Lock Installation in Glendale, CA

What does professional lock installation involve?

A new lock is only as good as the door it goes into. Many installation calls start with someone who bought hardware, tried to fit it, and found the latch wouldn't reach the strike, the bolt dragged, or the key only turned when they pushed the door shut with a shoulder. Lock installation is the work of fitting new hardware to a door that doesn't have it yet, or fitting a different type than the door was built for, and making it work smoothly every day.

That is more than drilling two holes. We check door thickness, bore size, backset, edge prep, the frame and the strike plate. We confirm the door hangs square, because a lock can't make up for a door that sags or rubs. Then we test the finished work with the door open, closed and under the kind of use it will actually get.

This page is about fitting new locks. If you only need the keys changed on locks you already own, that is a different and often lighter job, covered on our page about lock rekeying in Glendale. If the existing lock is worn out or damaged and you want the same position refitted, lock replacement is the better match.

Which type of lock do you need installed?

Not every door takes the same lock, and 'a new lock' means different things depending on where it goes. These are the installations we are asked for most often.

• Front door lock installation: the entry door gets the most daily use and the most scrutiny. We usually pair a handle set or lever with a separate deadbolt, and we set both so the bolt throws fully into the frame without you lifting or pulling the door.
• Deadbolt installation: a deadbolt adds a solid steel bolt that isn't spring-driven, which is why it resists forcing better than a latch alone. Details are on our deadbolt installation page.
• Lever lock installation: levers replace round knobs, are easier to use with full hands or limited grip, and are common on interior rooms, offices and many commercial doors. Function matters here. Passage, privacy, entry and storeroom sets all behave differently, and ordering the wrong function is the most common mistake we see.
• Mortise lock installation: a mortise lock body sits in a rectangular pocket cut into the edge of the door. It is found on older doors and on many commercial and storefront doors. The pocket has to match the lock body, so we match the new mortise to what the door was cut for rather than chiselling the door larger than it needs to be.
• Security lock installation: this means higher-grade cylinders, hardened components, reinforced strikes and longer screws that reach the framing. Our page on high-security locks explains what the upgrades are and who needs them.
• Commercial lock installation: grade-rated hardware built for heavy daily cycling, keyed to your business's needs, and fitted to doors that are often metal, aluminum or glass-framed rather than wood.

How do we install a lock, step by step?

Every door is a little different, but the sequence is consistent. We would rather spend an extra few minutes checking than send you back to a door that sticks.

1. We talk it through by phone: the door material, thickness, what is on it now, what you want, and who needs keys. Photos help if you can send them.
2. On site, we inspect the door and frame for sag, warping, split wood, loose hinges and a worn or misaligned strike. A lock cannot work well on a door that is out of true.
3. We settle on the lock, function, grade, finish and keying, and explain what drives the cost of the job before anything is cut.
4. We prep the door. That means marking with a template, boring the face and edge, or cutting a mortise pocket if the lock calls for one. We reuse existing holes whenever they fit, because less cutting is better for the door.
5. We fit the latch, bolt, cylinder and trim, then set the strike plate so the bolt and latch meet the frame cleanly.
6. We reinforce where it counts: a strike plate with screws long enough to reach the stud, and edge or jamb reinforcement when the wood is soft, cracked or thin.
7. We test repeatedly. The lock gets cycled with the door open and closed, every key is tried, and we check handle clearance and the way the door closes on its own.
8. We hand over the keys, show you how the lock works, and tell you how to have more keys cut later.

What affects the cost of lock installation in Glendale?

We don't post a flat figure for installation, because two doors that look alike can need very different work. What we can do is tell you honestly what moves the cost up or down, and explain it before we start.

Supplying your own hardware isn't always the more economical route. If the lock is the wrong function, the wrong backset or a grade that won't hold up on that door, you pay for the installation twice. Sometimes the lighter-cost option is to let us suggest hardware that already fits the door's existing prep.

• The lock itself: grade, brand, finish and function. A basic residential lever and a commercial-grade mortise set are very different products.
• How many doors: fitting several doors with matching hardware is usually more efficient per door than a single one-off visit.
• Door prep: reusing existing bores is quick. Boring new holes, cutting a mortise pocket or repairing a damaged edge takes more time.
• Door material: solid wood, hollow metal, fiberglass and aluminum storefront frames each need different tools and care.
• Frame and strike condition: split jambs or a loose strike need reinforcing for the lock to do its job.
• Keying: keyed-alike sets, restricted keyways and extra keys all add to the work.
• Timing and location: after-hours calls and travel from our base are part of the picture. We run mobile vans, and we will explain how that applies to your address when you call.

Lock installation across Glendale's neighborhoods and housing

Glendale has a wide mix of housing, and that shapes what an installation looks like. In Rossmoyne and Adams Hill, many homes are 1920s Spanish and Tudor revival houses. Their doors are often solid and substantial, and the main question is usually fitting modern hardware without over-cutting an older door. If the lock itself is still good and you simply want new keys, rekeying may be all you need. If you are adding a deadbolt, a new lever set or an upgraded entry lock, we fit it to what the door can take.

Up in the Glenoaks and Chevy Chase canyons, mid-century hillside houses face different conditions. The data we work from notes that Santa Ana winds and strong canyon sun dry out wood doors on hillside homes. A drying wood door can shrink, shift or warp slightly, and that changes how a bolt lines up with its strike. When we install a lock on a door like that, we check alignment and the door's movement, and we leave a little tolerance so the lock doesn't bind as the door changes through the seasons. Gate and garage entries on hillside properties, such as those in Chevy Chase Canyon, often need a new lock fitted too, and we do that as part of the same visit when it makes sense.

Montrose and Sparr Heights keep smaller cottages from the 1920s through the 1950s. These doors are often lighter than those on larger revival homes, so reinforcement is a bigger part of the job. Closer to the flatland core south of downtown, the dense apartment and condo housing sees ordinary wear rather than weather problems, so installation there is usually about replacing tired hardware and fitting new locks to doors that have simply seen a lot of use.

Near The Americana at Brand and along Brand Boulevard, high-rise and podium condo buildings have controlled-access lobbies. Fitting a lock on an individual unit door in those buildings usually means working within building rules, so check with your management or HOA about approved hardware and keying before we start. We serve Glendale's ZIP codes from 91201 through 91208, as well as 91020, and we go wherever the door is.

Residential or commercial lock installation: what changes?

Residential lock installation is mostly about the household. Who needs keys, whether you want a single entry system for several doors, and how the lock looks against the rest of your hardware all play a part. We fit front doors, back doors, side doors, patio doors and interior rooms, and we explain the options plainly.

Commercial lock installation is a different job. The hardware is rated for heavy use, the doors are often aluminum, hollow metal or glass, and the lock may need to meet exit and access requirements. The data we have for Glendale points to storefront lock service along Brand Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, and that kind of door is typical of what we mean. A shop that opens and closes its door dozens of times a day needs hardware built for that, plus keying that matches how the business really operates.

For businesses weighing which hardware fits, our page on commercial door hardware covers that side in more depth. We can also install locks outside business hours, which matters when a shop can't afford to leave the door unsecured during the day.

When is a different service the better fit?

We would rather point you to the right job than sell you the wrong one. A few situations come up often.

If you want a keypad, app or electronic lock instead of a traditional cylinder, see our page on smart lock installation. The door prep overlaps, but the setup and testing are different.

If you manage rental property and need several doors done consistently, locksmith service for landlords is built around that. If the problem is that you are locked out, a broken key, or a failing lock, the sibling pages for lockouts, key extraction and repair are the right starting point, and we can still do a fresh installation afterward if the old lock isn't worth saving.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for installation?

We have been in business since 1987, and David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work. We aren't a call center that sends your job to whoever is free. When you call (213) 577-1366, you are talking to the company that will do the job, and the phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round.

We run a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood plus mobile service vans, so we can bring the work to your door in Glendale, about 18 miles from our base. Our mobile locksmith service is how most Glendale installations get done.

• In business since 1987, serving 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
• One company from the first phone call to the finished door, with no dispatch middlemen.
• A physical storefront in Westwood as well as mobile vans.
• David's oversight on the standard of work.
• Straight explanations of what the job involves and what affects the cost.

How do you check a locksmith before they work on your door?

California requires locksmith companies to hold a Locksmith Company (LCO) license issued through the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). Whoever you hire, ask them for it before work begins, and ask who will actually be doing the work. A reputable company won't mind either question.

Before any installation, you should also expect a clear description of what is being fitted, what the work includes, and how the cost is worked out. If a company can't tell you that on the phone, or the person who arrives isn't the company you called, treat that as a warning sign.

More locksmith help in Glendale

• Change Locks in Glendale
• Deadbolt Installation in Glendale
• Gate Lock Repair in Glendale
• High Security Locks in Glendale
• Key Duplication in Glendale
• Lock Rekey in Glendale
• All services in Glendale

Lock Installation near Glendale

• Burbank
• Los Angeles
• La Cañada Flintridge
• Toluca Lake
• Pasadena
• Altadena