Lock Rekeying in Tredyffrin, PA

When a roommate moves out, you may not know who has a copy of the key to your home in Tredyffrin.

Rekeying changes the pins inside the existing lock so the old key no longer works and a new key does. The outside hardware stays in place, so you keep the same handles and appearance. We rekey residential doors when you want to change who has a working key, whether a roommate has left, keys are missing, or you have moved into a home.

For a home in Tredyffrin, you might include the front, back and side doors, along with any other keyed exterior entrance you want covered. You can choose which doors to rekey. We can set compatible locks to work with one key; if they are not compatible, some hardware may need to be replaced to make that possible. Replacement is also a choice if the existing hardware is worn, or if you want a different style or function rather than keeping what is there.

We first look at the outside doors you want included and examine the existing hardware for wear and compatibility.

One key can work across those doors only if the cylinders accept the same key shape and are suitable for matching. Before we start, we explain which doors can share a key as they are and which would need different hardware. You can include every outside entrance or keep a separate key for a door you want to restrict.

Rekeying changes the pins inside the cylinder, not the visible hardware or the way the door operates. You may choose a new key so copies of the old one no longer work, or keep an existing key if it fits the selected locks. Keeping that key also leaves its existing copies usable. If a lock is worn or incompatible with the others, replacement may be a better choice than rekeying it. We check each included door with you, turning the chosen key both ways and trying an old key when one is available.

With the door open, try each new key in the locks it is meant to operate.

Then check that the door latches and locks when closed. If a key catches, will not turn smoothly or works only when you pull on the door, do not force it. Call us to check the problem. Adding oil or forcing the key could make it harder to identify what is wrong.

A departing roommate's old key should no longer work on locks that were rekeyed to exclude it. If you chose to keep an existing key, its copies will still work on locks set for that key. Keep track of your spares and who has them. If a key goes missing or someone you no longer want to have access has a working copy, call us to consider rekeying the affected locks. Doors left out of the original work may still accept old keys.