Sound familiar?Toronto
- The call
- Three teenagers, a dog walker, a cleaner and one house key that keeps going missing. You are tired of cutting copies and would rather give each person a code you can switch off, with a proper deadbolt behind it.
The century home's original mortise lock takes a key the size of a spoon, sticks in humid weather and has worn its strike to a groove. You want a lock that works every day without giving up the old door.
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
How the old lock behaves in use
The locksmith works the existing hardware the way you do every day and watches for the tell-tale signs. A key that must be lifted or wiggled points to worn pins or a worn key. A knob that turns too far, or a lever that droops, suggests a tired spindle or spring. A latch that stays retracted, or a bolt that stops short, can be internal wear or something outside the lock altogether. Doing this with the door open first, then closed, separates faults inside the mechanism from faults in the fit of the door, and that distinction decides whether new hardware is the answer or part of the answer.
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
Keys counted, named and planned
You receive the agreed number of keys, cut from the new pinning and tried in every door they should open, plus any code cards for a restricted system, which are what future copies are cut from. It is worth deciding on the spot who gets one and where the spare lives, ideally with a trusted neighbour or in a lockbox rather than in a drawer inside. If the house is now on a single key, retire every old key so none can be confused with the new one. A written list of which key does what goes in the home file.
In the van
- 75 millimetre strike and hinge screws
- Filler plates and thick-door extension kits
- Adjustable latch or bolt
- Reinforced strike plate and strike box
- Key blanks and key cutter
What shapes the quoteLawrence Heights Locksmith Services
- 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.
- 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.
- Keys cut
- Each key is counted, and restricted keys cut against a card are a different item from standard blanks. Say how many people need one and the quote lists them.
FeesSame any hour
Straight answers
Is a smart lock a good upgrade, and what happens when the batteries run out?
For a household with many people coming and going, codes that can be added and removed are a real convenience. Behind the keypad it is still a deadbolt, so grade and strike matter as much as ever. Batteries typically last months and the lock warns you as they fade; depending on the model, a dead battery is handled with a mechanical override key or with external contacts for a temporary power source, so it is worth confirming which one your lock uses.
My old house has a mortise lock. Can it take modern hardware?
Often the original case can be kept and given a new cylinder and strike, which keeps the period look and the old door intact. Where the case is beyond service, a filler or conversion plate covers the mortise pocket and lets a cylindrical deadbolt or knob set be fitted without cutting into the door's stile. The locksmith looks at the door before recommending either path, since old doors vary a great deal.
I have just bought a house. What should I do about the locks?
Assume that copies of the old keys exist somewhere and act on the day you take possession. Walk every exterior door with the locksmith, keep hardware that is sound and have it rekeyed to a new key, replace hardware that is worn or too light, and add a deadbolt to any door that lacks one. Ask for everything to be keyed alike so you leave with one key and a known number of copies.
Change or Rekey Locks
- Deadbolt InstallationThe front door has a handsome lever and a keyed knob, and that is all.
- Vintage Mortise Lock ServiceThe key turns freely in the round cylinder on the door, all the way around and back, without the bolt shifting at all.
- Smart Lock InstallationYou have just taken possession of the house and the previous owners handed over a keypad deadbolt with a code nobody wrote down…
- Gate & Building Entry LocksBetween the front gate, the side gate and the one behind the shed, there are three different padlocks, three different keys, and…
- Mailbox Lock ReplacementThe little brass key for your curbside mailbox was on the same ring as the one you lost at the gym last week.
Torontoinformation
TorontoOntario
Lock Replacement & Upgrade · Armour Heights, Lawrence Heights, Lawrence Manor, Wilson Heights, Winston Park
- Town
- Toronto
- In business
- 14 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7
- Nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 236-8131
- 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 century home's original mortise lock takes a key the size of a spoon, sticks in humid weather and has worn its strike to a groove.
(289) 236-8131, open 24/7.