Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Fast, Reliable Change Door Locks Across Miami Gardens
Changing your door locks in Miami Gardens typically costs between $95 and $260 for a standard residential lock change, including the new hardware and labor. Most jobs take under an hour once our technician arrives. We answer the phone live 24 hours a day at (910) 714-4287, and we give you the full price in writing before anyone is dispatched to your home.
Dunmore Locksmith knows Miami Gardens the way a technician should: we understand the 1950s through 1970s concrete block homes off NW 183rd Street and Miami Gardens Drive, the condos near the stadium corridor, and the rental properties that turn over tenants every year. When you call, you get a real person. When we show up, you already know the technician’s name and face. That’s the standard we hold in every Miami Gardens neighborhood.
Key Takeaways:
- Standard lock change in Miami Gardens runs $95 – $260, parts and labor included
- Most lock changes are finished in under an hour
- You get the written price before anyone heads to your home
- Your tech arrives in uniform, photo ID on, sent by name and photo beforehand
- Every job carries a 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing
Why Dunmore Locksmith Is Miami Gardens’s Preferred Change Door Locks Company
Homeowners across Miami Gardens call us because we tell them the truth about their locks, even when the truth is that changing the cylinder won’t actually secure the door. That honesty matters here because so many of the city’s original homes still have jalousie rear doors and warped steel frames that a generic lock swap won’t fix. We have walked through enough 1960s CBS-block homes near the Golden Glades area to know exactly what we are looking at before we touch a screwdriver.
Our customers in Miami Gardens consistently mention three things in reviews: the tech arrived when we said he would, the price matched the written quote to the penny, and the person at the door was the same person in the photo we sent. That last point is not an accident. Every Dunmore technician is background-checked, identity-verified, uniformed, and badged. You learn your tech’s name before they leave the shop. If someone shows up who you were not told to expect, that visit is on us.
Dunmore has operated under the Threshold Group umbrella since 2007. The name comes from old words for a great fort, a stronghold built to keep what is inside safe. That is the whole job.
Lock Change in Miami Gardens
Lock Change in Miami Gardens is the service you need when you have lost keys, moved into a new home, ended a lease, or suspect someone has a copy of your key. We pull the old lockset off the door and install new hardware that matches the existing bore holes, or we cut and prep the door if the new hardware requires it. On most Miami Gardens homes, a standard knob or deadbolt swap runs $95 to $180 per lock including the new hardware. Higher-security options from Medeco or Baldwin top out near $260 per lock.
For Miami Gardens homeowners, the age of the door matters more than the age of the lock. We check the door prep, the strike plate, and the latch alignment before we install anything new. On an older CBS-block home off NW 167th Street, the original steel frame may have shifted enough that a brand-new deadbolt will bind the same way the old one did.
What We Check Before Installing
Our tech confirms the backset, bore diameter, and latch type on your existing door before recommending replacement hardware. If the door is original to a 1960s home, we inspect the frame for rust or warp and address alignment so your new lock actually throws cleanly. No surprise charges appear halfway through the job because the written quote covers this inspection up front.
When a Lock Change Is the Honest Answer
A lock change makes sense when the hardware is physically worn, the keyway is damaged, or you want a different grade of security than the original builder lock provided. We tell you straight when a rekey would do the same job for less. In Miami Gardens, tenant turnover on rental properties is the classic case where a rekey beats a full replacement, and we would rather tell you that than take your money for parts you do not need.
Change Lock Cylinder in Miami Gardens
Change Lock Cylinder in Miami Gardens is a narrower job than a full lock change, and it is usually the right call when the lock body still works fine but you want the old keys to stop working. We swap only the cylinder, the part your key slides into, and reinstall the existing hardware. On a standard Kwikset or Schlage knob or deadbolt, the cylinder runs $25 to $75, and labor brings the total to roughly $70 to $130 per cylinder. You get the exact figure in writing before the work starts.
On Miami Gardens homes with original mortise locks, the cylinder format is often obsolete enough that a modern cylinder will not drop in without modifying the lock body or sourcing a specialty cylinder. We carry a range of mortise cylinders and can usually source what we need from our Miami stock the same day. If the lock body itself is corroded or seized, we tell you that a cylinder change alone is throwing money at the wrong problem.
Cylinder Change vs. Full Rekey
A cylinder change physically replaces the key-operating component. A rekey re-pins the existing cylinder so the old keys no longer work. The end result is the same, the new keys work and the old ones do not, but a cylinder change is the better move when the cylinder is worn, cracked, corroded, or the keyway is too damaged to re-pin cleanly. Our tech will show you the difference on your own lock before we quote either route.
High-Security Cylinder Upgrades
If you want key control, meaning no one can copy your keys at a hardware store, we install restricted-keyway cylinders from Medeco and Mul-T-Lock. These run higher than standard cylinders, typically $150 to $300 per cylinder installed. For a Miami Gardens homeowner who has dismissed a contractor, housekeeper, or former tenant, key control closes a real vulnerability.
Trusted Brands We Service in Miami Gardens
We are factory-authorized to install and service Schlage, Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, Yale, Kwikset, and Sargent hardware. That matters in Miami Gardens because we can pull replacement parts for a 40-year-old mortise lock or a new Baldwin handleset without guessing. We stock the common Kwikset and Schlage cylinders, tailpieces, and strike plates our Miami Gardens calls need most, so most jobs finish same-day. Perry Osgood, who leads our team, insists that every tech be able to explain the hardware options without leaning on jargon. If you have a Medeco high-security cylinder that needs replacing, we can do it properly. If you have a builder-grade Kwikset that is binding, we will tell you whether the fix is the lock or the door.
Common Change Door Locks Problems We See in Miami Gardens Homes
- Warped steel door frames on 1950s – 1970s CBS-block homes. Original frames corrode and shift after decades in Miami Gardens humidity. The deadbolt binds and the cylinder seizes while the lock itself is still mechanically fine, so a straight hardware swap does not fix the actual problem.
- Jalousie rear and side entry doors with lift-out glass panels. Many original Miami Gardens homes still have louvered rear doors. Changing the lock cylinder alone leaves the opening defeatable by hand without tools, so we advise pinning or full replacement of the panel itself.
- Humidity-driven cylinder corrosion. Year-round relative humidity above 75 percent in inland Miami-Dade accelerates rust inside pin-tumbler cylinders and on exterior brass hardware. Locks that worked fine a year ago can suddenly resist the key, especially after the June – October wet season.
- Summer deadbolt misalignment from swelling wooden jambs. In older Miami Gardens homes, the wooden door frame absorbs enough moisture during the wet season to push the latch and strike plate out of line. The mechanism tests fine on a bench, but the door will not latch at night.
Pricing for Change Door Locks in Miami Gardens, FL
Here is what Miami Gardens homeowners can expect to pay, in plain numbers. A standard knob or deadbolt change runs $95 to $180 per lock including new hardware. A cylinder change runs $70 to $130 per cylinder. A rekey runs $65 to $120 for the first lock and $15 to $25 per additional lock. High-security cylinders from Medeco or Mul-T-Lock run $150 to $300 per cylinder installed. If your door is original to a 1960s CBS home and needs frame or strike plate alignment work, that adds $30 to $75 depending on what we find.
The written quote you receive on the phone is the price on your invoice. There is no call-out fee stacked on top when the tech arrives at your Miami Gardens door. If the job requires something we could not see without being on site, we stop and put the new price in writing before touching anything else. Call (910) 714-4287 for a free estimate on your specific lock. The estimate is free, and you are never obligated.
We Also Serve Cities Near Miami Gardens
Our Change Door Locks in Miami Gardens team also covers the surrounding metro. We serve Hialeah, North Miami Beach, Miami, and Miami Beach regularly. If you are a homeowner or landlord just across the city line, the same written pricing, background-checked techs, and 365-Day Done Right Promise apply. Call (910) 714-4287 and we will get your address squared away.
Serving Miami Gardens, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Miami Gardens area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Change Door Locks in Miami Gardens
You usually do not have to replace the whole mortise lock body. We can change the cylinder or re-pin the existing one so your old keys stop working, which typically costs $70 to $130 per cylinder. The real question is whether the 60-year-old lock body itself is still sound. If the frame has rusted or shifted and the deadbolt binds, we address the alignment and tell you honestly whether the hardware is worth keeping. Call (910) 714-4287 and we will walk you through what you have before quoting anything.
No, changing the lock on a jalousie door is not enough by itself. The glass panels in a louvered door can often be slid out by hand without tools, so the lock is not the weak point. We pin or replace the jalousie panel and then address the lock. In Miami Gardens, this is one of the most common security conversations we have, and we would rather tell you the real fix than sell you a cylinder that does not protect the opening. Call (910) 714-4287 for an honest assessment.
It is almost always the wooden door frame swelling from wet-season humidity, not the lock itself. Miami Gardens sits inland in Miami-Dade with humidity above 75 percent year-round, and from June through October the jamb absorbs enough moisture to push the strike plate out of line. We re-align the plate or shave the jamb so the deadbolt throws cleanly, typically for $30 to $75. Call (910) 714-4287 and we will confirm whether your lock is fine and the frame is the culprit.
Rekey is the right call in most cases. We re-pin the existing cylinders so the previous keys no longer work, which runs $65 to $120 for the first lock and $15 to $25 per additional lock. Replacement is only worth it if the hardware is worn or you want a higher security grade. For Miami Gardens rental properties turning over tenants, rekeying between tenancies is the standard, cost-effective move. Call (910) 714-4287 for a written quote before you commit to anything.
It depends on your existing door prep, and on many Miami Gardens homes the answer is yes with some adjustment. Most 1950s – 1970s CBS homes have standard 2-1/8-inch bore holes that accept modern smart locks from Yale, Kwikset, and Schlage. The variable is the strike plate and frame alignment, which we address before or during installation. We will tell you before you buy anything whether your door will take the lock you want. Call (910) 714-4287 and ask.
On a 1960s CBS-block home off NW 183rd Street in the Golden Glades area, our tech found a rusted steel frame that had twisted enough to bind a 40-year-old mortise lock, and the homeowner wanted a modern deadbolt simply dropped in. We re-pinned the original cylinder to change the keys out and re-aligned the strike plate rather than cutting the door, plus recommended pinning the jalousie side panel that was lifting out by hand. The tenant got working keys in one visit and the opening was actually secured.
That is what our Change Door Locks team does in Miami Gardens: we look at the whole opening, not just the lock body. If you need the price before you commit, call (910) 714-4287. A real person answers, day or night. We will send you the written quote, the tech’s name, and their photo before they ever pull up to your door.
Written by Perry Osgood, Owner at Dunmore Locksmith, serving Miami Gardens as part of the Threshold Group family since 2007.