Deadbolt or Latch
A knob is a latch. The lock that stops a kick is the deadbolt above it.
A knob or lever alone holds the door shut and adds no security, and a latch is defeated with a card or a shoulder. A deadbolt throws a solid bar into the frame and has no spring to push past. Fitting one where there was no lock means boring the door and the jamb, which is worth doing properly once, and once it is bored the same lock can be swapped or upgraded later in minutes.
Types of Deadbolt
Three shapes of lock, and where the door sits decides which grade of security belongs on it.
Single Cylinder
Key outside, thumbturn inside. The standard lock on a solid entry door and the fastest to leave from in a hurry.
Double Cylinder
A key both sides, for a door with glass within reach of the lock. Check the fire code before choosing this one.
High Security Deadbolt
A hardened cylinder with anti-drill pins and a restricted key. The lock to fit where the door faces the street.
Before You Call
Three things make the visit shorter and the quote firm.
Whether the door is already bored
A round hole above the knob means the lock drops straight in. A blank edge means boring, and that is most of the difference.
What the door is made of
Wood, metal or fibreglass. It changes the tooling and the time, and the safe move is to bring the right kit once.
A photo of the door edge
It reads the thickness and the backset at a glance, which decides which lock comes off the van.
Your Fort Collins Lock Specialist
Licensed and insured locksmith work, covering deadbolt fitting for homes and commercial premises. Doors are bored and locks are set in a safe, non-destructive way, and the frame is left stronger than it was found.
Who Calls Us for a Deadbolt
Three situations account for most of the deadbolt work we do in a week.
Doors With Only a Knob
Older houses and rear entrances that were built with a latch and never upgraded. One lock per door changes the security of the house entirely.
After a Break-In
The frame is checked with the lock, because new hardware in a split jamb is not security, it is decoration.
Businesses
Back-of-house doors on a commercial premises that were never properly secured. Our commercial locksmith work is booked out of hours.
What Happens on a Deadbolt Installation Visit
The boring jig is the whole job. Everything after it is assembly.
The door is marked and bored
Jig clamped, backset set to match the knob below, and the edge bored square so the lock sits flat instead of binding.
The frame is prepared
The mortise is cut for a full inch of bolt throw and the strike is set on three-inch screws that reach past the jamb into the stud.
Keys are cut and tested
Two keys per lock, keyed alike to the knob where you asked for it, and the door tried from both sides so it locks securely before we leave.
When Deadbolt Installation Takes Longer
Most deadbolt work is an hour a door. Three things are not.
Metal-clad and fibreglass doors take longer to bore, and some steel doors carry internal reinforcement that limits where the lock can go at all. A frame that has already been forced needs a reinforcement plate before a new lock adds any security, because a one-inch bolt in soft pine leaves with the jamb attached. And a door that has dropped will bind a fresh bolt, so the swing gets corrected first, which is the safe order to do it in.
What Goes Wrong
Six failures we get called out to put right, and every one of them is avoidable.
- Short strike screws — the commonest security fault we find and the cheapest to put right
- A short bolt throw — half an inch into the frame is a lock that looks secure and is not
- A crooked bore — the lock binds, the key fights it, and the cylinder wears early
- Wrong backset — a lock ordered at 2 3/8 for a door bored at 2 3/4 goes straight back
- Double cylinder on an escape route — a key-both-sides lock where the code forbids one
- Two separate keys — a new lock above a knob nobody bothered to key alike
What Changes the Price of Deadbolt Installation
Six things move a deadbolt quote, and you can ask about all six on the phone.
- Existing bore or not — a door already drilled takes a lock in minutes
- Door material — metal-clad and fibreglass bore slower and less forgivingly than wood
- Grade of lock — a graded deadbolt and a builder-grade one are not the same security
- Keyed alike — running the new lock on the same key as the knob adds nothing
- Frame condition — a soft or split jamb wants reinforcing before any lock is secure
- Number of doors — the first lock carries the call-out, every one after it is cheaper
A deadbolt is the lock doing the actual security work on an exterior door. Bolt throw should be a full inch into the frame, and the strike needs three-inch screws reaching past the jamb into the stud. That detail is the difference between a lock that resists a kick and a lock that leaves with the door frame attached.
Where a deadbolt joins an existing knob, both locks are keyed alike so one key runs the door. Commercial premises are covered on the same call-out, and a master key system can be built at the same time so staff keys open what they should and nothing more. A safe or strongbox can be opened and re-set while we are there, and every lock is quoted per door before anything is drilled, so the number on the phone is the number on the invoice for the service. Where a door has been forced, the frame and the strike are checked at the same time, because a new lock in a split jamb is a false comfort rather than a safe result. Security grades are explained in plain terms before anything is bought, so you are choosing a lock rather than a finish, and the safe option is always priced alongside the cheap one. Fitting a deadbolt properly is the plainest thing a Fort Collins locksmith does all week.
Call a Fort Collins Locksmith
A locksmith answers this phone around the clock, and the response is fast when your security cannot wait.
Frequently Asked Locksmith Questions
The questions Fort Collins residents ask a locksmith most, on locks, keys and getting back inside.
Can you get in without damaging my lock?
Almost always, on a standard residential lock. Non-destructive entry is what a locksmith aims for, and the lock keeps working, so there is nothing to replace. Exceptions are a high security cylinder built to resist this, and one already damaged or drilled by someone else. If a lock must come out you hear that price first, never after, and the security of the property is restored on that Fort Collins visit.
We just moved in. Rekey or replace?
Rekey, in almost every case. If the lock works there is no reason to buy new, and changing the pins retires every key the last owner handed out for a fraction of the price. Replace only when a lock is worn out, is the wrong grade for the door, or you want a keypad instead. A Fort Collins locksmith pushing hardware on a working lock is selling, not advising, and the security gain is nil.
The door sticks. Is that the lock?
Usually not the lock. If it works with the door open and fails shut, the frame has moved and no new lock will fix it. A Fort Collins locksmith resets the strike or corrects the swing first. A worn residential cylinder differs: it fails whatever the door does, and that is an emergency waiting.
How fast can you get here?
In Fort Collins itself, quickly. The outer towns are an honest drive and the locksmith quotes that, not an optimistic figure. Snow stretches every run and fills the service diary at once. An emergency call runs around the clock, and an honest price is agreed on the phone before the van leaves.
What if I find a cheaper quote?
Compare the whole number. A professional locksmith quotes the lock, labour and call-out together, so nothing new appears on the step. A very low phone price that becomes three hundred dollars at the car is the oldest trick in this trade. We also cut car keys in Fort Collins and cover commercial premises, so one service visit takes care of the house, the car and the security of both.
Professional Locksmith Service Pricing
Locksmith service pricing in Fort Collins is quoted against the specific job before anyone starts.
Residential Locksmith Pricing
| Service | What it covers | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| House Lockout | Non-destructive entry | $55 – $145 |
| Rekeying | Per cylinder, less per unit on multiples | $25 – $45 each |
| Cylinder Change | Standard deadbolts and knob sets | $60 – $245 |
| Door Repair | Alignment, strike plates, worn cylinders | $55 – $195 |
| Deadbolt Installation | Door with no existing bore | $125 – $245 |
| Smart Entry Installation | Keypad and app-controlled hardware | $145 – $395 |
| Duplication | Standard house keys | $5 – $25 |
| Mailbox Cylinder | Swapped and keyed | $65 – $145 |
Service charge ranges vary with location, time of day and what the locksmith finds on site. Lock and security upgrades are quoted separately. Late nights, holidays and the longer runs out of Fort Collins can cost more.
Get a quote for the service you need today, call (970) 803-1100