Home Rekeying
Moving into a new home in Nashville — whether it's a craftsman bungalow in East Nashville, a condo near Midtown, or a family house out in Bellevue — is exciting. But if you're carrying over the same locks the previous owner used, you're also carrying over every key that was ever cut for that property: the old tenant's copy, the neighbor who fed the cat, the contractor who did the bathroom remodel. Rekeying all your locks to work on a single new key is one of the smartest, most cost-effective security decisions you can make on move-in day, and A1 Nashville Locksmiths comes directly to your door to handle it.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · Licensed, bonded & insured
Lost a key? That's equally urgent. When a house key goes missing — whether it slipped out at a Predators game at Bridgestone Arena, fell in a Lyft, or simply vanished — anyone who finds it could potentially use it. Rekeying resets the internal pin configuration of your existing lock cylinders so that old key becomes permanently useless, without replacing the whole hardware set. A1 Nashville Locksmiths sends a trained, insured mobile technician to your Nashville-area address any time, day or night, to complete the job cleanly and correctly — no guesswork, no damage to your doors or frames.
What we do
Available 24/7
Day, night, weekends and holidays — a real local locksmith answers and rolls a fully-stocked van.
Fast local response
Based in Nashville, we reach the Nashville area in well under an hour.
Insured & background-checked
Vetted technicians, up-front pricing, and no surprise add-ons when we arrive.
Damage-free entry
We pick and bypass locks the right way, so most lockouts are solved without drilling anything.
More about our work
Everything you need to know about how we help — at a glance.
Why Home Rekeying Is the Smartest First Step After a Move or Lost Key
Rekeying works by disassembling the lock cylinder and swapping out the driver pins and key pins inside so they align only with a brand-new key cut. The physical lock hardware — the knob, deadbolt housing, strike plate — stays exactly as it is. That means you keep any Schlage, Kwikset, or other quality hardware already installed on your doors while completely eliminating access for anyone holding an old key. For Nashville homeowners, this matters particularly in older neighborhoods like Germantown or 12 South, where properties have changed hands multiple times and locksets may not have been rekeyed in years.
Beyond the security reset, the other major benefit is key consolidation. Many homes have a front deadbolt, a front door knob lock, a back door deadbolt, a side entry, and sometimes a garage entry — each originally keyed differently. Our technician can rekey all of those cylinders to accept a single key, so you're never standing on your porch at midnight juggling a ring of identical-looking keys. We handle standard pin-tumbler cylinders, high-security cylinders, and mortise lock setups, which are common in older Nashville construction and in many of the area's converted commercial buildings now used as live-work lofts.
Mortise Lock Rekeying and Door Knob Lock Service — What Nashville Homes Actually Have
A mortise lock is a full-body lock mechanism set into a rectangular pocket (the mortise) cut into the edge of the door. They're built with a latch, a deadbolt, and often a cylinder all in one assembly, and they've been the hardware of choice in Nashville's historic districts for over a century. If you've moved into a pre-1960s home in Edgehill, Waverly-Belmont, or the Nations, there's a solid chance your front door has a mortise lock rather than a modern cylindrical lock. Rekeying a mortise lock is a more involved process than rekeying a simple knob lock — the cylinder must be extracted from the mortise body, repinned, and reinstalled precisely — which is exactly the kind of task that requires a skilled technician rather than a DIY kit.
Our team is equally experienced with contemporary door knob lock and lever-handle sets found throughout newer Nashville subdivisions in areas like Antioch, Donelson, and Nolensville Road corridors. Whether you have a single-cylinder deadbolt, a double-cylinder deadbolt, a passage knob, or a privacy lever, we carry the pinning kits and tools needed to rekey virtually any residential lock configuration on the spot — no trip back to a shop, no waiting days for parts. If you're not sure what type of lock you have, just call us at (704) 850-6756 and we'll walk you through it before we arrive.
Our Mobile Home Rekeying Process — 24/7, We Come to You
A1 Nashville Locksmiths operates as a fully mobile service, which means our technicians carry a complete workshop in the service vehicle. When you call, we take your address, confirm the number and type of locks involved, and give you an exact up-front price before any work begins. The factors that shape your quote include the number of lock cylinders to be rekeyed, the type and brand of hardware (a standard Kwikset knob lock differs in complexity from a mortise lock or a high-security Schlage B-series deadbolt), the time of day the service is requested, and travel distance from our nearest available technician within the Nashville metro area. There are no surprise fees added after the job is done.
Once our technician arrives — verified, insured, and equipped — they'll assess each lock, document the current keying, remove the cylinders, repin them to the new key code, reassemble and test every lock, then hand you your new keys and demonstrate that everything functions correctly. We aim for a damage-free process at every step: no marred door edges, no scratched hardware, no forced disassembly. The call-out works around your schedule because we answer 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays. Nashville doesn't stop, and neither do we — call (704) 850-6756 any time you need us.
Beyond Rekeying — Full Residential and Emergency Locksmith Services We Provide
Rekeying is often the starting point, but A1 Nashville Locksmiths handles the full range of residential and emergency locksmith needs across the Nashville area. Our services include: residential lock rekeying (all cylinders to one key), mortise lock rekeying and repair, door knob lock replacement, deadbolt installation and upgrade, high-security lock installation, master key system setup for multi-unit properties, lock replacement after break-in or forced entry, emergency lockout response (24-hour residential locksmith service), spare key cutting on-site, electronic and smart lock installation and programming, keypad lock installation, sliding door lock service, garage door lock and handle replacement, window lock installation, lock hardware upgrades for rental properties, re-keying after a roommate or tenant change, mailbox lock rekeying, storage unit lock service, padlock keying, antique and vintage lock repair (common in Nashville's historic homes), door frame and strike plate reinforcement, lock cylinder extraction (broken key removal), security assessment and consultation, commercial locksmith services for small businesses and offices, and mortise lock cylinder replacement when rekeying is no longer viable due to wear. Whether your situation is a routine post-move security update or a middle-of-the-night emergency locksmith call on Charlotte Pike, our mobile team is ready.
Nashville is home to major employers and organizations — HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and the Tennessee state government all headquartered here — meaning thousands of professionals are moving to the area every year. Many arrive and settle quickly, sometimes without thinking about the security history of their new home. An emergency locksmith call the first week in a new place is more common than people expect, and that's exactly the scenario A1 Nashville Locksmiths was built to handle reliably and professionally.
Frequently asked questions
How is rekeying different from replacing my locks entirely?
When we rekey a lock, we change only the internal pin configuration inside the existing cylinder so your old key no longer works and a new key does. The visible hardware — the knob, deadbolt body, escutcheon plate — stays in place. Lock replacement means removing all of that hardware and installing a completely new unit. Rekeying is generally the right choice when your locks are in good working condition and you simply need to eliminate access from old keys. Replacement makes more sense when hardware is damaged, worn out, or you want to upgrade to a higher-security or smart-lock system. Our technician will evaluate your locks on arrival and give you an honest recommendation.
What tools do locksmiths use to rekey a lock?
A trained locksmith carries a pinning mat, a follower tool (used to push the plug out of the lock cylinder without releasing the springs), a plug follower of the correct diameter for each cylinder, a set of replacement driver pins and key pins in the correct sizes for the target key, key gauges, a code machine or manual reference to determine the correct pin depths, and a set of picks or a plug spinner if the cylinder needs to be turned to a specific position during disassembly. For mortise locks specifically, a spanner wrench and sometimes a hook pick are used to access the cylinder within the mortise body. All of this travels with our mobile technicians so the job is completed on-site at your Nashville home, not at a shop.
What historically did locksmiths do, and how has the trade changed?
The locksmith trade stretches back thousands of years — early locksmiths were metalworkers who hand-forged the entire lock and key as custom pieces of hardware. In American history through the 19th and early 20th centuries, locksmiths were primarily repair craftsmen who maintained mechanical lock bodies, many of them the mortise lock style still found in Nashville's older residential neighborhoods today. As mass-produced pin-tumbler locks became standard through the mid-20th century, the trade shifted toward rekeying, cutting, and servicing those systems at scale. Modern locksmiths like our team at A1 Nashville Locksmiths now also program electronic access systems, smart locks, and keypad entry hardware alongside traditional mechanical work — but the core skill of understanding how a lock cylinder works remains unchanged.
What factors determine the cost of rekeying my home locks?
We don't publish a flat rate because several variables affect the final quote. The main factors are the number of lock cylinders being rekeyed (a three-lock front entry is different from rekeying eight locks across a whole house), the type of hardware involved (a standard door knob lock takes less time and fewer parts than a mortise lock or a high-security cylinder), the time of day the service is requested (24-hour emergency calls outside of standard hours are priced differently), and the travel distance from our nearest technician to your address within the Nashville service area. We confirm an exact price with you before any work begins — no surprises when the job is done.
Is it safe to call a locksmith if I'm locked out of my home late at night in Nashville?
Yes, and it's the right call to make. If you're locked out, the first steps are to check whether any other door or window is unlocked from the outside, or whether a trusted neighbor or family member has a spare key. If no safe alternative exists, calling a professional mobile locksmith is the legitimate and damage-free solution. A1 Nashville Locksmiths operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and sends a trained, insured technician to your location — not someone who asks you to look up your own combination or walk you through anything risky over the phone. We verify that the person requesting entry has reasonable claim to the property before proceeding, which is standard professional practice and protects you as the homeowner as well.
Can you rekey all my locks to one key, including a mortise lock and regular deadbolts on the same door?
Yes, that's one of the most common requests we handle. Many Nashville homes — especially older properties in areas like East Nashville or Germantown — have a mortise lock on the main entry alongside a secondary deadbolt or knob lock. Even though these are different lock types and may originally be from different manufacturers, our technicians can rekey the cylinders to accept the same key, provided the cylinder profiles are compatible or we supply a compatible replacement cylinder. We carry a wide range of pinning kits and replacement cylinders in our mobile units specifically to handle mixed-hardware situations. If any lock requires a replacement cylinder to achieve compatibility, we'll let you know and confirm the adjusted price before we proceed.
Locked out or need a lock fixed? We are on the way.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week · Insured, background-checked technicians · Up-front pricing
(704) 850-6756