Can I Rekey a Lock to Match an Existing Lock at My Premises?

Imagine moving into a new home and realizing that all the locks aren’t the same. It’s always one or two locks which may require a separate key to access, and if you’re the kind of person who wants every lock to work on a single master key, it can become troublesome. Now, if you can’t afford to change all the locks at your premises and want a master key system to access your doors, one of the best things to do here is to rekey your locks to work on a single key. 

But here’s the big question. Is it actually possible to rekey a lock to match an existing lock at your home? 

Let’s find out. 

Rekey All Your Locks to Match an Existing Key 

Believe it or not, but you can actually rekey all of your home locks to work on a single existing key. The key works wonderfully well on locks which have exactly the same keyways. Now, for instance, if you’re wondering if you can use a physical key on a modern lock or a modern key design on an old traditional type after rekeying, then it’s not possible. For rekeying to work, the locks should have a similar mechanism. If they don’t have similar mechanisms, the key won’t slide into the lock, and the lock will fail to work on the existing key. 

For example, let’s take two of the most famous company locks, Kwikset and Schlage. 

Schlage and Kwikset are the two most popular brands which are most commonly used all across the United States. When you study the keyway for both the locks, you will realize that both of the keyways are designed differently. The keyways are slightly raised in Kwikset in comparison to keyways in Schlage. Since the keyways’ low spots are different, it may be difficult to slide a Kwikset key into a Schlage keyway. Hence, you cannot rekey Kwikset locks to work on Schlage keys or vice versa.

Rekeying locks to work on a single master key is only applicable if the locks are of the same design. 

In case if the locks are of the same design, then here are the three ways how you can get them rekeyed. 

You can get the locks rekeyed when you purchase them. When you purchase a lock from one of the Locksmith in Alabaster, they can provide you with the rekeying service free of cost. 

You can buy a rekeying kit from the market and do it yourself. This is only advisable when you’ve some level of expertise in lock rekeying or lock replacement. If you don’t, then don’t take this step. 

If the locks aren’t new and are already installed at your home, then call up a local locksmith company so they can provide you with a complete lock rekeying service at the best affordable price. 

Multiple Brand Locks Can Also Work on Same Keys

This is not uncommon that different locks can often work on the same keys of a particular brand. Even though locks may belong to a different company, their composition is very similar, making them work on keys belonging to other brands. For instance, Kwikset keys can easily work on Kwikset, Weiser, Defiant, and Baldwin (entry-level products). Similarly, Schlage keys can work with Yale, Dexter, Emtek, Baldwin (high tech), and Schlage locks themselves. If you have such a combination, you can call up a locksmith to get locks rekeyed to work on either Kwikset keys or Schlage keys. 

So there you go, here’s just about everything we know about lock rekeying to match existing locks. 

Do you have something to chip in? Feel free to leave a comment. 

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Christophe Rude
Christophe Rude
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