When To DIY And When To Call a Locksmith

Locks can be bought at your local hardware store. Home Depot, Canadian Tire and Lowe’s all sell deadbolts, keys and door locks. But when should you buy it yourself and when should you call a professional?

When To Take on a DIY Lock-Changing Project

Many interior doors have locks. Bathrooms and and even some bedrooms may need a new handle or to be updated. For interior doors where the lock is a simple push button and the hole is already drilled in the door, a DIY project can work well. If the lock is for a general room and isn’t done for any serious safety or security concern, then watching some YouTube videos can be enough.

When to Call a Locksmith

But as soon as you’re concerned about security, think twice.

Outside-Facing Doors

As a general rule, any outside-facing door locks should be updated by a professional locksmith. If the handle, deadbolt or lock isn’t installed correctly, then your safety could be at risk. Just this past January 2022, police were investigating a string of local break-ins in KW. Crime, according to Stats Canada, is up 6% in KW while it dropped 16% around the province. Crime in Kitchener is going up. Low-quality locks or deadbolts that aren’t installed correctly will not perform as they need to.

When You Buy a New Home

CONGRATS! You have a new house! New homes are an exciting time for homebuyers. What isn’t fun, however, is the thought that there may be someone out there with a key to your new home. When you buy a new home, call a locksmith. I offer free keys with any rekey of a home so you can get a few extra copies yourself.

Safes

Have a new safe or need the lock on an old one fixed? Safes protect your most valuable assets. Don’t put off fixing a safe. And YES locksmiths CAN fix safe locks! Give me a call and you can ask me all about it.

New Doors or Fresh Starts

Locksmiths have special tools that allow them to drill the right holes, set up locks properly and to help them fit for specific types of entrances. When you need a lock for a new door or a new build, don’t try to do it yourself. You can end up with a mix-matched hole or product which can lower the performance of the lock.

Call a Locksmith: It’s Not Worth the Stress

DIY projects are awesome and the internet is great to teach home owners and individuals basic locksmith skills. But, professionals exist for a reason. Your safety isn’t worth it.