Non-destructive entry first, always - and we re-key Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin locks on the spot while you watch
You get a price before we start. It does not change when we arrive. No surprises.
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Rekey Locks Across San Mateo
Rekeying a lock in San Mateo typically costs $95 to $165 for the first lock and $20 to $35 for each additional lock keyed to the same key. Most rekey jobs in San Mateo take 30 to 60 minutes once our technician arrives. We serve every neighborhood from Baywood to Shoreview, and we give you a written price before any work starts so you know the number won’t move when we get there. Call (956) 275-7388 and a live person answers, day or night.
What makes San Mateo different is the housing stock. A lot of what we rekey here isn’t the standard bored deadbolt you find in newer tracts. It’s mid-century ranch and Eichler-style hardware that needs a different approach, and we’ll explain exactly what that means before we touch your lock.
Why Ridley Locksmith & Security Is San Mateo’s Preferred Rekey Locks Company
Ridley Locksmith & Security operates under The Garrison Standard, which is the reason our Rekey Locks work carries a written guarantee covering every job for one full year. We’re part of the Garrison Partners family and have been since 2007. The Standard isn’t a slogan. It’s a set of rules our technicians answer to: written price before work starts, background-checked and uniformed on every call, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise, which means if the repair fails inside a year we come back and fix it at no charge.
San Mateo homeowners have told us about locksmiths who quote a low number on the phone and then show up with a different invoice. That’s exactly the pattern we won’t repeat. Drew Kowalski leads our team, and the person who answers your call at (956) 275-7388 is a live dispatcher who can tell you what to expect before a technician is sent. No answering service, no call center routing you to an unknown crew.
We know the difference between a Kwikset deadbolt on a 1970s Shoreview split-level and a Schlage mortise cylinder on a 1950s Baywood ranch, because we see both on the same block. That local familiarity is what keeps a rekey from becoming a lock replacement you didn’t need.
Rekey Service in San Mateo
Rekey Service in San Mateo means changing the internal pins and springs inside a lock cylinder so the old key stops working and a new key takes its place. You keep the existing hardware. The new key is cut to match the new pin configuration. For most San Mateo homes this runs $95 to $165 for the first lock, and if you want all your exterior doors on one key, each additional lock is $20 to $35. The written price comes before we start, and it’s the price on the invoice.
Because so much of San Mateo’s housing stock is mid-century ranch and Eichler-style homes, many original entry doors still carry a single-cylinder mortise lock with a rim or mortise cylinder rather than the modern bored deadbolt. These older cylinders often use different pin lengths and cam shapes than current stock, so a proper rekey here means matching the cylinder’s vintage rather than assuming a swap-and-go with standard Schlage or Kwikset pins. We carry a full pin kit and spare cylinders for exactly this situation.
When a San Mateo homeowner needs a rekey
The most common reasons we get called in San Mateo are a rental turnover, a new home purchase, a lost key, a roommate or tenant who moved out, or a contractor who never returned a copy. You don’t need to replace the lock. You need the key that’s out there to stop working. That’s the rekey.
How we handle older mortise and rim cylinders
We don’t assume the lock takes modern pins. On older San Mateo doors we check the cylinder’s brand, cam, and pin length before cutting anything. When a lock has been on a door since 1958, the cylinder doesn’t care what year it is now. It needs the right vintage pins, and we carry them.
Keyed Alike in San Mateo
Keyed Alike in San Mateo means setting every exterior lock in your home to the same key, so one key operates the front door, the back door, the side garage door, and the gate. This runs $20 to $35 per additional lock after the first lock’s $95 to $165 rekey, and for most San Mateo homes the entire job takes under an hour once we’re on site. The price is written before we begin.
One key for every door
If your San Mateo house has a front mortise lock and a back Kwikset deadbolt from two different decades, they can still be keyed alike. We rekey each cylinder to the same pin configuration and cut one key that turns both. The hardware stays different. The key doesn’t.
What we do when the locks don’t match
A homeowner in the Baywood/Parkside area called after a rental turnover on a 1950s ranch. The front door had a mortise lock with an old cylinder that no longer matched the back door’s Kwikset deadbolt. We brought a full pin kit and spare cylinders, rekeyed both locks to a single new key, and left the tenant with two copies. No drilling, no hardware replacement, about 40 minutes on site. That’s the standard for every Keyed Alike job in San Mateo.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Mateo
Our technicians are trained on the hardware San Mateo homes actually have. That includes Schlage and Kwikset on the vast majority of doors here, as well as Yale and Baldwin on higher-end homes and Medeco and Mul-T-Lock on commercial properties and some residential doors in the Baywood and San Mateo Park areas. We stock pins, springs, and cylinders for these brands locally, so a standard rekey doesn’t turn into a two-day wait for parts. For older Schlage mortise cylinders and Baldwin hardware, we bring the right kit on the first trip.
Common Rekey Locks Problems We See in San Mateo Homes
- Misread mortise cylinders. An older mortise or rim cylinder on a 1950s or 60s San Mateo home gets mistaken for a standard bored lock, the wrong pin lengths go in, and the key binds or won’t turn. We verify the cylinder type before cutting anything.
- Teaser pricing bait. A homeowner gets quoted $19 over the phone, then the tech arrives and adds “vintage lock” and “trip charge” fees. We don’t do that. The written price you get before dispatch is the price on the invoice.
- Wrong cylinder for the brand. A tech shows up for a Mul-T-Lock or Baldwin door without the right replacement cylinder, so the job stalls. We ask about the lock’s brand and cylinder type during the call, so the tech arrives loaded for the actual door.
- Mixed-age hardware on one house. A 1960s front door with an original mortise lock, a 1990s back door with a Kwikset deadbolt, and a new Schlage on the garage. That’s a typical San Mateo mix. We key them all alike properly, not with a half-cut compromise key.
Pricing for Rekey Locks in San Mateo, CA
In San Mateo, a standard rekey on a common bored deadbolt or knob cylinder runs $95 to $165 for the first lock. Each additional lock keyed to the same key is $20 to $35. Older mortise and rim cylinders, common on mid-century homes here, can run $120 to $195 for the first lock because the pin lengths and cam profiles differ from modern stock and we match them precisely. High-security locks like Medeco or Mul-T-Lock cost more. The exact number depends on the lock type and cylinder condition, but you get a written price before dispatch, and that price does not move when the tech is standing at your door. Call (956) 275-7388 for a free estimate. The estimate is free because the discipline is in the written price, not the phone call.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Mateo
Our San Mateo technicians also cover the surrounding Peninsula. That includes Burlingame, Belmont, Millbrae, and San Carlos. If you’re in one of those cities and need a rekey, the same written-price rule applies, and the same crew handles your call.
Serving San Mateo, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Mateo area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Rekey Locks in San Mateo
Every Ridley technician arrives in a marked van, in uniform, with a Garrison Partners ID badge you can check before they touch your lock. We’re a locally operated company led by Drew Kowalski, part of the Garrison Partners family since 2007, and we never send subcontractors. Call (956) 275-7388 and a live person in our office answers, not an answering service, so you can confirm who is coming to your San Mateo home before they leave the shop.
The old cylinder comes out, the old pins and springs are removed, and new pins sized for that cylinder’s vintage go in, then a new key is cut to match. We don’t drill unless the cylinder is seized beyond saving, and on most 1950s and 60s mortise locks in San Mateo we can rekey the existing cylinder without damaging the door or the escutcheon. The process takes about 30 to 45 minutes per lock, and you keep all your original hardware. Call (956) 275-7388 for a written quote before you schedule.
Yes. Keyed Alike service sets the front mortise lock, the back deadbolt, the garage side door, and any gate lock to the same key, even if the hardware is from different decades and different brands. The first lock runs $95 to $165, each additional lock is $20 to $35, and most San Mateo homes finish in under an hour. We confirm the written price before we start, and that’s what you pay. Call (956) 275-7388 for an exact number.
A proper rekey does not damage the lock, and we don’t know of a major brand, including Schlage, Kwikset, Yale, Baldwin, Medeco, or Mul-T-Lock, whose warranty is voided by a correctly performed rekey. If the lock has existing internal damage, we’ll show you and give you a written price to repair or replace before any extra work happens. Every rekey we do in San Mateo carries our one-year written guarantee. Call (956) 275-7388 if you have a specific lock you’re worried about.
Yes. Our technicians stock pins, springs, and replacement cylinders for standard brands like Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale, as well as high-security lines including Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Baldwin, Abloy, and Sargent. If your San Mateo door has a brand we don’t see often, we’ll ask for the lock’s make and cylinder type during the call so the right parts ride in the van on the first trip. Call (956) 275-7388 and tell us what’s on the door. We’ll give you a written price before anyone is dispatched.
Written by Drew Kowalski, Owner at Ridley Locksmith & Security, serving San Mateo under The Garrison Standard since 2007.