A working lock is something you stop thinking about, and that is the point. We rekey, repair and replace door hardware for homes and businesses, explain what we find in plain words, and leave you with keys that turn without a fight.
From the shop
We are wary of the word upgrade. Sometimes the most useful thing you can do for a door is replace four short strike screws with long ones that reach the framing, a small change that transforms how the door behaves under a kick. We start with the simple improvements and work up from there only if the door, the neighbourhood and your own comfort call for more.
— Shep's Subdivision Locksmith Pros
Hours
Locksmith services
Choosing a service is easier when you know what each one actually changes. Rekeying changes the key, replacement changes the hardware, repair keeps what you have working, and installation adds something new. The sections below sort our work along those lines.
Lockouts
After a break-in the door is evidence, then it is a problem. Once you are ready, we repair what was damaged, replace what cannot be trusted and rekey what might have been compromised.
Change or rekey
Residential locksmithing is small, careful work on the doors you use every day. We take the time to look at how the door hangs, how the latch meets the frame and how the key turns, because those details decide whether a lock lasts.
High security
We describe cylinders by what they resist: picking, bumping, drilling, wrenching and pulling. We describe key systems by who can order a copy.
Commercial
A business that has grown from one unit to three usually has three key rings and no plan. A master key system tidies that into a single hierarchy, and the pages here explain the design, the installation and how new doors are added later.
Cambridge
Deadbolt Installation
The back door has a deadbolt in name only: a short bolt, a thin brass strike held by two little screws, and a jamb you can flex with your palm. It was fine for a builder's showing. It is not fine for a laneway.
Deadbolt InstallationUsuallyAdjust the closer and realign the strike.
WhyUsually the closer is out of adjustment or the strike has drifted; both are set, not replaced.
UsuallyService the exit device and rethink the routine.
WhyExit alarms are meant to sound; if staff need that door daily, an arrangement that still lets everyone leave freely is found.
UsuallyReplace the cylinder with a commercial-grade one.
WhyStorefront cylinders take a beating; a heavier grade is built for that traffic.
UsuallyAccess Control Installation
WhyWhere a building has more than one controlled door, a networked system lets each opening run its own schedule: the front office unlocked for regular hours, a stockroom open to two people only, a loading dock released…
UsuallyPanic & Exit Hardware
WhyPanic and exit hardware installation fits a commercial door with a device that releases the latch the moment someone pushes on it from the inside, so the room's occupants are never asked to find a key to leave.
UsuallyCommercial-Grade Lock Replacement
WhyA business door rarely fails the same way a house door does, because it opens far more often and often has to satisfy a fire or egress rule a home door never faces.
Open 24/7
Steel-clad and fibreglass doors, the common insulated entry doors in newer subdivisions, take a deadbolt happily as long as they are cut for it properly. The skin is thin metal or resin over a foam core, often with a wood block at lock height, so the cross bore is made with a hole saw suited to the…
1 of 3
We look at the cylinder, the bolt, the strike, the hinges and any glass nearby, and say plainly which parts are sound and which are thin.
2 of 3
A graded deadbolt with a patented cylinder for most homes, rated cylinders and heavier lock bodies for businesses. You pick the doors and the depth.
3 of 3
Cylinders go in, strikes are screwed into the framing, keys are cut from code, and the system is registered so only you can order more.
Waterloo, Ontario
2021 census · what it means at the door
48%Homes of every age
About 48% of homes in Cambridge were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Mixed housing ages mean the advice changes door by door. An older solid-wood entry may want a strike reinforced; a newer steel door may want its short strike screws swapped. The locksmith looks at the door in front of him rather than assuming.
57%
Single-detached houses make up about 57% of homes in Cambridge (2021 Census).
Where housing is mixed, the same street can hold a solid wood front door, a steel townhouse door and a metal-clad suite door. A locksmith fits each with hardware suited to its construction, so every neighbour ends up with a door that locks properly.
You can, with a conversation first. Tenancy rules in this province expect a tenant to have the landlord's consent before changing locks and expect the landlord to hold a key, so ask in writing and share the plan. Many landlords welcome a proper bolt. The locksmith can key the new cylinder to the building's existing key where the keyway allows, and leave a note of the model and keys cut for the building manager.
The usual position is 140 to 150 mm above the centre of the knob, which lines the two locks up and keeps both within one reach. Manufacturers' templates assume that spacing, which helps a later keypad or handleset line up, though many handlesets still need their own lower hole drilled to that model's template. The height is nudged if it would land on glass, a decorative panel or a hollow spot inside an insulated door, and to make sure the frame behind it is solid.
The new bolt will only lock as smoothly as the door and frame let it, so the locksmith deals with the cause as part of the installation. A door that has sagged on loose hinges gets longer hinge screws or a shim, thick weatherstrip is trimmed, and the strike is set from the bolt's actual position with the door closed. The pocket is bored deep enough for a full throw. Afterwards the bolt should slide with fingertip effort.
A photo of each door's lock from inside and outside, the type of door, whether there is glass nearby and roughly how many keys are in circulation. For a business, a sketch of the doors and who needs to reach each area saves a great deal of time. Mention any door that sticks, has been forced or has a closer or push bar on it. With that, the locksmith arrives with the right formats and a plan to discuss.
On-site assessment preferred
Talk to us about access for your staff. Ask about a spare key before you need one.
Open 24/7 · same fees any hour
On-site assessment preferred · (226) 807-6031 · open 24/7
