Change or rekey · Lakeview
Deadbolt Installation in Lakeview
You 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
In plain words
For a main exit door the hardware choice has a safety side as well as a security side. A door people leave a home through should open from the inside without a key, so a single-cylinder deadbolt with an inside thumb-turn is the standard fit rather than a bolt keyed on both faces. Where glass sits close to the lock, the answer is a captive thumb-turn, laminated glass, or a tested security-film system with its specified frame attachment, not a key on the inside. The locksmith explains the trade-offs, fits the lock that keeps a stranger out and the family able to leave, and shows everyone the thumb-turn.
How the visit goesThe front door has a handsome lever and a keyed knob, and that is all. Nothing above it. When the door is shut, the only thing keeping it closed is a spring latch the width of a thumbnail, and you have started to notice.
Lakeview
How the visit goes
Where the bolt should sit on the door
On a door with no deadbolt yet, its height is not fixed by the manufacturer but by the door in front of you. The usual spot is 140 to 150 mm above the centre of the knob, which places the bolt near the strongest part of the lock stile and keeps both locks within one comfortable reach. The locksmith checks that this height misses any glass, decorative panel, hinge line or the wood block inside an insulated door, and that the frame behind that spot is solid rather than a gap between shims. If a storm door or screen door shares the opening, the bolt's thumb-turn and cylinder have to clear it as well.
Assembling the cylinder and thumb-turn
The outside housing goes on first, with its tailpiece threaded through the slot in the bolt cam and its mounting posts through the matching holes. Any plastic alignment bracket that ships with the lock is used on a 54 mm bore and removed on a smaller one. The inside thumb-turn plate is set against the door and the two long tapered screws are driven through it into the outside housing, snug rather than crushed, so the housings pull tight to the door without distorting the mechanism. The locksmith turns the thumb-turn before the door is closed to confirm the bolt throws its full length and returns without a catch.
A frame that now holds the bolt
Behind the new strike plate is the part of the job you cannot see and will never need to think about. The pocket has been bored deep enough for the bolt to seat fully, the plate has been let into the jamb so it sits flush, and the long screws reach through the jamb into the framing behind it. On a door that had been forced or had stripped screw holes, a full-length reinforcer may sit under the strike. If you press the jamb with your palm now, it does not flex. That stiffness is what a bolt needs to do its work, and it is the reason the installation took as long on the frame as on the door.
Deadbolt Installation
In the van
- Reinforced strike plate
- Single-cylinder deadbolt
- Boring jig and 54 mm hole saw
- Jamb reinforcer
- Rekeying pins and key blanks
What affects the quote
Same fees day, night or weekend
1Finish and trim style
Coated finishes built for salt and sun, matching trim for an existing handleset, and low-profile faces cost differently from a standard brass or nickel unit, and you choose the level.
2Mechanical, keypad or smart lock
Electronic deadbolts carry a different hardware line and add setup time for codes, pairing to a phone and a walk-through, all of which appear as their own entries.
3Removing and disposing of the old hardware
Some visits end with the old deadbolt and strike left with the homeowner, and others ask for it to be removed and hauled away. Taking the old hardware away adds a small amount of time and is agreed before the new deadbolt goes in.
Deadbolt Installation: questions
Can I supply my own deadbolt?
Yes. Bring the box, the template and the instructions, and tell the locksmith the model beforehand so the bore and backset can be checked against your door. If the kit turns out to need a larger hole or a different faceplate than the door has, the locksmith adapts the door or suggests a matching model. Hardware bought online sometimes arrives set for a different door thickness, which is a small adjustment on site.
What is the difference between a deadbolt and the lock in my door knob?
The knob or lever holds the door shut with a spring latch: a bevelled tongue that snaps into the frame and can be pushed back by anything slid into the gap. A deadbolt is a solid rectangular bar driven by the key or thumb-turn alone, and when fully thrown it locks in place so it cannot be pressed back from the edge. The knob keeps the door closed; the deadbolt keeps it locked.
How do I look after a deadbolt once it is installed?
Very little is needed. Each spring and autumn, lock the door from inside and feel whether the bolt still goes home without the door being pulled; if it hesitates, the door has moved with the season and a small strike adjustment restores it. Whatever lubricant the lock's own maker specifies keeps it smooth, often a dry PTFE or graphite type in the keyway and along the bolt, though some cylinders are meant to be serviced with oil. In winter, wipe road salt off the outside trim to protect the finish.
Change or Rekey Locks
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- Smart Lock InstallationYou have just taken possession of the house and the previous owners handed over a keypad deadbolt…
Deadbolt Installation near you
Below, each lock and key service we offer in Lakeview gets its own page, with a description that assumes no prior knowledge. Start anywhere. Many customers arrive for a lockout and leave knowing exactly why the strike plate on the back door has bothered them for years.