Change or rekey · Brampton
Deadbolt Installation in Brampton
The front door has a handsome lever and a keyed knob, and that is all.
In plain words
Replacing an existing deadbolt is usually a matter of matching rather than cutting. The locksmith measures the cross bore, the edge bore and the backset, checks the door thickness, and picks a bolt that drops into the holes you already have. Where the old lock was a builder-grade unit, the replacement can step up to a heavier grade with a hardened bolt, a free-turning collar around the cylinder and a low-profile face that gives a wrench nothing to grip. The old strike is checked against the new bolt's instructions, and where it calls for it, a reinforced strike and long screws go in while the door is already apart.
How the visit goesYou moved in three weeks ago. The previous owner left a handful of keys, none labelled, and the bolt on the side door rattles in its housing. You would like every exterior door to bolt, and to know exactly who can open it.
Deadbolt Installation
How the visit goes
What the door is made of
The first thing the locksmith reads is the door itself, because it decides how the holes get cut. A solid wood slab in a century home bores cleanly but can split at the edge if the mortise is rushed. A steel-clad insulated door has a thin metal skin over foam, sometimes with a wood block at lock height, and needs a metal-cutting hole saw run slowly. Fibreglass behaves like a hard plastic and chips if the bit grabs. Thickness matters too: most exterior doors are 44 mm, some older ones 35 mm, and the deadbolt's screws and collar have to suit that. Ten seconds with a tape and a knuckle on the face answer all of this.
Cutting a pocket the bolt can fill
The strike is located from the bolt itself rather than from a measurement. The bolt tip is chalked, the door is closed and the bolt is thrown firmly against the jamb to leave a mark at the true centre. The locksmith bores the pocket there with a 25 mm bit to a depth of at least 28 mm, so a 25 mm bolt seats fully and reaches its deadlocked position instead of stopping short and feeling stiff. The pocket is checked with the bolt extended before any plate goes on, because a strike screwed over a shallow hole hides the fault until the first cold morning when the door has moved.
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.
Deadbolt Installation
In the van
Manufacturer's bore template
Dry PTFE lubricant
Jamb reinforcer
75 mm (3 in) strike screws
Boring jig and 54 mm hole saw
Deadbolt Installation
What affects the quote
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.
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.
Finish 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.
What to have ready
- Do you own the home, rent it, or manage it for someone else?
- Is there glass in the door or a sidelight beside it within arm's reach of the lock?
- Does anyone in the household have trouble with small knobs or stiff thumb-turns?
Deadbolt Installation: questions
QuestionsWhat happens during the visit, step by step?
The locksmith looks at the door, frame, glass and hinges, measures the bore and backset, and confirms the hardware and key plan with you. The door is bored or the old lock removed, the bolt is set to the backset, and the cylinder and thumb-turn are assembled. The strike position is marked from the bolt itself, the pocket bored, and a reinforced strike fastened into the framing. Everything is tested open and closed, keys are cut and tried, and the area is vacuumed.
Can a keypad or smart deadbolt be fitted instead of a keyed one?
Yes, and the preparation is the same. Many electronic deadbolts use the standard 54 mm bore and the same edge bore, so a door cut for a mechanical bolt often accepts one, and a keyed bolt fitted today can usually be swapped for a keypad later, subject to that model's own bore, backset and thickness needs. The locksmith checks door thickness against the model, fits a reinforced strike as usual, sets up codes with you and shows where the backup cylinder or battery terminals are.
What should I have ready before the locksmith arrives?
Know which doors you want bolted, what they are made of, and whether each already has a deadbolt or only a knob. A photo of the door face and edge helps. Have any existing keys to hand, decide whether you want everything on one key, and mention glass near the lock, a storm door in the same opening, or a rental agreement. If you have already bought hardware, keep the box and template together.
Related services
- Lock Replacement & UpgradeThe lever on the side door droops toward the floor and rattles in your hand.
- Vintage Mortise Lock ServiceYou bought a house with its original hardware and a bag of loose keys.
- Smart Lock InstallationHalf the evenings someone asks whether the back door got locked, and nobody is sure.