Change or rekey · Newmarket
Lock Rekeying
Three months of renovation are finally done. The kitchen looks wonderful, and along the way a general contractor, a tile installer, a plumber and an electrician each carried a key to your front door at one point or another.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 803-1633In plain words
Rekeying is a change made inside the lock rather than to the lock itself. Many keyed cylinders hold a row of small pins that have to sit at exactly the right heights before the plug will turn, set by the cuts on your key, though some residential cylinders use a side-locking bar instead of pins. A locksmith slides the plug out, removes the pins, and loads a new set matched to a freshly cut key. Reassembled, the lock looks and feels exactly as it did, except that the new key turns it and every key cut before today does not. Your hardware, finish and door stay as they were.
How the visit goesThe previous owners left a coffee tin of keys on the counter, some labelled, most not. The house is yours now, but you have no idea how many copies were cut over the years or who still has one in a drawer somewhere.
Lock Rekeying · Newmarket
How the visit goes
- 1
Who is entitled to change the locks
Rekeying decides who can enter a home, so the first check is about the person asking. A homeowner shows photo identification and something tying them to the property, such as a tax bill, a closing document or a utility statement. A property manager brings authorization from the owner. A tenant is asked whether the landlord has agreed to the change and will receive a copy of the new key, because tenancy rules here expect both sides to hold one. Where a unit is in a condominium, the locksmith asks whether the building has a rule about suite-door locks. None of this is an obstacle; it is the part of the job that protects the home being worked on.
- 2
Taking the cylinder out of the lock
Each type of lock releases its cylinder in its own way, and the locksmith works door by door, finishing one before opening the next, so every entry stays lockable throughout. On a knob or lever set, the handle comes off after a retaining clip or set screw is released, and the cylinder slides out of the handle. On a deadbolt, the interior thumb-turn and housing are removed and the cylinder is withdrawn from the outside body. On an older mortise lock, a small set screw on the door edge is backed out and the cylinder unthreads from the case. Nothing is pried or forced; the door and trim stay untouched throughout.
- 3
New keys, counted and tried in every door
You finish the visit holding the only keys that work, and you know exactly how many there are. The locksmith cuts the agreed number from the fresh pinning rather than copying one from another, so each is as true as the first, and tries every one in every door it should open before handing them over. Count them, decide who in the household gets one, and put the spare somewhere you will remember. If a door was left on a separate key on purpose, that key is tagged so it does not get mixed into the house set. The whole set fits comfortably on one ring.
In the van
- Graded bottom pin kit
- Cylinder shim
- Pinning tweezers and tray
- Code cutter or key duplicator
- Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
What affects the quote
- 1
Type of lock on each door
A standard deadbolt, a knob or lever set, a mortise lock in an older door, a padlock and a smart lock's override cylinder each come apart differently and take different time on the bench.
- 2
Mismatched keyways needing a cylinder swap
Where one door's cylinder cannot take the key the other doors share, a compatible replacement cylinder is fitted and pinned to match, and that hardware appears as its own line in the quote.
- 3
Number of keys cut
Keys are cut and tested individually, so the total depends on how many the household or the tenants need. Say the number when you book and the quote reflects it from the start.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Lock Rekeying: questions
Can the garage side door, shed and gate be included?
Yes, and they usually should be, because a side door into the garage is the opening most often forgotten and left on an old key. Any pin-tumbler cylinder on the property can be pinned to the house key if its keyway allows: the man-door into the garage, a shed, a keyed gate latch, and many padlocks. A mailbox lock is usually a small cam lock that is replaced rather than repinned. Mention every opening when you book so the right blanks and cylinders are in the van.
What is a restricted keyway, and does it change anything?
A restricted or patented keyway is one whose blanks are not sold to the public, so copies can only be cut by an authorized dealer from a record of who is allowed to have them. Rekeying such a cylinder is the same operation inside, but the new keys are cut from controlled blanks and the count is logged. The benefit is that a key cannot be duplicated at a kiosk without your knowledge, which makes the record of who holds one much easier to trust.
Can I keep one door on a different key from the rest?
Yes, and it is common. A basement suite or in-law apartment often gets its own key so the tenant's key opens their door and nothing else, while your key opens the main house. A home office, a storage room or a shed can be kept separate for the same reason. The locksmith sets up the groups you want, pins each accordingly and tags the keys so the separate one is not mixed into the household set.
Lock Rekeying near you
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
- 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.
Nearby
Open 24/7
Request a visit
Three months of renovation are finally done.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 803-1633- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 25 years in business