Change or rekey · Newmarket

Deadbolt Installation

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

In plain words

A deadbolt installation is also the moment to sort out keys. The new cylinder can be pinned to match the key you already use, so the household stays on one key, or set to a fresh key if you would rather retire whatever copies are in circulation. Many keypad and smart deadbolts fit the same standard bore as a mechanical one, so a door prepared today for a keyed bolt often accepts one later, though the exact model's bore and thickness still need checking. Either way you leave with keys that work in every door they are meant to, tested one by one.

Sound familiar?

The back door has a deadbolt in name only: a short bolt, a thin brass strike held by two little screws, and a jamb you can flex with your palm. It was fine for a builder's showing. It is not fine for a laneway.

How the visit goes

Deadbolt Installation · Newmarket

How the visit goes

1
Which key should open it
A deadbolt is also a key decision, so the locksmith asks how the household's keys are arranged now. If every door shares one key, the new cylinder can be pinned to that same key, provided the keyways match, so nobody's ring grows. If the house has just changed hands, this is the natural time to set the new bolt and the other exterior locks to a fresh key and retire whatever copies are out there. Restricted or high-security keyways, keypad models with a backup cylinder and locks that must match a rental building's system all steer the choice of hardware, and it is easier to settle this before the box is opened than after.
2
Swapping an old deadbolt in place
When an existing bolt is being replaced, the work starts by backing out the two inside screws and lifting off both housings, then removing the bolt from the edge. The bore and backset are measured against the new hardware, and any difference is dealt with before the new bolt goes in: a larger bore for a smart deadbolt, a different faceplate shape, or a spacer for a thinner door. The new bolt, cylinder and thumb-turn go on in the usual order. The old strike comes off too, the pocket is deepened if needed, and a reinforced strike with long screws replaces it, so the upgrade happens on both sides of the gap.
3
A safer way out as well as a stronger way in
With a thumb-turn inside, everyone in the household can leave through this door without hunting for a key, day or night. The locksmith walks the family through the thumb-turn and shows children how it turns. If a double-cylinder bolt was replaced, the inside key is no longer needed at all and can be retired. Where glass sits near the lock, whatever measure you agreed on, a thumb-turn that locks with its own small key, a laminated pane, or a tested security-film system that can delay an arm's reach, is in place, so security did not come at the cost of a clear way out.

In the van

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

What affects the quote

1
Number of doors
One front door is the simplest case. Front, back, side and garage-to-house doors done in one visit share the travel and setup, so the per-door figure usually eases as the count rises.
2
Storm door or restricted clearance
A tight storm door, a narrow lock stile or a decorative panel at bolt height can require low-profile trim or a shifted position, which is settled and quoted at the assessment.
3
Door and hinge corrections
A sagging door, loose hinge screws or thick weatherstrip are put right before a bolt is fitted, and that adjustment is quoted as its own line rather than folded into the lock.

Same fees day, night or weekend.

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

Is there a storm door or screen door in the same opening?
Is the door between the garage and the house one of the doors you want bolted?
Do you own the home, rent it, or manage it for someone else?

(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

Armitage

York, Ontario

Newmarket information

Town: Newmarket, 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.

New construction settles in its first years, and a door that closed perfectly at move-in can begin to catch as the frame finds its final position. A locksmith visiting a newer home adjusts strikes and hinges so the bolt throws freely again.

60%

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

Mixed housing means a locksmith sees a bungalow in the morning and a condo tower in the afternoon. The stocked van has house-door deadbolts, suite-door cylinders and the finishes for each, so neither kind of customer waits for a second visit.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population