Change or rekey · Old Mill
Lock Rekeying in Old Mill
The whole key ring went missing somewhere between the grocery store and the bus. You got back in with the spare, but a set of keys is out there, and you would sleep better knowing they open nothing.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 804-7704In plain words
What you keep after rekeying is almost everything. The deadbolt, the handle set, the finish that matches your door hardware, the strike plate and the holes in the door all stay exactly where they are, which matters on an older door where new hardware rarely lines up with old mortises. What changes is a handful of brass pins a few millimetres long inside each cylinder, and the key in your pocket. The work is done on site, one cylinder at a time, so the house is never left with an unsecured door, and worn springs or a sticky plug can be dealt with while the cylinder is already apart.
How the visit goesEvery copy of your house key seems to work a little differently. One needs a jiggle, another sticks halfway, and the original wore down years ago. The lock itself is fine; the keys have drifted so far from each other that none fits cleanly.
Lock Rekeying · Old Mill
How the visit goes
- 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
When a cylinder is swapped instead of repinned
Sometimes the right move for a particular door is a new cylinder rather than new pins, and the locksmith says so before doing it. A cylinder with a keyway that cannot join the household key is replaced with one that can. A plug that has worn oval, springs that have collapsed, or a cylinder someone has already drilled is replaced because fresh pins would not fix its feel. In each case the replacement is pinned to the same new key as the rest of the house, so the swap is invisible in daily use. The old cylinder is handed to you or taken away as you prefer.
- 3
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.
In the van
- Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
- Reset tool for user-rekeyable cylinders
- Pinning tweezers and tray
- Retaining clip tool
- Code cutter or key duplicator
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
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
Upgrades chosen during the visit
Some people take the opportunity to replace a double-cylinder deadbolt with a thumb-turn model, add a reinforced strike or move to a heavier deadbolt. None of it is needed to rekey; each is a separate line.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Lock Rekeying: questions
Can a smart lock or keypad deadbolt be rekeyed?
The mechanical part of it can. Many keypad or app-controlled deadbolts hide a small keyed cylinder under a cap for the day the batteries fail, and that cylinder can be pinned to your house key so the backup key on your ring is the same one that opens the other doors; some models are key-free and rely on an external battery backup instead. Codes are a separate matter: the locksmith will suggest deleting any code belonging to someone who no longer needs access at the same time.
How is rekeying different from replacing the lock?
Rekeying keeps your existing deadbolt or handle set and gives it a new key, commonly by changing the pins inside, though some cylinders reset a different way. Replacing removes the whole lock or cylinder and fits new hardware. Rekeying suits locks that are in good condition and simply need a fresh key. Replacement is the better call for hardware that is worn or damaged, built to a low grade, on a keyway the other doors cannot share, or due for a change of style or a keypad.
Can all my doors be made to work with one key?
Usually, yes. Where the cylinders accept the same style of key blank, each can be pinned to one new combination, so a single key runs the front, back, side and garage doors. A lock from a different keyway family is brought into the group by exchanging its cylinder for a compatible one in the same finish. During the first walk around the property the locksmith reads every keyway and tells you up front which doors can be keyed alike.
Toronto, Ontario
Old Mill information
- Town
- Old Mill, Toronto, Ontario
- In business
- 16 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 804-7704
- 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 homes tend to have had many hands on their doors: owners, tenants, tradespeople, family. A locksmith visiting such a house pays attention to who holds keys now, and rekeying or a keyed-alike set often matters more than any new hardware.
23%
Single-detached houses make up about 23% of homes in Toronto (2021 Census).
Shared entrances mean fobs, intercoms and buzzers alongside conventional locks. A locksmith can service the mechanical side of those doors and advise on how the fob system and the cylinder work together when management asks.
Nearby
Open 24/7
Request a visit
The whole key ring went missing somewhere between the grocery store and the bus.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 804-7704- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 16 years in business