Rekeying: New Keys for the Same Locks

Rekeying is the process of changing the internal arrangement of a lock so that it accepts a new key and refuses the old ones. The lock itself stays in the door. The handle, the deadbolt, the trim and the finish all stay where they are, and only the small parts inside the cylinder are changed.

The result feels like a new lock to anyone holding a key. Someone who kept an old key, or lost one, or copied one years ago, will find that it slides in and does not turn. You end up with the same hardware and a new set of keys, and the old set becomes a bunch of harmless metal.

At Redding Mobile Locksmith, rekeying is one of the most common jobs we do at homes and small businesses across Shasta County and Siskiyou County. It is also one of the most misunderstood, because people tend to assume that new keys require new locks. Usually they do not.

The word is sometimes confused with rekey kits sold in stores. Those kits work for some locks and not others, and success depends on matching the exact cylinder type and keyway. A trained hand knows which parts fit, how to handle the tiny pins without losing them, and how to test that every lock in the set works cleanly afterward.

Most residential locks are pin tumbler locks. Inside the cylinder is a row of small spring loaded pin stacks. Each stack has a lower pin that touches the key and an upper pin pushed down by a spring. When the correct key is inserted, its cuts raise each stack to exactly the right height so the gap between lower and upper pins lines up with the edge of the rotating plug.

Once every gap lines up on that edge, the plug can turn, and the bolt or latch moves. A wrong key leaves at least one stack at the wrong height and the plug stays locked. The whole system depends on the lower pins having certain lengths that match the cuts of one particular key.

Rekeying swaps those lower pins for others of different lengths, matched to the cuts on a new key. Our guide on how a pin tumbler lock actually works goes deeper into the mechanism if you like to see how it fits together.

The most common reason is a move. You buy or rent a home, and you have no idea how many keys exist for the doors. Previous owners, tenants, relatives, contractors and neighbors may have copies. Rekeying lets you start with a clean slate without paying for new hardware on every door.

Another reason is a lost or stolen key. If a key ring vanished with an address on it, or a key went home with someone who no longer lives there, the safest move is to make that key useless. A related reason is a change in people: a roommate left, a relationship ended, an employee moved on, or a caretaker finished a job.

A third reason is convenience. A home with five different keys for five doors is annoying, and rekeying can bring them into line so one key opens several locks. A small business may want the same. We cover that in more depth on our page about rekeying or replacing.

A final case is simple peace of mind after any event that left you uneasy. A break in at the neighbors, a contractor who had a key for a month, or a lost bag on a trip can all make a household want to reset who has access. Rekeying is a calm response and does not require you to decide anything about your security overall.

• You moved into a home and want to cancel keys held by previous occupants.
• A key was lost, stolen or never returned.
• A roommate, tenant, employee or caretaker no longer needs access.
• You want several locks to work with one key.
• A lock works but its old keys are worn or unreliable.

Our team arrives in uniforms and a branded service van carrying the tools and parts for the job. We begin by looking at the locks you want changed, counting them, and checking what type each one is. Not every lock can be rekeyed, and it is better to know that before taking anything apart.

For each lock we remove the cylinder, take out the plug, replace the pins with ones that match the new key, and reassemble. The cylinder is reinstalled and tested with the new key several times. We check that the old key no longer turns, and we check that the bolt moves smoothly and fully.

We then hand you the new keys. Because the work happens at your door, you can watch, ask questions and test the result yourself. Most doors take only a short stretch of time apiece, though a house with many locks will take longer, and an older lock with seized parts may need extra care.

If we find something unexpected, such as a cylinder that has seized or a mounting screw that has stripped, we stop and explain before going further. Older locks in damp mountain homes are more likely to surprise us, and we would rather pause for a short conversation than push through and damage something.

Replacing a lock means pulling the whole device out and installing a new one. That is the right call when the lock is damaged, worn out, a security concern, or simply not a style you want. Rekeying is the right call when the hardware is sound and only the key situation needs to change.

Rekeying keeps the original grade and finish. If your deadbolt is a solid piece of hardware, you keep it. If a lock is a flimsy grade that a good shove would defeat, rekeying makes the keys new but does not make the lock stronger, and we will tell you when it is worth upgrading.

Cost and effort tend to favor rekeying for sound hardware, since new parts are small. But we do not push either path. The honest question is what the lock is like today, and we look at each one with that in mind. Our lock installation page picks up the story when replacement is the better answer.

A few locks resist rekeying. Some very basic locks have fixed cylinders with no way to change the pins. Some electronic locks have a key backup but depend on a code or app for daily use, and the code is changed separately from the key. Some older mortise cylinders are fine to rekey but need parts that are harder to find.

Padlocks are a mixed bag. Many can be rekeyed, but a lot of inexpensive padlocks are sealed and cannot. High security cylinders often use restricted keys and special blanks, and rekeying those requires parts that come only through the manufacturer's controlled channels. We explain what applies to yours.

When a lock cannot be rekeyed, we tell you and offer a replacement that fits the same hole in the door. That is another reason to look at each lock in person, because a short look can save you from paying for a job that was never possible. Our guide on cylinder types in simple terms explains how different cylinders behave.

Keyed alike means several locks accept the same key. It is the simplest convenience upgrade in the lock trade. Instead of a front door key, a back door key and a garage entry key, you carry one. The locks do not need to be the same brand or model, as long as each can be rekeyed to the same pattern.

The tradeoff is that one lost key opens every door that matches it. For a household that is usually acceptable. For a business, a rental property or a shared building, it may not be. A master key system is a more organized answer and has its own page: see our guide on what a master key system is.

If you are not sure which approach suits you, describe your situation and we will walk through it. A small family home, a shop with two employees and a vacation cabin each call for different choices, and the right one depends on who holds keys and what they need to open.

Keyways matter here. A keyway is the shape of the slot a key enters, and different lock families use different shapes. Two locks from different makers may not be able to share a key unless their keyways match or one is swapped. We check this at the door and tell you honestly if one lock needs a different cylinder to join the set.

Rekeying is a standard part of preparing a rental between tenants. The previous tenant likely made copies, and a landlord who skips rekeying can leave the next tenant with a door that dozens of unknown keys might open. Whether rekeying is required varies by place and by lease, so check with the people who manage the property.

For vacation rentals and cabins, the same logic applies on a different rhythm. Guests come and go, cleaners and managers carry keys, and keys wander. Some owners rekey at intervals, others switch to keypad locks that change codes. Our guide to keypad locks for rental turnover explains the second approach.

Whatever your setup, keep a record of who holds keys. A simple list of names, dates and which doors each key opens saves a great deal of confusion later, and it makes the next rekeying decision much clearer.

A small owner of one rental unit can handle this with a simple routine: rekey at each tenant change, record the keys handed over, and collect them when the lease ends. Larger properties usually want a more systematic plan, which may include keyed alike doors, master keys or electronic locks, and we can help you think it through without selling you more than the situation needs.

Rekeying changes the keys. It does not repair a stiff latch, a door that sags, a loose strike or a damaged bolt. If a lock sticks or the door does not close properly, the cause may be alignment or wear, and a new key will not change that. We look at the whole door while we are there and tell you what we see.

It also does not improve how well a lock resists force. A lock that can be kicked in will still be kicked in, with new keys or old. For security upgrades, the usual suggestions are a stronger strike plate, longer screws into the framing, and a better deadbolt, and we explain these in our guide on strike plates and door frames.

And rekeying does not erase a key that sits inside a smart lock or an app. If your door has a code or credential that others know, change that too. A new physical key and an old keypad code is a half measure, so we mention it when we see it.

Think of it as changing who holds the invitation, not rebuilding the house. Used for what it does well, rekeying is a tidy, sensible service. Used as a cure for a worn deadbolt or a sagging door, it disappoints. Knowing the difference is part of what you are paying a locksmith to bring.

A little preparation makes the visit smoother. Walk through the property and list every lock you want changed, including side doors, garage entry doors, sheds, gates and any padlocks that matter. People often remember the front door and forget the back slider or the outbuilding, and then ask for a second visit.

Gather the keys you currently have, because we can often use them to work out the existing pattern, and because you may want some of them rekeyed or retired together. If a lock has no working key at all, tell us, and we will plan to open it first. Also note any lock that sticks, binds or feels loose. Those details change the plan, since a lock with a problem may be better repaired or replaced than rekeyed.

Decide in advance how many keys you want. Households often like two or three per door set, and businesses usually want a controlled number with a written record of who holds each. Extra keys cut at the visit are simple to add. Ones requested later require a trip, so it helps to think about spares while we are there with the parts on hand.

We rekey locks in all seventeen communities we serve, from Redding to Etna. A home in the valley and a cabin in the mountains may have very different doors, and both are fine. Every community has its own local page, and the Redding rekeying page shows how we describe it close to home.

If you want to talk through options, our residential locksmith page gives an overview of the home services we offer. When you are ready, use the form on our contact page. Our phone line is coming soon, so the form is how requests reach us for now.

Tell us how many locks you want changed, what kind of doors they are on, and why you are rekeying. A sentence like moved in last week or lost a key at a trailhead helps us bring the right parts and plan the visit sensibly.