I want to change the locks on my house. Can I just replace the key part and not the entire doork knob? How expensive and hard is it to do something like that?
Thank you for any help you can provide!
Door locks?
Its not hard at all to replace your locks. The easiest and least expensive way is to replace the whole thing. Lowes and HomeDepot both have packs, and the key can be the same if you are replacing more than one lock. It cost more money when I began contacting locksmith to change the core.
Your price range depends upon, number you are buying, style, door handle or deadbolt. I did four locks buying the higher end of each, 2 doorhandles, and 2 double sided deadbolts and I spent $80. I could have done the project cheaper but it was what I chose.
You can also get these at other stores, such as Kmart, Walmart, Meijer, Sears. But HomeDepot and Lowes carried a wider selection and it was easier to ensure they were keyed the same.
Door locks?
Hi. I work for a lock company. Yes, you can just change the key part, also known as the core but most places like Home Depot, Menards, etc. don't sell just that part. You would have to buy the whole knob. You might be able to go through a local lock company to just get a core.
Stretch is mostly right, with one exception...the locks must be all of the same brand, or use the same key blanks (the grooves in the keys must all be the same). IE: Weiser, Yale and Kwikset all have their own key patterns. Some of the budget brands use a pattern of one of the Major brands. If you can fit the key from your front door in the back door, garage door, ect, but it won't unlock it, then you can have the cores re-keyed so they are all alike.
You don't need to pruchase any new parts. A knowledgeable locksmith can simply %26quot;re-key%26quot; your existing locks. I suggest anyone buying an established home have their locks re-keyed. You just don't know how many keys are floating around.
Anyway, I had all my locks re-keyed so that a single key worked for every lock. You could probably even get instructions from the internet/book to do-it-yourself, but a locksmith can do it much quicker. They disassemble the door knob, set the pins to match the key and re-assemble the door knob - finished.
