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 San Marino
Most lock changes in San Marino take between 45 and 90 minutes once our technician arrives, and the majority are scheduled same-day. If you’ve lost a key, moved into one of the city’s Period Revival estates, or ended a relationship where someone else still holds a key, call (910) 714-4287 and we’ll walk you through exactly what the job involves before anyone is dispatched. Our crews know the difference between a 1928 Spanish Colonial mortise lockset and a 1990s cylindrical deadbolt, and the quote we give on the phone is the price on the invoice.
San Marino’s housing stock is almost entirely large single-family homes built between the 1920s and 1950s. What that means for door hardware is specific: original mortise locksets, skeleton-key deadbolts, and ornate wrought-iron escutcheons that were never designed for modern cylindrical drop-ins. That’s not a problem if the technician knows what he’s looking at. It’s a big problem if he doesn’t. We do.
Why Dunmore Locksmith Is San Marino’s Preferred Change Door Locks Company
Dunmore Locksmith has operated under the Threshold Group umbrella since 2007, and the work we do in San Marino is residential hardware preservation more than anything else. Homeowners here call us because they know a Kwikset from a Baldwin and they expect the technician to know it too. Perry Osgood, the owner, built this business on a simple premise: you should know exactly who is coming to your door before you unlock it. Every technician carries a photo ID badge, arrives in a marked uniform, and is sent to you by name and photo before the visit. That’s the Threshold Standard, and it applies to every job in San Marino.
Response time to San Marino from dispatch is typically 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic on Huntington Drive or Mission Street. We answer the phone with a live person 24 hours a day, every day. If someone shows up who you weren’t told to expect, that visit is covered at no charge. Our written guarantee covers every repair for 365 days, and if the repair fails, we return at no cost.
Patio Door Lock Change in San Marino
Patio Door Lock Change in San Marino usually involves a sliding or French door leading to a rear garden, motor court, or pool terrace, and on many of the city’s older estates the original hardware is either a surface-mounted mortise hook lock or a small-bore cylinder set into a narrow stile. A standard patio-door lock change here runs $85 to $190 depending on whether we’re replacing the handle assembly, the hook latch, or both. If the door frame has been racked by seasonal movement, which happens on the old-growth wood frames throughout San Marino, we’ll address the strike alignment in the same visit.
French Door Multi-Point Locks
Many San Marino homes built in the 1930s and 1940s still have original multi-point French door hardware, and the lock bodies are no longer manufactured. Where the escutcheon and millwork are sound, we can often rekey the existing cylinder and replace only the worn internal components rather than routing the door for a modern cassette. Where the lock body has failed, we source period-appropriate replacement hardware that matches the existing backset and faceplate dimensions.
Sliding Door Handle and Hook Latch Replacement
Sliding patio doors from the 1960s through 1980s are common on the newer (by San Marino standards) ranch homes south of Huntington Drive. The handles on these doors fail at the thumb latch or the interior lock tab, and replacement runs $70 to $140. We carry Kwikset and Baldwin-compatible patio hardware on the truck, but for finish-matched replacements on older bronze or iron handles we order from our vendor and return within a few days.
Door Lock Change in San Marino
Door Lock Change in San Marino breaks into two very different jobs: replacing a modern cylindrical deadbolt or knobset, or changing the cylinder inside an original mortise lockset. A standard cylindrical deadbolt replacement on a door that already has a modern prep runs $65 to $110 including the hardware. Changing the cylinder in an original 1920s-1940s mortise lock runs $95 to $175 depending on the cylinder format, and it preserves the original faceplate and trim rather than routing new holes through historic millwork.
Modern Cylindrical Deadbolt Replacement
For doors that were drilled for a standard 2-1/8 inch bore, a straightforward lock change takes under an hour. We stock Kwikset, Baldwin, and Yale hardware for same-day replacement, and we key everything to match your existing house key when asked. The old hardware goes home with you or we dispose of it, whichever you prefer.
Mortise Cylinder Change Without Door Modification
On original mortise-lock doors, which make up a large share of San Marino’s front entries, we swap the cylinder rather than the entire lockset. This gives you new keys and shuts out anyone holding the old ones, without any routing, filling, or visible change to the door face. It’s the right approach for the city’s historic homes, and it’s also the faster and cheaper one.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Marino
Our technicians are factory-authorized to install and service Schlage, Kwikset, Medeco, Yale, Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, and Abloy hardware. What matters for San Marino customers is that we carry the obscure parts: mortise cylinders in Schlage C, Yale E, and Sargent original keyways, high-security Medeco and Mul-T-Lock retrofit cylinders for key control, and finish-matched trim for Baldwin and Yale period hardware. If a part isn’t on the truck, we know the local suppliers in the San Gabriel Valley who can have it the next morning. You won’t wait a week for a cylinder that fits your 1936 front door.
Common Change Door Locks Problems We See in San Marino Homes
- Original mortise locks with worn cylinders: The key gets harder to turn each year, and eventually the cylinder binds completely. On a 1920s-1950s mortise lock, we replace or rekey the cylinder and service the internal spring mechanism rather than cutting the door apart for a modern deadbolt.
- Seasonal deadbolt binding from the Santa Ana winds: San Marino’s dry fall winds pull moisture from old-growth door frames, making the frame rack and the strike plate misalign. Forcing the deadbolt only worsens it. We adjust the strike and check the hinge sag at both top and bottom so the bolt throws cleanly again.
- Modern deadbolts forced into mortise-lock preps: We see this on doors where a previous handyman drilled a 2-1/8 bore through a mortise lock preparation to fit a modern deadbolt. The result is a weakened door edge and a faceplate that doesn’t sit flush. We correct this by returning the door to a mortise cylinder format wherever possible.
- Gate intercom and entry hardware out of sync: Many San Marino motor courts still use 1980s-90s intercom systems wired into the gate release. When a new keypad or smart lock is added without checking voltage compatibility, both the gate and the door lock stop working. We diagnose the low-voltage side before touching the mechanical hardware.
Pricing for Change Door Locks in San Marino, CA
Here’s what you should expect to pay in San Marino. A standard cylindrical deadbolt replacement runs $65 to $110. Rekeying a standard knob or lever lock runs $45 to $85. Changing a mortise cylinder in an original door runs $95 to $175. Patio door lock changes run $85 to $190. High-security cylinder retrofits, like a Medeco or Mul-T-Lock swap into an existing mortise prep, run $120 to $240 including new keys. Variables that affect the total include the cylinder format, the brand, and whether we’re keying the new lock to match existing keys. We quote the full price over the phone before anyone is dispatched, and there is no call-out surcharge added on arrival. Call (910) 714-4287 and you’ll have a written range in hand before the truck rolls.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Marino
If you’re outside San Marino proper, our Change Door Locks technicians also serve San Gabriel, Alhambra, Pasadena, and South Pasadena. The same written pricing, same 365-day guarantee, and same live-person phone coverage. We cover all of San Marino neighborhoods, and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley communities.
Serving San Marino, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Marino 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 San Marino
Yes, in most cases. If the mortise body is mechanically sound, we rekey the existing cylinder or replace the cylinder with a matching format, and your old keys stop working. We only recommend replacing the entire lockset when the internal springs, deadbolt throw, or case housing have failed to the point where rekeying wouldn’t give you reliable function. Call (910) 714-4287 and describe the keyway; we can often identify the cylinder format from a photo before we come out.
The hot, dry Santa Ana winds pull moisture from the old-growth wood door frames common in San Marino’s 1920s-1940s homes, causing the frame to dry-shrink and rack. When the frame moves even a fraction of an inch, the deadbolt no longer lines up with the strike plate, and it binds. We adjust the strike plate and often reseat the hinges to correct the alignment. It’s a straightforward fix, and we see it every year on homes throughout the city.
No. High-security cylinders from Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, and Abloy are available in formats that retrofit into original mortise preparations without altering the door face or the surrounding trim. You keep the iron escutcheon, the period faceplate, and the original knob or lever, while upgrading the cylinder itself for bump resistance and restricted key duplication. We’ve done this on Spanish Colonial and Tudor Revival doors throughout San Marino.
Usually yes, but the intercom wiring has to be checked first. Many San Marino motor courts have low-voltage intercom systems from the 1980s and 1990s that operate on a specific voltage, and a modern smart lock or keypad draws power differently. If we don’t verify the voltage compatibility before installation, you can lose gate release and door latch function at the same time. We test the low-voltage side, then select compatible hardware.
Rekeying changes the internal pins inside the existing cylinder so that the old keys no longer operate the lock; the hardware stays on the door. Changing a lock means removing the old hardware and installing new hardware. On San Marino’s original mortise locks, we can usually rekey or swap the cylinder for a fraction of the cost of a full hardware change, and the door remains untouched. Call (910) 714-4287 for an exact quote; estimates are free.
Written by Perry Osgood, Owner at Dunmore Locksmith, serving San Marino since the company’s founding under Threshold Group in 2007.