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Rekeying, deadbolts and home lockouts in Kennewick
Residential security professionals for Kennewick, Pasco and Richland. Lockouts, new deadbolts, rekeying and everything down to a lost mailbox key.
Chapter 01
Why a house you just bought still has other people's keys
When you move into a home, the lock you can see is only half of the problem. The previous owner had copies, so did their contractor, the neighbor who watered the plants, and maybe a cleaner from three years ago. Nobody keeps a count of those, and nothing about the lock tells you how many there are. That is the real reason to rekey before you unpack the first box.
Most of the time the hardware itself is fine. A cylinder is a small stack of pins that only line up for one key cut. Rekeying means taking that cylinder apart, swapping the pins for a new combination, and cutting you a fresh key. The old keys still slide in, but they no longer turn. You keep the knob or deadbolt you already own, and every copy in circulation goes dead.
Replacing is the right call when the hardware is the problem: a knob that wobbles, a latch that sticks, a finish worn to bare brass, or a deadbolt that has been forced once already. In an older Kennewick house, we often see a mix of both, which is why a quick look at each door comes before any advice on which way to go.
A uniformed All Points Locksmith technician rekeying a door knob at a customer's front door
One key for every door, and a bolt that actually throws
Carrying five keys to get into your own house is a habit nobody should have to live with. When we rekey a set, we repin every cylinder to the same cut, so the front door, back door, garage entry and side gate all answer to a single key. On a home with eight knobs and deadbolts, that is a lot of small parts on the bench, and it is slow, careful work rather than a quick swap.
New deadbolts have their own trap. A bolt can be perfectly good and still fail because the strike plate on the frame sits a fraction of an inch off. The bolt scrapes, only half throws, and the door looks locked when it is not. We check alignment before we call a job done: we close the door, turn the key, and watch the bolt seat all the way into the frame. Older houses settle over the years, so it is rarely a matter of simply screwing the same plate back on.
Locked out? Our emergency mobile service runs 7am to 10pm Monday through Saturday across Kennewick, Pasco and Richland. We only use our own professionally trained and local locksmiths, and the same visit can cover the small things too, like cutting a new key for a lost mailbox lock.
Chapter 03
Keeping it tight after we leave
Start with a simple list of who holds a key to your home right now. Write the names down. If that list gets longer than you are comfortable with, that is a sign the locks should be rekeyed, even if nothing has gone wrong. The same goes after a tenant moves out or after a contractor finishes a long project and hands back a key you cannot be sure was the only one.
Keep oil out of your locks. It looks helpful, but it gathers dust and turns to paste inside the pins. A dry lubricant, graphite or a PTFE spray, keeps the cylinder smooth without gumming up. If a key starts to stick or drag, bring it in before it snaps off in the lock.
If you are after stronger physical security, come see us at 3902 W Clearwater Ave, Suite 101, in Kennewick. The shop is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm and Saturday 9am to 3pm, and you can reach us any time at (509) 585-2407.
“Just purchased a new home and wanted to swap out the old knobs and deadbolts. Robert came out on time and replaced 8 knobs and rekeyed them to match. Old house equals difficult installation but Robert handled it professionally and got the job done. Thanks for great work.” John and Teri Genduso, Google
Also from the shop
Keys and locks beyond the front door
Just bought a place and not sure where to start? Read Rekey or replace? What to do with the locks after you buy a house, or send us a message with the doors you have in mind.