Most people call us asking for new locks when what they need is new pins. The two jobs look identical from the sidewalk and cost very different amounts, so it’s worth two minutes to work out which one you’re buying.
The one-question test
Ask yourself: is the hardware failing, or is the key list wrong?
If the lock turns smoothly, the bolt throws fully, and the finish still matches the door, the hardware is fine. Your problem is that you can’t account for every key ever cut — the previous owner, a realtor, a contractor, an ex-roommate. That’s a rekey.
If the cylinder sticks, the bolt drags against the strike, the finish is pitted, or the lock is a builder-grade knob you never liked, the hardware itself is the problem. That’s a replacement.
What rekeying actually changes
A pin-tumbler lock works on a stack of spring-loaded pins. Your key is a coded bar that lifts them to exactly the right heights so the cylinder can rotate. Rekeying swaps that stack for a different combination and cuts a new key to match.
The lock body, the finish, the strike plate, and the deadbolt all stay on the door. Only the secret inside changes — and the moment it does, every key ever cut for that lock is dead.
When replacement is the honest answer
- The lock is below Grade 2 and it guards a main entry
- The bolt doesn’t fully extend into the strike (a kick-in waiting to happen)
- You want a keypad, fingerprint reader, or app control
- The cylinder is worn enough that a correct key still needs jiggling
- Corrosion has reached the internals, common on beach-side doors in Santa Monica and Torrance
Key-alike: the upgrade nobody asks for
Older homes accumulate mismatched hardware — a front door from one brand, a back door from another, a garage entry that came with the opener. If the keyways are compatible, we can key them all alike so a single key opens everything. It’s usually bundled into the same rekey visit, and it’s the change clients most often say they wish they’d made years earlier.
What each costs, roughly
Rekeying is priced by labor plus a small charge per cylinder, so a $300 deadbolt costs the same to rekey as a $30 one. Replacement is priced by the hardware plus installation, so the lock you choose drives most of the bill.
The practical rule: if you’d be happy keeping the lock and only want to change who can open it, rekey. Anything else, replace.
Either way, get the number before the work starts. A quote that changes once the van is in your driveway is a warning sign, not a market rate.
- #rekeying
- #deadbolts
- #home security