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Hands holding a lock cylinder and a ring of keys above a worn workbench with another cylinder and loose keys. — Lock Rekeying, Belle-eau-Claire Beach

Change or rekey · Belle-eau-Claire Beach

Lock Rekeying in Belle-eau-Claire Beach

The 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.

Call now · open 24/7(249) 486-8066

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In plain words

One key for the whole house is a common request and usually achievable. Cylinders that share the same keyway, the shaped channel the key slides into, can all be pinned to the same new combination, so the front door, back door and garage entry answer to a single key. Where a door carries a lock from a different family with its own keyway, that cylinder is swapped for a matching one rather than repinned, and then it joins the group. The locksmith checks each lock face before the work begins so you know exactly which doors will share the key.

Sound familiar?

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.

How the visit goes

Lock Rekeying · Belle-eau-Claire Beach

How the visit goes

Technician holding a small key fob at a bench with a key-cutting machine, loose keys, and a motorcycle and scooter behind. — Belle-eau-Claire Beach
  1. 1

    Walking every door that should be included

    Before a single cylinder comes out, the locksmith walks the property with you and lists each opening: the front door, the back and side doors, the door from the garage into the house, a walkout basement, a gate with a keyed latch, a shed, a mailbox, and any interior door you want on a key. It is surprising how often the garage's side door or the storm door is forgotten and left on the old key. The list becomes the plan for the visit and, at the end, the record of what was done. A door that is not on the list is not rekeyed, so the walk is worth two careful minutes.

  2. 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. 3

    The old keys are just metal now

    Whatever was out in the world before today, the copy the contractor kept, the key the former roommate never returned, the ring that went missing on the bus, none of it turns a lock on your property any more. That is the whole point of the visit, and it is worth saying plainly because people sometimes keep worrying afterwards. If you still hold old keys, they can go in the metal recycling. There is no need to change the door hardware or your routine, but any keypad code known to someone whose access is ending should be deleted or changed separately, since rekeying the mechanical cylinder does not touch those codes.

In the van

  • Cylinder shim
  • Key tags and keying record
  • Reset tool for user-rekeyable cylinders
  • Replacement cylinder for odd keyways
  • Graded bottom pin kit

What affects the quote

  1. 1

    How many cylinders are included

    Each cylinder is removed, pinned and tested on its own, so a single deadbolt and a house with six exterior locks plus a shed and a gate are very different visits, and the quote follows the count.

  2. 2

    Travel to the property

    Every visit includes the drive. A home across town and a rural property at the end of a long road involve different travel time, and the quote reflects the trip as well as the bench work.

  3. 3

    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.

Same fees day, night or weekend.

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(249) 486-8066

Lock Rekeying: questions

Advice · (249) 486-8066

How long does a rekeying visit take?

It scales with the number of cylinders and how many need attention beyond pinning. A single deadbolt is a short bench job; a whole house with five or six exterior cylinders, a couple of swaps for mismatched keyways and a set of spares to cut and test takes a good deal longer. Tell the locksmith how many doors you want included when you book, and the visit can be planned realistically rather than guessed at.

My locks are different brands. Is that a problem?

Not a problem, just a detail to plan around. What matters is the keyway, meaning the profile of the slot the key fits, rather than the name on the lock. Different makers sometimes share a profile and sometimes do not. Where two cylinders cannot accept the same key, one is exchanged for a compatible cylinder in the same finish and pinned to match. From the outside the door looks the same and from your pocket it is one key.

Can the entry door of my condo suite be rekeyed?

Often, but check with your property management first. Condominium corporations have a right to enter a unit on reasonable notice, and without notice in an emergency, and many buildings ask that suite doors stay on a system the corporation can open or that a key be lodged with management. Lobby, garage and locker-room doors belong to the corporation and are theirs to manage. A locksmith will ask about your building's rule and work within it.

Simcoe, Ontario

Belle-eau-Claire Beach information

Town
Belle-eau-Claire Beach, Simcoe, Ontario
In business
25 years
Hours
Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
Visits
On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.

What the census means at the door

47%

Homes of every age. About 47% of homes in Tiny were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.

Older frames and newer frames fail in different ways. Settled wood pulls strikes out of line; new framing settles as it dries. A locksmith used to a mixed area recognises which he is looking at and adjusts accordingly.

97%

Mostly houses. Single-detached houses make up about 97% of homes in Tiny (2021 Census).

Detached homes are exposed to weather on every side, so exterior locks see rain, salt and freezing air directly. Choosing hardware with a good finish and a cylinder that tolerates cold, then lubricating it properly, keeps every door turning through winter.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population

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Open 24/7

Request a visit

The previous owners left a coffee tin of keys on the counter, some labelled, most not.

Call now · open 24/7(249) 486-8066
  • On-site assessment preferred
  • Same fees day, night or weekend
  • 25 years in business