Residential
Deadbolt installation for your front door
We fit a new deadbolt on your door and set its strike with long screws into the frame.
Where
South-eastern Pennsylvania
What we cover
Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Lancaster County and Philadelphia
How we work
We are a mobile locksmith. We come to you.
What this covers
Deadbolt installation puts a proper deadbolt on a home door: a solid bolt that moves only when you turn the key or the thumb turn, and that goes into the frame instead of simply latching shut. It is the lock that actually secures a front or back door, and it belongs on any exterior door that has only a knob or lever lock today.
How we approach it
We fit the deadbolt, set its strike plate in the frame, and use long screws that reach the framing behind the trim instead of short screws that only hold the trim. Where a door needs it, a reinforcement plate spreads the load around the strike. We test the bolt with the door closed: it should slide all the way in without pushing or lifting the door.
Where it stops
The door has to be ready for a deadbolt. Many exterior doors are already drilled for one, and on a sound door the new lock goes into the existing holes. If the door is split, rotted or does not close properly, that needs fixing first, because a deadbolt can only be as solid as the door it sits in.
What deadbolt installation covers
Fit a new deadbolt on a home, the strike and its pocket, reinforcement plates and long screws.
Worth knowing
Single cylinder or double cylinder is the first choice. A single-cylinder deadbolt has a key outside and a thumb turn inside, the usual setup for a front door. A double-cylinder deadbolt needs a key on both sides and is sometimes chosen for doors with glass near the lock. If you choose one, keep the inside key close to the door so everyone can get out in an emergency.
The strike plate matters as much as the lock. When a door is forced, the bolt itself rarely breaks; what gives is the wood around the strike, which may be held by screws that only reach thin trim. Long screws into the framing and a reinforcement plate are small parts, and they are what lets a deadbolt resist being torn out.
Ask for one key. A new deadbolt can be set up to use the same key as the knob or lever lock on that door, and the same key as your other doors. That depends on the locks involved, so mention it before the job starts. One key for the whole house is easier to carry and easier to keep track of.
Deadbolt Installation: questions before you call
What decides whether you can add a deadbolt above my front door knob on an older wood door?
The door and frame decide that first. We need to know the door material, its thickness, and how much clear space sits above the knob for the new lock body and the hole. A useful detail is the measurement from the top of the knob plate to the door edge. If the door or frame is misaligned, that is not deadbolt installation.
What should I tell you on the phone if my back door already has one empty hole?
Tell us that the door already has a deadbolt bore hole and whether the edge hole is there too. We also need to know if the frame already has a strike opening where the bolt would enter. One concrete detail helps: whether you can see a round hole above the knob and a smaller hole in the door edge lined up with it.
What should I have ready before you install a deadbolt on my side door with no lock there now?
Have the door measurements ready, especially the thickness of the door and the distance from the door edge to the center of where the deadbolt will sit. We may also need clear photos of the inside edge and the frame. A simple tape measure reading, like 1 3/4 inches thick, gives us a starting point for the hardware.
How does the job change if I want a deadbolt on a door with glass right next to it?
The hardware choice changes when glass is close to the lock. Tell us if someone could reach through broken glass and turn an inside thumbturn, because that can affect whether you want a key on both sides or a thumbturn inside. One concrete detail matters here: the distance from the lock area to the nearest glass pane.
My deadbolt is already there, but the inside thumbturn sticks. Is that installation or something else?
That is lock repair, not deadbolt installation. Installation is for fitting a new deadbolt and its strike where one is being added or replaced as a unit. If the problem is inside the existing lock body, such as a thumbturn that binds halfway, tell us that clearly so we treat it as repair on the lock itself.
