Sound familiar?Maple Park
- The call
- The whole key ring went missing somewhere between the grocery store and the bus. You got back in with the spare, but a set of keys is out there, and you would sleep better knowing they open nothing.
The previous owners left a coffee tin of keys on the counter, some labelled, most not. The house is yours now, but you have no idea how many copies were cut over the years or who still has one in a drawer somewhere.
In plain words
Rekeying is a change made inside the lock rather than to the lock itself. Many keyed cylinders hold a row of small pins that have to sit at exactly the right heights before the plug will turn, set by the cuts on your key, though some residential cylinders use a side-locking bar instead of pins. A locksmith slides the plug out, removes the pins, and loads a new set matched to a freshly cut key. Reassembled, the lock looks and feels exactly as it did, except that the new key turns it and every key cut before today does not. Your hardware, finish and door stay as they were.
Lock Rekeying · Maple Park
How the visit goes
Scene 1
The condition of every cylinder
A cylinder about to be pinned to a new key should be worth pinning. The locksmith turns the existing key in each lock and feels for a plug that drags, soft springs, a wobbling cam or a keyway packed with grit and old oil. A cylinder in good order is rekeyed as it is. A worn one is cleaned and given fresh springs while it is apart, and one that has truly worn out is pointed out so you can choose a replacement rather than have new pins dropped into a tired lock. A bolt that binds against its strike gets noticed here too, so the strike can be adjusted while the locksmith is at the door.
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.
Scene 3
A written note of what was done
A short record closes the job: which doors were rekeyed, whether any cylinder was replaced, how many keys were issued and to whom, and any door that was deliberately kept on its own key. For a homeowner it is a line in the house file that answers the question, years from now, of which key opens what. For a landlord it is the handover to give the incoming tenant and to keep for the next turnover. For a property manager it is the start of a proper keying chart. It also makes any later work simpler, since the next locksmith can see what system the house is on.
In the van
- Retaining clip tool
- Replacement cylinder for odd keyways
- Key blanks
- Key gauge
- Dry graphite or PTFE lubricant
What shapes the quoteMaple Park Locksmith Co.
- How many cylinders are included
- Each cylinder is removed, pinned and tested on its own, so a single deadbolt and a house with six exterior locks plus a shed and a gate are very different visits, and the quote follows the count.
- Mismatched keyways needing a cylinder swap
- Where one door's cylinder cannot take the key the other doors share, a compatible replacement cylinder is fitted and pinned to match, and that hardware appears as its own line in the quote.
- No working key for a door
- When a cylinder must be shimmed, decoded or picked open before it can be repinned because no key exists for it, that extra step is included in the quote for that door.
FeesSame any hour
Good questions about locks
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.
How is rekeying different from replacing the lock?
Rekeying keeps your existing deadbolt or handle set and gives it a new key, commonly by changing the pins inside, though some cylinders reset a different way. Replacing removes the whole lock or cylinder and fits new hardware. Rekeying suits locks that are in good condition and simply need a fresh key. Replacement is the better call for hardware that is worn or damaged, built to a low grade, on a keyway the other doors cannot share, or due for a change of style or a keypad.
Change or Rekey Locks
- Lock Replacement & UpgradeSomeone tried the back door while you were away.
- Vintage Mortise Lock ServiceThe interior bedroom doors on the second floor have the original mortise latches, and none of them close any more.
- Smart Lock InstallationThe deadbolt is a stiff double-cylinder model that needs a key from both sides, and in the dark hallway finding it is a nuisance.
- Gate & Building Entry LocksThe gate to the side yard used to close with a satisfying click.
- Mailbox Lock ReplacementThe little brass key for your curbside mailbox was on the same ring as the one you lost at the gym last week.
Maple Parkinformation
NiagaraOntario
Lock Rekeying · Welland, Pelham, Crowland, Stop 19, Welland South, Fonthill, Kunda Park, Fenwick, Ridgeville
- Town
- Maple Park, Niagara
- In business
- 35 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7
- Nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (365) 364-0824
- 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.
- 66 in 100 homes · older homes
- 65 in 100 homes · mostly houses
- About 66% of homes in Welland were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.Layers of paint build up on older doors and frames, and a lock that seemed to fail is sometimes a latch glued shut by the last coat. Part of the visit in an older area is freeing hardware, cleaning the edges and checking the door swings true.
- Single-detached houses make up about 65% of homes in Welland (2021 Census).Where homes are mostly detached, patio and sliding doors deserve attention alongside the hinged ones. Auxiliary locks, pin locks and better latches for sliders are routine additions that a locksmith brings on the same visit as the front door work.
On-site assessment
Request a visit.
The previous owners left a coffee tin of keys on the counter, some labelled, most not.
(365) 364-0824, open 24/7.