When it’s time to consider replacing your lock, it’s important to know the difference between rekeying and lock replacement. Many homeowners and business owners choose lock replacement over rekeying simply because they didn’t know rekeying a lock was an option.
In most cases, you have the option to rekey or replace your locks. Let’s look at what both are and why you might choose to rekey your locks over replacing them.
What is Lock Rekeying?
While it might seem self-explanatory, lock rekeying is the process of readjusting the internal parts of the lock to fit a different key. The goal is to change the design of the key needed to unlock your doors to ensure the old keys no longer work.
Without a trained residential locksmith, it’s very difficult to rekey a lock. When your locksmith rekeys your locks, you will keep the same locks you have, but they will not open with the old keys. you will need a new key, which the locksmith will also provide, to open the locks.
Lock rekeying offers a cost-effective way to change the key for your locks when you have lost your keys, a tenant moves out, or for any other reason.
Since you will use the current lock body and change the interior parts, it’s often less expensive than replacing your locks. While rekeying your locks is a cost-effective way to boost security, it’s only a limited security boost. If you want to gain even better security, replacing your locks is a better choice.
Why Choose Lock Replacement?
When you decide to replace the locks, you will actually replace the entire lock with a new one. This offers the ability to upgrade your locks to a more secure choice compared to what you currently have for your home or office.
Choosing the right locks means you need to consider the necessary factors. It usually starts with a look at home much you want to spend, along with the features you prefer. Some locks offer better security features and you can even choose smart locks if you want to gain some convenience features.
If you want to upgrade your locks to a very secure option, multi-point lock installation might be right for you. With a trained locksmith, these locks can be installed and will give you a more secure option since they lock in multiple places unlike single-point locks found on most doors.
With the ability to choose the locks you want and upgrade your security; lock replacement might be the right option for your needs. Compared to rekeying, lock replacement offers better security, but it will cost more. You will pay for both parts and labor when having new locks installed at home or at the office.
Whether you choose to rekey or replace your locks, it’s best to hire a trained Chicago locksmith to handle the job. Trying to do it yourself could result in disaster. Without proper installation of new locks, you might cause more harm to your security than good. Hire a professional and make sure your locks are either rekeyed or replaced properly.