rental unit, the visit finishes with the keys in the right hands. When a landlord orders the change, giving the tenant a full set of new keys is standard practice. When a tenant orders it with the landlord's consent, a key for the landlord is cut alongside the household's and the consent is noted. The locksmith can leave a short written record of the hardware fitted and the keys issued for the property file, so both sides know what is on the door and nobody is surprised at the next inspection or move-out.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade
In the van
- Handleset with matching deadbolt
- Knob or lever entry set
- 75 millimetre strike and hinge screws
- Filler plates and thick-door extension kits
- Key blanks and key cutter
What affects the quote
Same fees day, night or weekend
1Restricted keyway system
Patented cylinders and controlled key blanks cost more than standard hardware and involve setting up your key records, which is quoted separately from an ordinary replacement.
2Special-order hardware
Most standard locks come from the van. A specific style, an unusual finish or a restricted system may need ordering, which affects scheduling and is noted in the quote rather than discovered on the day.
3Grade of hardware
A light Grade 3 knob set, a residential deadbolt with a strong label rating and a Grade 1 commercial-style deadbolt are different products at different levels, and the quote follows the grade you choose for each door.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade: questions
I have just bought a house. What should I do about the locks?
Assume that copies of the old keys exist somewhere and act on the day you take possession. Walk every exterior door with the locksmith, keep hardware that is sound and have it rekeyed to a new key, replace hardware that is worn or too light, and add a deadbolt to any door that lacks one. Ask for everything to be keyed alike so you leave with one key and a known number of copies.
Is a smart lock a good upgrade, and what happens when the batteries run out?
For a household with many people coming and going, codes that can be added and removed are a real convenience. Behind the keypad it is still a deadbolt, so grade and strike matter as much as ever. Batteries typically last months and the lock warns you as they fade; depending on the model, a dead battery is handled with a mechanical override key or with external contacts for a temporary power source, so it is worth confirming which one your lock uses.
Is there anything different about steel or fibreglass doors?
The lock hardware is the same; the door construction changes the method. Steel and fibreglass doors have a wooden or composite block inside the lock stile, and existing bores are used wherever possible. Where a new deadbolt must be added, the locksmith drills with a jig and bits suited to the skin so the hole is clean and square, and fits an edge plate designed for that door. Insulated doors also move less with humidity, so alignment tends to hold well.
Change or Rekey Locks
Lock Replacement & Upgrade near you
The pages that follow describe the lock services offered in Port Colborne one by one, without sales talk. Where a service has a simpler or less involved cousin, the page says so. Where a repair will do instead of a replacement, the page says that too. The aim is for you to choose well, not to choose more.