Most installs are scheduled with your project.
Coming Home After the Water, to a Door With No Lock
Some installations carry a lot of feeling with them. This is a typical example from a house near the bayou in west Memorial.
A family's ranch house had taken water during a major storm. They'd spent months living elsewhere while crews stripped the drywall, dried the frame and rebuilt. The last big piece was a new steel front door, since the old wood one had swollen and split. The door company hung it on a Thursday. The family planned to move back in on Saturday, and the restoration crew's lockbox was coming off the house that weekend.
But the new door had no holes for a lock. The installer had explained that hardware wasn't part of the order. The mother called us, and her voice caught a little when she said they just wanted to sleep in their own house again.
The dispatcher was gentle and practical. Was the door currently secure? The crew had screwed a temporary latch inside. What hardware did they have? A handle set and a deadbolt the family had picked out months earlier, still in the box. Could she find a label on the door's edge? She read off the model and noted it was steel. The dispatcher explained that steel doors have a wood or composite block inside where the lock must go, and that the technician would confirm its position before drilling. He asked for ID with the address, and booked a technician for Friday.
The technician arrived, introduced himself and showed his ID. He checked the license and a property document. Then he found the lock block: a magnet slid along the steel face showed where the reinforcement ended, and the door maker's label confirmed the backset. He clamped his boring jig, drilled the face holes with a sharp bit at slow speed so the steel skin wouldn't tear, bored the edge, and chiseled clean pockets for the faceplates.
The frame was new lumber, but the jamb had a small gap behind it. He shimmed it and set a heavy strike with 3-inch screws into the stud. He installed the handle set and deadbolt, keyed them to a new key with his pinning kit, and rekeyed the back door to match, since the crew had a key to that one too.
He handed the mother four keys. She held them for a moment before putting them in her pocket. His advice was quiet and practical: keep one key with a neighbor, and know that the crew's lockbox code no longer opens anything.
Fitting Locks to New Doors
Start With the Door's Label and Prep
New doors carry a label with the maker, the model and often the backset. Steel and fiberglass doors have an internal lock block where holes must go. Pre-bored doors limit which hardware fits. We read all of that before drilling.
Steel Doors
Steel skins tear if drilled too fast or with a dull bit, and holes must land on the internal block. Sharp cutters, slow speeds and careful marking keep the door's finish and strength.
Install Deadbolt and Knob or Handle Set Together
Most entry doors get a handle set or lever plus a deadbolt, with the spacing set by the hardware's template. We bore both holes, chisel the faceplates, fit strikes into framing and test the latch and bolt with the door closed.
New Construction and Rebuilds
New homes on cleared lots often have tall entry doors, multipoint locks and keypads that need hardware from specific makers. We work with builders on timing so hardware goes on after paint.
After Flood or Storm Repairs
Doors replaced after water damage usually arrive unbored. Restoration crews often hold keys or lockbox codes for months. Install the new locks, rekey any remaining locks, and retire the crew's codes at the same time.
Keyed Alike Locks for the Whole House
New locks can be keyed to a fresh key and the rest of the house rekeyed to match, so one key opens everything. See rekey service for existing locks.
Door Hardware Installation Inside the House
Pocket doors, closets, pantries, home offices and bathrooms all need the right function: passage, privacy or keyed. We fit them as part of a remodel.
Keypads on New Doors
A new door is the easiest time to add a keypad deadbolt, since the holes are cut fresh. See smart lock installation and deadbolt installation.
Gates and Side Yards on Wooded Lots
Memorial's big wooded lots often have side gates that lead straight to back doors no one on the street can see. A keyed gate latch or a sturdy padlock hasp closes that route. If you're installing new doors at the back of the house, add the gate to the same visit.
Sliders and French Doors on Remodels
New sliders and French doors usually come with basic latches. Adding a keyed lock where the door allows, plus solid top and bottom bolts on French doors and a pin lock on sliders, brings them up to the standard of the front door.
Bringing Your Own Hardware
That's fine. We check the grade, function and fit before drilling and tell you if something isn't suitable for the door.
Who Authorizes the Install
Owners, or builders and contractors with the owner's written authorization.
Mobile Coverage in Memorial
Dispatch covers Memorial street by street, and the technician comes to the spot you name. In Memorial, the Katy Freeway and Memorial Drive slow down at rush hour and school times. Construction trucks can make parking tight on rebuild streets, so tell us where the technician can pull in. Planned installs are scheduled around your project.
A Technician Who Understands What Home Means
Each technician wears the uniform and has company ID on him. They measure twice, mark everything before cutting, protect floors and new finishes, and clean up after themselves. They understand that a new lock on a rebuilt house is more than hardware, and they take the time to explain everything and test each lock with every key.
Fast Locksmith 24/7 is licensed and insured, and homeowners have rated us 5 stars on Google.
Lock Installation Across Memorial
New doors are a constant in Memorial: remodels of 1950s and 1960s ranch homes, new builds on cleared lots in Nottingham Forest and Fonn Villas, and repairs after storms in the low streets near Buffalo Bayou and the reservoirs. Lock installation in Memorial often comes at the end of a long project, when getting the last step right makes the whole house feel finished.
A new lock starts with the door. Tell us what it is made of and how thick it is. Solid wood, hollow-core and steel doors all take different tools.
Placement matters, since height and spacing affect how the lock feels in daily use. We follow standard measurements and adjust to your door.
When we are done, test the lock together. Lock it, unlock it and push on the door.
For doors that are newly hung, check that the paint or stain is dry before we arrive. A lock fitted to a door that is still curing can bind when it settles.
We also install locks in Spring Branch, the Energy Corridor and River Oaks.
A New Door Ready to Lock
Call Fast Locksmith 24/7. Tell us about the door, the hardware you have and when you need it secured. A photo of the door's label helps.
Estimated Technician Arrival Time
Arrival times vary depending on your location and technician availability.
Actual arrival time may vary depending on your exact location, traffic conditions, time of day, current demand, and technician availability.
Providing your exact vehicle location when calling allows us to give you a more accurate estimated arrival time.