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CobourgLock & Key Co.Open 24/7 (289) 677-1674
Illustrative locksmith scene — Hamilton

High security · Hamilton

High Security Locks

A colleague showed you a video of a lock being opened with a bump key in a few seconds. Then you went home and noticed your own deadbolt is the same style, bought at a hardware store a decade ago.

In plain words

This service suits anyone who wants to stop wondering. Homeowners who have inherited unknown keys with a house, landlords who want one controlled key system across units, and businesses protecting stock, records or medication all ask for it. The locksmith explains the choices in plain terms, from a graded deadbolt with a patented cylinder up to laboratory-rated cylinders and heavy commercial lock bodies, and helps you decide which doors deserve which level. Then the work is done cleanly, every key is tested in every lock, and you leave with the documents that let you control future keys.

Sound familiar?Hamilton

The call
Your shop has had four employees leave in two years and each one had a key. Rekeying every time is getting old, and the hardware store will cut a copy for anyone who walks in with the original.

NextHow the visit goes

High Security Locks · Hamilton

How the visit goes

Illustrative locksmith scene — Hamilton
  1. Scene 1

    The fit of new hardware to old doors

    Older houses in this region have doors that predate modern hardware: narrower stiles, a mortise pocket already cut, a thick slab door or a steel-clad door with a specific backset. The locksmith measures the bore, backset, door thickness and edge preparation so the chosen deadbolt or cylinder fits without hacking at the door. Where a mortise lock is present, a high-security mortise cylinder often replaces the old one directly. Where a knob lock is the only lock, the assessment includes where a new deadbolt bore would sit and whether the frame can take a proper strike.

  2. Scene 2

    Reinforcing the strike and frame

    The strike is where a forced door actually fails, so it gets serious attention. The stamped plate comes off and the pocket is deepened to accept a box strike or a long reinforced strike, fastened with three-inch screws that pass through the jamb into the wall framing. Stripped or split wood is filled and doweled first so the screws have something to hold. Where the frame is thin, a wrap-around reinforcer around the door edge and a full-length jamb plate are options. The result is a bolt that ties the door into the house rather than into a strip of trim.

  3. Scene 3

    Ordering keys the right way

    Extra keys are now a small procedure rather than an errand. An authorised person contacts the locksmith, the request is checked against the system record, and the key is cut from code so it works as cleanly as the first. New keys are numbered and added to the register. Businesses often issue keys against a signature and collect them when someone leaves, which the register makes simple. Homeowners typically keep two or three spare keys and hold onto the authorisation card. A key cut from a worn copy would not release the sidebar properly, which is one more reason the code route is the only route.

In the van

  • Pinning kit and plug follower
  • Graded deadbolt with hardened bolt
  • Code key cutting machine
  • Box strike
  • Wrap-around door reinforcer

What shapes the quoteCobourg Lock & Key Co.

Mortise and older doors
An existing mortise pocket, a thick slab door or an unusual backset can mean a specific cylinder or an adapted preparation, which takes longer than a standard bore.
Commercial lock bodies
Heavy-duty deadbolts, mortise locks, narrow-stile deadlocks and cylinder guards for storefront and warehouse doors are heavier hardware than residential deadbolts and priced as such.
Number of keys cut
Every key is cut from code on a machine that handles side bitting or angled cuts, so the count of keys you want at handover is a real line rather than a rounding error.

FeesSame any hour

Have it ready

Before you call · 0 / 3

(289) 677-1674

Short answers to common questions

Can a high security cylinder be rekeyed later?

Yes. Like any pin tumbler it can be repinned to a new combination by a locksmith who holds the system, so a departed employee's key can be retired without replacing hardware. Some lines use interchangeable cores that swap in moments with a control key, which suits businesses with frequent turnover. Rekeying stays within your registered keyway, so the key control you paid for continues after the change.

What information helps before the visit?

A photo of each door's lock from inside and outside, the type of door, whether there is glass nearby and roughly how many keys are in circulation. For a business, a sketch of the doors and who needs to reach each area saves a great deal of time. Mention any door that sticks, has been forced or has a closer or push bar on it. With that, the locksmith arrives with the right formats and a plan to discuss.

Why does the locksmith care so much about the strike plate?

Because that is where a kicked door fails. The bolt is strong, but it sits in a pocket in the jamb held by a thin plate and short screws, and a boot splits the wood around it. A reinforced strike or box strike fastened with three-inch screws into the wall framing spreads the blow along the frame. It is the least visible part of the upgrade and often the one that does the most.

Hamiltoninformation

NorthumberlandOntario

Town
Hamilton, Northumberland
In business
13 years
Hours
Open 24/7
Nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
Visits
On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.

2021 census: what it means at the door

Every square is one home in a hundred.

  • 55 in 100 homes · older homes
  • About 55% of homes in Hamilton were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.Layers of paint build up on older doors and frames, and a lock that seemed to fail is sometimes a latch glued shut by the last coat. Part of the visit in an older area is freeing hardware, cleaning the edges and checking the door swings true.
  • Single-detached houses make up about 95% of homes in Hamilton (2021 Census).Detached homes are exposed to weather on every side, so exterior locks see rain, salt and freezing air directly. Choosing hardware with a good finish and a cylinder that tolerates cold, then lubricating it properly, keeps every door turning through winter.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile

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On-site assessment

Request a visit.

A colleague showed you a video of a lock being opened with a bump key in a few seconds.

(289) 677-1674, open 24/7.