Best ways to burglar-proof your doors
Making sure that you home is secure and safe should be one of your upmost priorities. You want to protect yourself, your family and your possessions. However, many people do not put in place the proper security measures and leave themselves susceptible to burglary.
Doors are normally the route most burglars use in order to gain access to a property. Therefore, you need to ensure that your door is completely secure and will not allow entry to any intruders. It is better to be safe than sorry. By taking these preventative measures, you can sleep easy that your house is safe and secure. Here are some tips on how to ensure that your doors are burglar-proof.
Solid structure
You need to ensure that all exterior doors are solid and not able to be kicked in. Solid wood doors or doors with solid wood cores are preferred. Metal and fibreglass can also be good materials to use. If you do go for a metal door, make sure that it has an interior reinforcement which will not allow a potential intruder to bend the lock using a device such as a car jack.
Reinforced steel doors will provide great security, but the downside is that they need to be regularly maintained in order to prevent rust from forming.
Don't forget about the frame
When people think about the security of their doors, they normally worry about the doors themselves instead of also looking at the doorjamb and frames. These are essential components to the security of your doors. Someone can easily kick your jamb or frame in and crack open the door as a result. Therefore, if they are flimsy, you should install a deep strike box (a steel pocket for the deadbolt) and use long screws to fix it deep into the wall studs instead of just the doorjamb. You can also reinforce the doorjamb with steel to prevent it from being kicked in.
No windows
While windows on doors will provide some lighting to your hallway and look nice, they are a major flaw in the security of the door. If the window is located easily within arm's reach of the lock, the burglar can simply smash the window and open the door from the inside. If you have your heart set on getting a door that has a window, there are a few things you can do to add some extra security.
You should use reinforced glass and also consider installing decorative bars. You could also install a second deadbolt lock towards the bottom of the door where nobody could reach. This will need to meet the fire standard regulations in your region.
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