That solid click of a bolt seating in its strike is the sound of a job done right. From a single rekey to a whole building's worth of new hardware, we aim for doors that lock as well as they look.
Nearby
From the shop
People who manage rental units have a particular set of problems: a tenant who left without returning keys, a unit that needs to be ready for viewings, a fire door that someone propped open. We keep a record of each building's keying so changes are consistent, rekey on turnover without disturbing the neighbours, and can put common doors on a single key the whole building carries.
— German Mills Locksmith Co.
Hours
Locksmith services
Every job on this list starts the same way: with a look at the actual door and a conversation about what you need from it. The service is what follows. Browse the groups below to see how we approach lockouts, rekeys, replacements, vehicle keys, safes and access systems.
Lockouts
We carry the tools to pick, bypass, decode, extract and, as a last resort, drill. The order matters.
Change or rekey
Home security is mostly done quietly, in daylight, by the people who live there. Rekey when keys are unaccounted for.
High security
Losing count of keys is the reason most people finally ask about restricted systems. Once every key is numbered and every copy passes through you, the count stays right, and the worry about old copies goes away for good.
Commercial
Staff turnover is the most common reason a business calls. Someone left with a key, or nobody is sure who has copies.
Toronto
Business Lockout Service
Minus eighteen with a wind, and the exterior cylinder on the shop door has frozen solid overnight after yesterday's slush. The key goes in halfway and stops. The delivery driver is due, the phone is ringing inside, and nobody can reach it.
Business Lockout ServiceUsuallyClean and lubricate the cylinder.
WhyMoisture and old grease thicken below freezing; a cold-rated lubricant keeps the pins moving.
UsuallyAdjust the strike and hinges for seasonal movement.
WhyFrames shift with freeze-thaw; a strike set for the cold months keeps the door locking year round.
UsuallyThaw it properly, then seal against water getting in.
WhyForcing a frozen cylinder snaps keys; gentle heat frees it, and a weather cover keeps the water out afterwards.
UsuallyAccess Control Installation
WhyA single door can run on a standalone keypad or card reader that stores its own list of who may enter, though it can still need a power or network connection to work.
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
WhyWhere a home lockout is mostly about getting one door open again, a commercial lock replacement is mostly a decision about a system: how this one door's hardware fits into every other lock the business already manages.
Open 24/7
For landlords and tenants, rekeying is the tidy way to handle a change of occupancy. A departing tenant may have copied a key or simply forgotten to return one, and a fresh pinning means the incoming tenant is the only person holding a working key.
1 of 3
Outdoor locks live a harder life. We check the gate alignment, the exposure to rain and freezing, and how it is used before recommending hardware.
2 of 3
We install hardware built for the outdoors, align it with the latch and treat the mechanism so it keeps turning through winter.
3 of 3
You get a short rundown on lubricating and checking the lock as the seasons change, so it keeps working year after year.
Toronto, Ontario
Nearby
2021 census · what it means at the door
58%Older homes
About 58% of homes in Toronto were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Older doors are usually thicker and made of solid wood, which is good news. They take a deadbolt well, hold longer strike screws, and reward reinforcement. The locksmith measures the thickness and backset so new hardware fits without fresh holes.
23%
Single-detached houses make up about 23% of homes in Toronto (2021 Census).
Suite doors in buildings often have a viewer, a chain and a deadbolt fitted at different times. A locksmith can tidy that into one sound arrangement, with a properly set deadbolt and a strike that holds, without altering the door's face.
Yes, and it is a welcome part of the job. Rekeying decides who can enter, so the locksmith confirms the person asking has the standing to make that decision. For an owner that means photo identification alongside a document that links them to the property, for instance a property tax notice or the closing statement. A manager brings the owner's written authorization. A tenant mentions that the landlord has agreed and will be given a key, since tenancy rules here expect both to hold one.
Yes. A mortise lock, the kind with a large case set into the edge of the door, uses a threaded cylinder held by a set screw reached from the door's edge. The cylinder unthreads, is pinned like any other and screws back in. Where a very old lock uses a bit key or a lever mechanism instead of a pin cylinder, the locksmith will explain the options, which may include fitting a modern cylinder into the existing case so the door keeps its original hardware.
Rekeying is exactly the right response, because it makes the lost key useless at every door that was pinned. The locksmith will walk the property with you to be sure nothing is missed, including the garage side door, a shed and any padlock the same key opened, and will suggest changing any garage keypad code that was written on the same ring. After that, whoever finds the keys is holding brass that opens nothing on your property.
Usually. High security cylinders are made in the common formats: key-in-knob and lever, rim, mortise and interchangeable core, and many are designed to drop into popular residential and commercial locks. The locksmith identifies your format and confirms fit before ordering. Where a lock is an odd size or in poor shape, a matching lock body is fitted instead, and the door preparation is reused wherever it is standard.
On-site assessment preferred
Talk to a locksmith about it. Describe the problem; we'll take it from there.
Open 24/7 · same fees any hour
On-site assessment preferred · (289) 806-5983 · open 24/7
