Changing the Locks at the House

[axle hongsnort]

Just bought a pre-owned home and want new locks. I am leaning towards all new hardware since some of the other stuff is a mix of kwickset and nugaurd. I understand these two brands are compatible and a locksmith said to save money just to have them all re-keyed versus new hardware.

I told him I was leaning towards all new kwickset smartkey hardware. He said not to use that because it is patented and that if a locksmith tries to do any work to it the warranty is voided. He also said it is very hard for locksmiths to work with it because of the new technology.

The guy a Lowes called BS on the locksmith saying he doesn't recommend kwikset smartkey because once installed you can re-key on your own and don't need locksmiths. That seems logical.

We bought a pre-foreclosure from a family of wackos that had been squatting without payment for 8 months and didn't want to move. I am antsy about the keys that may be out there.

Anyway, I would love any feedback you have. kwickset versus other brands, new hardware versus re-key, etc.

Hook em

 

[kmac30]

what's quickest? if a locksmith is, i would go that route and just get it done asap. you can always change out the hardware. either way, i'd just get it done, especially if they were wackos squatting

 

[russwm]

I would definitely replace all of the locks.

For deadbolts, Consumer Reports recommends the Weslock 671 or the Emtek Low Profile 8455, or if your door or jamb has glass near the lock, the Kwikset UltraMax Security 985S double cylinder.

I just replaced all of my deadbolts with the Weslock 671. If you go the Weslock or Emtek route, you will probably have to either order them off the internet or buy them from a locksmith.

It is not that difficult to replace the locks, but if the one's on the doors are very old, you may have to enlarge the holes in the doors, which can be a pain in the butt.

Once you have replaced the locks, if you ever need to have them re-keyed you can buy a kit to do it yourself. Actually pretty easy. You can get the kits from changealock.com. If I can do it, anyone can.

 

[CaboWabo]

Russwm, I'm fixing to have to do this myself. I've got three doors I need to rekey. Each has a deadbolt and a lock on the knob. How many of these kits do I need to buy, and is it really that easy??

 

[YoLaDu]

Replace door hardware and locksets can be complicated. I had a professional do it and he spent nearly a whole day doing three doors. It was not cheap either.

If i had any confidence in my handyman abilities, i would have given it a go. Thankfully, i didn't do my usual routine: spend alot of time, create a huge headache for myself, and probably not get it done as well, if i had just paid someone who knows what they are doing to do it.

 

[AustinTejasFan]

If you're going to the expense of changing all the locks, make sure the replacements are bump proof. The Link

 

[l00p]

The kwiksets and schlage smart locks are bump proof. I like the fingerprint bio kwikset and plan on getting it installed. I suggest and recommend these locks for a number of reasons, convenience being a big part of it.

 

[Xminus6]

I have the Kwikset smartkey thingies on all my doors. It's really nifty. I haven't had to rekey them yet but I did experiment with it when I bought the locks. It's really cool. Locksets are relatively inexpensive for the job they're asked to do. How many lockset doors do you really have?

In both my previous houses I inherited locks with different keys for different doors. It's a pain in the butt and the frustration I've saved over time is worth the money I spent in trying to figure out which infrequently used key goes to which door.