Call any time
Cupboard Locks Oxford Cabinet and Drawer Locks Fitted
Lockable medicine cupboards, drinks cabinets, wardrobes, desks and bedside drawers in Oxford homes, plus opening furniture when the little key has gone missing.
Get a cupboard lock price
Tell us what you need and we will call you straight back. Calling is quickest: 07520 644 595. Photos by WhatsApp: 07466 695655
Medicines out of reach
A keyed or hidden magnetic lock on the cupboard where tablets are kept.
Drinks and valuables
Locks for drinks cabinets, jewellery drawers and the cupboard under the stairs.
Antique furniture
Old bureau, wardrobe and desk locks opened and new keys made where possible.
One key for several
Keyed alike locks so one key opens every cupboard you choose.
We fit cupboard locks in Oxford homes, including cabinet and drawer locks for medicines, alcohol, documents, wardrobes and desks, from £59 to £95 plus the lock, usually arriving within 10 to 30 minutes in OX1 to OX4. If a piece of furniture is locked and the key is lost, we open it without damage where we can and fit a working lock.
This page is about locks inside the home: kitchen units, bathroom cabinets, bedroom furniture and home offices. If you manage lockers or filing cabinets at work, our cam lock service for businesses is the better fit.
Why people lock cupboards at home
Most requests come from one of a few situations, and each points to a slightly different lock.
- Medicines and cleaning products. Grandchildren visiting, a toddler starting to climb, or a family member who needs medication kept secure. A keyed lock on a high cupboard is the usual answer.
- Alcohol. Teenagers at home, a house party, or someone in recovery. A drinks cabinet lock removes temptation without moving everything.
- Documents and passports. A locking desk drawer or bureau for paperwork that should not be lying around, especially in shared houses.
- Lodgers and holiday lets. An owner’s cupboard where your own things stay while guests or a lodger use the rest of the home. Our guide for landlords and letting agents covers this in more detail.
- Wardrobes and bedroom furniture. Shared flats and family homes where one person wants a private space.
For anything truly valuable, such as cash, jewellery or heirlooms you could never replace, a cupboard lock is not enough. A fixed safe is the right tool, and if you have one that will not open, see our safe opening service.
Cupboard lock types for home furniture
Cam locks
A round keyed lock through the door front with a flat cam that turns behind the frame. Neat, cheap and the most common lock on bathroom cabinets and bedside units.
Push or plunger locks
Press the barrel in to lock, use the key to release. Common on sliding glass doors of display cabinets and on pairs of cupboard doors.
Drawer locks
A small cut cupboard or cylinder drawer lock fitted to the drawer front, with a bolt that throws up into the carcass above.
Magnetic child locks
Fitted inside the door with nothing visible outside. A magnetic key held against the door releases the catch. Ideal for kitchen units where you do not want keyholes in the doors.
Hasp and padlock
For a pantry, meter cupboard or understairs cupboard with a full size door, a hasp and small padlock or a rim lock is stronger than any furniture lock.
Wardrobe and bureau locks
Traditional cut cupboard locks and lever locks on older furniture. We match the size and backset so the original holes and escutcheons are reused.
Child safe cupboard locks: what actually works
Plastic clip latches from the supermarket are fine for a baby, but most children work them out by three. If you need something that lasts, here is how the main options compare.
| Option | Keeps out | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic clip latch | Babies and young toddlers | Easily learnt, breaks with use |
| Hidden magnetic lock | Toddlers and young children | Lose the magnet key and the door is stuck until opened |
| Keyed cam lock | Children and most teenagers | Visible keyhole in the door front |
| Lockable medicine cabinet fixed to the wall | Everyone without the key | Needs wall space and a solid fixing |
Keep the key away from the cupboard
The most common reason a child gets into a locked cupboard is a key left in the lock or on top of the unit. Keep keys on a hook in an adult’s room or on your own key ring.
Lost the key to a cupboard, wardrobe or desk?
Furniture keys are tiny and they vanish. Antique wardrobes and bureaus often arrive from a house clearance or an auction with no key at all. In most cases we can open the lock without marking the wood, then either make a key to fit the existing lock or replace it with a modern one of the same size.
On older pieces we always try to keep the original lock, because swapping it can change the look and the value. If a new key can be made for it, we will tell you on the phone before we come. For standard modern cupboard locks, a straight replacement is usually quicker and cheaper.
If the problem is that the key turns but the door will not open, the cam or bolt has often slipped or snapped. That is a repair, covered by our no fix, no fee lock repair policy.
Several cupboards on one key
If you are locking a medicine cupboard, a drinks cabinet and a desk drawer, carrying three keys gets old quickly. We can fit cupboard locks that are keyed alike, so one key opens all of them, while each still locks on its own. Spare keys cost £8 to £25 each.
For a house that already has a lot of locks, including doors, a rekey service can bring front and back door cylinders onto one key at the same visit. We will tell you honestly whether that makes sense for your doors.
Cupboard locks in Oxford flats, HMOs and family homes
Oxford has a lot of shared housing: student houses in Cowley and Jericho, professional house shares in Headington and Botley, and lodgers in family homes all over the city. In shared homes a lockable bedside drawer or wardrobe is often the simplest way to give each person somewhere private for passports, laptops and medication.
Landlords sometimes ask us to fit locks on a set of kitchen cupboards so each tenant has their own. We fit them keyed to differ and give each tenant their own key, with a master copy kept by the landlord if the tenancy allows it. That ties in with our wider residential locksmith work, such as changing door locks between tenancies.
For a broader look at protecting a home, our home security tips for Oxford residents cover doors, windows and habits.
What a cupboard lock fitting involves
Fitting a cam lock usually means drilling one neat round hole through the door front and fitting a small keep or using the frame edge. Magnetic locks are screwed inside and leave nothing showing. A drawer lock needs a recess cut into the drawer front and a small keep in the carcass above. Most locks take 20 to 40 minutes each, so several cupboards are normally done in one visit.
Tell us the door thickness and send a photo of the inside of the door on WhatsApp, and we bring the right size so there is no second trip. The price is agreed before we start, includes VAT and labour, and the lock is listed separately on your itemised invoice. Our other small jobs are listed with the main locksmith services.
Cupboard and drawer lock prices
Prices include VAT and labour and are agreed before we start, with the lock itself listed separately.
| Service | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet and drawer locks | £59 to £95 + lock | Cupboards, drawers, wardrobes and desks |
| Lock repair | £55 to £85 | No fix no fee, for slipped cams and broken bolts |
| Extra keys | £8 to £25 per key | Spares for keyed alike sets |
| Lock rekey | £45 to £65 per lock | Bring door cylinders onto one key |
Prices include VAT and labour. Parts are listed separately. See the full Oxford locksmith price list.
