Change or rekey · Armadale
Deadbolt Installation in Armadale
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.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 306-0409In plain words
Steel-clad and fibreglass doors, the common insulated entry doors in newer subdivisions, take a deadbolt happily as long as they are cut for it properly. The skin is thin metal or resin over a foam core, often with a wood block at lock height, so the cross bore is made with a hole saw suited to the skin, at low speed, and the edge is finished with a plate rather than a chisel mortise. Solid wood doors in older homes are cut conventionally, with care for splitting at the edge. The locksmith reads the door before drilling and picks the method that leaves a clean opening and a true-running bolt.
How the visit goesYou 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 · Armadale
How the visit goes
- 1
Exit, fire and who lives here
The last part of the first look is about the people, not the door. The locksmith asks whether this is the door the household leaves through, whether children, older relatives or anyone with limited hand strength use it, and whether it is a rental where the landlord holds keys. A door that serves as a way out gets a thumb-turn planned for it, so nobody has to hunt for a key to leave. A lever thumb-turn is easier for small or stiff hands than a knurled one, and a rental may need a note to the building manager. None of this takes long, and it shapes which box comes off the van.
- 2
Marking and boring a fresh door
With the height agreed, the paper template is folded over the door edge and the two centres are marked: the cross bore on the face and the edge bore on the stile. A boring jig clamps over the door so the hole saw cannot wander, and the cross bore is cut from both faces to leave clean veneer or skin on each side. The edge bore is drilled with a 25 mm bit through the stile until it meets the larger hole. The locksmith then traces the bolt faceplate on the edge and chisels a shallow mortise so the plate sits flush, keeping the cut inside the lines so the edge stays sound.
- 3
A bolt with a full, deadlocked throw
What you feel at the end is a bolt that travels its whole length into the frame with one turn and stops with a definite click, which is the deadlocking position that stops the bolt being pushed back from the edge. From outside, the key turns a cylinder that sits in a collar which spins if gripped. From inside, the thumb-turn moves the same bolt without a key. The locksmith shows you both, throws the bolt with the door closed so you hear it seat, and hands over the packaging with the model, finish and backset written on it for the day a matching lock is wanted on another door.
In the van
- Jamb reinforcer
- Sharp chisel and mallet
- Manufacturer's bore template
- Bolt faceplate or drive-in collar
- Reinforced strike plate
What affects the quote
- 1
Travel to the property
Distance and access are part of any call-out: a house on a suburban street and a rural property down a long road involve different driving time, and the quote says so.
- 2
New bore or replacement into existing holes
Boring a door that has never had a deadbolt takes more time and tooling than dropping a new bolt into holes that are already there, and the quote reflects which of the two your door needs.
- 3
Non-standard bore or backset
Older doors with a small cross bore, an unusual backset or a mortise lock case need adapting or filling before a modern deadbolt fits, and that preparation is quoted before work begins.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Deadbolt Installation: questions
I rent. Can I have a deadbolt installed on my unit door?
You can, with a conversation first. Tenancy rules in this province expect a tenant to have the landlord's consent before changing locks and expect the landlord to hold a key, so ask in writing and share the plan. Many landlords welcome a proper bolt. The locksmith can key the new cylinder to the building's existing key where the keyway allows, and leave a note of the model and keys cut for the building manager.
Someone forced my door. Can the new deadbolt go into the same frame?
In most cases, yes. The locksmith examines the jamb for splits and stripped screw holes, glues and pins any cracked section, and fits a full-length jamb reinforcer under the strike so the new long screws bite into sound wood and the stud behind. A new pocket is bored to the correct depth. Where the jamb is beyond repair, replacing that section of frame is discussed before any lock goes on.
How long should the bolt be?
The bolt should extend at least 25 mm into the frame, which is the standard throw for a dwelling's entrance doors and the length most residential deadbolts provide. Part of the bolt stays inside the door for support while the rest sits in the pocket. A hardened steel insert that spins under a saw blade is a common feature worth having on doors that face a street or laneway.
Deadbolt Installation near you
York, Ontario
Armadale information
- Town
- Armadale, York, Ontario
- In business
- 33 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (289) 306-0409
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
19%
Newer homes. About 19% of homes in Markham were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Where housing is new, garage entries, side doors and the front door were usually fitted at the same time but not always to the same key. Keying them alike is a small job that makes the household's ring simpler from the start.
56%
A mix of homes. Single-detached houses make up about 56% of homes in Markham (2021 Census).
Where the housing is mixed, expectations about what can be changed differ. A homeowner in a house decides everything; a condo owner works within house rules on the outer face. The locksmith knows which conversation to have at which door.
Open 24/7
Request a visit
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.
Call now · open 24/7(289) 306-0409- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 33 years in business