Beautiful, transitional hardware styles with simple, unique details. If you can do the work yourself you can purchase a cheap door lock for $15 the brand does not matter and insert the knob / lock set in each door as you bring one of your lockset in for repining / rekeying. You cannot rekey a Kwikset or Sargeant lock to open with the same key as a Schlage lock, because different brands of locks have different size keyholes that only accept their own keys. If you are good with a screwdriver then that is about all you will need to replace your door locks. Insert the Pins and Reassemble the Lock Dump out the old pins, insert the new key, and use tweezers or small needle-nose pliers to match the new colored pins to... Once the new pins are in, reverse the steps to reassemble the lock. Before you get started, though, you’ll need a few things: Start by inserting the original key into the lock and turning it clockwise 90 degrees. • How To – How much will it cost to get the Blower Motor replaced in your heater? ! However if the locks are in good condition and they are relatively new you can probably just change the pins and get new keys. This is why they have designed model sets that match. Join 350,000 subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. There are times in a home’s life when you need to change the locks. Next, without rotating the key lock, remove the key and then insert the new key. This is a high tech solution for your home to allow you to use a keypad at the lock or use your alarm system or wifi to open and close the lock. This can be when a crazy person you were dating moves out or it could just be that you bought a new home and would rather the old owners didn’t still have working keys. The above article may contain affiliate links, which help support How-To Geek. Insert new key into cylinder. To do this the cylinder will be removed, and the pins within it either replaced with different ones, or in theory they could just be swapped around. Whatever your situation you should always understand the quality of product you are purchasing. Match Your Key Number or Build a Lock to Your Specs! From there, simply rotate the key 90 degrees counterclockwise. Get a rekeying kit. You will need a new key. See our article, Over 1900 5-Star Rated, Verifiable Arizona Customer Reviews, Super Service Award Winner Eight Years Running, Selected as an Angie List Phoenix-Best Contractor, BBB International Marketplace Excellence Award Finalist, BBB Ethics Award Winner – The Only Locksmith to Ever Win this Award. The table below shows brands that will typically work together. There are a few other compatibility issues you might run into but a good hardware store should be able to match your new lock set to your old one. My husband has spent best part of 4 hours trying to fit? it's like a puzzle, since you need to "rearrange" the metal pieces that fit the notches in the key. Again your locks must match. How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology. Normally how they work is you open the door and insert the new key and then insert a setting pin to reset the lock and the combination pins will use the new setting. The service can be performed at your home or you can swap out one lock at a time and bring it to the store. If the key doesn’t come out, then the re-keying was successful. Make sure that it’s all the way in the lock. Still have questions? Make sure that it’s all the way in the lock. Technically you could just move the pins around and create a new combination without buying pins however it can be hard to find a hardware store that is able to cut a key based on pin sizes vs just copying a key. Obviously the higher the number of pins in the lock the more secure it is. Classic, traditional hardware styles with simple, unique details. • How To – How Often Should You Clean Your Fireplace. When you go to purchase lock sets you will have the choice of 4, 5 or 6 pin lock sets. For this reason I am not going to go into all the steps needed to complete the task I am going to tell you about it and then tell you your best option to get the work done. Not to mention you will have lots of original keys with each lock so they will work for years perfectly. You can have a locksmith rekey the locks, or you could even do it yourself with a rekey kit. Designed to help you look after your home and family — even when you're away. Review rekey kit map for pin locations and match numbers to new key. But you should do your homework and read reviews about the products you think you want and make sure they are of decent quality. You can rekey all of your locks to match an existing key when the locks all have the same keyway. All you need is a Kwikset Re-keying Kit, a Kwikset key, and a pin & tumbler lock. Then try to remove the key. Re-keying Your Home’s Locks if you want to keep your hardware. From there, simply rotate the key 90 degrees counterclockwise. 7 If you are adding something like a deadbolt you will need to cut a hole with a hole saw which is a large drill bit. It all just depends on how much you are willing to pay and what features you need. Kits are available for most lock brands and come equipped to do multiple locks, but frequently work for only locks of the same brand. Most retailers can match your current key to a new deadbolt by re-keying the new set. With the key still in the lock, take the SmartKey tool and insert it into the small hole next to the keyhole. With the key still in the lock, take the SmartKey tool and insert it into the small hole next to the keyhole. If you are adding a new lock set to a single door you must make sure it is from the same manufacturer and that it has the same number of pins. If the key will not slide into the lock, it is another brand, using another keyway, and that lock cannot be made to work from the existing key. After that, remove the SmartKey tool. These two locks cannot be rekeyed to match an existing key of the other. 10 Locate key cut number on new key. You’ll hear a definite click. you have to get the actual lock apart and there are little flat metal pieces that have notches in them that you can remove. Then a marking on the package will allow you to select packages that have keys that match. Start by inserting the original key into the lock and turning it clockwise 90 degrees. We will look at the process for your home and help you understand your options and the relative cost for each procedure. (before it was made illegal in CA I had fun doing this now only a licenced locksmith may rekey your locks.) How to Re-Key Your Kwikset SmartKey Lock to Your Previous Key, How to Set Different Time Zones in Google Calendar, How to Use Linked Text to Update Multiple Word Documents, How to Automatically Hide or Show the Menu Bar on a Mac, How to Choose Which Extensions Appear on the Firefox Toolbar, © 2020 LifeSavvy Media. A master key system is built into the lock cylinders not governed by the keys. You should ask them if they charge by the lock, if they cut new keys at your home and what the general cost is. If you’re not sure about your own lock, take a close look at it and see if there’s a tiny oval hole next to the keyhole. Can I Rekey a Lock to Match an Existing Key? Explore a world of innovations. Push it in firmly and you might hear or feel a tiny click. When you are rekeying multiple products to match a key in one of the packages (not a key from the customer), you can reduce the amount of time required by strategically choosing the order in which you rekey. Most hardware stores with trained staff can change the pins and copy a key. if you live in a state like CA, the short answer is that you can't, it's illegal.