Rekeying Door Locks To Be The Same

Replacing a lock usually means that the entire lock body will be different.

Rekeying door locks to be the same.

When should you rekey. If you open another case of the same locks they will also have matching keys but will be different from the first case. Since most homes have multiple doors with multiple locks re keying can get expensive. It s a more cost effective way to maintain high security.

You can re key a lock like a pro at a fraction of the cost. Rekeying locks to match keys if all of your locks are in good condition and you don t expect to be replacing all of the locks at the same time there is still the possibility that a locksmith can change the pins in your locks to match a single key. If your key fits into one lock but won t go into the other it means their keyholes or keyways are different and they cannot be matched. For example if all the locks on your house are schlage you can rekey all of them to fit the same key.

The main difference between replacing a lock and rekeying one is that you are now going to be using an entirely different and potentially brand new lock. When lock sets are packaged in a case of 6 or 12 then there will be sets of 3 or 4 that use the same key. Instead re key all the locks for one unit to have the same key and keep 1 different key for each unit. Again your locks must match.

Rekeying techniques and key styles vary from one manufacturer to another. You must buy a kit for each brand of lock in your home. Re keying the locks to have a master key is not good for security because different keys will open the same door. For example if all of your locks are of the same brand or have the same type of keyhole but use different keys you can have your locks rekeyed to operate from the same key.

Re keying kits are available for most lock brands but they re not interchangeable. If the locks are. They must be the same brand and model and use the same number of pins. In many circumstances rekeying your locks makes more sense than changing your locks.

A rekey kit for a single lock typically costs between 12 and 25. Rekeying your lock is a great option when you need to change your lock but do not need to replace the hardware. Past keys will not be able to open your new lock. What the lock makers do is match the keys for door locks within any particular case of product usually 4 per case.

If you re lucky they ll all be the same brand. Purchase a rekey kit for a single lock or up to five locks of the same brand that matches the brand of lock you want to rekey.