It’s amazing how a small change such as new locks can make things better, but it’s true! It was almost 5 years ago that I bought this house and my dad and I started the renovations, which took 6 months. Since that time, I’ve done so many renovations and updates in the house and it’s really so nice to have it all done and now I get to enjoy it all.
I love to see beautiful handle sets when I’m touring a house. I do notice front door locks and interior door knobs and all of that, do you? I do think it makes a difference in having a nice doorknob set on a door.
One of the things that never got updated were my exterior door locks. They were all mismatched and not keyed the same. I could use the same key for the front door and side door on the garage side, but the same key didn’t fit the lock at the top of my stairs coming into the house from the garage or the back door lock. It was sort of a pain and we always had to keep the door unlocked coming in from the garage, since there was no key to open it. We would lock it at night and keep it unlocked all during the day, which won’t change much during the day to day, but at least now the locks are all keyed the same and we can actually lock it and get in with the key now.
So, let me tell you and show you what I got!
Schlage is a very popular brand and I always admire their locks and door sets in the stores. I’ve always thought of them as top of the line for locks and door knobs and such, so when I decided to try to remedy this mismatched lock situation at my house, they were who I reached out to. They work with bloggers and so I figured they would work with me too on getting my locks all keyed the same in a pretty new finish. I’m very happy that they said yes and sent me some of their really pretty products.
These are the locks that came with my house and they really didn’t even work well. That deadbolt on top was so hard to open and the key almost got stuck in there more than once, so I didn’t even like using it. The lock was jiggly too and seemed to be loose and not very stable after all those years of use. I had put this off for a long time, but it was finally time to get this done. Schlage was great and sent me new locks to put on my exterior doors and this time I got to try out one of those keyless entry door handles.
Wow, are these things amazing! I have never had a fancy door handle set before, but this takes my front door to a new level of elegance. The Schlage touch Keyless brushed nickel finish is so pretty and I love the keyless entry. I did hire this job out, since it was a little over my head. The deadbolts that came with my Schlage locks were shipped at different times, so a locksmith keyed them all the same so that all my exterior locks are exactly the same key now, door knobs and deadbolts, all the same. Such a nice convenience!
And I hired this one out too since a hole had to be drilled for the handle to fit on there properly and I wasn’t up to trying to do that myself. I know my limitations and sometimes it’s best to hire it out. Best money ever spent! He got it installed and I set up my code to now be able to get in the front door….keyless!
It has a nice handle on the inside and a heavy duty deadbolt in place.
I know I’m going to really enjoy this new keyless entry and how pretty it makes my door look. It’s very easy to set up and operate after installation.
My back door by the garage also got a new lock. This one was completely falling apart and the deadbolt that was there was totally broken and didn’t work. I really should have done something long ago, but now it’s all finally fixed too. I chose these pretty antique brass knobs and deadbolts, Plymouth Knobs with Camelot trim. I just love how the trim piece looks on these knobs. I used antique brass throughout my interior doors so decided to match the exterior to that finish also, with the exception of the nickel finish on the front door. It’s OK to have that one different.
Here’s the new knob and deadbolt at the top of my stairs coming in from the garage. So nice to have all these keyed the same now!
And the backdoor with its new set too. I just love how pretty it all looks and best of all, they are all keyed the same. It’s amazing how something so simple can make life better and easier, isn’t it?
A big shoutout and thank you to Schlage for partnering with me on this project. They sent me the door knobs and locks and I hired the installation out to pros who knew what they were doing. Nice to cross this one off my to-do list now!
What color metal are your doorknobs on the interior and exterior. I think it’s fun to see who has what in their house. There are so many metals out now and all of them work from nickel, to antique brass (or shiny if you like that), to oil rubbed bronze. I think if I had lighter doors in my house, I’d go back to oil rubbed bronze dark knobs inside my house. I still like that classic look too. What about you?
Note: This post is sponsored by Schlage.
I believe our doorsets are Schlage too. Honestly though we only come in through the garage (with an opener), so it’s rare we use a key. Our doors are all keyed the same. I will be truthful and say that I do not like the look of the keyless entry. I would prefer a regular keyhole/lock.
HI, Renee, even though I normally come in through my garage, I do have occasions that I leave through the front door and return too (after my dates), so it’s nice to have this touchless feature and not fumble with a key now. I think I’ll enjoy it a lot,even though it might not be as pretty.
Rhoda, I know you will enjoy the keyless entry. Our first experience with this was a condo we rented in Seagrove Beach FL. The owner sent us the code and we never had to worry about a key the entire week we were there. As always, your choices for your doors are beautiful.
I love the new door knobs perfect timing we are changing our front door and I have been considering a keyless lock. I live with a lot of salt air and wonder how it would hold up. I wont have a storm door due to needing it to swing out …..hurricane code.
Love the nickle finish and I think I will change my out door light to nickle too.
Your choice of inside knobs is beautiful definitely want to look at face plates with knobs when we up grade!
The new knobs and door locks look great! I would love a keyless entry set. When we are ready to replace ours, I think we will go that direction. All my indoor knobs/handles are the oil rubbed bronze on white doors. Love that look! All my outside doors are brushed nickel because the doors are black. Thanks for all your great info. Love your blog!
Love the new locks! Also, I love your front door and wondering what paint you used and the color name. We live on the SC coast and I’ve been wanting to paint the front door of our raised beach house a turquoise blue…..love yours and that is the color I’ve been looking for.
Hi Carol, my front door is painted Florence, Annie Sloan chalk paint inside & out.
That certainly freshened up your door just in time for Spring! Everyone I know who has installed those locks loves them. I would urge everyone to lock their entry doors from the garage…I’m on my local crime watch committee, and you would not believe how many people are robbed by that entrance. I would like to at least make it hard for the bad guys to get in!
Roxanne, you are right it’s good to lock those doors & we always do at night & keep all exterior locks locked in the day too. I like to be safe!
Looks great! Yes, I totally notice things like that at houses. In fact, I am observant to a fault and so now I’m going to bug you and ask two questions!!
On the inside of the front door why is the deadbolt half black?? And what is the small hole below the doorknob?
Actually I have a third question. Why does the front door keyless entry have what looks like a deadbolt twist knob on it? Do you key in the code and then have to twist the knob to get it to open since there isn’t a key moving the deadbolt out of place??
Kate, yes that’s right, the code opens the lock & the lever outside slides it open. Same for locking from the outside.
Kate, that lock inside is half black & it came that way, not sure why but that’s the way it came. The little silver disc under it is where the new curved handle outside is secured on the inside of the door.
Pretty door knob and lock. A keyless one sound great! I may need to check into that. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Nice locks. I can’t decide on the keyless entry. Part of me likes it and part of me thinks it looks sort of business-like and reminds me of the lockboxes that realtors use on homes for sale. Just wondering about how you “partner” with companies. I’m not a blogger so no way could I expect to get all the freebies and perks that you do but I’m curious: Do you just email them and share your plight — mismatched, broken, etc. and they just automatically send you something? And where’s the “partnering?” Will you now have one of their ads on your blog site? It looks like you have two different finishes — nickel and antique brass. Was that your choice or do you just take what they send (or is it my monitor)? Again, just curious. It seems that every month or so you get something new and fairly expensive for your home. Others may find it interesting to know the process of reaching out and partnering with so many companies. Thanks!
Hi Kathy, good questions, this is something I’ve shared on my blog many times over the years & is part of being a blogger as a business. I’ve had many brand partnerships over the years & some are paid, some are product & some are both. Many brands reach out to work with me & sometimes if I want to work with a brand’s products I’ll email them, which is what I did here. I knew already they work with bloggers. I chose the ones I wanted & they sent them to me. We have to look at product or getting paid the same as far as our business is concerned. It’s been a big blessing to me to get to work with great brands & also fix up my house too & I share all I do with all of you. It’s a win-win for all. I love that I get to do this as a business & do what I love.
About two years ago, I went online and ordered a doorknob for every door in my house including the front door. I got brushed nickel and love them all. I did want another style but that style didn’t come in the brushed nickel so I went with the ones I have. I’ve really loved them and they match the cabinet pulls and knobs. Everybody comes through the back door and I definitely wanted the handle there to be the same metal as the cabinets.
Oh, I used the Schlage brand also.
Very nice upgrades! Funny you post this now because I am in the process of updating the interior knobs. We host a weekly bible study and one of our guests got locked in the bathroom last week! I had been wanting to replace the knobs so that gave me a perfect excuse. The knobs currently are round (like a sphere) brass knobs and I’ve never liked the look. I am changing them to oil rubbed bronze lever type handles. I had bought a regular knob for our back door last year so I am not sure if I will keep the exterior with knobs and interior with the lever style, or just keep that one only with a knob. Either way, just like cabinet hardware, it’s amazing what a difference it makes.
Hey, Lisa, I think it’s fine to mix it up. I probably should have mentioned that all my interior doors are lever style in antique brass that I installed myself after I moved in my house.
That was the first thing we did when we moved into our current house! We had all the exterior doors keyed with the same key and it is sooooo nice! We have 2 sets of french doors to the back patio and originally they had different keys, plus the front door key and garage door key…crazy! We got a keyless entry lever style for the door from the garage into the house and we love that! The kids can jump out of the car and don’t have to wait for us and we don’t have to fumble with the key if we have things in our hands when entering the house. Plus, if we have family come, they have the code and can get in if we aren’t home yet. We opted not to put one on the front door because we don’t use it that often, but I do love the convenience of it! We also changed all of the doorknobs in the house at the same time with oil rubbed bronze downstairs and brushed nickel upstairs. It was totally worth the effort, imo!
Thanks for sharing so much about your experience with the Schalge line of products. I will look into that for my front door. Your latest addition of new knobs and door locks look great! Right now, my front door sure looks like it could do with one of those new locks and handles. But I am not too sure about the keyless entry set. It needs a little getting used to I guess. Thanks for the wonderful sharing – I enjoyed reading the way these locks worked for you. It helps me plan mine too.