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Home locksmith work, from the front door to the patio

Kingsway Mobile Locksmith looks after the locks on houses, condos and apartments in Renton: rekeys after a move, deadbolts where there were none, sliders that won't stay shut, and the home lockout that catches everyone eventually. You hear the plan and get a free estimate before any work starts.

Every outside door, not just the front

Ask someone how many locks their house has and the answer is usually two. Walk around it and the count climbs: the front door, the back door, a patio slider, the door in from the garage, a side gate, a shed, sometimes a basement entry. Condos add a unit door, a storage locker and a mailbox. Each one is a way in, and each one deserves the same attention as the door with the welcome mat.

The first job on a home visit is that walk-around. Every lock gets looked at, you hear which ones are fine, which need a new key and which have worn past saving, and nothing is touched until you have decided.

After a move, nobody can say how many copies of the old keys exist: past owners, their relatives, a dog walker, a contractor from three renovations ago. A rekey of every outside lock settles the question in one visit.

New deadbolt being installed in a front door in WA

Deadbolts where there were none

Plenty of doors still lock with nothing but a knob, and a knob latch slips back far more easily than a deadbolt. The door from the garage is the classic case: builders often put a plain knob there, and it is the door people leave unlocked most.

Adding a deadbolt means boring the door, setting a strike plate in the frame, and using screws long enough to bite into the framing behind the trim rather than the trim itself. That last part is what keeps a kicked door shut.

New deadbolts can be keyed to match the locks you already have, so the key ring does not grow.

Sliders and the door in from the garage

A sliding patio door usually closes on a simple latch hook, and many of them never quite catch because the door has dropped on its rollers or the track has filled with grit. A latch that does not catch is no lock at all.

The fix depends on the door: the latch realigned, a secondary lock added low on the frame, or a keyed lock where you want one. Condo sliders on a balcony get the same look, since a ground-floor neighbor's slider is not the only one people try.

The garage entry door gets a deadbolt if it lacks one and can share the front door's key, so nobody has to fish for a different key with their arms full of groceries.

Locks that stick, drag or spin

Damp months are hard on exterior locks. Keys start to stick, a deadbolt turns only when you lift the door, and a cylinder that has worked loose spins in the door instead of opening it. Those are signs of wear, not bad luck, and they tend to end with a key snapping in the lock at the worst moment.

A sticky lock is cleaned and serviced when the parts inside are sound. When they are worn, the lock is swapped for one keyed to the rest of the house. Either way, the door itself gets checked, because a lock that drags is often a door that has sagged.

Newer townhomes, older houses

The newer townhomes and condos tend to arrive with builder hardware, often keyed so the construction crews could get in, and with keys still out with a sales office or a cleaning crew. A rekey right after closing turns all of those copies into scrap metal.

Older houses are the opposite problem: decades of owners, each adding a lock from whatever brand the hardware store had that week. Some of those can be brought onto one key with a cylinder swap; some are too worn to bother with. You hear which is which, door by door, before anything changes.

A home visit, start to finish

One visit covers most houses and apartments.

Walk the doors
Every outside lock, plus any gate, shed or storage lock you want included.
Proof you live here
Photo ID and something with the address: a lease, closing papers or mail.
Work on each lock
Rekeyed, repaired or swapped, and keyed alike where the hardware allows.
Keys in your hand
Each new key is tried in each lock with you watching before anyone leaves.

Locked out at home

Door clicked shut behind you, keys on the counter: call with the address and say whether anyone or anything is inside, because a child or a pet inside moves the call to the front. A technician comes to you and opens the door once you have shown photo ID and proof of address, or the manager confirms it for a rental unit.

If the keys were lost rather than locked in, especially on a ring with anything showing the address, a rekey on the same visit makes sure whoever finds them cannot use them. More about getting back in is on our lockouts page.

Mailboxes, gates and the small locks

Mailbox locks on houses and many complexes can be replaced when a key goes missing. On some cluster boxes the lock belongs to the property or the post office, and the office tells you who changes it, so that is worth a quick call first.

Side gates, sheds and storage lockers get padlocks or keyed latches, keyed to the house where you want them. And if you are tired of keys altogether, a keypad on the main door is an easy step up; see smart lock installation.

Home lock questions

Should I rekey or put in new locks?

If the locks work, a rekey is usually enough: same hardware, new key, old keys dead. New locks make sense when they are worn, damaged, or you want a different style.

Can every door use one key?

Usually, when the locks share a keyway. Odd ones out can be swapped for a matching cylinder so the whole house runs on a single key.

What do you need to see before opening my door?

Photo ID and proof you live there, such as a lease, closing papers or mail with the address. For a rental unit, the manager confirming works too.

I rent. Can I have my locks rekeyed?

With the landlord's okay, yes. Many leases require it, and the landlord usually wants a copy of the new key.

Can you add a lock to a sliding door?

Yes. A secondary lock or a keyed lock can go on most sliders, and the latch is realigned if the door has dropped on its rollers so it actually catches when you close it.

My key turns but the door won't open. What is wrong?

Usually a cylinder that has come loose or a worn part inside the lock. Leave it alone and call; forcing it tends to break the key off.

Do you put deadbolts on garage entry doors?

Yes. It is often the only outside door with a plain knob, and the new deadbolt can be keyed to match the front door so one key still does everything.

Is the estimate free?

Yes. You hear what each lock needs before any work begins.

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