Change the Lock or Rekey It
A lock change swaps the hardware. Rekeying keeps it and changes the key.
Changing a lock earns its money when the hardware is worn, when it is the wrong grade for an exterior door, or when the finish has given up. New locks drop into the existing bore on most doors, so nothing is drilled and nothing is patched. If the lock is sound and you only want the old keys retired, a rekey does that for less, and we will say which of the two your door actually needs before quoting the safe option.
What Goes on the Door
Three classes of lock, and the door decides which grade of security belongs on it.
Deadbolts
The lock doing the real work on an exterior door. A full inch of bolt into the frame, on three-inch screws that reach past the jamb into the stud.
Knob and Lever Sets
The latch, not the security. Fitted below the deadbolt and keyed alike so one key runs both, and chosen for the handing of the door.
High Security Grades
A hardened cylinder on a restricted key that no kiosk will copy. Worth the money on any door reachable from the street.
Your Fort Collins Lock Specialist
Licensed and insured locksmith work, covering lock changes for homes and commercial premises. Hardware comes off and goes back on in a safe, non-destructive way that leaves the door and the frame as they were.
What Goes Wrong
Six failures we get called out to put right, and every one of them is avoidable.
- Short strike screws — the commonest security fault we find, and the cheapest to put right
- New hardware in a dropped door — the bolt binds, the key fights, and the lock gets blamed
- Mismatched keying — two new locks from two makers that will never share one key
- Grade chosen on looks — a finish that matches and a cylinder that offers no security
- The back door forgotten — new hardware at the front, the alley door no more secure than it was
- No spare cut — one key handed over on a lock nobody can open twice
What Happens on a Lock Change Visit
A lock change is measured before it is fitted, and that is what makes it a safe job rather than a fast one.
The old lock comes off
Screws out, cylinder out, and the bore measured before the new lock leaves the van. Backset and door thickness decide what fits.
The new lock goes in
Bolt throw checked into the frame, strike plate set on long screws, and the door tried a dozen times to be sure it is secure before anything is signed.
Keys are cut and handed over
Two keys per lock as standard, cut alike where you asked for it, and every key tested in every lock from both sides.
Who Calls Us for a Lock Change
Three situations account for most of the hardware we swap in a week.
New Owners
Closing week, when the house is not secure while nobody can say how many keys are out there. A full set of new locks keyed alike is the usual order.
After a Break-In
The lock and the frame both get looked at, because new hardware in a split jamb is not security, it is decoration.
Businesses
A commercial premises moving off builder-grade hardware onto a proper security grade. Our commercial locksmith work is quoted per door and booked out of hours.
What Changes the Price of a Lock Change
Six things move a lock change quote, and you can ask about all six on the phone.
- Number of doors — the first lock carries the call-out, every one after it is cheaper
- Grade of hardware — a builder-grade knob and a graded deadbolt are not the same money or the same security
- Keyed alike — one key across every new lock adds nothing while the doors are open
- Existing bore — a door already drilled takes a lock in minutes, an undrilled one does not
- Commercial hardware — mortise bodies and panic hardware take longer than a house door
- Door material — metal and fibreglass take longer to machine than wood
Before You Call
Three things make the visit shorter and the quote firm.
A photo of the door edge
It shows the backset, the thickness and the existing bore, which between them decide most of the price.
How many doors
Front, back, garage and any interior door you want on the same key. The count drives the quote more than anything else.
What the door is made of
Wood, metal or fibreglass. It changes the tooling and the time on site, and we would rather bring the right kit once, which is the safe way to keep it to a single visit.
When a Lock Change Takes Longer
Most lock changes are an hour. Three things are not.
A door with no bore for a deadbolt has to be drilled, and drilling metal or fibreglass is slower and far less forgiving than wood. A door that has dropped will not let a new bolt line up, so the strike has to be reset or the frame packed, and that is carpentry before it is a lock change. A commercial door on a mortise body is a different animal again, ordered rather than carried, so the safe answer there is a survey before any hardware is bought.
Changing a lock swaps the hardware for new. It is what you want when the existing lock is worn, when it is the wrong grade for the door, or when you would rather not wonder who still has a key.
Keying every lock in a house to one key costs little extra while the doors are already open. Commercial premises are covered on the same call-out, and a master key system can be built at the same time so staff keys open what they should and nothing more. A safe or strongbox can be opened and re-set while we are there, and the whole job is quoted per lock before anything comes off the door, so the number on the phone is the number on the invoice for the service. Where a door has been forced, the frame and the strike are checked at the same time, because a new lock in a split jamb is a false comfort rather than a safe result. Swapping hardware is the most common visit a Fort Collins locksmith makes.
Call a Fort Collins Locksmith
A locksmith answers this phone around the clock, and the response is fast when your security cannot wait.
Frequently Asked Locksmith Questions
The questions Fort Collins residents ask a locksmith most, on locks, keys and getting back inside.
Can you get in without damaging my lock?
Almost always, on a standard residential lock. Non-destructive entry is what a locksmith aims for, and the lock keeps working, so there is nothing to replace. Exceptions are a high security cylinder built to resist this, and one already damaged or drilled by someone else. If a lock must come out you hear that price first, never after, and the security of the property is restored on that Fort Collins visit.
We just moved in. Rekey or replace?
Rekey, in almost every case. If the lock works there is no reason to buy new, and changing the pins retires every key the last owner handed out for a fraction of the price. Replace only when a lock is worn out, is the wrong grade for the door, or you want a keypad instead. A Fort Collins locksmith pushing hardware on a working lock is selling, not advising, and the security gain is nil.
The door sticks. Is that the lock?
Usually not the lock. If it works with the door open and fails shut, the frame has moved and no new lock will fix it. A Fort Collins locksmith resets the strike or corrects the swing first. A worn residential cylinder differs: it fails whatever the door does, and that is an emergency waiting.
How fast can you get here?
In Fort Collins itself, quickly. The outer towns are an honest drive and the locksmith quotes that, not an optimistic figure. Snow stretches every run and fills the service diary at once. An emergency call runs around the clock, and an honest price is agreed on the phone before the van leaves.
What if I find a cheaper quote?
Compare the whole number. A professional locksmith quotes the lock, labour and call-out together, so nothing new appears on the step. A very low phone price that becomes three hundred dollars at the car is the oldest trick in this trade. We also cut car keys in Fort Collins and cover commercial premises, so one service visit takes care of the house, the car and the security of both.
Professional Locksmith Service Pricing
Locksmith service pricing in Fort Collins is quoted against the specific job before anyone starts.
Residential Locksmith Pricing
| Service | What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| House Lockout | Non-destructive entry | $55 – $145 |
| Rekeying | Per cylinder, less per unit on multiples | $25 – $45 each |
| Cylinder Change | Standard deadbolts and knob sets | $60 – $245 |
| Door Repair | Alignment, strike plates, worn cylinders | $55 – $195 |
| Deadbolt Installation | Door with no existing bore | $125 – $245 |
| Smart Entry Installation | Keypad and app-controlled hardware | $145 – $395 |
| Duplication | Standard house keys | $5 – $25 |
| Mailbox Cylinder | Swapped and keyed | $65 – $145 |
Service charge ranges vary with location, time of day and what the locksmith finds on site. Lock and security upgrades are quoted separately. Late nights, holidays and the longer runs out of Fort Collins can cost more.
Get a quote for the service you need today, call (970) 803-1100