Due to the extremely low price of the key pins in the locks, rekeying is almost always much cheaper than getting your locks changed. When rekeying your locks, you are only being charged for the labor, whereas when you get your locks changed, you're paying both for labor and parts.
Rekeying your lock is almost always cheaper than replacing a lock. This is because of the cheaper price of the key pins inside the locks, whereas when you replace a lock, you are paying for all brand-new parts.
Rekeying Home Locks
Rekeying locks on your home typically costs $80 to $160. If you call the locksmith to your home, you might pay a trip fee of $50 to $100. The cost to rekey is $30 to $60 per lock, bringing you to that total. Rekeying is different and more affordable than replacing the locks.
Home Depot does rekey doorknobs, cylinder, and deadbolt locks at selected store locations. Customers can expect to pay $5 to $50, and Home Depot will rekey locks purchased from the store or other retailers/brands, including Schlage and Kwikset locks, provided you can offer the correct keys.
Generally, as long as you own the property to which the lock and key belong, you may rekey the lock.
Expect to pay $80 to $300 per lock, depending on quality, and up to $200 more for professional installation. Many door locks, however, are DIY-friendly and come with installation instructions.
Some locksmiths may tell you that you should change your locks. But in many cases, you can just rekey them, which means changing the existing lock system so a new key operates it. A locksmith simply replaces the tumblers and pins to create a lock that can be opened by a brand-new key.
When you move into a new home, you should change the locks on your house. You have no idea how many copies of the house keys are floating around out there from the previous homeowners, so changing the locks will keep your new house more secure. Tom recommends changing the locks whenever a new home is purchased.
What is this? By choosing to rekey a lock at Lowe's, it is a cost-effective method of changing the key without replacing the whole lock. Additionally, if you have purchased the locks from Lowe's, they are happy to rekey them for free with proof of purchase.
If your deadbolt requires a separate key from your entry doorknob, you can rekey it if they are the same brand. To rekey the deadbolt, remove it from the door and repin as you do a doorknob.
How long does it take? As you imagine, lock rekeying might not be easy, but within 10 to 20 minutes, a locksmith with a great experience of dealing with all kinds of locks will be able to rekey a single lock.
When you rekey your locks, you're altering the lock mechanism so that the old key will no longer open it. Instead, a new key will be necessary. In many circumstances, rekeying your locks makes more sense than changing your locks.
A locksmith will use something called a pinning kit to change the pins inside the lock. Keep in mind that to quickly do so, the locksmith needs a copy of the original key. If you don't have a single copy of the key, the locksmith will have to pick the lock, which can result in higher labor costs for you.
Deadbolt Type
You can typically purchase a single cylindrical deadbolt for $20 to $70, while keyless deadbolts can cost anywhere from $50 to $200 or more depending on the type you purchase.
You can rekey all of your locks to match an existing key when the locks all have the same keyway. You can test if the locks use the same keyway by taking the existing key you want to use and seeing if it slides into the keyholes of the locks you want to match that key.
Walmart does provide key copying and cutting services in 2022. Customers can cut their own keys and make duplicates in-store at the MinuteKey kiosks. The price for each key can range from $2 to $6 per key.
In the U.S., there is no single comprehensive law against dual-cylinder deadbolts. Individual cities and states have local property and fire codes that may prohibit the use of dual-cylinder deadbolts. The code may prohibit the use of dual-cylinder deadbolts in some buildings and allow them in others.