Sound familiar?Toronto
- The call
- The 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.
The 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.
In plain words
Lock replacement and upgrade is the service that takes tired or under-built door hardware off and puts hardware suited to the door in its place. It ranges from a like-for-like deadbolt on a back door to a complete refit of every entrance with heavier-grade locks, reinforced strikes and one key for the house. The locksmith first confirms that the person ordering the work has the right to change the lock, then examines the door, measures the existing preparation and recommends hardware that fits it cleanly. The visit ends with each lock tested from both sides, keys in your hand and the packaging and instructions left with you.
Lock Replacement & Upgrade · Toronto
How the visit goes
Scene 1
Function, and the way out
Each door has a job, and the hardware should match it. The main entrance needs a keyed deadbolt with an interior thumb-turn so anyone inside can leave without hunting for a key. A door with glass beside it is better served by a reinforced strike and glass protection than by a keyed cylinder on the inside. Interior doors may want passage, privacy or a keyed function, and a lever suits hands that find a knob awkward. Sorting function out first keeps looks from overriding how the door has to work.
Scene 2
Taking the old hardware off without harm
Removal is done with the same care as fitting. Interior trim screws come out first, then the interior rose or thumb-turn, and the exterior housing lifts away with its tailpiece. The latch or bolt slides out of the edge bore once its two faceplate screws are released, and the old strike comes off the jamb. Painted-over screws are scored free rather than forced, seized screws are eased with a hand driver of the right size, and a stripped head is drilled out only as a last step. The bore and edge mortise are then cleaned of paint build-up and debris so the new parts seat properly.
Scene 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
- 75 millimetre strike and hinge screws
- Graded deadbolt
- Handleset with matching deadbolt
- Chisels, mallet and hand screwdrivers
- Reinforced strike plate and strike box
What shapes the quoteLeaside Lock Experts
- Keying alike and rekeying
- Pinning new cylinders to one key and repinning existing locks to match is work per cylinder, so a whole house on a single key is quoted by the number of locks joining it.
- Special-order hardware
- Most standard locks come from the van. A specific style, an unusual finish or a restricted system may need ordering, which affects scheduling and is noted in the quote rather than discovered on the day.
- Strike reinforcement and jamb repair
- A reinforced strike with long screws is a modest addition; repairing a jamb split from a forced entry, or fitting a strike box into a frame that has never had one, adds labour and materials.
FeesSame any hour
Ask us anything about locks
Can every door in the house work from one key?
Yes, provided the cylinders share a compatible keyway, which the locksmith checks when choosing hardware. New cylinders are pinned on site to a single new key and any existing locks worth keeping are repinned to match. Front, back, side and garage doors commonly end up on one key, and a shed or gate padlock can join them. You then decide how many copies exist and who holds each.
My deadbolt only locks if I push the door. Will a new lock cure that?
The push is a sign the bolt and the strike pocket are out of line, which is a door and frame matter more than a lock fault. A new deadbolt is welcome if the old one is worn, but the visit also adjusts the strike, deepens the pocket or tightens hinges so the bolt throws freely with the door simply closed. Done together, the door locks with a fingertip and the new hardware works as designed.
What information helps before the visit?
Photographs of each lock from outside and inside, plus one of the door edge showing the latch plate and one of the strike on the frame, tell the locksmith most of what they need. Add the door thickness if you can measure it, whether the door is wood, steel or fibreglass, the finish you want to match, how many doors are involved and whether you want them all on one key.
Change or Rekey Locks
- Deadbolt InstallationYou moved in three weeks ago.
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- Gate & Building Entry LocksThe padlock on the side gate has gone stiff every winter for three years running, and this year the key simply will not turn past…
- Mailbox Lock ReplacementThe key still turns, but lately it spins a half-circle further than it used to before the little door lets go, and some mornings…
Torontoinformation
TorontoOntario
Lock Replacement & Upgrade · Flemingdon Park, Leaside, Parkview Hill, Thorncliffe, Woodbine Heights
- Town
- Toronto
- In business
- 34 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7
- Nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 806-8979
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
2021 census: what it means at the door
Every square is one home in a hundred.
- 58 in 100 homes · older homes
- 23 in 100 homes · mostly attached
- About 58% of homes in Toronto were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.Decades of seasons move a frame, and an older house often has a front door that locks easily in summer and fights in winter. Setting the strike with the seasons in mind, and choosing a lubricant that stays fluid in the cold, keeps it working year round.
- Single-detached houses make up about 23% of homes in Toronto (2021 Census).Where housing is mostly apartments and condos, mailbox locks are a regular call. A worn or lost mailbox key is a small job that a locksmith handles alongside the suite door, and the new lock comes with fresh keys cut on the spot.
On-site assessment
Request a visit.
The keys the seller handed over came in a sandwich bag: six unlabelled copies for two locks of different makes from different decades.
(289) 806-8979, open 24/7.