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.
Fast, Reliable Lock Installation & Rekey Across Bushwick
Lock installation and rekeying in Bushwick typically runs $95-$260 per lock depending on the hardware and the condition of the door, and most jobs are completed same-day or next-day. We work on the neighborhood’s specific stock: late-1800s brick tenements with original mortise pockets, attached rowhouses with warped original doors, and converted loft buildings with oversized steel frames that were never designed for residential locking hardware.
Novak Lock & Security has been installing and rekeying locks since 2002, and our technicians know the difference between a Bushwick tenement door that needs a mortise rebuild and one that can accept a modern cylindrical lock. Call (331) 310-8471 and you’ll get a firm price in writing before anyone is dispatched. That price is the price on the invoice. No exceptions, no arrival surcharge, no revision at the door.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Bushwick’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
We work on the doors Bushwick actually has. That means original mortise locks in tenements off Knickerbocker Avenue, surface-mount hardware on steel loft doors near the Jefferson Street L stop, and heavy-duty deadbolts on rowhouse doors along Irving Avenue. Our Lock Installation & Rekey team rebuilds mortise pockets rather than drilling through them, fabricates custom strike plates when the jamb is non-standard, and rekeys existing cylinders when the lock is sound.
Every technician who arrives in Bushwick is background-checked and uniformed, and every visit ends with a documented photo record of the work, left with you at completion. That’s not a courtesy; it’s a procedure. Daniel Novak built the company on a single rule, Haven Standard Clause 1: the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice, and the technician is contractually prohibited from changing it at the door.
Bushwick customers also get the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If a lock installation or rekey isn’t done right, we make it right, on our dime, within a year. We answer the phone with a live person around the clock, and response time to most Bushwick blocks runs 30-45 minutes for emergencies.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Bushwick

Smart Lock Installation
Smart locks on Bushwick’s older doors are rarely plug-and-play. The original mortise locks in late-1800s tenements have non-standard backset dimensions, and the converted loft doors have steel faces that require reinforcement plates before a smart deadbolt can seat correctly. We install keypad and Wi-Fi-enabled deadbolts from Schlage, Baldwin, and Mul-T-Lock, and we rekey the mechanical cylinder to match your existing key so the smart feature never locks you out of your own apartment if the battery dies.

Keyless Entry
Keyless entry in Bushwick usually means one of two jobs: retrofitting a keypad deadbolt onto a rowhouse door near Maria Hernandez Park, or installing a commercial-grade keypad system on a converted warehouse building with multiple residential units. The second job is more common here than in most neighborhoods because of the volume of loft conversions. We spec hardware rated for the door’s actual thickness and material, not the standard residential template.

Keypad Lock
A keypad lock on an original Bushwick tenement door often requires a mortise-to-cylindrical conversion plate or a full mortise replacement if the pocket is worn past saving. We’ll tell you which one applies to your door before we quote, and we’ll put the decision in writing. The price covers the hardware, the labor, and the keying to whatever keyway you already use.

Biometric Lock
Fingerprint and biometric locks make sense for Bushwick residents who don’t want to carry keys, but they introduce a failure mode worth planning for: cold. Uninsulated steel loft doors conduct freezing temperatures directly into the lock body, and some biometric scanners read poorly below 20°F. We install biometric hardware from brands we’ve tested on steel doors, and we always leave a mechanical key override rekeyed to your cylinder.

What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Bushwick
We’re factory-authorized for Mul-T-Lock and Abloy, and we stock cylinders, pins, and strike hardware for Schlage, Baldwin, and Sargent in our New York City service operation. That matters in Bushwick because the neighborhood’s lock mix is unusually varied: entry-grade Kwikset on some rowhouses, mortise hardware on tenements, commercial-grade Sargent on converted loft buildings. We carry parts for all of it, which means a rekey doesn’t stall because we have to order a specific cylinder overnight. Key duplication for standard and restricted keyways is done in-shop with same-day turnaround for Bushwick customers.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Bushwick Homes

- Worn mortise lock pockets in tenement doors. The original 1890s-1920s locks in Bushwick’s brick tenements often have slop in the pocket and a spindle that slips. Drilling through the pocket destroys the jamb; rebuilding the pocket with a fitted mortise kit preserves the door and gives a tighter lock than a cylindrical retrofit.
- Oversized steel door frames from warehouse conversions. A standard residential deadbolt in a converted loft’s steel frame will sit loose and may not engage the strike properly. We fabricate steel reinforcement plates and custom strike assemblies so the bolt throws fully and holds.
- Frozen deadbolts on uninsulated steel doors. Bushwick’s freeze-thaw cycles from November through February seize brass cylinder pins in the big steel doors that face Troutman Street and the old industrial corridors. We rekey these cylinders with cold-rated pins and lubricate the throw mechanism before the season turns.
- Freight elevator gates used as front doors. In converted factory buildings off Flushing Avenue, the original freight gate is sometimes the only access barrier. There’s no standard jamb or strike plate. We fabricate surface-mount slide bolts rated for corrugated steel and pair them with padlocks keyed to your existing cylinder.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Bushwick, NY
Here are the ranges you can expect for common jobs in Bushwick. A standard deadbolt installation runs $145-$210 including hardware and labor. Rekeying a single cylinder runs $95-$140; each additional cylinder on the same job is $25-$40. Smart lock installation runs $195-$320 depending on whether we’re retrofitting a mortise door or installing on a steel loft frame. Key duplication starts at $10 per key for standard blanks and $35-$60 for restricted or high-security blanks from Mul-T-Lock or Abloy. Custom fabrication for freight gates and non-standard steel frames is quoted per job, always in writing. Call (331) 310-8471 for a written quote. The price we give you on the phone is the price on the invoice, and no call-out surcharge is ever added on arrival.
We Also Serve Cities Near Bushwick

Novak Lock & Security serves Lock Installation & Rekey in Bushwick plus the surrounding boroughs. We cover Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the wider New York City area with the same written-price rule and 365-Day Done Right Promise. If you’re across the Brooklyn line in a nearby neighborhood, call us and we’ll quote the job the same way.
Serving Bushwick, NY - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Bushwick 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 - Lock Installation & Rekey in Bushwick

Most original mortise locks can be rekeyed if the lock body is intact and the spindle isn’t slipping. We install a new mortise cylinder in the existing pocket and key it to your existing key. If the pocket itself is wallowed out, a rebuild is usually the better move than a replacement. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll tell you which one applies to your door, in writing, before any work starts.
Yes. There’s no standard frame or strike plate on a freight gate, so we fabricate a surface-mount hasp-and-padlock assembly or a heavy slide bolt rated for the corrugated steel. The padlock is keyed to your existing cylinder so you don’t add another key to your ring. We’ll quote the fabrication cost in writing before we start.
It’s a steel-door issue and it’s concentrated in Bushwick’s converted industrial buildings, where large uninsulated steel doors conduct cold into the lock body. Brass pins contract at different rates than steel cylinders and the throw seizes. We rekey these locks with cold-rated pins and lubricate the mechanism before each winter, which prevents most freeze-lockouts from November through February. Call (331) 310-8471 to schedule a pre-winter rekey.
Usually, yes. We use a mortise-to-cylindrical conversion plate that mounts a smart deadbolt over the existing pocket without drilling through the jamb. If the pocket is too worn to anchor the plate, we’ll rebuild it first and then install the smart lock. The rebuild preserves the door rather than destroying it, and the smart lock’s mechanical cylinder is rekeyed to your existing key as part of the job.
Yes. MDL-compliant locks on converted residential units must allow egress without a key from the inside and must meet specific durability standards for multi-dwelling use. Many of the original commercial locks in Bushwick’s converted factory buildings do not comply. We install MDL-compliant hardware on the oversized steel frames and freight gates, and we document the hardware spec in the written scope so you have a record for your landlord or building management. Call (331) 310-8471 for a written assessment of your loft’s lock compliance.
Contact Novak Lock & Security in Bushwick
If you need a lock installed, rekeyed, or assessed on an original tenement door, a rowhouse, or a converted loft in Bushwick, call (331) 310-8471. You’ll speak with a live person, get a firm written price before anyone is dispatched, and the technician who arrives is background-checked, uniformed, and working under Haven Standard Clause 1. The price on the phone is the price on the invoice. Every visit ends with a documented photo record and every job is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Bushwick since 2002.







