Change or rekey · Toronto
Lock Replacement & Upgrade
Someone tried the back door while you were away. The jamb is splintered around the strike, the bolt is bent, and the knob turns with a grinding feel.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade
In plain words
Sometimes the reason is simply that the hardware looks wrong or has weathered badly. Road salt, freeze-thaw and humid summers are hard on finishes, and a brass handleset can go blotchy while a lacquered knob peels. The locksmith helps you pick a finish that suits the exposure, whether matte black, satin nickel or a PVD brass that resists tarnish, and matches the deadbolt, handleset and interior levers so the entrance reads as one design. Function and grade are chosen alongside looks, so a door refreshed for appearance also comes out better protected.
How the visit goesThe century home's original mortise lock takes a key the size of a spoon, sticks in humid weather and has worn its strike to a groove. You want a lock that works every day without giving up the old door.
Toronto
How the visit goes
Who is asking for the change
The first check is about the person, not the door. An owner can change any lock on their home. A tenant who wants new hardware on the unit door needs the landlord's agreement, and a landlord who changes a lock while a tenant lives there hands over new keys. The locksmith asks which situation applies and, where paperwork helps, looks at identification, a deed, a lease or a property-management note. It takes a minute and it means the new lock goes on with everyone who has a stake in the door knowing about it, which is exactly how a lock should start its working life.
Installing a keypad or smart deadbolt
A smart lock is fitted like any deadbolt, then brought to life. The bolt and exterior keypad go on first, the interior module with its battery pack after, and the door is closed so the lock can learn where the bolt sits; a bolt that meets resistance in the strike is corrected before pairing, because a straining motor drains batteries and fails early. Codes are programmed for each person, auto-lock and sound settings are set to your liking, any phone or hub pairing is completed, and the mechanical override cylinder is tested with its key. Fresh batteries go in last.
Keys counted, named and planned
You receive the agreed number of keys, cut from the new pinning and tried in every door they should open, plus any code cards for a restricted system, which are what future copies are cut from. It is worth deciding on the spot who gets one and where the spare lives, ideally with a trusted neighbour or in a lockbox rather than in a drawer inside. If the house is now on a single key, retire every old key so none can be confused with the new one. A written list of which key does what goes in the home file.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade
In the van
- Reinforced strike plate and strike box
- Manufacturer-approved cylinder lubricant
- Knob or lever entry set
- Chisels, mallet and hand screwdrivers
- 75 millimetre strike and hinge screws
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.
2Condition of the old hardware
Hardware that comes off cleanly is one thing; painted-over trim, seized or stripped screws and a cylinder that has to be drilled out add time before the new lock can go on.
3Keys cut
Each key is counted, and restricted keys cut against a card are a different item from standard blanks. Say how many people need one and the quote lists them.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade: questions
My door has glass beside it. Should I fit a deadbolt keyed on both sides?
A keyed interior cylinder means finding a key to get out, which is not what you want on a door people use every day. The steadier answer for a door with glass is a single-cylinder deadbolt with a thumb-turn, combined with a reinforced strike, a longer bolt and a security film or laminated glass in the sidelight.
What does a higher grade of lock actually give me?
Grades follow ANSI/BHMA standards, with Grade 1 the highest and Grade 3 the lightest, and residential hardware carries a separate label that scores security, durability and finish. The grade reports how the lock performed on the standard's own operational, strength and security tests; a higher grade often comes with a longer bolt, a sturdier housing, pins that resist picking and a strike built to anchor into the framing, but those features are worth confirming on the specific model rather than assumed from the grade alone.
What information helps before the visit?
Photographs of each lock from outside and inside, plus one of the door edge showing the latch plate and one of the strike on the frame, tell the locksmith most of what they need. Add the door thickness if you can measure it, whether the door is wood, steel or fibreglass, the finish you want to match, how many doors are involved and whether you want them all on one key.
Change or Rekey Locks
Lock Replacement & Upgrade near you
For a household in Toronto the common requests are a rekey after moving in, a lockout, a deadbolt that grinds, and a lock that finally needs replacing. For a business they are storefront hardware, staff key control and exit devices. Both lists, and a few less common jobs, are laid out here.