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 Pacifica
Rekeying a lock in Pacifica typically costs $25 to $45 per cylinder for a standard Kwikset or Schlage, with most homes done in under an hour. You’ll get a written price before anyone drives out, and that price is the price on the invoice. No bait-and-switch. No surprise line items added at the door. Call (409) 405-4485 and a live person answers, day or night.
Pacifica’s fog and salt air do something to locks that inland cities never see. We’ll get to that. First, know this: if the old key hasn’t changed hands a dozen times, a rekey is usually the cheaper, faster, smarter move than swapping hardware. We’ll tell you honestly if it isn’t.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is Pacifica’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Pacifica homeowners call us because we show up when we say we will, with a price already in writing. That’s The Relay Visibility Guarantee, and it’s the backbone of everything we do. You get a live trackable arrival time before we head out, so you’re not staring out the window for a four-hour window. You get before-and-after photos of the cylinder work. You get a written guarantee on every repair, stamped and dated.
Our technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and trained on the hardware Pacifica homes actually have: Schlage deadbolts on Pedro Point fixer-uppers, Kwikset knobs on Linda Mar condos, and Medeco and Abloy cylinders on the few commercial storefronts along Palmetto Avenue. Kevin Yoon runs our team with a simple rule: the quote you agree to on the phone is the number on the invoice. No discovery charges, no “the cylinder was worse than we thought” upcharges. If we misquote, we eat the difference. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise at work.
We serve Pacifica directly from our San Francisco Bay Area dispatch office, with crews staged to reach Sharp Park, Rockaway Beach, and Fairmont within a realistic window. When you call, you’re not getting routed through a national call center. You’re talking to someone who knows a deadbolt from a knob lock and can quote a rekey range over the phone in under two minutes.
Keyed Alike in Pacifica
Keyed Alike in Pacifica means every exterior door works off one key, and we do this job more than any other locksmith service in the area. A homeowner buys a place in the Fairmont hills with four exterior doors, each on a different key, and suddenly the keyring looks like a janitor’s. We rekey each cylinder to match one common key, so the front deadbolt, the side door knob, and the garage entry all turn with the same brass key. That’s the whole job. No new hardware, no door prep, no mess.
The Single-Key Standard
When we key a Pacifica house alike, we set every cylinder to the same key code and cut keys on a code machine, not a worn duplicator. The result: one key, no jiggling. Typical cost for keying three cylinders alike runs $90 to $140, including the cost of new keys cut to code.
Why Old Keys Still Work Sometimes
If a previous owner rekeyed only some doors and left others, you’ll find old keys that still turn one lock. That’s not a failed rekey. That’s a partial rekey. We verify every cylinder against the new key before we leave, and we’ll flag any lock that wasn’t brought into the system.
Rekey Deadbolt in Pacifica
Rekey Deadbolt in Pacifica is the job we recommend after buying a home, firing a property manager, or separating from a roommate. The deadbolt is the strongest lock on the door, and leaving it on the previous key defeats the purpose of changing it. We remove the cylinder, replace the internal pins and springs, and cut you new keys. The old keys fail in the lock on the doorstep, which is a satisfying thing to watch.
Deadbolt Grades and Wear
Most Pacifica exterior deadbolts are Kwikset or Schlage, and we carry pin kits for both on every truck. If the deadbolt is an ANSI Grade 1 or has seen a decade of salt air, we check the cylinder face for pitting and the keyway for corrosion before pinning. A standard deadbolt rekey runs $30 to $45, keyed to code.
Deadbolt and Knob Combo Rekeys
When the deadbolt and the knob below it take different keys, we rekey both cylinders on one visit, typically $55 to $85 for the pair. Pacifica homes built in the 1960s and 1970s often have this setup, and it’s the most common combo job we see.
Trusted Brands We Service in Pacifica
We stock pin kits, cylinders, and tailpieces for Schlage and Kwikset on every Pacifica job, and we service Medeco and Abloy for commercial and high-security accounts. A rekey on a standard Schlage deadbolt uses the same process whether the lock is two years old or twenty. For Pacifica’s salt-air environment, we recommend and service Schlage’s marine-grade and all-brass cylinder options when the existing hardware is too corroded to rekey. Since 2008, we’ve kept our techs trained on the brands that Pacifica homeowners and small businesses actually install, not just the ones that look good in a brochure. That’s part of the Rekey Locks service standard we bring to every job.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Pacifica Homes
- Salt-corrosion on cylinders. The marine layer that rolls over Sharp Park and Rockaway Beach leaves a film on exterior brass and steel. We clean the cylinder face and keyway before installing new pins, then apply a dry, graphite-free lubricant. Skip this step and the new key grinds against the old corrosion.
- One rekey, one forgotten deadbolt. We see knob cylinders rekeyed while the deadbolt above stays on the seller’s key. The deadbolt is the lock that matters. We rekey both on the same visit and verify the old key fails both.
- Keys cut at a hardware store with no key control. A fresh rekey means nothing if six copies go out untracked. We cut keys to code and stamp them, so you always know how many exist and who holds them.
- Fog-damp cylinders that bind. Pacifica humidity works its way into older locks and stiffens the pin stack. A lock that turns hard with the old key will still turn hard with the new one. We test, clean, and lubricate every cylinder we pin.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Pacifica, CA
Here’s the honest range for Pacifica. A single knob or deadbolt rekey runs $25 to $45 per cylinder. Keying three exterior doors alike runs $90 to $140, cut keys included. A knob and deadbolt combo on one door runs $55 to $85. If a cylinder is too corroded to pin, we’ll show you the pitting and quote a replacement cylinder before any work starts. That quote is the price. No dispatch fee, no “corrosion surcharge” invented on your doorstep. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll give you a firm phone quote in about two minutes. The quote covers the rekey, the keys, and the labor, and it’s the number on the invoice.
We Also Serve Cities Near Pacifica
We work up and down the San Mateo County coastline and the hills above it. That includes rekey jobs in San Bruno, South San Francisco, Millbrae, and Daly City. If you have a rental or a business in one of those spots and a place in Pacifica, one call covers both. Same written price rule, same live tracking, same guarantee.
Serving Pacifica, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Pacifica 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 Pacifica
Yes. Every rekey in Pacifica starts with a written price agreed to on the phone before we dispatch. That price covers the cylinder work, the new keys, and the labor, and it is the number on the invoice. There is no call-out surcharge added on arrival and no “we had to charge more because the lock was worse than expected” conversation. If we misquote the job, we eat the difference under the 365-Day Done Right Promise. Call (409) 405-4485 and ask for a phone quote; it takes about two minutes.
Most of the time, we can rekey it. We clean the salt film off the cylinder face and keyway, then install the new pin kit and a dry lubricant. If the cylinder is too pitted or the keyway is scored to the point where the new key binds, we’ll show you the damage and quote a replacement cylinder on the spot. That replacement quote is in writing before we do the work, and it’s a real number. The fog belt is hard on brass and steel, so we see this weekly in Sharp Park and Rockaway Beach.
Yes, in one visit, usually under an hour and a half. We rekey every cylinder, from the front deadbolt to the garage entry, to the same key code and cut your keys on a code machine. Three doors keyed alike in Pacifica typically runs $90 to $140, keys included. We verify each lock against the new key before we leave, and we’ll show you the old keys failing on the doorstep if you want the satisfaction of seeing it.
You get three verification points before the door opens. First, the live trackable arrival time shows which of our techs is en route, in uniform. Second, you receive before-and-after photos of the work, tied to the invoice. Third, the technician introduces themselves by name and company, and can show you the written quote you already agreed to on the phone. Kevin Yoon’s rule is simple: if you can’t verify who’s at the door, you don’t open it. Call (409) 405-4485 if you ever want to confirm a tech’s identity while they’re standing outside.
A standard knob or deadbolt rekey takes 20 to 30 minutes per cylinder once we’re at the door. A full house keyed alike, three or four doors, usually takes 60 to 90 minutes including verification. Salt-corrosion cleaning adds a few minutes per lock. We give you a live arrival window before dispatch, and the work itself rarely moves beyond the time we quote on the phone.
If you bought a place in Pacifica, fired a property manager, or just want to know who has keys to your doors, call (409) 405-4485. We answer live, quote a real price before anyone is dispatched, and back every rekey with a written guarantee. Free estimates. No pressure. Just a locksmith who does what they said they would.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Pacifica since 2008.