Change or rekey · Rexdale
Lock Replacement & Upgrade in Rexdale
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.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 804-8591In plain words
When people say upgrade they usually mean a heavier lock, and there is a real scale behind that word. Builders hardware in North America is graded to ANSI/BHMA standards, with Grade 1 the highest and Grade 3 the lightest, and residential products carry a separate label scoring security, durability and finish. A higher grade certifies stronger performance on the standard's own tests, and moving up often brings a longer hardened bolt, a sturdier housing, pins that resist picking and a strike built to anchor into the framing, though the exact features depend on the model. The locksmith explains which grade fits which door.
How the visit goesThe keys the seller handed over came in a sandwich bag: six unlabelled copies for two locks of different makes from different decades. You have no idea how many more copies exist or who is holding them.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade · Rexdale
How the visit goes
- 1
The door and frame around the lock
A new lock inherits whatever the door and frame are doing, so both get a look. The locksmith checks whether the door has dropped on its hinges, whether weatherstrip is pushing it out of square, and whether the bolt lands squarely in the strike pocket or rubs its edge. The pocket depth matters as well: a bolt that reaches the back of a shallow pocket is not fully thrown. Hinge screws, a jamb split from an old forced entry and a strike held by short screws are all noted, because the visit will tidy them up so the new hardware works as designed.
- 2
Keying the new locks to one key
New cylinders arrive on random keys, so the locksmith pins them alike on site when you want one key for the house. Each cylinder is removed, the plug slid out on a follower so the springs stay put, and the bottom pins replaced to match a single new key. Existing cylinders that are staying are repinned the same way. Every key is then cut from the new combination, tried in every lock it should open, and any that drag are recut rather than handed over. The result is one key for the front, back and garage doors, and a clear count of how many exist.
- 3
An opening that is stronger, not just newer
Where the strike was reinforced, the improvement is mostly invisible and worth understanding. Long screws now tie the strike through the jamb into the framing, the pocket has been cut to take the whole bolt, and any split wood has been repaired. Together these make the frame the equal of the deadbolt, which is the part most break-ins defeat. The locksmith points out what changed so you can check it yourself: a bolt that seats fully with the door closed and a strike that stays put under a firm push. A twice-yearly look at those screws keeps it that way.
In the van
- Graded deadbolt
- Filler plates and thick-door extension kits
- Cylinders, plug follower and pinning kit
- Handleset with matching deadbolt
- Adjustable latch or bolt
What affects the quote
- 1
Type of lock
A knob set, a lever, a deadbolt, a full handleset with deadbolt above, a patio door lock and a keypad or smart deadbolt each carry a different hardware cost and take different time to fit.
- 2
Patio and French door hardware
Sliding door mortise locks, foot bolts and flush bolts for an inactive French door leaf are specialty items sized to the door, and they are quoted as their own line beside the entrance work.
- 3
Smart lock setup
Fitting a keypad or smart deadbolt includes programming codes, pairing to a phone or hub and calibrating the bolt, which is time on top of the mechanical installation and is named in the quote.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade: questions
Can I stop people copying my house key?
A restricted keyway helps with that. The key blanks are controlled by the manufacturer and its authorised locksmiths, so a copy generally requires the card, record or authorisation the program uses, cutting down on copies made at an ordinary kiosk. It suits homes where keys are lent to cleaners, contractors or tenants. The cylinders are fitted in the normal way, and you keep the key card safe because it is what future copies depend on.
Can you replace the lock on a sliding patio door or French doors?
Yes. Sliding doors take a replacement mortise hook lock sized to the rail, often with a keyed exterior, and benefit from a secondary foot bolt or a pin through the frames. French doors are secured by treating the inactive leaf properly with flush bolts into the head and sill, then fitting a deadbolt to the active leaf with a strike into that reinforced edge. Both are routine parts of a residential upgrade.
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.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade near you
Toronto, Ontario
Rexdale information
- Town
- Rexdale, Toronto, Ontario
- In business
- 22 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 804-8591
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
58%
Older homes. About 58% of homes in Toronto were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Older housing means older frames. Wood that has settled for years leaves strikes slightly out of line, so a bolt drags or needs a lift of the handle. A locksmith expects this and brings the shims, longer screws and strike plates to correct it.
23%
Single-detached houses make up about 23% of homes in Toronto (2021 Census).
Attached housing turns over more often than detached, so rekeying between tenants or owners is a constant. Because suite doors tend to be standard, the job is usually a straightforward pin change and a fresh set of keys cut on site.
Open 24/7
Request a visit
Someone tried the back door while you were away.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 804-8591- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 22 years in business