What does lock installation actually involve?
A new lock is not just a lock pushed into a hole. The door, the frame, the strike plate and the way the latch lines up with the jamb decide whether the hardware works smoothly for years or starts sticking the first hot week of summer. Good lock installation is mostly about reading the door correctly before any hardware comes out of the box.
People call us for a handful of reasons. Some are finishing a remodel and have bare doors with no hardware at all. Some just moved in and realize the front door has no real deadbolt. Others have a door that never needed a lock before, such as a side entry, a storage room, a back office or a gate-side door, and now does. And some are replacing hardware that has worn out past the point of repair.
It helps to know where installation ends and its neighbors begin. If a working lock is already on the door and you only want different keys, that is a lock rekey, not an installation. If you want the same kind of lock swapped for a fresh one, that falls under lock replacement. This page is about fitting new locks where they are needed, including doors that have to be prepared to accept them.
How we handle a new lock installation, step by step
Every door is a little different, so the order below matters more than any single product. David oversees how work is done at Wilshire Lock & Key, and this is the sequence we follow on a typical visit.
- Talk through the door. We ask what the door is, who uses it, whether it faces the street or a courtyard, and what has gone wrong before. A front door that guests walk through all day has different needs than a back door nobody opens.
- Inspect the door and frame. We check thickness, material, existing bore holes, how square the frame is, and whether the wood has swollen, shrunk or split. Fitting a new lock into a frame that is already out of true only moves the problem.
- Recommend hardware that suits the door. We explain the options in plain language, including the trade-offs, and let you choose. If a simpler lock does the job, we say so.
- Prepare the door. When the door needs new bore holes, a larger latch hole, a reinforced strike or a mortise pocket, we cut and fit them cleanly so the hardware sits flush and the door still closes without force.
- Install and align. The lock, latch and strike are mounted so the bolt throws fully into the frame without dragging. We keep the hardware square so it does not bind when the wood moves with the weather.
- Test every function. We run the keys, turn the thumbturn, check the latch, and operate the door from both sides several times, including with it fully closed the way it will be used.
- Hand over keys and explain the lock. You get the working keys, a clear explanation of how the hardware works, and honest advice on anything else about the door we noticed, with no pressure to buy it.
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Call (213) 577-1366Which kinds of lock installation do we do?
Most of our installation calls fall into a few groups. Here is what each one involves and when it makes sense.
- Front door lock installation: a keyed entry set or a handleset with a deadbolt, matched to the door's thickness and style. This is the most common request, and the door's condition usually matters as much as the lock.
- Residential lock installation on interior and secondary doors: bedroom privacy, home office, garage side door, and storage or utility rooms that need a key.
- Security lock installation: stronger deadbolts, reinforced strikes and longer screws that tie the lock into the framing, not just the thin door jamb. For higher-grade cylinders, see our page on high-security locks.
- Lever lock installation: lever-handle sets are easier to use with full hands, or for anyone with limited grip strength, and they are common on commercial doors and many accessibility upgrades.
- Mortise lock installation: a mortise lock sits inside a deep pocket cut in the edge of the door. We install new mortise locks where the door is already prepared for one and, where practical, work with the older mortise hardware that some pre-war doors were built around.
- Commercial lock installation: keyed storefront locks, office doors, back-of-house doors and exit hardware, set up so staff can use them all day.
- Add-on deadbolts and smart locks: a single-cylinder deadbolt is covered on our deadbolt installation page, and electronic and keypad options on our smart lock installation page.
How much does lock installation cost in San Fernando?
We do not quote numbers on a web page, because the honest answer depends on the door. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost up or down so there are no surprises when we give you a figure on the phone or at the door.
The lock itself is the first factor. A basic grade keyed lever costs less than a heavy-duty deadbolt, a mortise body, or a commercial grade lock with a rated finish. Brand and finish matter too, and a matching set for a visible front door is not the same as a utility lock for a back room.
The second factor is door preparation. If the door already has the right holes, installation is quick. If the holes need to be cut, enlarged or repaired, if the edge needs to be mortised, or if the frame needs reinforcement, there is more labor. Older wood doors and frames that have moved over the years tend to need more care than a new prehung door.
The third factor is the number of doors and the timing. Several doors on one visit are usually the more economical route than separate trips, and work outside regular hours, at night or on a holiday, is priced differently from a planned daytime job. Distance plays a small part as well, since San Fernando is about 23 miles from our Westwood storefront.
A good habit with any locksmith is to ask what is included before work begins: the lock, the door preparation, the keys, and the labor. We tell you the total before we start, and we stop and talk to you first if the door turns out to need more than expected.
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We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366What should you know about installing locks on San Fernando's older homes?
San Fernando is a compact, independent city of about 2.4 square miles, and much of it is early-1900s bungalows, Spanish-style cottages and postwar homes on small lots, with small apartment buildings closer to the downtown mall. A lot of those homes still carry their original door hardware. That is charming until the old lock is the only thing standing between the street and the living room.
In the Las Palmas Park area and the streets around Recreation Park and Pioneer Park, we see the kind of doors that call for a thoughtful install: solid old wood, sometimes with a single worn latch and no deadbolt at all. Cutting a new bore into a door that has stood since before the war takes a steady hand. We measure carefully, keep the drill square and avoid splitting the stile, because a cracked old door is much harder to fix than a lock is to fit. If you are not sure whether the existing hardware is worth keeping, we can walk through it and tell you plainly. Where it is worth saving, we will often recommend a lock rekey for keys and a new deadbolt for strength, and leave the character of the door alone.
Security screen doors are also a common retrofit on pre-war stock here, and the lock on a screen door is its own small job. Screen door frames are thin, so the lock has to be chosen to fit the frame and still catch cleanly. A screen door lock is only as strong as what it is screwed into, so we are honest about what it can and cannot do, and we make sure it does not interfere with the main door behind it.
Climate shapes the work too. Hot northeast-Valley summers expand wood doors and frames, so a lock that is tight in winter can bind in August. We leave the clearances correct for that movement. Santa Ana wind events push dust into exterior cylinders, so on doors that face the wind we choose hardware and finishes that cope with grit. Winters are mild with little corrosion risk, so we are not choosing finishes to fight salt or constant damp.
Whether you are in 91340 near the Civic Center area, close to San Fernando City Hall, or on a quiet residential block, the approach is the same: fit the lock to the door, not the other way around.
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We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366Can you install commercial locks along Maclay Avenue and the mall?
Yes. Storefronts line Maclay Avenue, Truman Street and San Fernando Road, and the San Fernando Mall is the center of the downtown shopping district. Businesses there run on doors that open and close all day, so commercial lock installation is a different job from a house. The hardware has to handle heavy daily use, be easy for staff to operate, and still lock firmly at closing time.
For a new tenant moving into a space, the usual first step is to install fresh locks on the front, back and any office or stock-room doors so that no former tenant or employee holds a working key. For a business that is opening, expanding or remodeling, we install lever sets, deadbolts and keyed locks on new doors, and we can set up a single key to operate several of them. Larger setups with tiered access are covered in our commercial door hardware work.
Exit doors are a special case. If a door has to open quickly from the inside for safety, the right hardware is a push bar, not a simple deadbolt, and that is its own installation. Our panic bar installation page explains what is involved. We will tell you if the door you want to lock down should not be locked down with a keyed deadbolt on the inside.
Because we are one company, with no dispatch middleman, the person who talks to you about the door is the same company that comes to fit it. For a shop that cannot afford to close for long, that makes planning the install around your hours much simpler.
Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for a new lock?
We have been in business since 1987, and that is a long time to see what happens to locks, doors and the people who rely on them. We run a storefront at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, with mobile service vans that carry hardware and tools to your door, and we serve 140 cities across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, San Fernando among them.
We are one company. When you call (213) 577-1366, you are reaching us, not a call center that sells your job to whichever contractor picks it up. The phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, so if a break-in has damaged a door at midnight and you need a new lock fitted so the place can be secured, someone answers.
David, the owner and lead technician, oversees the work. That matters on installation more than almost any other service, because the quality is in the details: how square the bore is, how the strike is set, whether the door closes easily in hot weather. Nobody sees those details after we leave, so the standards have to be there in how we work.
We also try to be straightforward about what you actually need. If one good deadbolt is enough, we will not suggest three. If the door is the real weakness, we will say so. For a visit that needs the van to come to you, our mobile locksmith service is how we handle it.
Locked out or need a locksmith now?
We answer around the clock, every day of the year.
Call (213) 577-1366How do you choose a locksmith for an installation?
A new lock protects whatever is behind the door, so it is worth choosing who fits it with some care. California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), known as an LCO license. Ask any locksmith for that license number before they start work, and check it with the state if you want to be sure. That applies to us as well as anyone else you call.
Beyond the license, watch for a few things. Ask for a total, or at least a clear explanation of how the total is built, before work begins. Be cautious of anyone who will not tell you the company name on the phone or who quotes a very low figure and then changes it at the door. Be wary of a locksmith who recommends drilling out a good lock when a simpler fix exists.
When you are comparing, ask what hardware will be installed and who makes it, whether the door will be prepared or modified, and whether you will receive all the keys. A reputable company will answer plainly.
How to get ready for your installation visit
You do not need to do much, but a few things make the visit go smoothly and can help us bring the right hardware on the first trip. Describe the door when you call: whether it is wood, metal or glass, interior or exterior, and roughly how thick it is. If you have a lock in mind, tell us the brand or model. If you already bought the hardware, keep the box and the template, since the paperwork inside helps with a correct fit.
Clear the area around the door so we can work, and let us know if the door sticks, drags or does not close properly. We would much rather hear about a swollen door or a loose frame before we start than discover it halfway through. If the building is an apartment, check whether the landlord or manager needs to approve changes first. And if you want all the new locks keyed alike, say so at the beginning, because that affects which locks we choose.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between lock installation and lock replacement?
Installation means fitting a lock where there is none, or adding hardware to a door that must be prepared for it. Replacement means taking out an existing lock and putting in a new one in the same place. The work overlaps, and if you are unsure which you need, describe the door and we will sort it out. Our page on lock replacement covers swap-outs in detail.
Can you install a lock on a door that has never had one?
Yes. We drill the bore holes, cut the latch and strike mortises, set the hardware and align it. The main thing we check first is the door's material and thickness, since hollow, thin or very old doors need different handling. We will tell you if a door is not suited to the lock you want.
Do you install locks on older wood doors in San Fernando?
Yes. Many San Fernando homes are early-1900s bungalows and cottages with original wood doors and hardware. We work carefully on those, measure before drilling, and tell you honestly whether the existing hardware is worth keeping or the door needs a more modern lock.
Can you fit a mortise lock?
We can install mortise locks where the door is prepared for one, and we can work with some older mortise hardware. The lock sits in a pocket cut into the door's edge, so the door has to be thick enough and in sound condition. We confirm what is possible when we see the door.
Do you do commercial lock installation for San Fernando businesses?
Yes. We fit keyed locks, deadbolts, lever sets and related hardware on storefronts, offices and back-of-house doors. Exit doors may need push-bar hardware instead of a plain lock, and we will say so. See our commercial door hardware work for larger jobs.
Will the new lock match my existing keys?
It can, if the new hardware is keyed to match. If you want several doors on one key, tell us when you call so we choose locks that allow it. Otherwise each new lock typically comes with its own keys.
Can you install a new lock at night or on a weekend?
Yes. Our phone at (213) 577-1366 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round. Work outside regular hours is priced differently from a daytime appointment, and we explain the total before starting.
Do I need to buy the lock first, or do you supply it?
Either works. We can supply and fit the hardware, or install a lock you already bought. If you bought it yourself, tell us the brand and model, since not every lock suits every door, and we will let you know if something will not fit before we start.
How do I know the person installing my lock is qualified?
California requires locksmith companies to hold a BSIS LCO license, and you should ask any locksmith for the number before work starts. Also ask for a clear description of the hardware and the total cost in advance.
More locksmith help in San Fernando
Lock Installation near San Fernando
Reviewed by David, Owner & Lead Technician, Wilshire Lock & Key — in the locksmith trade since 1987.
Last updated 2026-10-11.