Change or rekey · Kawartha Lakes
Deadbolt Installation in Kawartha Lakes
The old deadbolt has grown lazy. You turn the thumb-turn and the bolt creeps out halfway, then needs a second push with the door pulled tight.
Call now · open 24/7(249) 488-0915In plain words
Most of the value in a deadbolt is on the frame side, which is why a good installation spends as much time on the jamb as on the door. The bolt is only as strong as the pocket it throws into and the screws that hold the strike. Short screws in a standard strike bite only into the thin jamb board; a reinforced strike fastened with 75 mm screws passes through that board into the stud behind, so a blow against the door meets the house rather than a strip of pine. The pocket is cut deep enough for a full throw and aligned so the bolt slides home freely.
How the visit goesYou bought a keypad deadbolt online and pulled the old one off, only to find the hole in the door is a different size and the bolt latch sits at a backset the new kit does not list. The door is now open and the box is on the counter.
Deadbolt Installation · Kawartha Lakes
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
Setting a strike that reaches the framing
A reinforced strike or strike box is centred over the pocket, squared to the edge of the jamb, and its outline is scored and chiselled to a depth that leaves the plate flush. Pilot holes are drilled, and the two holes nearest the door stop take 75 mm screws that pass through the jamb and the shim space into the stud behind, with shorter screws in the remaining holes. The long screws are driven by hand for the last turns so the heads seat without crushing the jamb. Where the jamb is thin or has been split by an earlier attempt, a full-length jamb reinforcer is fitted under the strike instead.
- 3
A bolt with a full, deadlocked throw
What you feel at the end is a bolt that travels its whole length into the frame with one turn and stops with a definite click, which is the deadlocking position that stops the bolt being pushed back from the edge. From outside, the key turns a cylinder that sits in a collar which spins if gripped. From inside, the thumb-turn moves the same bolt without a key. The locksmith shows you both, throws the bolt with the door closed so you hear it seat, and hands over the packaging with the model, finish and backset written on it for the day a matching lock is wanted on another door.
In the van
- Single-cylinder deadbolt
- Dry PTFE lubricant
- 75 mm (3 in) strike screws
- Manufacturer's bore template
- Sharp chisel and mallet
What affects the quote
- 1
Door material
Solid wood, steel-clad and fibreglass doors are each cut differently. Metal skins call for slower cutting and cleanup of filings, so the material is one of the first things a quote takes into account.
- 2
New bore or replacement into existing holes
Boring a door that has never had a deadbolt takes more time and tooling than dropping a new bolt into holes that are already there, and the quote reflects which of the two your door needs.
- 3
Storm door or restricted clearance
A tight storm door, a narrow lock stile or a decorative panel at bolt height can require low-profile trim or a shifted position, which is settled and quoted at the assessment.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Deadbolt Installation: questions
Can a keypad or smart deadbolt be fitted instead of a keyed one?
Yes, and the preparation is the same. Many electronic deadbolts use the standard 54 mm bore and the same edge bore, so a door cut for a mechanical bolt often accepts one, and a keyed bolt fitted today can usually be swapped for a keypad later, subject to that model's own bore, backset and thickness needs. The locksmith checks door thickness against the model, fits a reinforced strike as usual, sets up codes with you and shows where the backup cylinder or battery terminals are.
Why does the strike plate matter so much?
The strike is the metal plate the bolt throws into, and it is where a kicked door usually fails: short screws bite only into the thin jamb board, which splits. A reinforced strike or strike box fastened with 75 mm screws passes through the jamb into the stud behind, so a blow is met by the framing of the house. On a wood frame, strike screws that reach at least 30 mm into solid wood behind the jamb are what actually holds.
What do backset and bore mean, and why does the locksmith ask?
Two measurements decide whether a deadbolt fits your door. Bore is the diameter of the big hole through the face, 54 mm on most current hardware. Backset is how far the centre of that hole sits from the door's edge, 60 mm or 70 mm on nearly all residential doors. A replacement must match both to use the existing holes, and a fresh installation is cut to match the knob below, so knowing them ahead puts the right hardware on the van.
Deadbolt Installation near you
Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
Kawartha Lakes information
- Town
- Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
- In business
- 32 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (249) 488-0915
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
56%
Older homes. About 56% of homes in Kawartha Lakes were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Where housing is mostly older, many entries still have only a knob lock and no deadbolt at all. Adding one is a straightforward job on a solid wood door, and it is the single upgrade that changes most for a house of this kind.
84%
Mostly houses. Single-detached houses make up about 84% of homes in Kawartha Lakes (2021 Census).
Homeowners in houses often want a spare key that lives outside safely. A locksmith can fit a proper key safe or set up a keypad so a hidden key under a pot is no longer part of the plan.
Nearby
Open 24/7
Request a visit
The old deadbolt has grown lazy.
Call now · open 24/7(249) 488-0915- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 32 years in business