Lock Installation in Valley Glen, CA

What does lock installation in Valley Glen actually involve?

Lock installation means fitting a lock onto a door that has none, or fitting a different kind of lock than the one that was there. That sounds simple, and on a perfect door it nearly is. But most doors are not perfect. The bore holes may be the wrong size, the edge of the door may be chewed up from an old latch, or the frame may have shifted so the bolt no longer lands in the strike plate. The installation is the part where all of that gets sorted out so the lock works smoothly for years instead of sticking by next summer.

A properly done door lock installation covers the lock itself, the preparation of the door, the strike and frame, and a full test with the door open, closed and under normal use. Skipping any of those is how you end up with a new lock that needs a shoulder to close or a key that only turns when the door is pulled a certain way.

This page is about putting new hardware in. If your existing locks work fine but you are worried about who has keys, that is a different job, and we explain the difference below.

When is new lock installation the right call?

People call us about installation in a handful of situations, and it helps to know which one you are in, because the lighter-cost option is not always the same one.

If your locks work and you only want old keys to stop working, you probably want rekeying, not installation. If a lock is worn out, damaged or broken, you may be looking at lock replacement, which is a like-for-like swap. Installation is the right word when something is genuinely new or different about the door.

• A door has no lock at all, such as a new gate door, a converted garage, a back room or a side entry.
• You want to add a second lock above or below the existing one, such as a front door lock installation that adds a deadbolt to a door that only has a knob.
• You are upgrading from a basic knob to a lever handle set, a higher-grade security lock, or a keypad or smart lock.
• You are finishing a remodel, new door or new frame and need hardware fitted to it.
• You are a landlord or business owner setting up a new unit, office or storage room.

How do we install a lock, step by step?

The process is the same whether it is a front door or a back office, though the details change with the door. Here is what happens when we show up.

1. We look at the door first. We check what it is made of, how thick it is, whether it hangs true, and what is already drilled into it. This decides what lock will fit and what prep work is needed.
2. We talk through the options with you. If the door can take a few kinds of hardware, we explain the real differences in security, convenience and upkeep, and you choose. We do not push the most elaborate option.
3. We prepare the door. That means marking and drilling the cross bore and edge bore to the right size, or cleaning up and correcting existing holes, and setting the correct backset so the latch lines up with the frame.
4. We prepare the frame. The strike plate gets mortised in cleanly, and on a door that needs it we reinforce the area around the strike so a kick is less likely to split the jamb.
5. We mount the hardware, set the latch and bolt, and attach the trim so it sits flat and tight with no wobble.
6. We test it thoroughly. We run the key and the handle many times, close the door gently and firmly, and check that the bolt throws fully without rubbing. We adjust until it does.
7. We hand over the keys and show you how the lock operates, including any codes or settings if it is electronic. Then we clean up the shavings and dust we made.

Which lock types can we install?

Most Valley Glen calls come down to a few types of hardware. Here is how we think about each, in plain terms.

• Door lock installation for entry doors: a knob or lever set paired with a separate deadbolt is the most common setup on houses. If you only want the deadbolt, see our page on deadbolt installation.
• Lever lock installation: lever handles are easier to operate with a full hand, an elbow or an armful of groceries, and they are common on interior and commercial doors. The latch inside is the same idea as a knob, but the handle needs the right clearance and has to return properly on its spring.
• Mortise lock installation: a mortise lock sits in a deep pocket cut into the edge of the door rather than in simple round holes. Fitting one into a door that was not cut for it is careful woodworking. Replacing one in an existing pocket means matching the body to what is in the door. Some older mortise bodies are hard to source, so we check what is in the door before we promise anything.
• Security lock installation: this means higher-grade deadbolts, reinforced strikes and hardened components meant to resist drilling, picking and forced entry. We cover the options on our high-security locks page.
• Electronic and keypad locks: these suit people who are tired of keys, or who share access with family, tenants or guests. See smart lock installation for that work, including what to expect from batteries and backup keys.

What affects the cost of lock installation?

We do not quote numbers on a web page because the honest answer depends on the door in front of us. What we can do is tell you exactly what moves the cost up or down, so nothing surprises you when we give you a quote.

The hardware is the biggest variable. A basic grade lock and a high-security deadbolt are very different products, and electronic locks sit in their own category. Within each type there are budget, mid-grade and heavy-duty versions.

The door matters next. A solid, standard door that is already bored for a lock is the usually more economical route. A door that needs new holes, a hollow-core door that needs reinforcement, a metal door, a glass door or an older door with a damaged edge takes more work. Mortise work is its own skill and generally takes longer than a standard bore.

The number of locks counts, though doing several doors in one visit usually makes better use of the trip. The frame matters too: a cracked or loose jamb should be fixed or reinforced, or the best lock in the world will not hold.

Finally, the time and place can affect the price. A scheduled visit during the day is a different situation from a late-night call. We tell you what applies before we start work, and you decide whether to go ahead.

Residential and commercial lock installation: what is different?

Residential lock installation usually means keyed entry sets, deadbolts and the occasional smart lock, fitted to wood or metal doors in houses and apartments. The goal is solid security with everyday convenience, and often a finish that matches the other hardware in the home.

Commercial lock installation comes with a different set of demands. Doors get used far more often, so the hardware has to hold up to constant cycling. Fire-rated doors have rules about what can be cut into them. Offices and shops often need keys organized by who may open what, and some doors need exit hardware that lets people out without a key. If your job is a shop, office or similar, our commercial locksmith page goes into that side in more detail.

Either way, the preparation work is the same craft. A lock that is square, tight and correctly aligned lasts. One that is forced in lasts a season.

How does lock installation work in Valley Glen specifically?

Valley Glen is mostly postwar housing. Single-family tracts from the 1940s and 50s make up most of the neighborhood, and apartment buildings are concentrated along Victory and Vanowen. The neighborhood was carved out of Van Nuys and North Hollywood in the late 1990s, so its housing and hardware profile matches those older postwar areas. In practice, that means many doors here are decades old. An old door can be a fine door, but it often has been drilled, patched and re-drilled by several owners, and we plan for that when we prep it for new hardware.

Heat is the other local factor. The central valley floor has hot, dry summers, and the main seasonal issue is heat-driven expansion of doors and weatherstripping. A lock fitted tightly in cool weather can start to bind when the door swells in July. We check the door's fit and clearance, and we do not set the latch so tight that it will fight the frame in the heat.

Here is how it plays out across the neighborhood:

• Around the Los Angeles Valley College district, student rentals are a regular reason for calls. A landlord or tenant who finds a missing or poorly fitted lock on a bedroom, side door or entry will want new hardware fitted properly. Our page for landlords covers managing locks across several units.
• Along the Victory Boulevard corridor, apartment buildings mean entry doors, unit doors and shared-area doors that may need new hardware, and the work often needs coordinating with a manager.
• Across the postwar tracts in ZIP codes 91401, 91405 and 91606, one common trigger is a home purchase. New owners often rekey first, but many also find a door with no deadbolt or a worn-out knob set and want new locks installed in the same visit.
• Properties backing the Tujunga Wash Greenway corridor often have gates and outbuildings. Gate and padlock work is a different kind of job, but we are happy to look at it while we are there. Other parts of the neighborhood, including the Burbank Boulevard and Oxnard Street corridors and the Fulton Avenue area, are all within our regular service area.
• Our storefront is at 10740 Wilshire Blvd in Westwood, about 13 miles away, and our mobile locksmith vans bring the tools and a stock of hardware to your door.

Why call Wilshire Lock & Key for your installation?

We have been in business since 1987. That is a long time to see every kind of door, and it shows in how we approach a job: look first, prep carefully, test thoroughly.

We are one company with a storefront in Westwood and our own mobile vans. When you call (213) 577-1366, you reach us, not a dispatch middleman who sends whoever is free. David, the owner and lead technician, oversees our work and the standards we hold it to.

We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year. Most installations are scheduled, but a break-in, a damaged door or a broken latch does not wait for business hours, and neither do we.

One more thing worth saying. California requires locksmith companies to hold a license from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, known as a BSIS LCO license. Ask any locksmith you are thinking of hiring, including us, for their license number, and check it. It is a reasonable question and a good company will answer it without fuss.

How should you prepare before we arrive?

A little preparation makes the visit shorter and the result better.

• Know which doors need work and what you want from each one: more security, easier use, a different look, or a shared-access system.
• Clear the area around the door so we can get at it and the frame.
• If you already bought hardware, tell us the brand and model. We will check that it suits the door, and we will say so if it does not.
• If the door sticks or has been rubbing, mention it. Fixing the door often matters more than the lock.
• If you are a tenant, check with your landlord or property manager before changing locks, since many leases have rules about it.
• Have the existing keys handy. Even if you are replacing a lock, we may need to test the door with them.

More locksmith help in Valley Glen

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

Lock Installation near Valley Glen

• Van Nuys
• Valley Village
• North Hollywood
• Panorama City
• Sherman Oaks
• Lake Balboa