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Wasaga BeachLock Services · SunnysideOpen 24/7(249) 492-2389Request a visit
Two detached brass lock cylinders and four house keys on a wooden counter. — Lock Rekeying, Sunnyside

Change or rekey · Sunnyside

Lock Rekeying in Sunnyside

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.

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Lock Rekeying

In plain words

The choice between rekeying and replacing comes down to the condition of the lock and what you want from it. A cylinder that turns smoothly, sits firmly in a solid deadbolt and matches the look of the door is worth keeping, and rekeying gives it a new key for a fraction of the effort of replacement. Replacement earns its place when the hardware is worn, low grade, damaged, a mismatched keyway that cannot join the house key, or when you want a keypad or a heavier deadbolt anyway. A locksmith looks at each door and tells you which one applies.

Sound familiar?

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.

How the visit goes

Sunnyside

How the visit goes

  1. Counting the keys that are already out there

    Part of planning a rekey is understanding why it is happening. The locksmith asks how many keys exist as far as you know, who has held one, and whether any went missing with something identifying the address. The answers do not change the pinning, but they shape the advice: whether a padlock or mailbox shares the same risk, whether a garage keypad code should change on the same visit, and how many new keys make sense to cut. It also helps to know whether any key is a restricted or patented type, since those are cut from a record rather than duplicated and may involve the original supplier.

  2. Sliding the plug and changing the pins

    With the cylinder in hand, the locksmith removes the cam or tailpiece from the back, inserts the existing key and turns the plug slightly so the top pins clear, then pushes a plug follower in behind the plug as it slides out. The follower holds the top pins and springs in the housing so nothing springs loose. The plug now sits on the bench with its row of bottom pins exposed, and those pins are tipped out. This is the heart of rekeying a pin-tumbler cylinder: the pins that decided which key worked are gone, and the plug is ready to receive a set that matches a key nobody has ever carried.

  3. Handing keys out with a little method

    Rekeying gives you a clean start on who holds a key, and a few habits keep it clean. Give a key only to people who need one regularly, and know who they are. If a dog walker, a cleaner or a contractor needs access for a season, a lockbox with a code you can change afterwards is simpler than a key you have to ask for back. Tag spares with a colour or a number rather than the address. When a key does leave your control, a lost ring, a departing tenant, a relationship that has ended, that is the trigger to rekey again, and the next visit is simpler because the doors are already on one system.

Lock Rekeying

In the van

  • Cylinder shim
  • Graded bottom pin kit
  • Code cutter or key duplicator
  • Retaining clip tool
  • Replacement cylinder for odd keyways

What affects the quote

Same fees day, night or weekend

  1. 1Several units in one building

    A landlord rekeying a duplex, a triplex or a small apartment building, with each suite on its own key and a common entry shared, has more cylinders and a keying chart to build, and the quote grows accordingly.

  2. 2Upgrades 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.

  3. 3Mailboxes, padlocks and cabinets

    Small cam locks on mailboxes and cabinets are usually replaced rather than repinned, and padlocks vary in whether they can join the house key; each of these is priced as its own item.

What to have ready

0 of 3 ready

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Lock Rekeying: questions

Will my door hardware look any different afterwards?

No. The work happens inside the cylinder, so the bolt, handle, finish and strike plate stay exactly as they are, and nothing new is cut into the door. The only visible change is the key in your hand. If a cylinder does have to be replaced, because its keyway is incompatible with the others or it has worn out, the locksmith picks one in a matching finish so the door keeps a consistent look.

Should I rekey when I move into a new home?

It is the single most common reason to rekey, and a sensible one. A resale home has typically passed through owners, agents, inspectors, cleaners and trades, any of whom may have had a key cut. A newly built home has been opened by construction crews using a builder's key. Rekeying on move-in means the only working keys are yours, and the same visit can bring every exterior door onto a single key, retiring the assorted keys you inherited.

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.

Change or Rekey Locks

Close view of a satin-nickel deadbolt thumbturn and edge faceplate on a painted timber door. — Deadbolt Installation, Sunnyside
Deadbolt InstallationThe front door has a handsome lever and a keyed knob, and that is all.

Lock Rekeying near you

For a household in Sunnyside 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.

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