Lock Change & Installation in Jacksonville

Rekey if the hardware is in good shape and the only problem is who holds a key — it’s cheaper and it kills every old key. Change the locks if the hardware is worn, corroded, builder-grade, or simply not enough for the door. We’ll give you the honest read at the door, including when the cheaper answer is the right one.

Fresh installation on a door with no existing lock starts at $140. Swapping hardware into an existing prep costs less. Hardware is priced separately from labor so you can see both. Our rates page has the full list.

Yes. Bring what you bought and we’ll fit it. If it’s the wrong backset, the wrong bore, or hardware that won’t survive this climate, you’ll hear that before we install it rather than after.

Schlage, Kwikset, Baldwin, Assa Abloy, and Ring among others. The right brand depends on the door and how exposed it is — a shaded interior-facing entry and a west-facing door two blocks from the ocean are different problems.

Yes, and you should ask for it. New hardware gets keyed alike as part of the install, and existing locks can usually be brought into the same key if the keyways are compatible.

Often not. That’s usually alignment — a door that has moved with the seasons or hinges that have sagged. Adjusting the strike is a small job and it’s the first thing we check.

Yes. The historic homes in Riverside, Avondale, Springfield, and around downtown are full of them. They can often be rebuilt rather than replaced, which keeps the original hardware on a door where it belongs.

A typical three- or four-door home is a single visit, usually well under two hours. Fresh bores on doors that never had hardware take longer, and so does anything that needs the frame repaired first.

Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, and Baker counties: Jacksonville and its neighborhoods, Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, the CR 210 corridor, St. Johns, St. Augustine, Yulee, Callahan, Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, and Macclenny. If you’re near the edge of that map, call — we’ll give you a straight yes or no.

As fast as the nearest van allows, and you’ll get the honest ETA on the phone. Inside northern St. Johns and south Jacksonville, that’s usually quick; we don’t quote fantasy minutes just to win the call.

You describe the job, we quote it, and that quote is the price you pay. If the job turns out bigger than described, work pauses and you approve the new number first. No trip-fee surprises, no upsell at the door.

Yes — The Keys Maker LLC is a licensed and insured Florida business (St. Johns County Business License No. B.L1101834), and every technician is background-checked. Worth knowing: Florida has no statewide locksmith trade license, which is exactly why you should ask any locksmith what stands behind the word. Ours is above — verify it with St. Johns County yourself.

Yes, for most makes and model years — cut and programmed on site from the vehicle itself, including transponder and proximity keys. No tow to a dealer required.

Rekeying keeps good hardware and changes which key works it — the right move after a move-in or lost keys. Replacement is for worn, damaged, or low-grade locks. We’ll tell you which one your door actually needs, and rekeying is usually the cheaper answer.

Yes — supply, install, and configure, or install one you already bought. We’ll also tell you honestly when a smart lock is the wrong fit for a door or a household.

Check the other doors, then call (904) 827-7496. Don’t break a window — the glass usually costs more than the locksmith. You’ll get a price and an ETA on the same call, at 2 PM or 2 AM.

Warning signs: a $19 or $29 phone quote that triples on arrival, an unmarked car, no company name on the phone, cash-only pressure, and drilling as the first suggestion. A real local shop gives a firm quote, shows up marked, and can prove who they are.

After the work is done, at the quoted price. Card or cash both work. You’ll never be asked to pay before you’re back inside.

No — emergencies are the loud half. The quiet half is scheduled work: rekeys, lock upgrades, smart locks, master key systems, and new-home lock changes, booked at your convenience, evenings and weekends included.

Yes. One key for the owner, limited keys for staff, and a plan for what gets rekeyed when someone leaves. We build it around how your business actually runs.

Usually not. The fragment comes out with extraction tools, the lock gets checked, and in most cases you just need a fresh key. Don’t dig at it with tweezers — that’s how a cheap fix becomes a replacement.

Rarely. Non-destructive entry is always the first approach; drilling is the last resort for certain high-security cylinders, and you’ll approve it — and the replacement cost — before it happens.

He’ll confirm he’s from The Keys Maker and the price you were quoted. Ask for the company name before you open up — any honest tech expects the question. If anything feels off, call us back on (904) 827-7496 and we’ll confirm who’s standing there.

Salt air corrodes pins, springs, and finishes from the inside out — beach-side hardware can age a decade in a few summers. A yearly clean and graphite lubrication helps; when a coastal lock starts grinding, replace it before it seizes on a Sunday night.