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 Boardman
Lock installation and rekeying in Boardman, OH typically costs between $85 and $225 per cylinder for rekeying and $150 to $400 for new deadbolt installation, depending on hardware grade, and we quote the full price in writing before we dispatch anyone. Most Boardman jobs are completed the same day, usually within two hours of arrival. If you’ve just closed on a 1960s ranch off Market Street or you’re still using the builder’s key from when your split-level went up in 1972, call Daniel Novak’s team at (331) 310-8471 and we’ll tell you exactly what it costs before the van leaves.
We know Boardman’s housing stock. We know the hollow-core garage doors. We know what freeze-thaw does to a deadbolt throw in February. That local knowledge is why homeowners call us instead of a generic dispatch service.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Boardman’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Novak Lock & Security has been doing Lock Installation & Rekey work since 2002, and the Boardman calls we take follow a pattern that hasn’t changed in two decades: a homeowner just bought a ranch built during the Kennedy administration, the locks still match the builder’s master key, and there’s a hollow-core door off the garage that has never had a deadbolt. We’ve addressed that exact scenario more times than we can count across Boardman.
Our technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and they work to The Haven Standard, a documented quality framework with a specific rule that matters to Boardman homeowners: Haven Standard Clause 1 states that the price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. The dispatcher gives you a firm number. The technician is not permitted to change it at the door. That rule has been in place since 2002, and it applies to every lock installation, rekey, and emergency call we run in Boardman.
We also leave a documented photo record on every visit: the existing hardware before we touch it, the new cylinder or deadbolt after installation, the keyway, the strike plate alignment. You get the photos when the job is done. Not as an add-on. As standard procedure. Every job is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not done right, we make it right.
Dispatch for Boardman is coordinated from our Cleveland office, but the crew that shows up at your door knows Market Street, knows the ranch-lot cadence of neighborhoods like Glenwood and Forest Garden Estates, and knows that a Boardman winter will find the weak point in any lock installation done in July. That local fluency is the difference between a lock that works for a season and a lock that works for a decade.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Boardman
Smart Lock Installation
Smart lock installation in Boardman runs $175 to $425 including hardware configuration and app pairing. We install Yale, Schlage Encode, and Baldwin smart deadbolts on 1950s and 1960s ranch doors regularly, and the usual issue isn’t the lock itself-it’s the door frame. Decades of Mahoning County freeze-thaw heave means the strike plate has drifted, and a smart lock’s motorized throw will bind where a manual deadbolt would just feel stiff. We re-align the frame before we mount the lock, then calibrate the throw so the motor isn’t fighting the door every time you lock it from your phone.
We also configure the lock to work with any existing keypad or bridge system you already have, so you’re not juggling three apps to get into your own kitchen.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry installation for a Boardman split-level front door typically runs $200 to $380. We install keypad deadbolts and touchscreen entry systems with firmware updates applied on site, and we walk you through programming your own codes before we leave. If your 1970s split-level has an existing alarm panel with a Z-Wave hub, we can tie the keyless entry to that system so one code arms the alarm and unlocks the door.
One thing we flag on nearly every Boardman keyless install: the garage interior door. A keypad on the front door doesn’t matter if someone can punch through the hollow-core door off the attached garage. We’ll recommend hardening that door as part of the job, and quote it separately so you see exactly what each piece costs.
Keypad Lock
Keypad lock replacement or new installation in Boardman costs $150 to $325 depending on whether we’re replacing an existing keypad deadbolt or converting a knob-lock-only door to a keypad deadbolt setup. Most Boardman ranch homes from the 1960s still have knob-lock-only entry hardware on side doors and garage service doors. Those doors need a bored hole upgrade to accept a deadbolt, which we do on site with the right jigs and a clean finish.
We stock keypad deadbolts from Schlage and Kwikset locally, which means no waiting on a parts order when your keypad dies on a Friday night in January. We can usually swap a failed keypad deadbolt the same day you call.
Biometric Lock
Biometric lock installation in Boardman runs $250 to $500. Fingerprint deadbolts and smart biometric handles work fine in Northeast Ohio, but cold-weather finger moisture and dry winter skin can reduce sensor accuracy on some models. We recommend models we’ve tested in Boardman’s January conditions, not whatever ranks highest on a national retail site. We install the hardware, enroll your fingerprints, and test the reader with cold hands before we call the job done.
Biometric locks on Boardman homes are most common on interior doors: home offices, gun safes, basement entries. We’ll tell you honestly whether a fingerprint reader is the right tool for your door or whether a high-security cylinder from Mul-T-Lock would serve you better.
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 Boardman
We’re factory-authorized for Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, Sargent, Medeco, Abloy, and Schlage, and we stock cylinders, key blanks, and strike hardware for those brands so Boardman customers aren’t waiting on a parts shipment from out of state. That matters when you have a worn Baldwin mortise lock on a 1960s custom home and the cylinder needs to be replaced, not just rekeyed. We carry what we need to finish the job the first trip. If you’re upgrading to high-security cylinders-locks that cannot be picked or bumped by standard tools-we’ll quote the Mul-T-Lock or Medeco option in writing alongside the standard option, so you can see the price difference before you decide.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Boardman Homes
- Worn original keyways on 1950s knob-lock-only entries. The cylinders in these locks have been in service since Eisenhower, and the pins are so sloppy that a blank key can sometimes jiggle the plug. Rekeying a cylinder that worn is a waste of money. It needs a new cylinder, which we install and key to match your existing keys if you want consistency.
- Freeze-thaw heave along the Youngstown border shifting door frames. Every January and February we get calls from Boardman homeowners whose deadbolt throw suddenly won’t engage. The issue isn’t the lock; it’s the frame. We re-align the strike plate or mortise the pocket deeper, then verify the bolt throws clean in both winter and summer positions.
- Hollow-core garage interior doors with no deadbolt. This is the Boardman pattern we see more than any other. The attached garage door to the house is hollow-core, carries a passage knob, and can be defeated with one kick. We install an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt on that door as a default part of any whole-home rekey or lock hardening job, and we tell you the cost up front.
- Builder’s keys still in circulation on homes sold in the last decade. Even on newer construction near Southern Park, we find that the builder’s master key still opens the front door because nobody rekeyed after closing. Construction crews, subcontractors, and real estate agents all had access to that key. A rekey takes 20 to 30 minutes per cylinder and makes every old key useless immediately.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Boardman, OH
Rekeying in Boardman runs $85 to $125 for the first cylinder and $25 to $40 for each additional cylinder on the same visit. Deadbolt installation runs $150 to $400 depending on whether we’re installing a standard single-cylinder deadbolt, a double-cylinder deadbolt, or an ANSI Grade 1 high-security deadbolt from Baldwin or Mul-T-Lock. Smart lock installation runs $175 to $425. Keypad and keyless entry conversions run $150 to $380. Key duplication runs $5 to $15 per key for standard blanks and $15 to $40 per key for restricted or high-security blanks.
The price we quote on the phone is the price you pay. No call-out fee added on arrival. No upsell at the door. The technician brings a written scope of work, and the invoice matches the quote. If you have a competitor’s written estimate, we’ll review it at no charge and tell you honestly whether the hardware grade and labor scope are comparable. Call (331) 310-8471 for a free estimate before you schedule anything.
We Also Serve Cities Near Boardman
While this page covers Lock Installation & Rekey in Boardman specifically, our technicians also run calls to Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo when the job warrants the trip. If you own property in multiple Ohio cities or you’re coordinating work for a family member elsewhere in the state, one call to (331) 310-8471 covers the scheduling.
Serving Boardman, OH - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Boardman 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 Boardman
Yes, rekeying replaces the pin and tumbler stack inside the cylinder so the old key physically cannot turn the plug anymore. We also check whether the cylinder itself is too worn to rekey properly-on 1960s original hardware, the answer is often yes-and we’ll quote you for a cylinder replacement instead of wasting money on a rekey that won’t hold tolerance. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll walk you through what your specific lock needs before anyone is dispatched.
You should replace it. A rekey only changes the key, but a hollow-core door with a passage knob is a security gap no rekey can fix. We install an ANSI Grade 1 deadbolt on that door, which requires boring the door and jamb if the original build didn’t include a deadbolt prep. That’s the highest-value security upgrade on any mid-century Boardman ranch, and we quote it as a separate line item so you see exactly what it costs. Call (331) 310-8471 for a written price.
Freeze-thaw cycles heave exterior door frames in Boardman by as much as an eighth of an inch between January and April, which is enough to bind a deadbolt throw that was perfectly aligned when installed in warm weather. We factor that movement into every exterior lock installation by setting the strike plate with adequate clearance and verifying the bolt throws clean under both compressed and expanded frame conditions. If your deadbolt has started jamming in winter, the fix is usually frame realignment, not a new lock. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll diagnose it over the phone.
Yes, in most cases. We install smart locks from Yale, Schlage, and Baldwin that communicate over Z-Wave, Zigbee, or Wi-Fi, and we can pair them with your existing keypad or bridge hub if the protocols match. We’ll tell you up front whether your current system is compatible or whether you’ll need a new hub, and we’ll quote the full cost in writing before anything gets ordered or installed. Call (331) 310-8471 for a compatibility check.
No. If the keyway is loose enough that a flathead screwdriver can move the plug, the cylinder is beyond rekeying and needs replacement. Rekeying only changes the internal pin arrangement; it does nothing to restore a worn cylinder bore. We’ll replace the cylinder with new hardware keyed however you like, and the old keys become useless the moment the new cylinder goes in. Call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll quote the replacement cost before we schedule the trip.
Call Daniel Novak’s team at Novak Lock & Security today at (331) 310-8471 for a free, written estimate on any lock installation, rekey, or security upgrade in Boardman. We answer the phone, we quote the price, and the price on the phone is the price on the invoice. No exceptions. It’s been that way since 2002.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Boardman since 2002.