Frequently Asked Questions

Most residential rekeys take 20-40 minutes for the whole house, assuming standard pin-tumbler locks in good condition. A three-bedroom home in Mercer Island or Kirkland with four or five cylinders - front door, back door, garage entry, maybe a side gate - we're usually done before you've finished your coffee. Older homes in Bryn Mawr-Skyway with original hardware might take longer if we need to clean corrosion first. We'll give you a time estimate when you call.

We verify your ID and proof of residency or ownership, then pick the lock using professional tools - no drilling unless the lock is damaged or high-security. Our journeymen carry picks, bypass tools, and scope cameras for stubborn cases. In White Center and Boulevard Park, we've seen everything from frozen Schlage deadbolts in January to locks gummed up with decades of paint. Done right means getting you in without destroying what keeps you safe.

Yes - we can originate a key by impressioning or decoding the lock, or cut from code if you have the key code stamped on the lock face or original paperwork. For common residential locks, this adds $25-$45 to the service call. High-security Mul-T-Lock or Abloy systems require specialized blanks and authorization; we stock most and can order what we don't. Bring proof of ownership - it's the law, and it's how we sleep at night.

You don't need to change them - you need to rekey them, which is faster, cheaper, and equally secure. Every previous owner, their realtor, their dog walker, and whoever they lent a key to still has access until you do. In Washington's competitive market, we've rekeyed homes in Bellevue where the seller handed out six spare keys over twenty years. We recommend rekeying before you spend your first night - call (888) 545-8474 and we'll prioritize new homeowners.

A deadbolt extends a solid steel bolt into the door frame, manually operated with a key or thumbturn - simple, proven, no batteries to fail. A smart lock adds electronic entry methods: keypad codes, phone apps, fingerprint readers. We install both, but we're plainspoken about it: smart locks are convenient, deadbolts are reliable. In Spokane's cold winters, we've seen smart lock batteries die faster than rated. For our audience - homeowners who've been in their house twenty years - we often recommend a quality Sargent or Baldwin deadbolt with a keypad backup, not a full smart system that needs firmware updates.

For residential security, we favor Baldwin for solid brass construction that holds up to Puget Sound humidity, and Sargent for commercial-grade durability at a residential price point. Mul-T-Lock offers excellent pick resistance with their interactive pin system, worth considering for homes in higher-traffic areas. We don't sell what we wouldn't install in our mother's house - that's the "Your home first" in our K.E.Y.S. code. Cheap big-box locks fail faster and cost more long-term.

High-security locks - Mul-T-Lock, Abloy, restricted-keyway Sargent systems - are worth it if you have specific threats: repeated break-in attempts, valuable collections, or a home office with sensitive records. For most Washington homeowners, a quality Grade 2 deadbolt properly installed is sufficient. We assess your actual risk, not upsell you. A $400 lock on a hollow-core door with a 1-inch strike plate is theater, not security. We'll tell you where the weak point really is.

We can service most antique mortise locks, rim locks, and early pin-tumbler hardware found in pre-1950s Washington homes - particularly common in Capitol Hill, Wallingford, and parts of Spokane's South Hill. Repair means disassembly, cleaning, replacing springs and worn pins, and fabricating parts if necessary. Some locks are too far gone; we'll say so honestly. Preserving original hardware maintains your home's character and often its value. We've apprenticed younger techs specifically in this craft because it's being lost.

We do - floor safes, wall safes, and fire-resistant document chests, installed with proper anchoring to structural members. Named for the iron box where your grandfather kept the deed, Strongbox has handled safes since our founding year. We don't sell online drop-shipped junk; we stock what we can service and bolt down correctly. A safe that's not anchored is a gift to thieves. We'll size it to what you're protecting - jewelry, documents, firearms - and install it where you can actually use it.

Yes - Washington requires locksmith companies to hold a state business license and individual technicians to carry locksmith endorsement credentials. We go further: our techs carry company photo ID badges and state credentials, and they show both at your door before touching a lock. The person who opens your locks should be the most verifiable person you've ever hired. If a "locksmith" won't show ID, close the door and call someone else.

We're fully insured and bonded, with coverage that protects your property during service and our work afterward. Our K.E.Y.S. code includes "Standing behind it" - if something's not right, we come back. No paperwork, no arguing. That promise only works if we're still here in thirty years, which is why we act like it from day one. We've sponsored the county fair and the church roof fund since the 1980s because companies that plan to stay invest in their community.

Ask for their Washington state business license number, check for a local address (not just a dispatch center), and confirm they'll quote a flat price before arriving. Legitimate locksmiths answer with a person, not a call center in another state. Ask if their tech will show ID - we do, every time, because we've heard too many stories from Inglewood-Finn Hill to Riverton of unmarked vans and damaged doors. A real locksmith has nothing to hide.

In Seattle, Bellevue, and Kirkland, we typically arrive within 30-45 minutes during peak hours. For outlying areas - Bainbridge Island, White Center, Bryn Mawr-Skyway - plan on 45-75 minutes depending on bridge traffic and ferry schedules. We don't quote times we can't make. When we say we'll be there when we say, we mean it. If we're running late, we call - because you've got enough to worry about without wondering if anyone's coming.

We focus on residential, commercial, and safe locksmithing - cars are a different specialty with different tools and training. For automotive lockouts in Washington, we refer to trusted partners we've vetted over years. We'd rather send you to someone who does it right than do it poorly ourselves. That's "Krafted right" in our K.E.Y.S. code - trained journeymen in their proper craft, no shortcuts.

Stay somewhere safe and visible - your porch light on, your phone charged, and someone aware you're expecting a visitor. Our tech will call when they're ten minutes out and will show company ID and state credentials at your door. Don't let anyone start work who won't. In Boulevard Park and similar neighborhoods, we've heard of imposters following real locksmith calls. We give you the tech's name when you book so you know who to expect.

We warranty all labor and parts for 90 days under our Keystone Standard guarantee - in writing, no arguing. If a rekeyed lock sticks, if a new deadbolt loosens, if anything isn't right, we come back and fix it. No paperwork to file, no manager to escalate to. This applies to every job from a single cylinder in Spokane to a full commercial rekey in Seattle. The 400th job gets the care of the first - that's "Every time" in our K.E.Y.S. code.

We warranty our installation labor for 90 days regardless, but we cannot warranty hardware you supply yourself - we don't know its provenance, and we've seen too many Amazon "deals" that are counterfeit or factory-second. If you want full coverage, we recommend locks we source through authorized distribution. That said, we'll install customer-supplied Baldwin, Sargent, or Mul-T-Lock hardware if you verify the source, with labor-only coverage. A square deal means clear terms upfront.

Call us. The owner answers the phone, or calls back within the hour. We'll make it right - adjustment, redo, or refund if that's what's fair. Our K.E.Y.S. code ends with "Standing behind it" because anything else is just talk. We've been in Washington since 1984, and we plan to be here when your grandchildren need locks changed. That only works if every customer would hire us again. Call (888) 545-8474 - we'll answer with a person, because that's how a company acts when it plans to stay.

Written by the team at Strongbox Lock & Safe Co. of Washington, serving Seattle, Spokane, Bellevue, and communities across the state since 1984.