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Technician using a screwdriver on the deadbolt of an open blue-gray front door, with a tool bag and screw tray nearby. — Deadbolt Installation, Indianola Beach

Change or rekey · Indianola Beach

Deadbolt Installation in Indianola Beach

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(289) 803-2818

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In plain words

Deadbolt installation puts a solid bolt lock on a door that either has none or has one that is past its useful life. Unlike the spring latch in a knob or lever, a deadbolt is a straight bar of metal that only moves when the key or thumb-turn moves it, so a card slipped into the gap or a shove against the door does nothing. The locksmith bores the door if needed, fits the bolt and cylinder, cuts a proper pocket in the frame and secures a reinforced strike with screws long enough to reach the framing. You are left with a door that locks with a firm, full throw.

Sound familiar?

The back door has a deadbolt in name only: a short bolt, a thin brass strike held by two little screws, and a jamb you can flex with your palm. It was fine for a builder's showing. It is not fine for a laneway.

How the visit goes

Deadbolt Installation · Indianola Beach

How the visit goes

Bunch of keys hanging from a key in a door lock, beside a black knob and the door's metal edge plate. — Indianola Beach
  1. 1

    Measuring the bore and the backset

    Deadbolts are built around two dimensions. The cross bore is the large hole through the face of the door, 54 mm on most residential hardware, though some older or imported locks used 38 mm. The backset is the distance from the door edge to the centre of that hole, 60 mm or 70 mm on nearly every door in this part of the world. If a deadbolt is being replaced, both are measured so the new lock lands in the existing holes without a shim or a gap. On a new installation they are chosen to match the knob below, so the two locks line up and any future keypad or smart deadbolt drops straight in.

  2. 2

    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.

  3. 3

    Looking after it through the seasons

    A deadbolt asks for very little, and most of it happens twice a year. In spring and again in autumn, throw the bolt with the door closed and notice whether it still slides in freely; wood doors swell in humid summers and shrink in dry winter air, and the first sign is a bolt that needs the door pulled before it will lock. If so, a small strike adjustment puts it right. Give the bolt and keyway a puff of whatever lubricant the lock's own maker specifies, often dry PTFE or graphite, since some cylinders are serviced with oil instead. Wipe salt off the outside trim after a slushy week so the finish stays bright.

In the van

  • 75 mm (3 in) strike screws
  • Rekeying pins and key blanks
  • Jamb reinforcer
  • Manufacturer's bore template
  • 25 mm auger bit

What affects the quote

  1. 1

    Strike and frame reinforcement

    A reinforced strike with long screws is standard; a full-length jamb reinforcer, a strike box or repairs to a split jamb after a forced entry are extra items quoted on their own.

  2. 2

    Number of doors

    One front door is the simplest case. Front, back, side and garage-to-house doors done in one visit share the travel and setup, so the per-door figure usually eases as the count rises.

  3. 3

    Door and hinge corrections

    A sagging door, loose hinge screws or thick weatherstrip are put right before a bolt is fitted, and that adjustment is quoted as its own line rather than folded into the lock.

Same fees day, night or weekend.

Have it ready

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(289) 803-2818

Deadbolt Installation: questions

Advice · (289) 803-2818

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.

Does a deadbolt work with a storm door or screen door?

It does, with one check: the thumb-turn and the outside cylinder have to clear the storm door when it closes. Most storm doors leave enough depth, but a low-profile deadbolt trim is chosen where the gap is tight. The storm door's own latch is separate and does not replace a bolt on the main door, since a screen frame gives little resistance on its own.

Can the new deadbolt use the same key as my other doors?

Usually, yes. If the new lock shares a keyway with your existing cylinders, the locksmith repins it on the bench so your current key operates it, and nothing changes on anyone's ring. If the keyways differ, the other doors can be brought onto the new key instead. Say which key you want to keep before the hardware is chosen, because keyway is part of picking the lock.

York, Ontario

Indianola Beach information

Town
Indianola Beach, York, Ontario
In business
16 years
Hours
Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
Visits
On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.

What the census means at the door

43%

Homes of every age. About 43% of homes in Georgina were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.

In an area of varied housing ages, rekeying is the one job that fits every door. Old cylinders and new ones both take fresh pins, so a household moving into either kind of home can start with keys that nobody else holds.

83%

Mostly houses. Single-detached houses make up about 83% of homes in Georgina (2021 Census).

Families in houses hand keys to children, cleaners, dog walkers and neighbours. A locksmith can set up a keypad on the side door for the household and keep the front door on a conventional key, so access matches how the family actually comes and goes.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population

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The old deadbolt has grown lazy.

Call now · open 24/7(289) 803-2818
  • On-site assessment preferred
  • Same fees day, night or weekend
  • 16 years in business