--- title: "How Old Is the Cylinder in Your 1960s or 1970s Novelda Flat?" description: "A third of what stands in Novelda was built in the 1960s and 70s. How to read the age of a cylinder from outside, and which signs mean it is time for a new one." url: "https://locksmithnovelda.es/door-notes/how-old-is-the-cylinder-in-a-seventies-flat/" business: "Locksmith Novelda" --- # Reading the age of the lock on a flat from the marble years A third of the floor space built in Novelda dates from the 1960s and 70s. How to tell, from the outside, whether your front door still turns on an early cylinder, and which signs mean it should go. 6 November 2026 · 4 min read According to the land registry, about a third of the floor space standing in Novelda was built in the 1960s and 1970s, the years when the stone trade was growing fast. A lot of those flats have had new kitchens, new windows and new floors since. The cylinder in the front door is often the one thing nobody thought about. You do not need to take anything apart to get a fair idea of how old it is. ## Five things to look at from the landing 1. **Does the cylinder stand proud of the door?** Hold a ruler against the door or its plate. A cylinder that sticks out several millimetres is easy to grip with a tool and snap. Newer fittings sit flush, or behind a guard plate. 2. **What does the face say?** Modern security cylinders usually have a maker’s name and often a small symbol or star marking. A plain brass face with nothing on it tells you little, which is itself a hint. 3. **What does the key look like?** A flat key with simple cuts along one edge usually belongs to an older, basic cylinder. Keys with dimples, side grooves or a moving element belong to more recent ones. 4. **How does it feel?** A key that needs jiggling, or that has to be pulled back a little before it turns, means worn pins. 5. **Does anyone know?** Ask the previous owner, the landlord, or the neighbours on the same landing: in some blocks the doors were all fitted at once. ## Why age matters An old cylinder is not a problem just because it is old. It becomes one when it is worn, when it can be snapped because it stands proud, or when nobody knows how many keys are around. In a flat that has had several owners or tenants, that last point is usually true. ## What the swap actually involves Usually nothing more than the cylinder itself: the lock body inside the door stays. The new one is measured to the thickness of the door so it sits flush on both sides, and an anti-snap model is the sensible minimum for a street-facing door. If the door also has an old multipoint or mortice lock that drags, that is looked at on the same visit. ## Related notes Older still, the houses of the centre have timber doors and mortice locks a century old; see [opening a period door without marking the wood](https://locksmithnovelda.es/door-notes/opening-a-period-door-in-the-modernist-centre/). If an old cylinder has already let you down once, keep [the note on being locked out with something on the hob](https://locksmithnovelda.es/door-notes/locked-out-with-a-pan-on-the-hob/) in mind. When you are ready, the work itself is described under [lock changes for cylinders that have turned since the 1970s](https://locksmithnovelda.es/lock-change-novelda/). **Ready to replace an old cylinder?** Booked for a day that suits you, measured on the spot, with the price agreed before the old one comes out. [Lock change Novelda, for cylinders that have turned since the 1970s](https://locksmithnovelda.es/lock-change-novelda/) Two more notes from Novelda - [A hundred-year-old door, shut, and the wood worth keeping](https://locksmithnovelda.es/door-notes/opening-a-period-door-in-the-modernist-centre/) · 4 min - [The door shut, and something is still cooking inside](https://locksmithnovelda.es/door-notes/locked-out-with-a-pan-on-the-hob/) · 3 min - [Every door note](https://locksmithnovelda.es/door-notes/) ## Prefer to describe it on the phone? Ring or send a WhatsApp with a photo of the door or the lock, and you will hear what it needs. Open 24 hours · 7 days [+34 678 583 290](tel:+34678583290) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/34678583290?text=Hi%2C%20I%20need%20a%20locksmith%20in%20Novelda.%20Where%20I%20am%20(street%2C%20or%20the%20partida%20and%20the%20name%20of%20the%20house%3B%20or%20the%20unit%20on%20El%20Fondonet%20or%20Santa%20Fe)%20and%20what%20has%20happened%3A)