Change or rekey · Hamilton
Deadbolt Installation
The door from the garage into the kitchen closes on a passage knob with no lock at all. Anyone who opens the garage is one turn of a handle from the house, and the insurance renewal form has a question about exactly that.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 203-2070In plain words
If your door already has a knob or lever bore and nothing above it, adding a deadbolt is a boring job in the literal sense. A jig clamps to the door at the right height, usually 140 to 150 mm above the knob centre, and guides a hole saw through the face and a smaller bit through the edge. The locksmith mortises the edge so the bolt faceplate sits flush, sets the bolt to the door's backset, then fits the cylinder outside and the thumb-turn inside. The frame is marked from the bolt itself, bored and chiselled for the strike, and the lock is tested open and closed.
How the visit goesYou moved in three weeks ago. The previous owner left a handful of keys, none labelled, and the bolt on the side door rattles in its housing. You would like every exterior door to bolt, and to know exactly who can open it.
Deadbolt Installation · Hamilton
How the visit goes
- 1
Which key should open it
A deadbolt is also a key decision, so the locksmith asks how the household's keys are arranged now. If every door shares one key, the new cylinder can be pinned to that same key, provided the keyways match, so nobody's ring grows. If the house has just changed hands, this is the natural time to set the new bolt and the other exterior locks to a fresh key and retire whatever copies are out there. Restricted or high-security keyways, keypad models with a backup cylinder and locks that must match a rental building's system all steer the choice of hardware, and it is easier to settle this before the box is opened than after.
- 2
Cutting a pocket the bolt can fill
The strike is located from the bolt itself rather than from a measurement. The bolt tip is chalked, the door is closed and the bolt is thrown firmly against the jamb to leave a mark at the true centre. The locksmith bores the pocket there with a 25 mm bit to a depth of at least 28 mm, so a 25 mm bolt seats fully and reaches its deadlocked position instead of stopping short and feeling stiff. The pocket is checked with the bolt extended before any plate goes on, because a strike screwed over a shallow hole hides the fault until the first cold morning when the door has moved.
- 3
Ready for a smart lock later
Because the door was prepared to the standard bore and backset, it suits many future options, though the model chosen later still sets its own bore, backset and thickness requirements. Keypad and app-controlled deadbolts fit the same 54 mm cross bore and the same edge bore as the mechanical lock fitted today, so upgrading later means swapping the hardware, not cutting the door again. The backset and bore measurements are written on the packaging left with you. If you want to think about a keypad down the road, ask the locksmith which models suit the door thickness and whether a backup keyed cylinder is worth having for the one day the batteries are flat.
In the van
- 25 mm auger bit
- Boring jig and 54 mm hole saw
- Bolt faceplate or drive-in collar
- Strike box
- Jamb reinforcer
What affects the quote
- 1
Removing and disposing of the old hardware
Some visits end with the old deadbolt and strike left with the homeowner, and others ask for it to be removed and hauled away. Taking the old hardware away adds a small amount of time and is agreed before the new deadbolt goes in.
- 2
Strike and frame reinforcement
A reinforced strike with long screws is standard; a full-length jamb reinforcer, a strike box or repairs to a split jamb after a forced entry are extra items quoted on their own.
- 3
Mechanical, keypad or smart lock
Electronic deadbolts carry a different hardware line and add setup time for codes, pairing to a phone and a walk-through, all of which appear as their own entries.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Deadbolt Installation: questions
I rent. Can I have a deadbolt installed on my unit door?
You can, with a conversation first. Tenancy rules in this province expect a tenant to have the landlord's consent before changing locks and expect the landlord to hold a key, so ask in writing and share the plan. Many landlords welcome a proper bolt. The locksmith can key the new cylinder to the building's existing key where the keyway allows, and leave a note of the model and keys cut for the building manager.
Someone forced my door. Can the new deadbolt go into the same frame?
In most cases, yes. The locksmith examines the jamb for splits and stripped screw holes, glues and pins any cracked section, and fits a full-length jamb reinforcer under the strike so the new long screws bite into sound wood and the stud behind. A new pocket is bored to the correct depth. Where the jamb is beyond repair, replacing that section of frame is discussed before any lock goes on.
Will drilling a new deadbolt damage my steel or fibreglass door?
Not when it is done for that door. Steel-clad doors are cut with a fine-toothed hole saw run slowly through the skin, guided by a jig so the saw cannot skate on the smooth face, and finished from both sides so each skin stays clean. Fibreglass is scored first so the surface does not chip. Shavings are vacuumed from the foam core, and the edge is finished with a collar or plate suited to the stile inside.
Deadbolt Installation near you
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton information
- Town
- Hamilton, Ontario
- In business
- 22 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 203-2070
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
61%
Older homes. About 61% of homes in Hamilton were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Old brass keys wear thin, and a key that has bent for years finally lets go in a cold cylinder. In older housing stock this is a regular call, so the locksmith is ready to extract the piece, check the cylinder and cut a new key from the code.
56%
A mix of homes. Single-detached houses make up about 56% of homes in Hamilton (2021 Census).
Where houses and attached homes share an area, lockouts are as varied as the doors. A porch, a hallway or a shared vestibule each calls for a slightly different approach, and a locksmith used to all three arrives ready for whichever it is.
Nearby
Open 24/7
Request a visit
The door from the garage into the kitchen closes on a passage knob with no lock at all.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 203-2070- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 22 years in business