Published 2026-05-01 · Lone Star Lock Co
How Much to Rekey a House in Houston: Real Costs vs Replacement
Quick answer: A Houston home rekey usually runs $150 to $300 for 4 to 6 cylinders. Replacement runs $400 to $1,000 for the same security outcome. Both make old keys stop working. Replace only when the hardware is genuinely worn, you're upgrading to ANSI Grade 1, or you're moving to a smart lock. The job takes 30 to 45 minutes on a typical Houston home.
The decision in one table
| Situation | Recommendation | Cost (Houston) |
|---|---|---|
| Just moved in, locks work fine | Rekey | $150 to $300 |
| Lost a key, locks work fine | Rekey | $150 to $300 |
| Roommate moved out, locks work fine | Rekey | $150 to $300 |
| Post-eviction, hardware intact | Rekey | $150 to $300 |
| Cylinder feels sloppy, deadbolt throws short | Replace | $400 to $1,000 |
| Builder-grade locks, want ANSI Grade 1 | Replace | $400 to $1,000 |
| Mismatched finishes, want consistency | Replace | $400 to $1,000 |
| Moving to smart locks | Replace | $600 to $2,000 |
| After a break-in, cylinder undamaged | Rekey + reinforced strike | $200 to $400 |
| After a break-in, cylinder pulled or drilled | Replace | $400 to $1,000 |
| Post-flood, cylinders water-damaged | Replace (rekey won't fix corrosion) | $400 to $1,000 |
How rekey actually works
Inside every pin-tumbler cylinder is a stack of 5 or 6 pins, each cut to a specific length. The key is just a piece of metal with notches that lift each pin to exactly the right height. Only then does the cylinder rotate. Rekey means we open the cylinder, pull out the old pins, and drop in a new set of pins cut to a different combination. The cylinder itself stays. Your old key no longer lifts the pins to the right heights, so it stops turning. We cut a new key to the new combination on the spot.
For a typical 4-cylinder Houston home (front door deadbolt, front door knob, back door deadbolt, garage entry), the work takes 30 to 45 minutes start to finish. Each cylinder costs $20 to $40 to rekey on top of a $50 to $80 service call. Total runs $150 to $300 for the home. We can also key all the cylinders alike (one key works every door) at no extra charge.
How replace actually works
The entire deadbolt comes off. Outer rosette. Inner thumb-turn. Latch. Strike plate. New deadbolt goes in, anchored to the frame with longer screws if the strike has been undersized. New strike plate seats flush. New latch throws the right depth. This takes about 15 to 20 minutes per door if the bore size and backset match the new hardware. Older Houston-metro doors (1920s and 1930s Heights and Montrose bungalows) sometimes don't match. Non-standard backset. Undersized bore. Original mortise pocket. That's an extra 15 to 30 minutes of door prep per door.
The math: $100 to $250 per door installed. A 4-door home: $400 to $1,000 or more. Compared to $150 to $300 for the same security outcome via rekey, the replacement only makes sense when the existing hardware actually needs replacing.
Specific Houston scenarios
- New homeowner, Memorial 1995 single-family. Previous owner, agents, neighbors had keys. Rekey 5 cylinders (front deadbolt, front knob, back patio, garage entry, side gate), key-alike. $215 total. Done in 40 minutes.
- Heights 1924 bungalow with original mortise. Lost a key. Rekey by repinning the original cylinder inside the mortise body, keep the brass face plate, keep the trim. $245. The alternative (replacing with modern hardware) would have meant patching the mortise pocket and milling a 2-1/8" borehole. $700 to $1,000.
- Pearland new-build upgrading from builder-grade Defiant. Customer wanted ANSI Grade 1. Replaced 3 deadbolts with Schlage B660 in satin nickel. $580 total including hardware.
- Sugar Land landlord, post-eviction tenant turnover. Single home, 4 cylinders. Rekey with fresh combinations. $185 total. Replacement would have been $700+.
- Montrose break-in repair. Cylinder pulled out of the front deadbolt. Replaced cylinder, reinforced strike, 3-inch jamb screws. $325. Adjacent doors rekeyed for $40 each (not replaced. They were undamaged).
- Post-Harvey water-damaged cylinders, Meyerland. All 5 cylinders corroded internally. Full replacement on every entry door, plus a new strike plate on the front. $890.
What about high-security cylinders?
If you have Medeco, Mul-T-Lock MT5+, Schlage Primus, or Abloy Protec2, rekey is still cheaper than replacement, but both are more expensive than standard. High-security rekey runs $40 to $80 per cylinder vs. the standard $20 to $40. High-security replacement runs $200 to $400 per cylinder vs. $100 to $250. The math still favors rekey for the same reason.
One Houston-specific note. Sugar Land, The Woodlands, and the higher-income master-planned communities have a higher concentration of high-security hardware than the metro average. If you bought a home in First Colony or Telfair or Sterling Ridge, there's a decent chance the existing hardware is Medeco or Mul-T-Lock. Rekeying those cylinders requires restricted keyway access, which is one of the credentials we maintain on our wholesale supplier accounts.
Why rekey wins most of the time
The math is consistent. The security outcome (old keys stop working, new keys work, optionally one key works every door) is identical between rekey and replacement. The cost difference is large. The time difference is also large (30 to 45 minutes for rekey vs. 60 to 120 minutes for full replacement). Unless the hardware itself is a problem, rekey is the right call.
Replacement makes sense in specific cases. Genuinely worn hardware (the cylinder feels sloppy or the deadbolt throws short). Builder-grade locks (Defiant, generic brands) that you want to upgrade to ANSI Grade 1. Mismatched finishes that you want consistent across the house. Moving to a smart lock (the existing deadbolt comes off either way). Post-break-in damage to the cylinder body. Post-flood corrosion. Those are the situations where replacement earns its higher cost.
What "key alike" actually means
By default, every cylinder gets its own key. You'd carry 4 to 6 different keys for a 4 to 6 cylinder home. Most customers do not want that. "Key alike" means we pin every cylinder to the same combination, so one key works every door. It's free. We do it as the default unless the customer asks otherwise. Some Houston customers prefer a small master-key system for a home office or rental unit: the main house key works the front and back, plus a separate key for the rental door. That's also straightforward.
Frequently asked
How much does it cost to rekey a house in Houston?
A standard 4 to 6 cylinder home rekey runs $150 to $300. That's the service call plus $20 to $40 per cylinder. Most Houston homes have 4 to 6 entry cylinders: front door, back door, garage entry, sometimes a side gate, sometimes a master-suite interior door. High-security cylinders (Medeco, Mul-T-Lock, Schlage Primus) cost $35 to $60 each because the pinning kit and tool requirements are different.
Is rekeying really cheaper than replacing the locks?
Almost always. A 4 to 6 cylinder home rekey runs $150 to $300. Replacing the locks at $100 to $250 per door installed runs $400 to $1,000 or more for the same security outcome. Both make the old keys stop working. Replacement makes sense when the hardware is genuinely worn, you're upgrading to ANSI Grade 1, or you're moving to a smart lock.
When should I rekey in Houston?
Most common reasons: just moved into a new home (previous owner, agents, contractors, neighbors had keys), lost a key with no idea where, roommate or partner moved out, post-eviction tenant turnover, post-break-in cylinder check, or after a key was visible to someone you don't trust (handed to a contractor, lost a copy at work, photographed in the wrong place).
Can all Houston home locks be rekeyed?
Most can. Standard pin-tumbler locks (Schlage SC1, Kwikset KW1, Weiser WR5, Sargent LA, Yale 8) rekey easily. Older 1920s and 1930s Heights and Montrose mortise locks can usually be rekeyed by replacing or repinning the cylinder inside the mortise body. We do this regularly. The lock body itself stays original; only the keying changes. High-security keyways cost more to rekey but the work is the same.
How long does a Houston home rekey take?
About 30 to 45 minutes for a typical 4 to 6 cylinder home. Faster if every cylinder uses the same keyway, slower if you have a mix (front door Schlage, back door Kwikset, garage Weiser). Older homes with mortise hardware sometimes take an extra 15 to 30 minutes per cylinder because the cylinder has to come out of the mortise body for rekeying.
What about smart locks, rekey or replace?
Smart locks usually replace, not rekey. The point of a smart lock is the keypad, app, or proximity sensor. The physical key is a backup. New occupants change the codes (instant, free) and optionally rekey the physical backup cylinder ($20 to $40 per cylinder). If you're moving to a smart lock for the first time, that's full replacement of the old deadbolt, $150 to $400 installed plus hardware.
Need a Houston home rekey?
Call (346) 594-6316 for dispatch across Harris County and the metro. See our rekey and lock change service page, our posted cost guide, and the locksmith near me guide for more context.
Last updated: 2026-05-01.