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 San Marino
If you’ve just closed on a 1929 Spanish Colonial on Lorain Road or a Tudor on Oak Grove and you’re wondering whose key still opens the front door, the fix is a rekey, not necessarily new hardware. Rekeying means we re-pin the cylinder inside your existing lock so the old keys stop working and a fresh set takes over. A standard residential rekey in San Marino runs $35 to $60 per cylinder for most Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks, and the full written price is yours before a single tool leaves the van. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll give you a real number on the phone, not a teaser.
Our team knows San Marino’s houses. That’s the difference between a 40-minute rekey and a forced drill-out that destroys original hardware. We serve all of San Marino from the Huntington Drive corridor up into the estates off Lombardy Road, and we carry mortise-specific cylinders, pins, and tools that most general locksmiths don’t stock. When you call, you’ll talk to a live person, get a price in writing before anyone is dispatched, and see a live, trackable arrival time on your phone.
- Written price before work starts – the number we quote on the phone is the number on your invoice. Period.
- Background-checked, uniformed tech – you’ll know who is coming, what they look like, and when they’ll knock.
- 365-Day Done Right Promise – if a rekey we did fails within a year, we come back and fix it free. In writing, on every job.
- Free estimate by phone – call (409) 405-4485 and get a real dollar range before you commit to anything.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is San Marino’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Founded in 2008, Preston Locksmith & Security is led by Kevin Yoon and backed by the Relay Home Co. family. Each location is independently owned and operated, and our San Marino customers deal with the same level of accountability on every visit. You get a written guarantee on every repair, before-and-after photos of the work, and a digital invoice with a pay link before we leave your driveway.
Callers from San Marino reach a live person 24/7. No voicemail tree, no callback queue, no phone tag. That matters when you’ve just moved into a house on Winston Avenue and you don’t want the previous owner’s dog walker, contractor, or ex to still have a working key at 9 p.m. Our techs are background-checked, arrive in uniform, and show ID at the door before any work starts.
San Marino homeowners tell us the same thing over and over: they’ve been burned by a locksmith who quoted “$29 rekeys” and then wanted $300 on the doorstep. We don’t play that game. The Relay Visibility Guarantee is standard on every job: a written price, a live trackable arrival time, before-and-after photos, and a written guarantee stamped on the work. That’s what “local locksmith” should have always meant.
Rekey Deadbolt in San Marino
A Rekey Deadbolt job in San Marino is the most common call we get, and it usually means re-pinning the deadbolt cylinder on a front or rear entry door so a new key operates it. Older San Marino homes often have a Baldwin or Sargent deadbolt above an original mortise lock body; we re-key the deadbolt independently or match it to the mortise cylinder so one key turns both. A standard single deadbolt rekey in San Marino runs $35 to $50 per cylinder, and we can usually do two or three deadbolts during a single visit for a per-cylinder rate that drops slightly with volume.
Deadbolt Rekey After a Tenant or Contractor
Rekeying a deadbolt after a tenant, contractor, or caretaker departs is the single highest-priority lock task in San Marino. It’s not about the deadbolt itself; it’s about control of every key that ever existed. We re-pin the deadbolt cylinder to a brand-new key, confirm it operates smoothly, and hand you all copies. No new hardware required. If the deadbolt is worn or the bolt doesn’t throw cleanly, we’ll tell you honestly whether a new deadbolt is the better call – but we won’t push a replacement when a rekey does the job.
Matching Deadbolts to One Key
Many San Marino homes have four or five exterior doors, each with a different deadbolt. We can rekey all deadbolts to a single key, so you stop carrying a janitor’s ring. This is common on deep-lot properties where a service entrance off Alhambra Road, a side gate, and a rear French door each need their own lock but everyone in the family wants one key. With our pricing, you pay per cylinder.
Rekey House in San Marino
A Rekey House service in San Marino means rekeying every exterior lock – front door, rear door, side door, garage access – to a single new key, so nothing old works anywhere. On a typical San Marino home with three exterior doors, that’s three to five cylinders, and it typically takes 45 to 90 minutes from arrival to final walkthrough. Our written quote before dispatch includes the per-cylinder price, the number of cylinders we expect, and no call-out surcharge added on arrival.
Whole-House Rekey After Closing
When a home changes hands in San Marino, no one can account for every key that ever existed. The seller, the seller’s agent, the gardener, the pool service, the previous nanny – all may have copies. A whole-house rekey wipes that slate. We re-pin every exterior cylinder to one fresh key, label the keys, and walk you through which key opens what. It’s the fastest way to make a new house actually feel like yours.
Original Mortise Locks and Antique Cylinders
San Marino’s 1920s and 1930s homes still carry original mortise lock bodies in many front doors. We do not drill these. We remove the cylinder, re-pin it, and put it back – a non-destructive operation that preserves the original hardware. This takes a little longer than a modern deadbolt rekey, but it’s the only way to keep the door’s original bronze or brass faceplate and mortise body intact. Replacement mortise cylinders are not a hardware-store item, and we keep the ones that fit these older doors stocked for immediate service.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Marino
Our technicians are trained and equipped to service Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy hardware – from standard residential deadbolts to high-security commercial cylinders. For San Marino’s older homes, that most often means Baldwin and Sargent mortise locks on front entries, Schlage or Kwikset deadbolts on secondary doors, and occasional Medeco or Abloy high-security cylinders where a homeowner has already upgraded. We stock pins, cylinders, and key blanks for these brands on the van, so a full-house rekey doesn’t turn into a two-visit job because somebody forgot a Kwikset pin kit. If you’re not sure what brand is on your door, tell us over the phone – we’ll walk you through the three visual tells in under a minute.
See also our main Rekey Locks service page for a broader look at how we handle everything from single-cylinder rekeys to master key systems across the region.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in San Marino Homes
- 1930s mortise cylinders that just feel stiff. San Marino’s Tudor and Spanish Colonial homes often have original mortise lock bodies that haven’t been serviced in decades. A stiff cylinder doesn’t mean the lock needs replacing – usually it means dry, dirty internals and a cylinder that was never re-pinned to the door’s actual wear pattern. We re-pin and lubricate, no drilling.
- Mixed brands on one key ring. A front door may have a Baldwin mortise cylinder, a rear door a Kwikset deadbolt, and a garage access a Schlage knob. Trying to match all three to one key requires carrying pin kits for every brand. We do. Most discount locksmiths don’t, which is why their “single key rekey” becomes a return trip with another charge.
- A contractor who kept a key. After a kitchen renovation or pool build, San Marino homeowners sometimes realize the contractor still has a working front door key. This is a rekey, pure and simple, but it’s also a time-sensitive one – the longer that key is out, the more copies may exist. Same-day service to San Marino is the answer.
- Front door drilled by a previous “locksmith.” We see doors on older San Marino homes where someone already drilled out an original mortise cylinder, then installed a modern deadbolt that doesn’t fit the mortise body properly. Fixing that means rekeying the new deadbolt carefully, securing it correctly, and advising on whether the original mortise can be restored. We never add a second drill hole to speed up a job.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in San Marino, CA
A standard single-cylinder rekey in San Marino runs $35 to $60 per cylinder. A whole-house rekey on a typical three-to-five-cylinder home lands between $175 and $300, depending on cylinder count and whether any are antique mortise cylinders, which take additional time. High-security cylinders – Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy – run $65 to $95 per cylinder because the pins and key blanks cost more and the process requires specialized tooling. If you have an original 1920s or 1930s mortise lock, the rekey itself is typically $55 to $85 per mortise cylinder due to careful non-destructive removal and reinstallation.
What you will never see from us: a $19 “teaser” rekey that turns into a $289 bill when we arrive. The price we quote on the phone is the price on your invoice. Full stop. Written price before work starts, always included, never an upgrade. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free estimate – we’ll ask a few questions about your doors, give you a real dollar range, and put it in writing before anyone is dispatched.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Marino
While this page is focused on San Marino, our team also covers San Gabriel, Alhambra, Pasadena, and South Pasadena when the schedule allows. If you’re right on the border, ask whether we can combine a San Marino rekey job with a neighboring property visit. The pricing and written-price-before-dispatch standard are identical everywhere we work.
Serving San Marino, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Marino 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 San Marino
We can rekey the original mortise lock, and that’s almost always the right call. The cylinder comes out, gets re-pinned to a fresh key, and goes back into the same mortise body – no drilling, no replacement hardware. On the 1920s and 1930s Spanish Colonial and Tudor homes that dominate San Marino, the front door mortise body is often solid brass or bronze, and replacing it would cost far more than the $55 to $85 rekey. We keep mortise-specific cylinders and pins stocked for exactly these doors. Call (409) 405-4485 and describe your lock; we’ll confirm on the phone whether it’s a rekeyable model.
Rekeying three to five exterior cylinders takes 45 to 90 minutes once we’re at the door, and the full written price is agreed before anyone is dispatched. On older San Marino homes with original mortise locks, plan closer to 90 minutes. We give you a live trackable arrival time when you book, so you’re not waiting in a four-hour window. The visit ends with before-and-after photos and a digital invoice.
You’ll see our marked van outside, our tech will be in a Preston uniform, and they’ll show photo ID before touching the door. We send a live, trackable arrival time when you book, so you see our vehicle approaching in real time. No anonymous contractor in an unmarked car, no “my partner is finishing another job” story. You know who is coming, what they look like, and when they’ll arrive before they knock.
No. A professional rekey does not drill, force, or alter your lock body. We remove the cylinder, re-pin it, and reinstall it. On San Marino’s original mortise locks, this is the only non-destructive way to change key access, and we’re trained to do it without marking the faceplate or hardware. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every rekey we perform – if it’s not done right, we make it right, with a free second visit if the repair fails. That guarantee is in writing on every job.
Yes. We set up master key systems on houses throughout San Marino, so a housekeeper’s key opens only the doors you assign, while your key opens everything. This is common on larger San Marino properties with separate service entrances, guest houses, or a garage apartment. A master key system for a typical three-to-five-door house runs $250 to $450, depending on cylinder count and whether high-security hardware like Medeco or Abloy is involved. We design the hierarchy with you, cut and label every key, and put the plan in writing before work starts. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free master key consultation.
Have a lock in San Marino that needs rekeying? Call (409) 405-4485 now for a free estimate, a real dollar range, and a written price before anyone is dispatched. The phone is answered by a live person, 24/7.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving San Marino since the company’s founding in 2008.