House door locks/re-keying help?

[Punisher84]

So I'm wanting to change out all the exterior door locks in my house and add a deadbolt to my front door. I'd like to get them all keyed the same, if possible, or at least 1 key for deadbolt and 1 key for regular lock. My questions are:

If I buy the locks from Lowe's/Wal-Mart/Home Depot will they key them the same for me or will I have to buy them, then have a locksmith do it?

I can change out the locks myself, but I've never put the deadbolt in before. I'm confident I could do it, but what type of tools do I need besides the large drill head?

Thanks in advance!

[strickj]

I know Ace can do it fir you. IIRC, if you buy new locks from them then they will do the re-keying for free.

Putting them in is easy. All you need is a bit, a chisel, and some lipstick.

Rub the lipstick on the striker, close the door while holding the handle open, then release the handle a few times to mark your door jam.

I'm quite sure you have some lipstick laying around

Edited November 13, 2010 by strickj

[Punisher84]

I know Ace can do it fir you. IIRC, if you buy new locks from them then they will do the re-keying for free.

Putting them in is easy. All you need is a bit, a chisel, and some lipstick.

Rub the lipstick on the striker, close the door while holding the handle open, then release the handle a few times to mark your door jam.

I'm quite sure you have some lipstick laying around

Cool man yea that should be easy enough. I'll check with ACE tomorrow.

I don't think I have any lipstick laying around, but I'll grab some when I leave your girlfriend's house tonight.

[Chucktshoes]

You may not even have to have the folks @ Home Depot re-key them for you. You can buy a house pack with as many door locks and deadbolts as a whole house takes and if you need additional locks there is a code on the package you can match up. As far as the drill head goes, there is a kit you can buy with the hole saw and a jig to use. I recommend using a kit to avoid crooked holes and ruined doors.

[Punisher84]

You may not even have to have the folks @ Home Depot re-key them for you. You can buy a house pack with as many door locks and deadbolts as a whole house takes and if you need additional locks there is a code on the package you can match up. As far as the drill head goes, there is a kit you can buy with the hole saw and a jig to use. I recommend using a kit to avoid crooked holes and ruined doors.

Cool I'll check that out tomorrow.

[NashvilleStage]

I'd like to get them all keyed the same, if possible, or at least 1 key for deadbolt and 1 key for regular lock. My questions are:

If I buy the locks from Lowe's/Wal-Mart/Home Depot will they key them the same for me or will I have to buy them, then have a locksmith do it?

Keying them all the same is absolutely possible as long as they're from the same manufacturer (thus having the same shape of key & same number of pins). I'm not sure about Lowes, but Home Depot will re-key locks for $5 each if you bring them in. I enjoy doing the process myself (it's not terribly complex; you just have to deal with some small parts). I like to use the kits from Change-a-Lock http://www.changealock.com. The kits are $11, include the tools you'll need, and have pin sets for 6 locks. Additional pin sets are 50 cents each.

Some of the newer locks have re-settable innards, so you don't need new pins.

Personally, I prefer to have door handles that don't lock; I just use the deadbolt. That way I can't accidentally lock myself out without a key. Besides, deadbolts are much stronger locks than door handles.

I can change out the locks myself, but I've never put the deadbolt in before. I'm confident I could do it, but what type of tools do I need besides the large drill head?

Other than a screwdriver, you'll need 2 different size hole saws (one for the lock body, the other for the bolt itself), and a wood chisel. You can buy the hole saws as a kit from any of the hardware stores. The chisel is used to hollow out some space on the door & the jamb so that the mounting flanges can sit flush in them. If you remove an old lock from a door, you'll see the different holes & cuts that need to be made.

Tip: When you're drilling the larger hole in the door for the lock body, do it in two steps; drill a little bit from one side of the door, then finish it off by drilling from the other side of the door. That will make a cleaner cut & lessen the chance of splintering the wood on the surface. To align the two hole cuts so that they meet nicely in the middle, drill from one side just until the center pilot bit emerges from the other side. Then use that hole to put the pilot bit into from the other side. Make sure the drill is square to the door so that your holes don't angle up/down/left/right as you drill. If you want to give yourself some extra leeway when drilling the first hole, put a longer pilot bit in the hole saw, or just re-position the bit so that it sticks out as far as possible. There's usually one or two setscrews on the side of the hole saw that hold the pilot bit in place.

Zat help?

[Transplanted Hoosier]

I had all of mine done at Lowes. Can't remember how much it cost but I do remember that it wasn't expensive.

[Punisher84]

Thanks for the responses guys. NashvilleStage thanks for all the info, definitely should help alot. Especially on the drilling!

[Farman]

Quickset has a series that you can rekey yourself, it's real easy. You don't have to take the locks out and take them to a locksmith. All you need is a new set of keys. Nashvilles instructions are right on.

[Glenn]

When you install a deadbolt you should get a extra strong strike plate. Most places that sell the locks will have them. It consists of a steel plate that has extra large screws that go into the framing next to the door. Otherwise you are just fastening to the door jamb which will just split off under a moderate kick.

Glenn

[G27]

Just buy Kwikset Smartkey locks. I use them now, makes it really easy to replace old locks and they make good stuff.

[southernasylum]

I bought a quickset rekey kit from ebay. I paid $50 for it and have re keyed probably about 20 locks with it and have pins to last me a lifetime. They are available for the schlage style locks as well.