Change or rekey · Royal
Lock Rekeying in Royal
One key for the front door, another for the back, a third for the side door into the garage, and a fourth for the shed. You stand on the step every evening flipping through them in the dark, trying each one until something turns.
Lock Rekeying
In 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 builder handed over your new home with a stack of identical keys, and you know the framing crew, the painters and the flooring installers all used a construction key during the build. The doors are brand new, but the key that opens them should be yours alone.
Royal
How the visit goes
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.
Reassembly and the shear-line test
On a pin-tumbler cylinder, the plug goes back into the housing with the new key in it, pushing the follower out ahead of it, and the cam or tailpiece is refitted with its retainer. Before the cylinder goes anywhere near the door, the locksmith turns the new key and checks that the plug rotates freely with no catch, then removes the key and confirms the plug is locked solid. A pin a fraction too long or too short shows up here as a rough turn and is corrected on the bench. Only a cylinder that passes goes back into its lock, where it is tested again with the door open and then closed.
Looking after a freshly pinned cylinder
A cylinder that has just been rekeyed turns as smoothly as it ever will, and a little care keeps it that way. Once or twice a year, a puff of whatever lubricant the cylinder maker specifies into the keyway and a few turns of the key is all it needs, since some current cylinders use oil while too much graphite can itself gum a cylinder. When you need more copies, cut them from one of the locksmith's originals rather than from a copy, because each generation drifts a little from the true depths. A key that starts to need a jiggle is the cylinder asking for a clean and a new key, not a sign of anything serious.
Lock Rekeying
In the van
- Plug follower
- Reset tool for user-rekeyable cylinders
- Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
- Key gauge
- Cylinder shim
What affects the quote
Same fees day, night or weekend
1Records, tags and labelled key sets
A homeowner needs a short note. A property manager may want a keying chart, tagged sets for each suite and a key-issuance log, which is more office work and is quoted as such.
2Restricted or high-security cylinders
Patented keyways use controlled blanks and pins that cost more than standard ones, and their keys are produced from a controlled record instead of being copied, so a system of that kind is quoted differently from builder-grade hardware.
3No working key for a door
When a cylinder must be shimmed, decoded or picked open before it can be repinned because no key exists for it, that extra step is included in the quote for that door.
Lock Rekeying: questions
How often should locks be rekeyed?
There is no calendar for it. What matters is who holds a key, not how many years have passed. Think about it when occupancy changes hands, when someone who had a key no longer needs one, or when a ring goes missing along with something that shows where you live. Between those moments a well-kept cylinder may need no scheduled care, and when it does, use whatever that cylinder's maker specifies. With the doors already on one recorded system, any repeat is a short piece of work.
What happens to my old keys?
They become ordinary pieces of brass. Once the cylinders are pinned to the new combination, the old keys turn nothing on your property, so there is no security reason to keep or hide them. Hand them to the locksmith for disposal or drop them in the metal recycling. If a former roommate or contractor still has one, it no longer matters, which is the whole reason for the visit. Keep only the new set, counted and tagged.
What should I have ready before the locksmith arrives?
A list of the doors you want included, a working key for each lock if you have one, and a clear idea of whether you want everything on one key or some doors kept separate. Have your identification and something tying you to the address handy. If you rent, have your landlord's agreement ready to mention. Knowing roughly how many new keys the household needs saves a second trip to cut more.
Change or Rekey Locks
- Lock Replacement & UpgradeSomeone tried the back door while you were away.
- Vintage Mortise Lock ServiceThe key turns freely in the round cylinder on the door, all the way around and back, without the…
- Smart Lock InstallationArthritis has made the small house key hard to grip and turn, especially with gloves on in January.
Lock Rekeying near you
The lock services offered in Royal are grouped the way a door is used. Getting back in when you are locked out. Deciding who holds a working key. Upgrading the hardware so the door resists more than a casual try. Keeping commercial entrances working. Opening and maintaining safes. Each is described below.