High security · Toronto
High Security Locks
After the attempted break-in the police officer pointed at your door and said the strike plate was held by two short screws. Nobody got in, but you have looked at that door differently every evening since.
High Security Locks
In plain words
Most break-ins do not involve picking; they involve a boot, a pry bar or a key that should never have been copied. High security hardware answers all three. A deadbolt with a full one-inch throw and a hardened core resists sawing and kicking, a reinforced strike with three-inch screws keeps the jamb whole, and a patented keyway means a copy can only be made through the locksmith who holds your system. The pick, bump and drill resistance of the cylinder is the layer on top. The locksmith's job is to fit those layers to your particular door and your particular worries.
How the visit goesYou run a home office with client files and equipment, and your insurer has asked what kind of lock is on the door. The honest answer is the builder's knob lock and a light deadbolt from when the house was new.
Toronto
How the visit goes
The fit of new hardware to old doors
Older houses in this region have doors that predate modern hardware: narrower stiles, a mortise pocket already cut, a thick slab door or a steel-clad door with a specific backset. The locksmith measures the bore, backset, door thickness and edge preparation so the chosen deadbolt or cylinder fits without hacking at the door. Where a mortise lock is present, a high-security mortise cylinder often replaces the old one directly. Where a knob lock is the only lock, the assessment includes where a new deadbolt bore would sit and whether the frame can take a proper strike.
Testing the whole assembly
The finish is a methodical test. Every key is cycled in every lock from both sides, with the door open and then closed and latched. The bolt is watched entering the strike pocket to confirm it throws fully and does not drag. The door is pushed and pulled while locked to feel for play at the strike or hinges. Cylinders receive a dry lubricant approved for their mechanism. Then the locksmith walks you through the operation, the key control documents and the record of hardware fitted, so you know both how to use the door and how to order the next key.
A key plan that survives staff changes
For a business, the handover includes a key schedule showing every cylinder, every key number and who holds it. When someone leaves, their key comes back and is struck off; if it does not come back, you know exactly which doors it opened and can decide whether one cylinder or several should be repinned. Because the keyway is restricted, a departed employee cannot quietly keep a copy. New hires are issued a numbered key against a signature. The plan lives in a folder or spreadsheet, and the locksmith keeps a matching record so the two can be reconciled whenever you like.
High Security Locks
In the van
- Box strike
- Graded deadbolt with hardened bolt
- Key control authorisation card
- Pinning kit and plug follower
- High-security cylinder
What affects the quote
Same fees day, night or weekend
1Key control level
A patented keyway with authorisation cards covers most homes. Geographically exclusive keyways and signature-controlled systems for businesses carry registration and administration that show in the quote.
2Condition of the door itself
A solid door that hangs true takes hardware straight away. A dropped, swollen or hollow door may need hinge work, shimming or a recommendation to replace the slab before the lock is worth fitting.
3Glass near the lock
Sidelights or glazed panels beside the deadbolt may call for a different function or extra hardware to keep the inside turn out of reach, always keeping easy exit in view.
High Security Locks: questions
Why does the locksmith care so much about the strike plate?
Because that is where a kicked door fails. The bolt is strong, but it sits in a pocket in the jamb held by a thin plate and short screws, and a boot splits the wood around it. A reinforced strike or box strike fastened with three-inch screws into the wall framing spreads the blow along the frame. It is the least visible part of the upgrade and often the one that does the most.
Will my door look different afterwards?
Barely. A high security cylinder sits in the same place as the old one and is usually distinguished only by a different keyway shape and sometimes a hardened collar. A graded deadbolt is a standard-looking deadbolt in your chosen finish. The reinforced strike is longer than the plate it replaces and the wrap-around reinforcer, if used, shows as a neat metal band on the door edge. The difference is felt when you lock up, not seen from the street.
How long does the installation take?
A cylinder swap with new keys on one door is a short visit. A new deadbolt, reinforced strike and frame repair takes longer, and several doors keyed to a plan take longer again, mostly in bench time pinning cylinders. The locksmith gives you a realistic estimate once the doors have been looked at, because the frame condition and the door preparation matter more than the count of locks alone.
High Security Locks
High Security Locks near you
Every lock service we provide in Toronto starts with the same first step, which is looking at the door properly before deciding anything. The individual pages below explain what that look involves for each job, how the work is carried out, and what to expect from the hardware afterwards.