New Lock Installation VS Lock Rekeying For Homes

Kwikset door locks

Are you a new homeowner looking for more peace of mind concerning the security of your newly bought property? A landlord looking to find a way to save some money on new locks every time you need to welcome a new tenant into your rental apartment? The Get-Locksmith Houston team specializes in residential locksmith services, including professional lock cylinder replacement, aka lock rekeying, and fresh lock installation solutions for residential homes and tenant units. Call 877-738-8308 now and let us tell you the difference between changing a lock and having a lock cylinder re-keyed. We can save you precious time and money, with our excellent prices and we are available 24 hours a day, all year long for emergency services.

When Should You Consider Having New Locks Installed?

No matter if you have recently moved into a new house or apartment or you have been living in the same home for many years, you might be considering having your locks replaced for various reasons:

  • you have recently moved into a new home

  • you have lost a set of keys or you suspect your keys have been stolen or copied

  • you are dissatisfied with the efficiency or sturdiness of the current locks on your front door

  • your home has been recently broken into

  • you are looking to upgrade your doors and locks as part of a home redesign plan

  • you want to make the switch to the keypad or smart lock alternatives for enhanced security and extra convenience

  • your locks are worn-out or broken

  • the key keeps getting jammed in the keyway

  • you want to control all locks with a single key

When hiring a residential locksmith near me for new lock installations, our technicians will remove the old hardware and have it replaced with a new one. This means you will need to use a new set of keys that will match the fresh locks. The procedure, however, may not always be needed. Plus, it is almost always more expensive compared to lock re-keying, which is why we also discuss the re-keying alternative with you before proceeding to change the locks on your home.

Know that changing the locks with the help of a local locksmith in Houston should only be done if you are determined to switch to high-end, modern locks, or if your current locks are old or they are no longer viable and efficient.

At the same time, in case of a lost key problem, we recommend having the lock cylinder changed as it will usually be more affordable than the new door locks alternative. At times, our locksmiths will be able to rekey the lock without having to get access to a key.

When Should You Consider Having Your Locks Rekeyed?

Shortly put, rekeying a door lock means changing its mechanism in order to render the old set of keys useless. There are lots of scenarios in which rekeying your locks is the better option when compared to new lock installations. This is why we wanted to write this short article to explain to you the pros and cons of rekeying existing locks and replacing existing locks with new ones.

Here are some of the most popular reasons why you may want to consider having your lock cylinder replaced instead of investing in a brand new lock:

  • you wish to keep using the same trustworthy lock brand, but you need new keys for the locks because of a missing or stolen key problem

  • you wish to use the same type of keyhole on all the locks and operate them with the help of the same key

  • you cannot use the old keys to operate your locks because of a malfunction

  • you have moved to a new home and you would like to make sure none of the old owners can access your property

How Is Lock Re-keying Done?

lock door locksmithWhile it is possible to buy a lock rekeying set from a local hardware store as long as you know the exact brand or type of keyway your home locks use, the procedure is tedious and requires special skills. We strongly recommend you to only rely on the hands of local home locksmiths in Houston who can complete the task with zero-damage. Re-keying a door lock is done with the help of specialized tools that are expensive and oftentimes only sold to expert locksmiths and security companies. Hiring an authorized locksmith should also save you from the hassle of having to personally figure what brand and type of locks you have around the house. This can take a lot of precious time, especially if you own several locks of different brands around your property.

We can re-key as many locks as you need us to, including non-electronic, single- or double-cylinder deadbolt locks and other models. We will also provide several identical keys to match the new cylinder inside the locks and cut as many copies as you may need using our advanced key cutting machines.

Re-keying a lock means replacing several or all of the old pins with new ones that can be operated by a new key or replacing the entire cylinder of the lock. The procedure usually takes a few minutes, provided an expert local home locksmith near me like the Get-Locksmith Houston technicians are used.

Just keep in mind that a missing key, aka lockout, will require us to spend more time, energy, and tools to pick the lock prior to having the cylinder replaced. This means you should expect to pay more for the home lockout in addition to the installation of the new lock cylinder. Sometimes, the final bill could be bigger than the cost of having a new lock installed.

The price of new lock pins is low and while a new cylinder is a little more, this all means re-keying a lock will almost always be the more affordable alternative when comparing lock re-keying versus lock replacement.

Give our local locksmith Houston team a call if you wish to change the locks on your new home or re-key all the locks on your rental building at good rates.