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 Fair Oaks
Rekeying a lock in Fair Oaks means swapping the internal pins so your old keys stop working and a new set takes over. A standard pin-and-tumbler cylinder rekey typically runs $25 – $45 per lock in Fair Oaks, and most homes with three or four exterior doors are done in under 90 minutes. If you’ve just moved into a place near Winding Way or off Sunset Avenue, or you’ve lost a key somewhere between Sunrise Boulevard and Hazel Avenue, call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll get a locksmith to your Fair Oaks door with a written price before any work begins.
Why Preston Locksmith & Security Is Fair Oaks’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
We’ve handled enough locks in Fair Oaks to know what’s actually behind the door before we open it. This area is full of 1970s and 1980s ranch homes with original mortise lock bodies and builder-grade Kwikset knobs. A rekey here often means working with discontinued keyways and worn pin chambers that a standard rekey kit won’t fix cleanly. Our technicians come prepared for that, because we’ve done it hundreds of times in Fair Oaks.
Every Fair Oaks job is handled by a background-checked, uniformed technician whose name and photo you’ll have before they arrive. You get a live trackable arrival time through The Relay Visibility Guarantee, plus before-and-after photos of the lock work and a written guarantee on the repair. If it’s not done right, the 365-Day Done Right Promise means we make it right, including a free second visit. That’s the standard on every rekey in Fair Oaks, not an upgrade.
Kevin Yoon leads our team, and the way we run jobs reflects that: no anonymous tech, no price that changes on site, no callback queue. You call, a live person answers, and you get a written price before anyone is dispatched to your Fair Oaks home.
Keyed Alike in Fair Oaks
Keyed alike in Fair Oaks is the fix for the classic three-keys-on-one-ring problem. It means re-pinning every lock in your home to a single key, so the front door, back door, side garage door, and even a padlock all turn with the same cut. For a Fair Oaks ranch with an original mortise front lock, a Kwikset back door, and a Schlage deadbolt on the garage, keying alike typically runs $65 – $110 total, parts included. This is worth doing the day you move in or right after a tenant leaves, and it beats carrying a keyring that tells you exactly how many entry points you’ve got.
How Keying Alike Works on Fair Oaks Hardware
We re-pin each lock’s cylinder so the new key matches across all of them. If one lock is a different brand than another, we can often still key them alike as long as the keyway supports it. On older Fair Oaks mortise locks with worn pins, we may replace the cylinder with a compatible new one rather than force a sloppy re-pin.
When Keyed Alike Makes Sense
After a move, after a roommate or tenant moves out, or after a key goes missing somewhere in Fair Oaks. It also simplifies access for cleaners, dog walkers, or family members who regularly come by your place off Dewey Drive or near the American River Parkway.
Rekey Deadbolt in Fair Oaks
Rekey deadbolt work in Fair Oaks is a targeted job: we remove the cylinder from your existing deadbolt, swap the pins to fit a new key, and put it back. The bolt and housing stay in place. A single deadbolt rekey in Fair Oaks generally runs $25 – $40, and if you want it keyed to match your existing knob, we do that at the same time for no extra hardware cost. Fair Oaks homes with older Schlage or Kwikset deadbolts on back doors and garage entrances are exactly the kind of jobs we handle daily.
Worn or Pitted Deadbolts in Fair Oaks
Some Fair Oaks deadbolts have been in service since the Ford administration. The pins get rounded, springs lose tension, and the cylinder gets sloppy. When we rekey a deadbolt in that condition, we’ll tell you before we start whether it can be re-pinned reliably or if a new cylinder makes more sense than a rekey that’ll feel loose in six months.
Deadbolt Rekey and Bump Resistance
If you’re calling about a deadbolt on a Fair Oaks property that’s had a key copied one too many times, ask us about swapping in a bump-resistant ANSI Grade 1 cylinder while we rekey. The labor is the same; the cylinder is an upgrade you can see and feel, and it goes in without replacing the whole deadbolt assembly.
Trusted Brands We Service in Fair Oaks
We stock cylinders, pins, and springs for Schlage, Kwikset, and Medeco, plus Yale hardware that shows up on a lot of older Fair Oaks front doors. Because we carry parts for those locally common brands, we’re not waiting on a distributor to rekey your deadbolt. Our techs train on builder-grade Kwikset knobs and on Medeco high-security cylinders alike, so whatever’s on your doors off Winding Way or Greenback Lane, we’ll know it.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in Fair Oaks Homes
- Original mortise locks from the 1970s and 1980s. These are all over Fair Oaks ranch homes, especially on front doors. The lock bodies are fine, but the keyways are often discontinued, which means we source a compatible cylinder rather than just re-pin the original.
- Phantom pricing on rekey calls. A Fair Oaks homeowner hears a low number on the phone, then the tech arrives and says the mortise lock body needs a full replacement. We write the price before we’re dispatched, and that’s the number on the invoice.
- Unverifiable technicians at the door. Some companies send whoever’s available, and the homeowner has no way to confirm who’s actually there. Our Fair Oaks customers get a name, photo, and live arrival tracking before the knock.
- Forced rekeys on worn pin chambers. A low-bid locksmith will sometimes force a standard rekey kit into a lock with rounded pins and weak springs, leaving the lock unreliable. We’d rather replace the cylinder and give you a lock that actually lasts.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in Fair Oaks, CA
Here’s what rekeying actually costs in Fair Oaks. A single standard lock rekey runs $25 – $45, while a deadbolt rekey is $25 – $40. Keying alike across three or four exterior doors lands between $65 and $110, depending on how many cylinders we’re re-pinning and whether any need replacing. If you’ve got an old mortise lock with a discontinued keyway, the compatible cylinder typically adds $20 – $35 to the job. We’ll give you a written price before we dispatch, and there’s no surcharge when the tech arrives. Call (409) 405-4485 for a free estimate on your Fair Oaks locks.
We Also Serve Cities Near Fair Oaks
Our Fair Oaks crews regularly run rekey jobs into Citrus Heights, Orangevale, Rancho Cordova, and Carmichael. If you’re a few blocks past the Fair Oaks border, we’ll still give you the same written price and live arrival tracking. For more detail on our full process and pricing, visit our Rekey Locks service hub. Same service, same guarantees, no city-line games.
Serving Fair Oaks, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fair Oaks 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 Fair Oaks
We don’t charge extra for the mortise lock itself, but if the keyway is discontinued and we need to source a compatible cylinder, that cylinder adds $20 – $35 to the job. We’ll tell you before we start, in writing, and you approve it before we touch the lock. Call (409) 405-4485 for an exact quote on your specific Fair Oaks hardware.
Yes, in most cases we can key Kwikset and Schlage locks alike as long as the keyways are compatible or we have compatible cylinders on hand. We keep both brands stocked for Fair Oaks jobs, so this is usually a same-visit fix. The work typically takes under two hours for three or four exterior locks.
Before our tech heads to your Fair Oaks home, you’ll receive their name, photo, and a live trackable arrival link through The Relay Visibility Guarantee. They arrive in uniform, and you can match the face at the door to the photo on your phone. No anonymous contractors, no guesswork. If something ever doesn’t line up, call us before opening the door.
Most Fair Oaks homes with three or four exterior locks are fully rekeyed in 60 to 90 minutes from the time our tech starts. Mortise locks with older cylinders can add 15 to 20 minutes each if we need to swap in compatible hardware. You’ll have a written price and a live arrival time before we even dispatch.
No. Drilling is a last resort we don’t use for a standard rekey. If your Fair Oaks lock can’t be rekeyed because of a discontinued keyway or worn internals, we replace the cylinder, not the whole lock, and we don’t charge you for drilling that shouldn’t happen in the first place. Call (409) 405-4485 and we’ll walk through what your specific locks need.
Written by Kevin Yoon, Owner at Preston Locksmith & Security, serving Fair Oaks since 2008.