Questions
Questions we are asked, and honest answers
Grouped by when they tend to come up. The longer explanations live in the guides; these are the short versions.
Before the visit
What information should I have ready when I call?
The full address including the quadrant, what the lock or key is doing now, what it did before, and whether there is another way into the property. For a vehicle: year, make, model, trim, and whether a working key exists.
Can you give me a price over the phone?
For clearly defined work, yes — rekeying a known number of cylinders, cutting a mechanical key for a listed vehicle. For a lock misbehaving in a way nobody has seen yet, we can give a range and confirm before starting. Ask for a number and keep asking until you get one.
Do I need to be there?
Someone with authority over the property does, at least to confirm identity and agree the work. For a business, that means someone who can act for the business rather than whoever happens to be nearest the door.
Can I send photographs?
Please do. The face of the lock, the edge of the door and the strike plate answer most of the questions we would otherwise ask, and often let us bring the right parts on the first visit. Send them to [email protected].
Identification and authorization
What identification do you need?
Photo identification, plus something connecting you to the address or the vehicle: a lease, a deed, a utility bill, a registration document. This applies to every job without exception.
What if everything I own is inside the house?
Say so when you call and we will work out what is possible. A landlord or roommate confirming by phone often does it, as does mail with your name and that address on it once the door is open. We would rather find a workable route than open a door for the wrong person.
Can you rekey a property I rent?
On the instruction of whoever has authority over it. Many leases cover this explicitly and some require the landlord to keep a working key, so ask before arranging anything.
Will you open a door for someone who is not the owner?
Not without authority from someone who is. That includes disputes between roommates, separating couples and landlords wanting access to an occupied property. Those are situations for a lawyer or the police rather than a locksmith.
The work itself
Will you need to drill my lock?
In most residential lockouts, no. Drilling is for cylinders already damaged, hardware that has seized, or high-security locks built to resist manipulation, and it means replacing the cylinder afterwards. Ask what was attempted before anyone reaches for a drill. More on the lockout page.
Do old keys still work after rekeying?
No, and not in a probabilistic sense — they physically cannot lift the new pins to the shear line. Count the spares you still want before we start, including ones held by other people, and we will cut enough new ones.
Does rekeying make a lock more secure?
No. It decides which key the cylinder accepts; it does nothing about how the door stands up to force. For that, look at the bolt, the strike and the screws behind it — covered in choosing a deadbolt.
Can several doors be put on one key?
Usually, and usually without buying anything. Locks sharing a compatible keyway can be pinned to a single key. Where one is the odd one out, swapping that single cylinder costs less than replacing the set. See rekeying.
Can you fit hardware I bought myself?
Yes, if it suits the door. Backset, door thickness and bore size are the three things that catch people out. A photo of the door edge before you buy saves a return trip.
Scheduling and coverage
What are your hours?
Every day, 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Outside those hours a message will be picked up when the shop opens.
Do you cover Maryland and Virginia?
Sometimes. Silver Spring, Takoma Park, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Hyattsville, Arlington and Alexandria are all reachable, and whether we can take a particular job depends on distance, the work and the day. Give us the address and you will get a straight answer. See coverage.
Do you have branches around the city?
No. One address: 1 Kennedy St NW. Every neighborhood named on this site is somewhere we drive to.
Can work be scheduled around a business's opening hours?
Where the job allows, yes, within our own opening times. Work before a storefront unlocks for the day is usually the least disruptive slot.
Keep reading
Longer explanations
Where a short answer is not enough, these go into the detail behind it.
A question that is not here?
Ask it. If it comes up more than once, it usually ends up on this page.