Lock rekeying in Raleigh

Rekey or replace: which do I need?

Rekey when the locks work well and you only need to control who has a key: after closing on a house, when a tenant, roommate or contractor leaves, or when keys go missing.

Replace when a lock is worn, sticking, damaged or of low quality, or when you want a different function such as a keypad or smart lock. We will tell you honestly if a lock is not worth rekeying.

Can all my doors work on one key?

Usually. Locks can be keyed alike when they share the same keyway, the shape of the slot the key slides into. Kwikset and Schlage, the two most common brands on Raleigh homes, use different keyways, so a house with a mix needs a cylinder or two swapped before everything can run on a single key. We check each door and tell you what it would take.

Why rekey a house you just bought?

You get keys at closing, but you cannot know how many copies exist. Builders' crews, previous owners, their relatives, cleaners, dog walkers and agents may all have had one. In new construction, the builder's key is often meant to stop working once the owner's key is first used, but that depends on the lock and on it being done correctly. A rekey settles the question on day one.

Can I rekey a lock myself?

Some, yes. Kwikset SmartKey locks have a small slot beside the keyway and can be reset to a new key in under a minute with the tool that came with the lock, as long as you have a key that currently works. Standard pin-tumbler locks need a pinning kit and the right pins for the brand. For a whole house, or when no working key exists, a locksmith is quicker and avoids a locked-up cylinder.