Rekeying locks

[JackOfDiamonds]

When I buy a new house usually I just go to the big box store and buy new deadbolts and doorknobs.

In this case I bought a house with a $300 electronic keypad that I want to keep. I don't even have keys for all the rest. I know these things are all 5-pin tumbler locks like have been made for 75 years. Isn't there just a kit I can buy to rekey them myself? I'm looking at $75 at least to have a locksmith come out.

 

[The Cobbler]

I think you mean pins , not tumblers.
rekeying is quite straightfoward.I do it regularily . you can buy pin kits and keys online. but,with not having any experience, and for the cost of it, I would call a locksmith . or at least only do 1 lock at a time so if you get screwed up wou don't have to panic.
as with anything, there are tricks sometimes needed to get them to work smoothly
what brand are the locks?

 

[Gunfixr]

If you understand locks and how they work, great, go for it.
The pins, or tumblers, are not terribly difficult, it only gets complicated if you want to masterkey.......
If not, call the locksmith.
It's hard to beat someone at their own game.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Why would you rekey them? But it’s easy to do I worked beside a locksmith for a few months to work off a key cutting machine. Hard to put in writing but there is plenty of YouTube videos on it.

 

[lowrollin70gmc]

Rekeying is common when purchasing a house/business. No clue who has a copy of the old key: former owner, friends of former owner, neighbors, contractors, etc. It’s best to start over by rekeying or replacing all exterior locks.

To save a service call I’ve removed locks and brought them to a locksmith’s physical location to be rekeyed. I have other family members in the home for the hour or two the locks are removed.

I’ve also had Lowe’s rekey locks I brought in as I couldn’t quickly find a locksmith locally, and it was a brand/style they carried.

For the electric lock, there may be a way to erase all old codes and start fresh if you’re able to obtain a copy of the owners manual/instructions.

 

[rsanter]

Yes it’s easy to do.
If you were local I would say you could use my kit.

Check with some of the big box stores as some will rekey. Also ask the locksmith the price if you bring the locks to them

 

[bobpal]

When we purchased our current house I rekeyed the locks myself. A couple of YouTube videos and an inexpensive kit from Amazon for the correct brand of the locks was all that was required. It was pretty easy. I don't know anything about the electronic lock though but YouTube might.

 

[ar2stp48]

"....don't even have keys for all the rest...." This may be a slight problem to the DIY route. Without a key to remove the cylinder from the lock for rekeying, it has to be picked or shimmed; the small kits I have seen do not have shims. Not hard to do but a little practice goes a long way

How many locks? Are they all the same keyway; one key fits all the locks though it may not open all locks? Having all the same is desired; all locks can be keyed the same. IF you have to upgrade any locks for all to match go SC! or better; KW1 is usually a less than 30 second time to pick it

Around here the ACE hardware is the best choice and most reasonable; the box stores also are a choice; a locksmith if one is nearby. Take the locks to them and the key you want the locks keyed to. Locksmith will have a service call plus a charge for each lock

Good luck; it is not difficult.

 

[nadogail]

As I understand it, in Califfornia, a hardware store can rekey a new lock they are selling. But once it leaves the store they have to be a licensed Locksmith to rekey a lock that was brought into the store.
All the technical information I share with you is guaranteed to be worth exactly what I have been paid for sharing it with you.

 

[wssix99]

Take the lock off the door and then take it into a locksmith's office and the service shouldn't cost as much.

 

[The Cobbler]

I didn't sink in that there are no keys for the locks. that is a problem for inexperienced for sure.
you can buy keyed cylinders for most decent lock companies, but that will probably be more costly than a rekey by a locksmith

 

[dogdog]

Just go buy a pin tumbler kit from your favorite AMazon/Ebay for what ever locks you are doing and make sure all the locks are the same keyway. it's pretty simple to do... unless you have those Multi_lock or the "specialized" Medeco stuff.

 

[dogdog]

Take the lock off the door and then take it into a locksmith's office and the service shouldn't cost as much.

The honest one charges about $20 - $30 per lock for the standard Schlage / Kwike keys , if it is a Medeco it's about $50.... per lock. I think if they come to you,that is an automatic $200 charge on top of that.

A pin tumbler set cost about $30 off ebay for Schlage or Kwike and you can do about 10 locks or 20 dependents on your mixture of pins.

 

[bigenos]

I replaced our original (Z-wave) keypad lock with a wifi unit. Both were Schlage and I swapped the tumbler from the old to the new so all the locks would still have matching keys. I'm sure a locksmith could re-key everything to the same. Alternatively, you could buy regular locks of the same brand at the store and try your hand at swapping the tumbler.

 

[Pate]

We sell basic LAB rekeying kits which start around $65.00. You will also need a follower which is essentially a tube usually .495 for most common locks. You will need some shim stock which is around $3.00 for a pack of 25 and a pick or keyblank to shim them open. Depending on the lock you may be able to pull the top cap and rekey them that way.