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 Dunedin
Replacing a deadbolt or rekeying a set of locks in Dunedin, FL typically costs between $85 and $160 for a standard rekey and $120 to $280 for a new deadbolt installation, with the exact figure quoted in writing before we dispatch. That written quote is the price on the invoice. No add-on when the technician arrives, no re-negotiation at the door. We’ve worked Dunedin’s concrete-block ranches and downtown bungalows long enough to know what a salt-air summer does to a lock cylinder, and we show up prepared for it. Call (331) 310-8471 and a live person answers, 24 hours a day.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Dunedin’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Dunedin is not Clearwater. The housing stock is older, the St. Joseph Sound salt air is closer, and the seasonal rhythm of snowbirds leaving and returning every April and October creates a workload pattern that a locksmith from across the causeway simply doesn’t plan for. We do. Our technicians arrive in Dunedin carrying penetrating lubricant and replacement cylinders for 1960s Schlage B-series and Kwikset 400-series deadbolts on every truck, because we know the October to November return window produces a concentrated wave of seized cylinders on vacant properties that sat salt-blasted and untouched all summer. That’s not a guess. That’s what the call log shows, year after year.
Daniel Novak founded this company in 2002 on a single rule: written price before any work starts. The dispatcher gives you a firm number on the phone. The technician is contractually prohibited from changing it on the doorstep. That rule predates every bait-and-switch operation that gives the trade its reputation, and it hasn’t budged in over two decades. Every visit ends with a documented photo record left with you, and every job is backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If it isn’t done right, we make it right.
We also understand that Lock Installation & Rekey work in Dunedin often spans more than a front door. Acreage properties east of Belcher Road have outbuildings, gates, workshops, and pool enclosures that all need to work off the same key. Downtown bungalows on narrow lots have swollen wood frames that throw a newly installed deadbolt off by an eighth of an inch. We key everything alike in one visit when that’s what the job calls for, and we tell you what we found: the grade of the existing hardware, the condition of the cylinder, the alignment of the strike plate. Then we state what we did about it.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Dunedin
Smart Lock Installation
Installing a smart lock on a 1960s CBS ranch in Dunedin is different from doing it on a brand-new build in Tampa. The existing bore hole is often slightly undersized, the door is thicker, and the strike alignment has drifted over decades of humid summers and dry winters. We handle that. We install keypad deadbolts, Wi-Fi-enabled locks, and Bluetooth deadbolts from Schlage, Yale, and Baldwin, and we retrofit the existing bore rather than drilling new holes that weaken the door. You get the same written price before we start, and the lock is tested through at least ten full cycles before we leave.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry matters more in Dunedin than in most Pinellas towns because so many properties sit vacant half the year. A snowbird homeowner who gives a keypad code to a neighbor or a property manager doesn’t have to mail keys back and forth from Ontario or Michigan every November. We install standalone keypad deadbolts and full keyless entry systems, programmed on site, with the code changed in front of you before we leave. The old mechanical key remains as a backup on most models, which matters when a salt-corroded cylinder finally gives out and you need a fallback.
Keypad Lock
Keypad locks are the most common smart upgrade we install in Dunedin, and for a simple reason: they solve the seasonal-access problem without requiring Wi-Fi. A Schlage or Yale keypad deadbolt runs on a 9-volt battery, accepts multiple user codes, and keeps working when the internet doesn’t. For a rental turnover on a short-term lease near the Pinellas Trail, a new code per stay is simpler and more secure than rekeying the entire house between tenants. We quote a firm price per lock, and we install it the same visit.
Biometric Lock
Biometric locks, which read a fingerprint rather than a key or code, are making their way into higher-end Dunedin homes, particularly waterfront properties on the Gulf side and newer construction near the golf course. These locks use a small sensor, usually optical or capacitive, and they store a limited number of fingerprint templates locally on the lock. We install and program biometric deadbolts from Baldwin and other manufacturers, and we’re straightforward about the limitations: humid, sweaty, or wet fingers read less reliably, which matters in a Florida climate. We’ll tell you if a biometric lock is genuinely useful for your door or if a keypad deadbolt does the same job for less money. That conversation happens before you pay anything.
Key Duplication
Key duplication sounds simple until the key is a 40-year-old Schlage blank that’s worn thin enough to snap in the lock. We cut standard and high-security keys in Dunedin, including Medeco and Mul-T-Lock restricted keys that big-box stores cannot duplicate. If the original key is heavily worn, we measure it against the factory code or decode the lock itself, then cut a fresh key rather than copying a copy. That’s the difference between a duplicate that works today and one that wears the lock out faster.
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 Dunedin
We’re factory-authorized for Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, Baldwin, and Schlage, and we work on Kwikset, Yale, and everything in between. For Dunedin homeowners, that means we carry the right tailpieces, cylinders, and strike plates on the truck, not in a warehouse two days away. When a snowbird’s original Schlage B-series deadbolt seizes in November, we replace the cylinder the same visit, rekey it to the existing key or a new one, and leave a documented record of what was removed and what was installed. No second trip, no “part on order.”
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Dunedin Homes
- Seized cylinders on vacant CBS ranches. Direct exposure to St. Joseph Sound salt air corrodes brass pins, springs, and steel deadbolt bolts significantly faster here than even a few miles inland in Clearwater or Safety Harbor. A lock that turned fine when a snowbird left in April often won’t turn at all when they return in November. The fix is freeing the cylinder with penetrating lubricant and replacing the corroded pins, not drilling the lock.
- Swollen door frames in pre-1960 bungalows. The older wood-frame homes near downtown and the historic core absorb summer humidity, and the jambs swell just enough that a newly installed deadbolt throws only halfway into the strike. The lock isn’t broken. The strike plate needs to be repositioned or the jamb re-mortised, which we do as part of the installation.
- Multiple keyways on acreage properties. We regularly meet Dunedin homeowners on larger parcels whose previous owner used three different key brands across the house, the workshop, and the gate. A quick cylinder swap won’t fix that. The whole property needs a full rekey to a single keyway, and we do it in one visit, not three.
- First-generation hardware that’s finally failed. Many 1950s and 1960s CBS ranches in Dunedin still run their original Schlage or Kwikset deadbolts. After 40 to 50 years of salt air and use, the internal pins wear to the point where the key turns rough, then not at all. Rekeying a cylinder that worn is a temporary fix. Replacing the deadbolt is usually the honest answer, and we’ll tell you which one your door actually needs.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Dunedin, FL
We Also Serve Cities Near Dunedin
Our technicians cover Dunedin and the surrounding Pinellas and Hillsborough communities, including Pinellas Park, Largo, Clearwater, and Tampa. If your property sits just over the city line, call (331) 310-8471 and we’ll tell you honestly whether you’re in our service area for Dunedin and the surrounding metro. Most of the time, you are.
Serving Dunedin, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Dunedin 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 Dunedin
Why do my locks seize up every year when I return to Dunedin in November?
St. Joseph Sound salt air corrodes the brass pins and springs inside your lock cylinder while the house sits vacant from May through October. The corrosion builds up until the key won’t turn at all. We free the cylinder with penetrating lubricant, replace the corroded pins, and often recommend a cylinder replacement if the corrosion has gone too far. Call (331) 310-8471 before you leave for the summer and we can rekey or replace the cylinders so you don’t come home to a locked-out situation in November.
Can you rekey all my outbuildings, gates, and the house to one key in a single visit?
Yes. We carry enough cylinders, pins, and key blanks on the truck to rekey a full acreage property in one visit, including outbuildings, gates, and the main house. This is routine work in Dunedin, where many properties east of Belcher Road have multiple structures with different keyways installed by previous owners. We’ll quote a flat per-cylinder price on the phone, and we’ll key everything to one key or a master-key hierarchy if you need different access levels for different buildings.
What is the difference between rekeying and replacing a lock that has been exposed to salt air?
Rekeying changes the internal pins so the lock works on a new key, but it does nothing for a cylinder whose pins and springs are corroded from salt air. If the cylinder is corroded, the rekeyed lock will still turn rough and fail sooner. Replacing the lock means a new cylinder, new pins, new springs, and a fresh start. We’ll inspect the cylinder in front of you, show you the corrosion if it’s visible, and tell you which option makes sense. Often on 40 to 50-year-old original hardware, replacement is cheaper over the long run than repeated rekeying.
My key works in the front door but not the back door after the summer. Do I need new locks?
Probably not both. What you’re describing is usually a seized cylinder on the back door, which got more direct salt-air exposure than the front door, or a swollen wood frame in a pre-1960 bungalow that shifted the strike plate out of alignment. We’ll diagnose it on site: if the cylinder is seized, we free it and replace the corroded pins. If the strike is misaligned, we reposition it. You don’t need to replace both locks because one door won’t turn.
Can you install a smart lock on an old CBS home without damaging the door?
Yes. We retrofit the existing bore hole rather than drilling new holes that weaken a concrete-block door. The original 1960s bore is typically a standard 2-1/8-inch hole, which fits most modern smart deadbolts. The real work is often the strike plate, because these doors have drifted out of alignment over decades. We re-mortise the jamb if needed and test the lock through at least ten full cycles before we leave. You get a written price on the phone, and that’s the price on the invoice.
Call Novak Lock & Security for Lock Installation & Rekey in Dunedin
If you’re standing at a seized deadbolt on a 1960s CBS ranch off Michigan Boulevard, or you want every outbuilding and gate on your acreage keyed alike before the next rental turnover, call (331) 310-8471. A live person answers. You’ll get a firm written price on the phone, and that’s the price on the invoice when the technician arrives. Background-checked, uniformed, and carrying the cylinders and lubricant that Dunedin’s salt air actually requires. We serve all of Dunedin, from the historic bungalows near downtown to the acreage east of Belcher Road and the waterfront properties along the Gulf side.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, providing lock installation and rekey services to Dunedin homeowners and seasonal residents since 2002.
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