Illustrative locksmith scene — Deadbolt Installation, Armitage

Change or rekey · Armitage

Deadbolt Installation in Armitage

The front door has a handsome lever and a keyed knob, and that is all. Nothing above it.

In plain words

For a main exit door the hardware choice has a safety side as well as a security side. A door people leave a home through should open from the inside without a key, so a single-cylinder deadbolt with an inside thumb-turn is the standard fit rather than a bolt keyed on both faces. Where glass sits close to the lock, the answer is a captive thumb-turn, laminated glass, or a tested security-film system with its specified frame attachment, not a key on the inside. The locksmith explains the trade-offs, fits the lock that keeps a stranger out and the family able to leave, and shows everyone the thumb-turn.

Sound familiar?

You moved in three weeks ago. The previous owner left a handful of keys, none labelled, and the bolt on the side door rattles in its housing. You would like every exterior door to bolt, and to know exactly who can open it.

How the visit goes

Deadbolt Installation · Armitage

How the visit goes

1
Measuring the bore and the backset
Deadbolts are built around two dimensions. The cross bore is the large hole through the face of the door, 54 mm on most residential hardware, though some older or imported locks used 38 mm. The backset is the distance from the door edge to the centre of that hole, 60 mm or 70 mm on nearly every door in this part of the world. If a deadbolt is being replaced, both are measured so the new lock lands in the existing holes without a shim or a gap. On a new installation they are chosen to match the knob below, so the two locks line up and any future keypad or smart deadbolt drops straight in.
2
Working on a steel-clad or fibreglass door
Insulated doors are cut with the skin in mind. A hole saw with fine teeth is run at low speed through the metal face, with the jig doing the steering so the saw does not skate on the smooth surface, and the cut is finished from the second face to keep both skins clean. Swarf is vacuumed out of the core so it cannot work into the bolt. The edge is usually a wood or composite stile inside a folded metal lip, and the bolt is finished with a drive-in collar or a plate screwed into the stile rather than a chiselled mortise. Fibreglass is scored first so the skin does not chip, then cut the same way.
3
Keys that open what they should
You leave with the keys sorted, whichever way you chose. If the new cylinder was pinned to your existing key, every ring in the house still works and the new door has simply joined the set. If it was set to a fresh key, you have a small bundle of new keys, cut from the pins rather than copied from a worn original, and a clear idea of which old keys no longer matter. Count them, decide who carries one, and test each in the new bolt before the locksmith leaves. A spare kept with a trusted neighbour or in a small lockbox is worth arranging on the same afternoon.

In the van

Manufacturer's bore template
Dry PTFE lubricant
Jamb reinforcer
Strike box
Reinforced strike plate

What affects the quote

1
Removing and disposing of the old hardware
Some visits end with the old deadbolt and strike left with the homeowner, and others ask for it to be removed and hauled away. Taking the old hardware away adds a small amount of time and is agreed before the new deadbolt goes in.
2
Door material
Solid wood, steel-clad and fibreglass doors are each cut differently. Metal skins call for slower cutting and cleanup of filings, so the material is one of the first things a quote takes into account.
3
Finish and trim style
Coated finishes built for salt and sun, matching trim for an existing handleset, and low-profile faces cost differently from a standard brass or nickel unit, and you choose the level.

Same fees day, night or weekend.

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

Is there glass in the door or a sidelight beside it within arm's reach of the lock?
Does anyone in the household have trouble with small knobs or stiff thumb-turns?
Do you want the new deadbolt to work on the same key as your other doors?

(289) 803-1633

Deadbolt Installation: questions

Advice · (289) 803-1633

Should I choose a single-cylinder or a double-cylinder deadbolt?

For any door people leave the house through, a single cylinder with an inside thumb-turn is the sensible choice, and provincial building rules for dwellings call for exit doors that open from inside without a key. Double-cylinder bolts are keyed on both faces and are sometimes proposed where glass is near the lock, but a captive thumb-turn, laminated glass, or a tested security-film system with its specified attachment, addresses that without a key on the inside.

What should I have ready before the locksmith arrives?

Know which doors you want bolted, what they are made of, and whether each already has a deadbolt or only a knob. A photo of the door face and edge helps. Have any existing keys to hand, decide whether you want everything on one key, and mention glass near the lock, a storm door in the same opening, or a rental agreement. If you have already bought hardware, keep the box and template together.

Can a deadbolt be added to a door that only has a knob?

Yes, on nearly any wood, steel-clad or fibreglass entry door. The locksmith marks a spot above the knob, clamps a jig to the door and bores a cross hole through the face and a smaller hole through the edge, then cuts a pocket and fits a strike on the frame. The main things checked first are the door's thickness, what is inside it at that height and whether glass sits close by.

Change or Rekey Locks

Deadbolt Installation near you

Newmarket

York, Ontario

Armitage information

Town: Armitage, York, Ontario
In business: 25 years
Hours: Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
Phone: (289) 803-1633
Work: lockouts, change or rekey, high security, commercial
Visits: On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.

What the census means at the door

30%

Newer homes. About 30% of homes in Newmarket were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.

In newer developments the hardware is often the same finish and style from house to house. A locksmith can offer upgrades that match what is already there, so a stronger cylinder or a new lever set fits in without looking like an afterthought.

60%

A mix of homes. Single-detached houses make up about 60% of homes in Newmarket (2021 Census).

Where housing types are mixed, the same lost-key call means different things. In a house, rekey every door on the property. In an apartment, rekey the suite door and check with management about the common entrance. The locksmith asks which it is first.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population