Security Door Vs. Burglar

HOOT

What are some approaches you guys use to make ordinary solid wood core doors (or any door for that matter) stronger against break ins?

some things i do are:
- Add one 3" screw at each hinge to frame, and hinge to door
- Add 2" screws at strike (when possible)
- Door Jamb pins
- 4 1/2" hinges (step up for residential)
- If hinges are exposed I use NRP hinges

......these are just some things i do on residential doors. If im working on industrial applications the list goes on. Ussually on Industrial we use Simplex 1000 or 5000 along with some heavy duty S&G slide bolts or S&G 8400's or on and on.

enforcer

how bout a 20 guage steel door....

mdshunk

Where do you guys live that you have to reinforce doors on houses like this?

HOOT

well obviously i could just use a 10" thick steel door!! i guess i just want to know what kind of hardware or tricks you use on doors that a customer doesnt want to replace!!! an existing wood door or if the 20 ga steel door is existing what can you do to make it stronger via hinges or other products on the market ? or even better your own inventions you have made for your installations???

mdshunk

Ever see Maxwell Smart opening up his apartment door?

TRC

Sounds like you're pretty much wasting your time. Just went on two estimates this week with kicked in doors and the jambs held up fine. In both cases the door broke where the bolts are. If your house is targeted....YOUR SCREWED!

HOOT

Well thats the idea of the thread, your response isnt very informative !!. OK, so you went and looked at some jobs.... how you gonna fix the problem of the bolts busting out ?? What are you gonna bid to fix the doors and make the customer happy. Now were getting somewhere, your learning.....

Tinstaafl

Okay, as the new guy you can be a little more informative. Please update your profile to indicate your location. We're nosy buggers.

Short of a 4' bar slipped into hooks at each side of the doorway, there's only so much you can do to deter a determined intruder.

The only thing I haven't seen mentioned so far is the U-shaped metal plate you can put on the slab to contain the lockset and surrounding wood. Also, many doors have a metal plate on the "outside" of the jamb (between the jamb and the rough framing) for the deadbolt to engage. With both of those in place, it would be easier to kick in the hinge side than the bolt side.

Meanwhile, that window just 6' away from the door would be REALLY easy to just toss a brick through...

Please update your profile to indicate your location.

TRC

I THOUGHT I WAS BEING INFORMATIVE TELLING YOU WHAT I HAVE SEEN. I'M SERIOUS WHEN I TELL YOU THAT YOUR WASTING YOUR TIME. I'VE SEEN MANY BREAK-INS.

HOOT

Its informative when you answer my question. So what do YOU do to make a door stronger. And you dont have enough info to know how strong my doors are......

i take 1 3/4" strap 2' long and 1/4" thick w/ staggered screws, route out my frame on the strike side (with strike and deadbolt holes routed out), so my bolts aint goin nowhere...

So once again I ask you "TRC" what do you do when your customers doors are kicked down to make them stronger ?

Stewy

All your ideas sound good, but like said beef up the door and the glass window next to it is used. Now we need bars on the windows?
Maybe a good alarm system would help. I like a 150 lb. dog snarling at the the door or maybe the sound of a pump action to make the door solid.

TRC

nothing. I do nothing other than install the door properly and i've never heard a peep about it. In other words, no-one around here has ever asked me to make the door burglar proof and if they did i would tell them to buy a 3 point locking door from therma-tru, which i have done. I guess your saying that people are hiring you for the sole purpose of making their existing door more secure and that's different. I have never recieved a call for that. Also, my best friend is a cop and has a lot of break-in stories and from what he sees it's like i said: If you're targeted they will get in. If not the door then one of the windows. And forget alarms, the response time between the alarm being tripped and the police getting there is longer than it takes for the burglars to get what they want - we're talking about pro's here.

VBuilt

I have always reinforced connections with screws- hinges and strike plate.
That being said, if someone is willing to kick in a door they would certainly bust a window.
The way I see it is that for the most part locks keep out the honest (and maybe half-assed honest) people.
As an aside I am always surprised how any entry locksets are improperly installed- such that the locking pin is not held in and drops into the strike plate hole.

__________________
Roy Vinton
VBuilt Custom Homes
www.vbuiltcustomhomes.com

HOOT

Thanks TRC, i know if someone wants to get in they will !!, i just try to make it harder for them. If i am installing a door for a family in a bad neighborhood and they have kids, than i just try to make what they have as good as i can. Most of these ppl dont have a lot of money, so if a few extra longer screws and minor materials makes the burglar have to kick the door twice instead of once it helps !

TRC

I don't know what you charge to do this but another option might be to add a security storm door, like the one that Larson sells. The door is pretty expensive but very easy to install. I think they are about $400 or so. I will definitely slow down any break-ins. They use a 3-pint locking system and you can use 2" screws to mount the frame. Just another option if someone can afford it.