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 Oakley
Rekeying a lock in Oakley typically costs $25 to $45 per cylinder for labor, and most homes have three to five exterior doors done inside an hour. That price is confirmed in writing before our tech leaves the shop, not after they land on your porch off Main Street. If you bought a house near Big Break Regional Shoreline and the seller handed you one key with no idea how many copies are out there, call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll rekey every exterior lock to a single new key this week.
We know Oakley’s tract-built streets and the lock hardware most of them wear. That means we quote accurately, show up when the tracking link says we will, and finish with a before-and-after photo so you can see exactly which cylinders were pinned to your new key.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is Oakley’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
We founded Preston Locksmith & Security in 2008 under the Relay Home Co. family, and we’ve spent the years since building a reputation in Oakley on one thing: the price we quote on the phone is the price on your invoice. No dispatch fee that appears mid-job, no sudden “cylinder replacement” upcharge discovered after the lock is apart. Kevin Yoon and our team put every rekey estimate in writing before a tool leaves the bag.
Our techs are background-checked and uniformed, so when the live arrival time says a pro will be at your door on Sand Creek Road at 2:15, you know who is walking up. Every Oakley job gets before-and-after photos of the work, a written guarantee, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not done right, we make it right. That guarantee is stamped on every repair and covers a free second visit if anything fails.
Oakley homeowners call us because we answer the phone 24/7 with a live person, not a voicemail tree. When a rekey needs to happen before you move furniture into a house off Laurel Road, call (409) 405-4485 and you’ll talk to someone who can schedule it, price it, and tell you exactly when we’ll arrive.
Rekey Deadbolt in Oakley
Rekey Deadbolt work in Oakley means swapping the internal pins and springs inside your existing deadbolt cylinder so the old key stops turning and a new key takes over. Most homes in the tracts off Main Street and Laurel Road run builder-grade Kwikset or Schlage single-cylinder deadbolts, and a straight rekey of one deadbolt runs $25 to $45 in labor, with a new key included. No new hardware, no drilling, no mess.
You’d call us for this after a roommate moves out of a place near Freedom High School, after a contractor went missing with a house key, or after closing on a resale where the seller can’t account for every copy. We come out, pin each deadbolt to the new key, test it in front of you, and hand you the old keys back useless.
When a Deadbolt Rekey Isn’t Enough
Some Oakley deadbolts have been rekeyed so many times that the pin chambers are worn enough that a fresh rekey won’t hold clean tolerances. If your deadbolt feels gritty when you turn the key, or the key has vertical play in the cylinder, we’ll tell you the truth before we start: a $15 to $35 cylinder swap is the right call, not a rekey that’ll fail in three months.
Matching Deadbolts and Knobs
Oakley resales and remodels often leave a jumble of different keys for front door, back door, and garage access. We rekey every deadbolt and entry knob to the same key, so you carry one instead of four. That’s the difference between a rekey and a proper rekey.
Rekey House in Oakley
Rekey House service in Oakley is a full exterior rekey: every entry door on one new key, with the old keys retired at the same visit. For a typical three-to-four-door Oakley home, expect $75 to $180 total depending on cylinder count and whether any worn cylinders need replacing. We quote the full number before dispatch, and it does not move.
New homeowners in Oakley’s post-1990 subdivisions are our most common full-house rekey call. The seller handed over one key at close, the neighbor has had a copy for years, the cleaning crew had one, the dog walker had one. We fix that in about an hour: rekey all exterior locks, test every key in front of you, and email a digital invoice with a pay link.
After a Break-In or Lost Key
If your Oakley home was broken into, or a key ring went missing somewhere between downtown Oakley and Antioch, a full-house rekey is the fastest way to shut out every unaccounted-for key. We can rekey multiple cylinders to a common key or set up a master key schedule if you want separate keys for house, garage, and side gate.
Key Control for Rentals
Oakley landlords with a unit off Cypress Road use our rekey service between tenants. We rekey to a fresh key, log the key code for your records, and give you a written record of how many keys were cut so you always know exactly how many copies exist.
Trusted Brands We Service in Oakley
Our techs rekey and repair Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, Yale, and Abloy hardware on a weekly basis across Oakley, from standard residential deadbolts to high-security commercial cylinders. Because we rekey the existing lock rather than pushing new hardware, brand familiarity matters: we carry factory OEM pin kits and springs for the Kwikset and Schlage locks on most Oakley homes, and we can order Medeco or Abloy pin kits directly for jobs on commercial properties. If you have a Baldwin entry set, that’s on our bench too. We service the lock you already own, for a Rekey Locks price that reflects labor and pins, not a hardware upsell.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Oakley Homes
- Builder-grade cylinders with worn pins: Oakley’s tract homes off Main Street and Laurel Road shipped with Kwikset and Schlage cylinders that have now seen 20-plus years of use. We open them up, show you the wear on the pins and springs, and recommend a rekey or a cylinder swap based on what will actually hold.
- Partial rekeys that leave old keys working: A previous locksmith rekeyed the front deadbolt but left the back door and garage entry on the original key. Every old copy still works there. We rekey every exterior cylinder to the same new key, and we confirm the old key no longer turns anything before we leave.
- Keys that no longer match after a rekey: Oakley homeowners sometimes try the DIY rekey kit and end up with keys that stick or a deadbolt that won’t turn at all. When we fix that, we inspect the cylinder properly before re-pinning, so the finished key works smoothly instead of just barely.
- Teaser ‘starting at’ quotes that balloon on the porch: A common story in Oakley is a phone quote of $19 that becomes $190 once the tech arrives and ‘discovers’ the cylinder needs replacing. Our rekey prices are quoted as a range on the phone and locked in writing before dispatch.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Oakley, CA
Here’s what rekeying costs in Oakley, in writing:
| Service | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Rekey one deadbolt or knob (labor + new key) | $25 to $45 |
| Full house rekey, 3-4 exterior doors | $75 to $180 |
| Worn cylinder replacement (if needed) | $15 to $35 additional per cylinder |
| High-security or commercial cylinder rekey | $35 to $60 per cylinder |
What changes the number is how many cylinders you have and whether any are too worn to rekey. That’s it. We quote your Oakley home based on door count over the phone, you get a written price before anyone is dispatched, and that price is the price on the invoice. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Oakley
Preston Locksmith & Security serves Oakley and the surrounding Contra Costa County communities, including Brentwood, Antioch, Discovery Bay, and Pittsburg. If you live in one of those cities and need a rekey, the same written price, live arrival tracking, and 365-Day Done Right Promise apply. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll get you scheduled.
Serving Oakley, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Oakley 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 Oakley
Yes, in nearly every case. Rekeying doesn’t require drilling because we remove the lock cylinder with the existing key or a standard tool, swap the internal pins, and reassemble it. Drilling is only necessary when a key is broken in the lock and can’t be extracted, or when a lock has been vandalized. If your Oakley home has a standard Kwikset or Schlage lock that still turns with a key, it can be rekeyed without drilling.
Yes, almost always. Rekeying keeps your existing hardware and only replaces the pins and springs inside the cylinder, so labor runs $25 to $45 per cylinder. Replacing the same lock with a similar-quality new deadbolt runs $50 to $120 installed per lock. Rekeying makes sense when your existing locks are in good shape and you just need to change which keys work. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll tell you honestly which way is cheaper for your specific doors.
Most full-house rekeys in Oakley take 45 to 90 minutes from the time our tech arrives, and we typically reach homes anywhere in Oakley within the same day you call. A single deadbolt rekey takes around 20 minutes. The work itself is fast; the travel time from our Bay Area dispatch is usually the larger variable, and our live tracking link shows you exactly when we’ll pull up to your address.
Yes. If your Oakley home has mixed hardware brands on different doors, we can rekey Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale cylinders to work on the same new key only if the cylinders use the same keyway profile. Some brands use different keyways that won’t accept the same key blank. If that’s the case on your doors, we’ll tell you the cheapest way to get to one key, whether that’s rekeying most cylinders and replacing one, or setting up a small master key system. The outcome is one key that works everything.
A standard rekey leaves your lock exactly as bump-resistant, or bump-vulnerable, as it was before. Rekeying changes the key combination, not the lock’s resistance to bumping. If you want better bump resistance for your Oakley home, talk to us about high-security cylinders from Medeco or Mul-T-Lock. They’ll be genuinely harder to bump, and we’ll quote them as a clear upgrade, not a surprise.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Oakley and the surrounding Contra Costa County area.
Call (409) 405-4485 today for a free rekey estimate. A live person answers 24/7, and the price is in writing before we dispatch.