Should I Rekey or Replace My Locks? A Locksmith's Honest Answer

This is the single most common decision a Port St. Lucie homeowner faces after buying a house or losing track of who has keys: rekey the existing hardware, or replace it entirely? Both are legitimate answers. Neither is always right.

Rekey when the hardware is good

Rekeying re-pins your existing cylinder so old keys stop working. If your deadbolts are solid brand-name hardware (Schlage, Kwikset, Baldwin, Yale) in good working condition, rekeying is 30–60 minutes per home and dramatically cheaper than replacing.

Replace when the hardware is tired

If a deadbolt is loose in the door, corroded from salt air, over 15 years old, or a builder-grade Grade-3 lock on a home you plan to stay in, replacement is the smarter call. You are not paying for a locksmith visit twice — once to rekey a lock that then fails, and again to replace it.

Replace when you want to upgrade security

Rekeying does not turn a Grade-3 into a Grade-1. If you want real forced-entry resistance, smart-lock capability, or a keyed-alike system across the whole home, replacement is the path.

Combine both for keyed-alike

Our most common Port St. Lucie job is 'rekey what is decent, replace the two worst locks, and key everything alike so one key runs the entire house.' It is almost always the right answer.