Security Products:
Door Reinforcement

NO security products are guaranteed to prevent any crime - but will likely protect you if used with the tips in Home Security - Overview.

Please do not naïvely think you enjoy "location immunity." Criminals know that most people in "safe" neighborhoods brag about not locking their doors and windows (and then are so shocked after an invasion...). Unlocked doors and windows are my #1 pet peeve – wherever you live. They account for at least half of the millions of home invasions every year worldwide.

Two examples of the 8,000+ home invasions daily in the U.S. alone:

Two gunmen kicked through the back door of the home of 68-year-old Bernie Meyerfeld and his wife, Effie. A week earlier, two gunmen kicked in their front door of 71-year-old Umberto Bifulco and his wife and shot him in the leg. Days before that, a gunman kicked in the front door of the Mooneyham house. All in sleepy Pittsgrove Township near Philadelphia.

Homebuilders care far more about keeping costs down rather than your security. Common exterior doors take only a few seconds to bash, kick, pick, lock bump, or pry through.

Is that all you have between you and a nightmare?

Maxine Chandler heard a knock at the door and opened it. A stranger grabbed at her. She broke free and slammed the door. Javaris Granger heard his mother screaming and loud crashes. He ran to the living room and saw a deranged man smashing a bicycle against the window.

The madman began ramming the door. Javaris ran to his parents' bedroom, grabbed a gun, and ran back to the living room as the maniac kicked in the door and jumped into the living room. Javaris fired off a warning shot. The lunatic didn't leave until four shots later.

Fortunately, preventing the nightmare of a home invasion is so simple:

• Prevent a Walk-In by keeping your doors and windows locked at all times (doors and windows have locks for a reason).
• Prevent a Push-In or Scam-In by always using a peephole and/or intercom before opening your door in response to a knock – and never opening it for anyone you don’t know well.
• Prevent a Break-In (and/or kick-in) by fortifying your doors with the security products described below. (Also see window reinforcement.)

The National Locksmith (www.thenationallocksmith.com) laboratory tested a standard residential steel-clad door, frame, and rough frame against common burglar tools.

Doorknobs were ripped off with a pipe wrench in an average of eight seconds. Common deadbolts were destroyed with only a couple of hammer hits.

The very best security products were the Schlage B660P deadbolt, a MAG 747 High Security Box Strike Plate, and a Don-Jo reinforcer that fits around the deadbolt to stop the door from splitting. The deadbolt withstood a two-minute hammer beating, attacks with a screwdriver and hammer and a pry bar, and a series of running kicks by a massive martial artist. Nothing happened.

Next came a forklift, blades up against the door, applying gradual pressure until, at maximum speed, the spinning wheels burned through the floor tile and into the cement. Finally, the door crashed open. The strike plate had split because the doorframe cracked. In a home, drywall and wall-studs (especially a reinforced door-frame – see below) will likely make the entry even harder.

For less than $100 per door, you can get these superior security products: a MAG 747 High Security Box Strike Plate, a Don-Jo Deadbolt Wrap-Around, and a Schlage B660P Deadbolt lock. Also reinforce your door-frames as described below.

Even better than the Schlage B660P deadbolt are the B760 and (especially) the B860. Only they have Schlage’s Primus Controlled Access cylinder that is highly resistant to lock picking and lock bumping – even by an expert locksmith. Find the very best deadbolt locks at Lock Bumping.

BASIC DOOR SECURITY PRODUCTS

Thinking it was a relative knocking at his back door, the homeowner opened it. He was knocked down by two gunmen and forced to crawl from room to room as they demanded cash and jewelry.

• Door – a standard residential steel-clad door has 24-guage steel with a wood lock-block core. Stronger steel-clad doors have cores of solid-wood (Calamine) or corrugated metal bracing, or 12-gauge steel cladding (12-gauge is thicker than 24-gauge). If you prefer a wood door, make sure it’s at least 2-inch thick solid hardwood with no recessed panels (they're too thin and weak against a kick-in – but you can add decorative trim that looks like paneling).

• Deadbolt lock (see above) – any locks less than a deadbolt are far too weak to qualify as true security products. I recommend only a grade rating of 1 (most hardware stores sell only grades 2 and 3). A decent deadbolt is made of hardened steel, has a five-pin tumbler, and a minimum 1-inch throw [that inserts into a hardened-steel strike-plate (see description above) secured by four 3-inch hardened-steel screws that insert into a reinforced door-frame]. Use a wrap-around (see description above) to reinforce the deadbolt/door interface. (To avoid splitting the wood, drill "pilot holes" before inserting screws.) See Lock Bumping for the very best deadbolt locks.

• Reinforced door-frame – reinforced on both the lock and hinge sides. Remove the (indoor) molding and insert wood shims in the gap between the door-frame and the (wall-frame) studs. Then drive 6-inch hardened-steel screws through the door-frame and shims and into the studs. Insert the screws 8 inches apart (4 inches nearer the strike-plate). Use 6-inch hardened steel screws on the hinges. A few dozen screws are the least expensive security products. (To avoid splitting the wood, drill "pilot holes" before inserting screws.)

• Peepholes: know who's knocking at your door before you open it.

• Home Intercom System: staying safe when strangers choose your home.

For stronger doors (especially on a door leading to an unsecured basement or attached garage where a burglar can hide while attacking your door): use two deadbolts (on a solid hardwood door) – one shoulder high and another hip high, or have a locksmith install a vertical deadbolt (a.k.a. drop-bolt) or a Multi-Lock deadbolt that inserts into all four sides of the door-frame.

As the Greenwood SC homeowner watched in horror, Kelvin Kenard Martin suddenly broke a window pane out of her front door, reached inside and let himself into the house with a pistol in his hand.

All these doors have either easily-breakable windows or weak recessed panels near the door-lock. They look good – especially to a burglar.

If you have a window in – or near – your door, it should be 96 square inches maximum, and located further away from your deadbolt lock than a tall man’s arm can reach (36 inches). Or use shatterproof glass (with a fortified frame). See Window Reinforcement.

But if you're less concerned with security and insist on the stylish decor of recessed panels and breakable windows, then get Alarm Systems or DIY Home Security Systems.

More Types of Door Security Locks

• Mortise bolts: sliding bolts in a cavity hollowed out in the wood (a.k.a. flush bolts). Use on all four edges of the door. These security products can be used only from indoors (your home must be occupied) . The downside is that they rely on flimsy screws into the doorframe.

• A Barricade Bolt is a bar placed horizontally across a door that engages strikes on both sides of the doorframe. These security products can be used only from indoors (your home must be occupied), but are tamper-proof from outdoors. Attach the brackets (or strikes) to the door-jamb with minimum 4-inch wood screws - as thick as the bracket-holes will allow. Pre-drill pilot holes into the door-jamb to avoid splitting the wood.

• Door-brace: (a.k.a. police brace or buttress lock) leans diagonally against the door. These security products can be used only from indoors (your home must be occupied), but are tamper-proof from outdoors.

• DANGER: a Door Chain (a.k.a. "chain-lock" or "chain door interviewer") allows partial door opening, but is far too flimsy to stop a kick-in or an aggressive Push-In. Get rid of these ridiculously flimsy "security products." Newer "high-tech" brands are slightly better but still not nearly good enough.

Both the Door Chain and the lock shown here rely on flimsy screws into the door-frame – they will not withstand an aggressive kick-in or push-in.

Instead, find the best deadbolt lock at Lock Bumping – and use a Peephole and a doorbell intercom (see Home Intercom System) – for knowing who's knocking without needless risk.

Double-Door, Dutch-Door & Sliding Door
Security Products

• Dutch-doors (divided horizontally so that the lower or upper sections can open separately) need deadbolt locks and related hardware (see door security systems) on both sections – along with all the security products described above for exterior doors.

See Sliding Door Security Hardware.

The Best Home Security Products for Burglary Prevention of GARAGE and SHED DOORS

• Padlock – get a minimum 3/8-inch stainless steel double-locking (heel and toe) shackle, and a brass keyway with a five-pin tumbler. File off key code numbers on the back.

No padlock is any better than the hasp or chain it secures. Hasps must be hardened steel attached with tamper-resistant round head carriage bolts. Chains must be welded-link, hardened steel – the thicker the better. Or get a locking-cable.

• Hinges must be hardened steel and preferably mounted with longer, 4-inch steel screws. If mounted outside, attach with tamper-resistant round head carriage bolts.

Home Security Hardware, Burglar Alarm Equipment, and Personal Safety Devices

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