Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Fast, Reliable Rekey Locks Across Martinez
Rekeying a lock in Martinez means swapping the internal pins so your old keys stop working, and a fresh key takes over. No new hardware, no full lock replacement, just a precise cylinder retune. For a standard Schlage or Kwikset deadbolt in Martinez, expect to pay between $65 and $105 per cylinder, and the whole job usually wraps up in under an hour once our tech arrives at your door. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll give you a written price before anyone is dispatched.
We know Martinez, and not just from a map. We know that a 1920s bungalow near the waterfront and a 1990s tract home off Center Avenue have different lock problems. We know that rekeying a home after a tenant turns over keys on a rental near Hidden Valley needs to happen fast, same-day, before a spare key wanders off. So we answer the phone around the clock, we send a uniformed technician with a live ETA you can track, and we show up with a price already locked in writing. The Relay Visibility Guarantee isn’t a marketing line. It’s the way every Martinez job runs.
When you book a Rekey Locks service with us, here’s what happens next: the phone is answered by a person, not a menu. You describe the doors, the lock brands if you know them, and what prompted the call. We give you a realistic cost range, and before dispatch, a fixed written price. The tech then drives to your Martinez address, and you can watch them move toward you in real time. Before work begins you get the agreed price in writing again. During and after the job, you get before-and-after photos. The invoice is digital, it matches the quote, and it comes with the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not done right, we make it right.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is Martinez’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Preston Locksmith & Security has been handling locks since 2008, and every Martinez job runs under The Relay Standard. That means a background-checked technician in uniform, a written price before any tool leaves the bag, and a trackable arrival time instead of a vague four-hour window. Our Martinez customers tend to be homeowners who just moved in, landlords turning over a unit, or small-business owners who had an employee leave on less-than-friendly terms. In each case, the need is the same: new keys, old keys dead, fixed price, done today.
We get the calls that start with “I just closed on a house off Alhambra Avenue” or “My tenant in the Virginia Hills area moved out and I need every lock changed.” That local pattern teaches us what to expect. Martinez has a lot of older housing stock with mortise locks, plenty of newer deadbolts on vinyl-fronted homes, and a steady stream of rental turnover near the county offices and downtown. We bring the cylinders, the pinning kits, and the patience for both a 1927 brass mortise body and a fresh Kwikset from Ace.
And we’re local in a practical sense: we’re coordinated from the brand’s San Francisco Bay Area office, so Martinez jobs get scheduled and dispatched without phone tag or a call center that doesn’t know Contra Costa County. The person who answers your call knows what a Martinez bungalow door looks like because they coordinate jobs there every week. Kevin Yoon leads our team, and the standard he set is simple: quote the real price on the phone, show up when we say, and leave with the locks on one key and the bill matching the estimate.
Lock Rekey in Martinez
A Lock Rekey in Martinez is the process of removing the cylinder from an existing doorknob or deadbolt and replacing the internal pin stack so the old key no longer turns it. The housing stays in the door, the exterior trim stays, and the hardware itself doesn’t change. What changes is the key. Homeowners call us for this after moving into a new place, after a roommate leaves, after a housekeeper or contractor returns keys, or when there’s a suspicion that a key has been copied one too many times. For a standard pin-and-tumbler lock, rekeying runs $65 to $105 per cylinder in Martinez, and you get one key that operates every rekeyed lock.
The physical job on a modern deadbolt is straightforward for a trained tech: pull the knob or deadbolt, extract the cylinder, swap the top pins for a new cut matched to a new key, test, reinstall. On older Martinez doors, there’s an extra step, and it’s the step that separates a careful locksmith from a rushed one.
Pre-war cylinders and hand-fitting
Downtown Martinez’s 1920s-era bungalows and Victorians on the lettered and numbered streets often still carry original mortise lock bodies whose cylinders need hand-fitting. A shelf rekey kit sized for modern Schlage or Kwikset pin-and-tumbler deadbolts doesn’t always drop in without measuring the cylinder first. Our techs carry calipers and a range of tailpieces specifically because Martinez has this housing stock. We measure before we pin, and if the cylinder is worn past a reliable rekey, we tell you that and show you why before recommending anything new.
How long it takes and what you’ll pay
In a typical Martinez home with three exterior doors, the rekey work itself takes 30 to 60 minutes. A three-cylinder job at $80 per cylinder lands around $240. Two doors runs about $160. If you want a high-security cylinder such as a Medeco or Mul-T-Lock that resists bumping and drilling, the cylinder cost is higher, usually $180 to $350 installed per cylinder, and we’ll give you that number in writing before dispatch. The full price is quoted on the phone before we send anyone, and that’s the price on the invoice.
Locksmith Rekey in Martinez
A Locksmith Rekey in Martinez is the same core service from a licensed trade professional rather than a handyman with a YouTube video, and the difference shows in the result. We pull the cylinder, pin it to a new key, test the action, and leave you with a lock that turns smoothly and keys that work every time. The rekey itself for a standard cylinder runs $65 to $105 in most of Martinez, whether we’re doing one deadbolt on a condo near the marina or every exterior door on a home near Morello Avenue.
The most common Locksmith Rekey mistake in Martinez isn’t the rekey itself; it’s the half-done job. Someone rekeys the deadbolt because that’s the easy pull, and the knob cylinder stays on the old key. The homeowner thinks the house is on one key, but the old key still works on the knob. We rekey every exterior locking cylinder on the door unless you tell us otherwise, and then we test them all in front of you.
What triggers a rekey call in Martinez
Moving day is the biggest one. New keys before you ever sleep in the house. We also get calls from landlords along Virginia Hills Drive who need a unit turned over between tenants, from downtown business owners after an employee departure, and from homeowners who found a key they can’t account for. In each of these, the fix is the same: make the old key dead and put every door on one new key.
The Martinez locksmith proof point
We were called to a 1920s bungalow near the Martinez waterfront where the homeowner had just closed escrow and wanted every exterior cylinder turned over. Our tech pulled the original mortise lock cylinder from the front door, measured it against the new Schlage pin-and-tumbler cylinder, rekeyed the back and side doors to a fresh single key, and walked the owner through why the old keys no longer worked, all at the flat rate we quoted before we left the shop. That’s the difference between a rekey and a real locksmith rekey: measurement, verification, and a fixed price from the start.
Trusted Brands We Service in Martinez
Most Martinez homes we rekey have Schlage or Kwikset hardware on the doors, and we keep those pinning kits fully stocked on every van. But Martinez also has its share of premium deadbolts and high-security cylinders: Medeco and Yale appear on many downtown storefronts and on homes where a previous owner took security seriously. Preston Locksmith & Security technicians are trained and equipped to service Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, and Yale hardware, from standard residential deadbolts to commercial cylinders with restricted keyways. If you’re not sure what’s on your door, we’ll identify it on arrival and quote the rekey for that exact hardware, not a generic “lock” price. Because we carry local parts inventory for the brands that show up in Martinez homes and businesses, most rekeys are completed on the first visit.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Martinez Homes
- Skipping the cylinder measurement on pre-war mortise locks. The shelf rekey kit won’t seat in a 1927 mortise body, and the job stalls halfway through. We measure every cylinder before pinning, so a Martinez bungalow door doesn’t end up waiting on a part that was never going to fit.
- Dispatching before a fixed rekey price is agreed. The job finishes at a number the homeowner never approved, and the invoice arrives with a surprise. Our price is set in writing before the tech leaves our Bay Area office, and the invoice matches it.
- Rekeying the deadbolt but leaving the knob cylinder on the old key. The house isn’t actually single-key, and the old key still opens the front door. We rekey every exterior locking cylinder on the door and test all of them before we leave.
- Using a drill on a residential lockout when a non-destructive entry technique would have worked. Then the bill includes a replacement cylinder the homeowner didn’t need. We attempt non-destructive entry first, and if drilling is genuinely required, you’ll know before we do it and why.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Martinez, CA
Here’s the honest math for a Martinez rekey. Standard Schlage or Kwikset cylinder rekey: $65 to $105 per cylinder. Most Martinez homes have two to four exterior locking cylinders, so a typical whole-home rekey lands between $150 and $350. High-security cylinders such as Medeco run $180 to $350 installed per cylinder, which includes the new cylinder, the new restricted key, and the rekey of everything to match. There’s no call-out surcharge added on arrival, and the phone quote is the invoice price. What changes the number in Martinez is the number of cylinders, the lock brand, and whether we’re keying everything alike or setting up a master key system. Tell us your doors over the phone and we’ll give you a fixed price. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free estimate on your exact setup.
We Also Serve Cities Near Martinez
Our Martinez rekey crews also cover the surrounding Contra Costa area, including Pleasant Hill, Benicia, Lafayette, and Crockett. If you’re just over the city line or managing a rental in a nearby town, the same written price, live arrival time, and 365-Day Done Right Promise applies. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll let you know our next available arrival window for your neighborhood.
Serving Martinez, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Martinez area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Rekey Locks in Martinez
A standard rekey of two to four exterior doors in Martinez takes about 30 to 60 minutes once our tech is on site. Older mortise locks on pre-war bungalows near downtown can add 10 to 20 minutes because the cylinder needs to be measured and hand-fitted before pinning. The full job, from our tech arriving to you testing every new key, is usually under 90 minutes. Call (409) 405-4485 with your door count and we’ll give you a realistic time window for your specific home.
No. Rekeying changes the internal pins inside the existing cylinder; the deadbolt body, the strike plate, and the exterior trim all stay in place. You keep the hardware you have and just get a new key. If the deadbolt is worn out, failing, or built to a lower security standard than you want, we’ll tell you and show you what’s wrong, but the rekey itself does not require replacement. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll walk you through what’s on your door and what it needs.
Yes, as long as the cylinder is mechanically sound. Martinez’s 1920s-era bungalows and Victorians often have original mortise lock bodies that need a measured, hand-fitted cylinder rather than a quick drop-in pinning kit. We carry the calipers and tailpieces for exactly that, and we’ll pin the old mortise cylinder to a new key on site. If the cylinder is too far gone, we’ll show you why and give you a written quote for a compatible replacement before any work proceeds. Call (409) 405-4485 and tell us the age of your door hardware; we’ll bring the right kit for it.
Before anyone arrives, you’ll have a live, trackable ETA linked to the tech we sent. They’ll arrive in a Preston Locksmith & Security uniform with a background check on file. You’ll also receive before-and-after photos of the work, and the price you were quoted on the phone is the price on the digital invoice. The Relay Visibility Guarantee covers all of it, in writing, on every Martinez job. If anything doesn’t match, call us immediately at (409) 405-4485 while the tech is still there.
Yes. We can key all your exterior Schlage or Kwikset cylinders alike to a single standard key, or we can upgrade the cylinders to bump-resistant options such as Medeco or Yale restricted keyways, then key everything to one new key. The standard single-key rekey runs $65 to $105 per cylinder, and a high-security cylinder upgrade runs $180 to $350 installed per cylinder. You’ll get the exact cost in writing before dispatch. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll quote your door configuration precisely.
Need a rekey in Martinez today, not tomorrow? Call (409) 405-4485. A live person answers, gives you a written price, and schedules a trackable arrival. Your old keys are dead by the time we leave, and your new ones work on every door.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Martinez since 2008.