A spring latch on the doorknob is not a lock anybody should trust on its own. A good deadbolt is the part that actually keeps a front door shut when someone leans on it, and getting one installed correctly is one of the cheapest ways to make a home harder to break into. CLS Locksmith installs deadbolts on homes all over Thousand Oaks, the Conejo Valley, and the rest of Ventura County.
We do this work every week, so we know the difference a clean install makes. A deadbolt that is drilled crooked, set with a short screw, or paired with a flimsy strike plate looks fine but gives way fast. We set the bolt to throw fully into solid wood, line up the strike, and make sure the key turns smooth without you having to lift or shove the door.
- Mobile service across Thousand Oaks, the Conejo Valley, and all of Ventura County
- Single-cylinder and double-cylinder deadbolts, including high-security options
- Proper drilling and strike alignment so the bolt throws fully every time
- Reinforced strike plates with three-inch screws into the framing
- Key-alike option so one key runs your front, back, and garage doors
- Licensed & insured, CA BSIS #LCO8562, free estimates and a satisfaction guarantee
What a deadbolt actually does for your door
A deadbolt is a separate lock from your doorknob. Instead of a spring latch that can be shimmed or jimmied with a card, it slides a solid metal bolt straight into the door frame. Once it is thrown, there is no spring to push back, so the door holds against kicks and pry attempts far better than a knob alone.
The two common types are single-cylinder, which uses a key outside and a thumbturn inside, and double-cylinder, which needs a key on both sides. Double-cylinder locks come up a lot for doors with glass nearby, since someone can't just break the glass and reach the thumbturn. We'll walk you through which one fits your door and talk through the trade-offs, including how each plays with fire-code exit rules.
When people in the Conejo Valley call us for a deadbolt
New homeowners are the big one. You just closed on a place off Erbes Road or up in Lynn Ranch and you have no idea how many copies of the old keys are floating around. Adding a fresh deadbolt and rekeying the rest of the doors is a smart first weekend project.
We also get calls from folks whose door only has a knob lock, renters whose landlord okayed an upgrade, people replacing a worn-out builder-grade deadbolt that wiggles, and anybody who wants their front, back, and garage-entry doors all keyed alike so one key runs the house. If a door has been kicked or pried in the past, we can install a reinforced strike and longer screws to make the frame itself harder to blow through.
How CLS handles the install
We come to you with the tools and the lock options in the van. If the door is already bored for a deadbolt, swapping in a new one is quick. If it isn't, we drill the cross bore and edge bore with the right jig so everything lines up the first time, then chisel the strike pocket clean into the frame. We back the strike with three-inch screws that bite into the stud behind the jamb, not just the trim, because that is where most doors fail.
Before we leave we test the lock dozens of times, check that the bolt throws fully without the door binding, and hand you the keys. If you want matching keys across several doors, we can key them all alike in the same visit. Free estimates, and we'll tell you straight whether you need a new lock or just an adjustment.