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 Potomac
Lock installation and rekeying in Potomac typically costs $95 to $185 per cylinder for standard hardware, or $180 to $340 per lock for high-security cylinders with restricted keys. Most jobs are completed within one to two hours on the first visit. We answer calls around the clock at (331) 310-8471, and the price we quote on the phone is the price on the invoice-that’s Haven Standard Clause 1, and it has not changed since 2002.
Potomac is not a typical suburban market. The homes we work in off River Road, Bradley Boulevard, and Democracy Boulevard are often estate-scale properties with multiple structures, motorized gates, and hardware that a standard locksmith rarely stocks. We do. Our technicians arrive in uniform, background-checked, and carrying everything from Kwikset replacement cylinders to Mul-T-Lock restricted blanks. You get a written price before any work starts and a documented photo record when we leave.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Potomac’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Novak Lock & Security has been installing and rekeying locks since 2002, and the work in Potomac is distinct from what we see a few miles east in Bethesda or south in Rockville. The properties are larger, the hardware is frequently high-security or smart-enabled, and the expectation is that one technician can handle both a mechanical rekey and an electronic access-control programming task on the same visit. That combination drives our training and our van stock.
Daniel Novak built the company around a single rule: the dispatcher quotes a firm price, and the technician is not permitted to change it at the door. That rule predates the online-review era and it is why Potomac homeowners-many of whom read the three-star reviews before calling-keep our number. Every visit ends with a photo record of the hardware we touched, a written summary of what we did, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if it is not done right, we make it right.
We serve all of Potomac, from the 20854 corridor up through the communities near Persimmon Tree Road and Brickyard Road, over to the estates off Falls Road. Response time is typically 45 to 75 minutes for emergency lockout and rekey work, depending on time of day and traffic on River Road. Scheduling and dispatch are coordinated from our Washington, DC office; the crews are local to Potomac and know the streets, the gate systems, and the hardware.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Potomac
Smart Lock Installation
Smart lock installation in Potomac usually means integrating a Yale Assure or Schlage Encode deadbolt with an existing alarm panel, a Z-Wave hub, or a HomeKit setup. The houses here are rarely starting from zero-many already have a monitored alarm or a whole-home automation system, and the lock has to talk to it. We install and program the lock, pair it to your hub, and verify the mechanical fit on doors that are often thicker than standard. Potomac’s climate matters here: humidity causes wooden doors to swell, and a smart lock that fits tight in March may bind in August. We check the throw and alignment before we leave the driveway.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry for Potomac properties often means more than a front-door keypad. It means the motorized driveway gate at the street, the pedestrian gate, the front door, the garage entry door, and the pool house-all on one credential or code system. We design keyless entry around the way you actually move through the property. A typical Potomac installation runs $220 to $390 per entry point for hardware and programming, quoted in writing before we start.
Keypad Lock
Keypad locks on detached garages and pool houses are one of the most common service calls we get in Potomac. The freeze-thaw cycles seize the exterior cylinders, and summer humidity corrodes the battery contacts. We replace failed keypads with units rated for exterior exposure, and we rekey the mechanical cylinder at the same time so the property remains on one key system. Rekeying a keypad lock cylinder runs $95 to $150; replacing the full keypad runs $180 to $280.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks are still a niche product, but Potomac has more of them than any market we serve in Maryland. Homeowners who want a fingerprint-based entry on a wine room, a home office, or a gun safe call us for installation and ongoing maintenance. Biometric hardware runs $350 to $650 per door, installed and programmed. The sensors need periodic recalibration, and we include that service call at no cost under the 365-Day Done Right Promise if it is needed in the first year.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Potomac
We are factory-authorized on Mul-T-Lock, Medeco, and Baldwin hardware, and we carry parts for Yale and Schlage on the van. That matters in Potomac because we can often repair or rekey a high-security lock the same day without ordering a cylinder from a distributor. If you have a Mul-T-Lock key that cannot be copied at a hardware store and need more copies, we can cut them from the restricted blank and document each duplicate against your key control card. Key duplication for restricted keys runs $18 to $45 per key, depending on the keyway.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Potomac Homes
- Original builder-grade hardware with no key control. The mid-1970s to early-2000s custom homes in Potomac were typically built with Schlage or Kwikset cylinders that can be duplicated at any kiosk. Owners discover this only after a contractor, housekeeper, or former employee returns without permission. Rekeying to a restricted keyway-where only you can authorize copies-is the fix, and it runs $180 to $340 per cylinder.
- Freeze-thaw seized exterior keypads. Maryland winters freeze moisture inside the keypad housing on ornamental iron gates, and summer humidity corrodes the contacts. The gate keypad is often the first point of entry on a Potomac property, so when it fails, the whole access pattern breaks. We replace or rekey the keypad and restore the gate’s programming without damaging the gate structure.
- Multi-point mortise locks on tall custom doors that bind seasonally. Potomac’s humidity cycle causes the doors to expand, the multi-point mechanism to misalign, and the deadbolt to stop throwing fully. The door looks locked; the deadbolt is not engaged. We realign the strike points, lubricate the gearbox, and re-seat the cylinder so the lock actually throws.
- Multiple structures on one property with mismatched hardware. A main house, a pool house, a detached garage, and a carriage house are common on Potomac’s two-acre-plus lots. Each structure often has a different brand of lock and a different key. We consolidate them under one master key system, so one key opens everything-or one code does-depending on how you want access to work.
We recently rekeyed a mid-1990s custom estate off River Road, upgrading original Kwikset deadbolts on the main house, pool house, and detached garage to a single Mul-T-Lock master key system with bump-resistant cylinders. The homeowner, a government attorney, also needed the keypad on the motorized driveway gate reprogrammed to accept a transponder key for the same restricted keyway-so our tech handled the pin-and-tumbler rekey of all three structures and the gate’s electronic access in one non-destructive service call.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Potomac, MD
Here is what you should expect to pay in Potomac, in writing, before we dispatch anyone:
- Standard rekey, per cylinder: $95 to $150
- High-security rekey to a restricted keyway (Mul-T-Lock, Medeco), per cylinder: $180 to $340
- New deadbolt installation, standard grade: $140 to $220 per lock
- Smart lock installation including programming: $220 to $390 per lock
- Master key system design for multiple structures: $300 to $600 for system design, plus per-cylinder rekeying
- Key duplication for restricted keys: $18 to $45 per key
These are honest ranges. The exact price depends on the cylinder type, the number of locks, and whether we are integrating with a gate or alarm system. What does not change is the price itself: the number we quote on the phone is the number on the invoice. No technician has the authority to add a call-out surcharge or a “door assessment fee.” Call (331) 310-8471 for an exact quote-estimates are free, and we will email you a written copy before we schedule the work.
We Also Serve Cities Near Potomac
While this page covers Lock Installation & Rekey in Potomac, our crews also handle regular work in Rockville, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, and Germantown. If you are in a neighboring community and need our Lock Installation & Rekey team, the same written-price rule and 365-Day Done Right Promise apply everywhere we go.
Serving Potomac, MD - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Potomac 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 Potomac
Yes. We design and install master key systems for multi-structure Potomac properties routinely. The system is built around a restricted keyway-typically Mul-T-Lock or Medeco-so no one can copy a key at a hardware kiosk. You get a key that opens everything, plus sub-keys that open only specific structures. Design and setup runs $300 to $600, plus $180 to $340 per cylinder. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll walk the property before quoting.
Yes, but rekeying alone does not solve key control. The original Kwikset cylinder itself still accepts the unrestricted blank, so a rekey only changes who has a physical key today; it does not prevent future unauthorized copies from being made from any existing key. To fully restrict duplication, we replace the cylinders with Mul-T-Lock or Medeco high-security cylinders, which cannot be duplicated without your authorization card. That runs $180 to $340 per cylinder. If you want to stay on the original hardware for now, a standard rekey is $95 to $150 per cylinder and is a reasonable interim step. Call (331) 310-8471 with the brand and number of locks and we’ll give you an exact written quote.
Yes, and this is exactly the kind of work we do most often in Potomac. A single visit often includes rekeying the front door to a restricted keyway, reprogramming the motorized gate keypad to accept a matching transponder key or credential, and servicing any outbuilding locks on the same key system. You do not need two separate contractors. The written quote covers all of it before the technician arrives. Call (331) 310-8471 to schedule; estimates are free.
Tall custom French doors are the weakest point on many Potomac homes because the standard top and bottom pins can be popped with a pry bar. The proper fix is a multi-point mortise lock that throws into the head jamb and the threshold, not just the side jamb. We install and service Baldwin and multi-point systems on Potomac doors routinely, and the seasonal humidity expansion is a known factor in this area-we align the lock to account for it. Installation runs $350 to $700 per door depending on the existing prep. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll look at the doors in person before quoting.
Yes. We install and program smart locks that pair with Z-Wave, Zigbee, HomeKit, and most major alarm panels. The rekey is done at the same time, so the physical cylinder and the electronic credential work together. In Potomac, many homes already have a monitored alarm or a whole-home automation system, so we build the lock integration around what is already in place, not a parallel system. Smart lock installation with programming runs $220 to $390 per lock, plus the rekey cost if the cylinder is being changed. Call (331) 310-8471 for a written quote based on your specific alarm panel.
If you need lock installation or rekeying in Potomac-whether it is a single deadbolt or a master key system across six structures-call (331) 310-8471. A live person answers, day or night. You will get a firm written price before we dispatch, and that price will not change at the door.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Potomac since 2002.