House Rekeying in Oklahoma City
Every key that exists for your house stops working, the locks stay on the doors, and you pay for twenty minutes of skilled work instead of new hardware.
Why it is the right call
The Lock Is Fine. The Keys Are the Problem.
Rekeying rearranges the pins inside your existing cylinder so it accepts a new key and rejects every old one.
Replacing a lock to solve a key problem is like changing the door because you lost the handle.
A decent exterior deadbolt is not cheap, and there are usually three or four doors. Rekeying leaves that hardware exactly where it is and changes the only part that actually matters, which is who can open it. On most houses it is a single visit and well under the cost of new locks.
It also solves something replacement often does not. If you are tired of carrying four different keys for the front, the back, the garage side door and the shed, they can all be rekeyed to one key while we are there, provided the cylinders are compatible. Most people find that worth more than the security change.
Where rekeying is not enough is when the hardware itself has failed, when there is no deadbolt at all, or when the door and frame are the weak point rather than the lock. We say which of those applies before quoting. More in rekey versus replace.
When homeowners call
Reasons a House Gets Rekeyed
You Just Moved In
The most common one by a distance. Previous owners, agents, contractors and a neighbour with a spare are all realistic. Nobody can tell you how many keys exist.
A Key Went Missing
Lost with a wallet, dropped somewhere, or in a bag that was taken. If the key can be linked to your address, the lock needs attention.
A Spare Never Came Back
Lent to a contractor, a house sitter or a friend and quietly forgotten. Very common and easy to fix.
Household Change
Somebody moved out. Rekeying is the clean way to close that off without a conversation about it.
Ending a Rental
A tenant moved out and handed back two of the three keys issued. Standard turnover work.
Too Many Keys
Front, back, garage and shed all on different keys. They can be brought onto one key in the same visit.
After a Break In
Once the door is repaired the cylinder is rekeyed as a matter of course. See break in repair.
Builder Keys Still In
New construction handed over on the builder's key, which every trade on that site has held at some point.
What the visit looks like
Usually Under an Hour
Nothing leaves the house and no door is left open while the work happens.
Every Door Counted
Front, back, garage side door, shed, and the one everybody forgets. We check which cylinders can be keyed together before starting, because that decides whether you end up with one key or two.
Repinned on the Spot
Cylinders come off, get repinned to a new key, and go straight back on. A typical three or four door house is a single visit and often less than an hour of work.
Tested Before We Go
Every new key is tried in every lock, from both sides, with the door closed. Old keys are confirmed dead in front of you, which is the part people actually want to see.
While we are there
Four Things Worth Checking at the Same Time
The strike plate
Most exterior doors leave the factory with short screws into the trim rather than the framing. Long screws into the stud cost almost nothing and matter far more than the lock does. See deadbolts.
Whether there is a deadbolt at all
Plenty of houses in the metro rely on the latch in the handle. Rekeying that gives you a new key to a lock that was never the security on the door.
Doors that bind
If a door has to be pulled or shouldered before the key turns, the frame has moved. Adjusting the strike takes minutes during a rekey and prevents the lockout later.
How many keys you need
Say the number when you book. Extra keys cut on site are cheap. Realising two days later that you needed a fourth is a callout.
Just moved in?
Tell us the door count and you will get a firm price on the phone.
Where we work
Rekeying Homes Across the Metro
Mobile from Edmond, most jobs handled the same day inside business hours.
Rekeying questions
What Homeowners Ask
How long does rekeying a house take?
A typical three or four door house is a single visit and frequently under an hour of actual work. More doors, or cylinders from several different manufacturers, add time. You will be told which situation you are in when you give the door count on the phone.
Can all my doors be on one key?
Usually yes, provided the cylinders are compatible with each other. Front, back, garage side door and shed brought onto a single key is one of the most requested things we do, and it is done during the same visit at no extra callout.
Is rekeying as secure as new locks?
For the purpose of stopping old keys from working, yes, completely. What rekeying does not do is upgrade weak hardware. If the deadbolt is low grade or the strike plate is screwed into trim rather than framing, rekeying leaves that unchanged, which is why we check both while we are there.
Do you need to take my locks away?
No. Cylinders are repinned on site and go straight back on the door. Nothing leaves your house and no door is left standing open while the work happens.
How many keys do I get?
Tell us the number when booking and it is included in the quote. Extra keys cut at the same visit are inexpensive. Realising afterwards that you needed one more means a separate trip, so it is worth counting properly first.
I rent. Can I rekey the house myself?
That is between you and the property owner and it usually needs their agreement, so check your lease first. We work from the owner's or manager's authorisation on rental property. If you are the manager, see property management.