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CalamityCorners Locksmith Co.Open 24/7 (226) 271-6061
A silver-colored deadbolt set in clear packaging with two keys resting on the countertop in front. — Lock Rekeying, Masonville

Change or rekey · Masonville

Lock Rekeying

One key for the front door, another for the back, a third for the side door into the garage, and a fourth for the shed. You stand on the step every evening flipping through them in the dark, trying each one until something turns.

In plain words

Rekeying is really about knowing who can open your door. Over the life of a home, keys are lent to trades, handed to neighbours for the holidays, given to a cleaner or a dog walker, and copied at the hardware store. Nobody keeps a list. Rekeying draws a line: from today, the only working keys are the ones counted into your hand. Good practice afterwards is simple, and a locksmith will suggest it: know how many keys exist, know who holds each one, tag them with a colour or code rather than the address, and rekey again whenever a key leaves your control.

Sound familiar?Masonville

The call
The builder handed over your new home with a stack of identical keys, and you know the framing crew, the painters and the flooring installers all used a construction key during the build. The doors are brand new, but the key that opens them should be yours alone.

NextHow the visit goes

Lock Rekeying · Masonville

How the visit goes

Illustrative locksmith scene — Masonville
  1. Scene 1

    Deciding the key groups

    Not every door in a home needs to answer to the same key, and the plan is written down before work starts. Most households want the exterior doors keyed alike so one key does everything. Some want exceptions: a basement suite on its own key, a home office or a storage room that visitors should not enter, a shed on a separate key that can be lent out without exposing the house. The locksmith sketches the groups with you, notes how many keys each group needs and who will hold them, and only then begins removing cylinders. Getting this straight first means no cylinder is pinned twice.

  2. Scene 2

    Cutting the new key and gauging the depths

    On this cylinder type, the new key comes first, then the pins to match it. The locksmith cuts a fresh key from a blank on a code cutter or duplicator, choosing a combination that is not close to the old one, and reads each cut with a key gauge to find its depth on the manufacturer's scale. Bottom pins of the matching lengths are picked from a graded pin kit and dropped into the plug chamber by chamber, so that when the new key is inserted every pin top sits exactly at the shear line. A key cut from a clean blank and pins matched to it by gauge is what gives a rekeyed lock that crisp, new feel.

  3. Scene 3

    Looking after a freshly pinned cylinder

    A cylinder that has just been rekeyed turns as smoothly as it ever will, and a little care keeps it that way. Once or twice a year, a puff of whatever lubricant the cylinder maker specifies into the keyway and a few turns of the key is all it needs, since some current cylinders use oil while too much graphite can itself gum a cylinder. When you need more copies, cut them from one of the locksmith's originals rather than from a copy, because each generation drifts a little from the true depths. A key that starts to need a jiggle is the cylinder asking for a clean and a new key, not a sign of anything serious.

In the van

  • Cylinder shim
  • Code cutter or key duplicator
  • Key gauge
  • Pinning tweezers and tray
  • Reset tool for user-rekeyable cylinders

What shapes the quoteCalamity Corners Locksmith Co.

Upgrades chosen during the visit
Some people take the opportunity to replace a double-cylinder deadbolt with a thumb-turn model, add a reinforced strike or move to a heavier deadbolt. None of it is needed to rekey; each is a separate line.
Interior doors added to the plan
Bedroom, office or storage-room locks brought onto a key are lighter work than exterior deadbolts, but each is still a cylinder to pin and test, and the count includes them.
Records, tags and labelled key sets
A homeowner needs a short note. A property manager may want a keying chart, tagged sets for each suite and a key-issuance log, which is more office work and is quoted as such.

FeesSame any hour

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

(226) 271-6061

Let's clear a few things up

How often should locks be rekeyed?

There is no calendar for it. What matters is who holds a key, not how many years have passed. Think about it when occupancy changes hands, when someone who had a key no longer needs one, or when a ring goes missing along with something that shows where you live. Between those moments a well-kept cylinder may need no scheduled care, and when it does, use whatever that cylinder's maker specifies. With the doors already on one recorded system, any repeat is a short piece of work.

Will my door hardware look any different afterwards?

No. The work happens inside the cylinder, so the bolt, handle, finish and strike plate stay exactly as they are, and nothing new is cut into the door. The only visible change is the key in your hand. If a cylinder does have to be replaced, because its keyway is incompatible with the others or it has worn out, the locksmith picks one in a matching finish so the door keeps a consistent look.

I rent. Can I have my locks rekeyed?

Yes, with your landlord's agreement, which is what the tenancy rules here expect before a tenant changes a lock. Most landlords are glad to consent when a key has gone missing or a former roommate has moved out, and the locksmith will want to hear that the landlord knows and will be holding one of the new keys. The rekey itself runs the same as for an owner, and a short note listing the doors done is handy to pass to the landlord.

Masonvilleinformation

MiddlesexOntario

Town
Masonville, Middlesex
In business
27 years
Hours
Open 24/7
Nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
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.

  • 52 in 100 homes · older homes
  • About 52% of homes in London were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.Older doors are usually thicker and made of solid wood, which is good news. They take a deadbolt well, hold longer strike screws, and reward reinforcement. The locksmith measures the thickness and backset so new hardware fits without fresh holes.
  • Single-detached houses make up about 49% of homes in London (2021 Census).Where houses and attached homes share an area, lockouts are as varied as the doors. A porch, a hallway or a shared vestibule each calls for a slightly different approach, and a locksmith used to all three arrives ready for whichever it is.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile

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On-site assessment

Request a visit.

One key for the front door, another for the back, a third for the side door into the garage, and a fourth for the shed.

(226) 271-6061, open 24/7.