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 Quincy
Lock installation and rekeying in Quincy costs $75-$240 per cylinder for standard mortise work and $180-$450 for full lockset replacement, and most jobs are completed the same day we arrive. Those are real ranges for Quincy’s housing stock, not teaser figures. If you live in a 1910s-1950s triple-decker in North Quincy, Wollaston, or South Quincy, you are almost certainly running an original mortise lock that needs a different kind of attention than the deadbolts in a new Marina Bay condo. Call (331) 310-8471 and we will tell you the exact price before anyone gets in the van.
We work on locks in Quincy every week. Our team knows which buildings near the Red Line turn over tenants in September, which Squantum doors get eaten by salt air, and which mortise cylinders still have serviceable internal parts worth rebuilding rather than replacing. That local knowledge matters more than a flashy website.
Why Novak Lock & Security Is Quincy’s Preferred Lock Installation & Rekey Company
Quincy isn’t a typical suburban market. The city’s residential core still runs on original wood-frame triple-deckers and two-families built between the 1910s and the 1950s, many with the original mortise locksets still in the door. A locksmith who only installs modern cylindrical deadbolts will tell you the old lock needs to go. Sometimes that’s true. Often it isn’t. We will tell you which, and why, and what it costs either way.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey team has serviced more than 60,000 locks, keys, and systems since 2002. Every job in Quincy starts the same way: a written price before we start, and a documented photo record when we leave. The dispatcher quotes a firm number. The technician is not permitted to change it at the door. That rule has been in place since 2002 and it is the whole reason the company exists.
We answer the phone with a live person, around the clock. No queue. No callback window. When you call (331) 310-8471 from Quincy, a real human picks up and starts working your problem.
Our Lock Installation & Rekey Services in Quincy
Smart Lock Installation
We install smart locks on Quincy doors all year, but we are honest about where they belong and where they don’t. A keypad deadbolt on an interior hallway door of a Wollaston triple-decker is a good upgrade for a landlord managing turnover. A cheap big-box smart lock on an exterior door facing Quincy Bay in Squantum is a bad idea, because the non-marine cylinder will seize from salt fog within two years. We stock marine-grade cylinders for exactly that reason. Smart lock installation in Quincy typically runs $180-$380 including the hardware you choose and our labor to fit it correctly to a warped original door.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry is the most requested upgrade we hear from landlords in North Quincy and Wollaston who manage multi-unit buildings near the MBTA. The math is simple. Every tenant turnover means a rekey, and every rekey means a service call. A keyless entry system with programmable codes eliminates the rekey call entirely, because you delete the old code and issue a new one in 60 seconds. For a three-unit owner near North Quincy station, that’s three fewer locksmith visits per year. Keyless entry installation in Quincy runs $190-$420 per door, depending on the hardware grade and whether the existing mortise lock body can be reused.
Keypad Lock
Keypad locks are the middle option between a standard deadbolt and a full smart lock. You get a code, you skip the key, and you don’t need a phone app or a Wi-Fi bridge. We install a lot of keypad locks on the utility doors and rear entrances of Quincy two-families, where the main door keeps its mortise lock but the back door gets a simpler access improvement. Expect $150-$300 per door for keypad lock installation in Quincy, quoted in writing before we start.
Biometric Lock
Biometric lock installation is a specialty job, and we treat it that way. These locks read a fingerprint and release the latch, and they require precise alignment to work reliably through a Quincy winter. On a warped original door in a 1920s triple-decker, that means we may need to plane or shim the door edge before the lock will engage smoothly. It is not a drop-in product. Biometric lock installation in Quincy typically runs $280-$550 per door depending on the hardware and the condition of the door itself.
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 Quincy
We are factory-authorized for the brands Quincy homes and buildings actually run, from entry-grade Schlage and Kwikset up to Baldwin, Mul-T-Lock, and Abloy high-security cylinders. On a Wollaston triple-decker with a frozen Baldwin mortise cylinder, we order the correct Baldwin pins and springs rather than forcing generic parts into a lock that wasn’t built for them. For landlords who want a master key system across multiple units, we recommend Mul-T-Lock or Abloy cylinders because they resist picking and bumping by standard tools and give you controlled key duplication. We keep common Quincy service parts in stock, which means fewer return visits and faster completion on the day we arrive.
Common Lock Installation & Rekey Problems We See in Quincy Homes
- Mortise locks from the 1910s-1950s that modern hardware won’t replace cleanly. A new cylindrical deadbolt will not drop into an old mortise pocket without door modification, and on a warped original door that modification often causes latch misalignment. We rebuild or replace the mortise body instead of forcing a mismatch.
- Salt-corroded cylinders in Squantum and Marina Bay. Exterior lock hardware facing Quincy Bay fails well before its expected service life because pins, springs, and deadbolt bolts corrode from persistent salt air. We stock marine-grade replacement cylinders specifically because standard hardware fails within a few years in those zip codes.
- September tenant turnover across the Red Line rental stock. North Quincy and Wollaston landlords call us every September to rekey or replace locks between tenants. Many of them have now moved to master key or keyless systems so the annual scramble doesn’t repeat.
- Rekeyed cylinders with failed mortise lock bodies underneath. A landlord rekeys only the cylinder, the key works, but the deadbolt strike in the frame is broken or the lock body is corroded. The key turns and the bolt doesn’t throw. That’s a body problem, not a cylinder problem, and it needs a locksmith who can tell the difference.
Pricing for Lock Installation & Rekey in Quincy, MA
Here are the numbers for Quincy, in writing. Mortise cylinder rekey: $25-$45 per cylinder when the lock body is sound. Full mortise lock rebuild with marine-grade internals: $110-$240 depending on parts. Standard deadbolt installation on a sound door: $90-$180 including hardware. Smart or keyless lock installation: $180-$420 per door, as noted above. The price on the phone is the price on the invoice. Haven Standard Clause 1, in effect since 2002. Call (331) 310-8471 for the exact quote before dispatch. No call-out surcharge added when we arrive.
What changes the price in Quincy is the condition of the door and the existing lock body, not the time of day or how far we drove. A 1920s door with a seized mortise lock and a warped frame will cost more because the job takes longer and needs more parts. We will tell you that before we start, not after.
We Also Serve Cities Near Quincy
We serve Quincy and the surrounding communities including Braintree, Weymouth, Randolph, and Jamaica Plain. Same-day scheduling is available in most of these areas, and the same written-price rule applies no matter which town the van is heading to.
Serving Quincy, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Quincy 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 Quincy
You can rekey the cylinder on a 1920s mortise lock if the lock body itself is still sound. We open the lock, inspect the internal pins, springs, and deadbolt throw, and tell you whether a rekey is enough or whether the body has corroded to the point where replacement makes more sense. In many Wollaston and North Quincy units, the original brass faceplate and lock body are in better shape than the cylinder, and a $25-$45 rekey per cylinder is all you need. If the body is failing, we will show you the failed parts. Call (331) 310-8471 and we will give you an honest read before any money changes hands.
That is salt air corrosion from Quincy Bay, and it happens faster in Squantum than almost anywhere else in the city. Persistent salt fog penetrates the cylinder, corrodes the brass pins and springs, and eventually freezes the plug so the correct key won’t turn. Standard hardware fails within a few years in that zip code. We stock marine-grade replacement cylinders for exactly this failure mode, and we recommend them on every exterior Squantum door we service.
Yes. We install master key systems on multi-unit Quincy rental buildings regularly. The owner key opens every unit, each tenant key opens only their own unit, and when a tenant leaves we rekey that unit’s cylinder without touching the others. For high-turnover buildings near Red Line stops, we recommend Mul-T-Lock or Abloy cylinders because they resist picking and bumping and give you controlled key duplication. You get a written price for the whole system before we cut a single key.
In most Quincy lockouts we open the door without drilling. The exception is a cylinder that has been physically destroyed or a high-security lock that resists standard non-destructive entry tools. Last fall in Squantum, a customer called for a lockout and the cylinder had corroded so badly the correct key wouldn’t turn; we still opened it without drilling by disassembling and replacing the cylinder internals. Drilling is a last resort, and if it becomes necessary, we tell you the cost before we do it. Call (331) 310-8471 day or night.
Rekeying is almost always cheaper when the existing hardware is still mechanically sound. A rekey runs $25-$45 per cylinder. A full lockset replacement starts around $180 per door and goes up from there if the door is warped or the frame needs work. But in some older Quincy buildings, the original mortise lock body is already failing and replacing it is the cheaper long-term decision because a third rekey won’t fix a deadbolt strike that’s broken in the frame. We will tell you which situation you have, show you the condition of the hardware, and quote both paths in writing before we start.
Written by Daniel Novak, Owner at Novak Lock & Security, serving Quincy since 2002. Every job starts with a written price and ends with a documented record under The Haven Standard.
Call Novak Lock & Security for Lock Installation & Rekey in Quincy
Need a lock installed, a mortise lock rebuilt, or a master key system set up across your Quincy rental units? Call (331) 310-8471 now for a free estimate. A live person answers, we quote the full price on the phone, and that number is the number on the invoice. No surcharges added on arrival. No bait-and-switch. That has been the rule since 2002, and it is not changing for Quincy or anywhere else.
Lock Installation & Rekey in Nearby Areas