Having a secure home is important for peace of mind and protecting your family and possessions. One of the most vulnerable points of entry in many homes is the front or back door. Doors can often be kicked in or broken down by an intruder trying to gain access to your home. There are several methods for reinforcing doors to make them more secure against break-ins.
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Why Reinforce Doors?
There are a few key reasons why you may want to reinforce your exterior doors:
- Burglars typically try to find the fastest and quietest way to enter a home. An exterior door is often the most convenient access point.
- Wooden or hollow core doors can be easy to kick in or break through. Reinforcing these weak points improves security.
- Improving door security may deter potential intruders who decide it’s not worth the effort and risk if they cannot quickly and easily gain entry.
- Reinforced doors allow time for the homeowner to activate alarm systems, contact police, or take defensive action while an intruder attempts to gain entry.
- Upgrading door security provides peace of mind knowing you’ve made your home less desirable and more difficult for burglars.
While doors should always be locked, even a locked door can potentially be broken through in a matter of seconds. Taking steps to reinforce doors helps protect your home and family against break-ins.
Install a Security Door
One of the most effective ways to reinforce an exterior door is to install a specialty security door designed to withstand hard impacts. There are a few types of security doors to consider:
- Steel security doors – These heavy-duty doors are constructed from high-gauge steel or iron. Some models have polycarbonate glass reinforced windows to provide natural light while enhancing security. Steel doors can defend against even determined intruders attempting to kick or pry them open.
- Wood core security doors – These doors have an outer layer of 12-14 gauge steel surrounding a dense wood core, often of solid oak. The wood core provides rigidity and strength. Some wood core doors have steel edge banding to prevent compromise of the door edge.
- Fiberglass security doors – Doors made with compressed fiberglass bonded to a steel frame make them extremely resistant to impacts as well as weather and corrosion. Fiberglass doors will not warp or crack like wood.
High quality security doors will have heavy-duty deadbolt locks, hinges, and door frames or jambs. Although more expensive than typical exterior doors, security doors provide maximum protection against forced entry.
Install Reinforcement Plates
For standard wooden or hollow core doors, you can install metal reinforcement plates to prevent easy access. Two types of door reinforcers include:
- Hinge side reinforcement – Steel plates that mount over the door hinges. They prevent hinge side entry by securing the door jamb and preventing the door from being knocked off its hinges.
- Lock side reinforcement – these are vertical metal plates that mount on the door in alignment with where the lockset bolt goes into the door jamb. They prevent spreading the door frame enough for the lock bolt to disengage.
Proper installation is key to an effective door reinforcer. They should mount using long screws into solid framing behind the door jamb. Position the plates flush with the door edges so they do not create gaps that could pry open. High quality reinforcers and good installation make it extremely difficult to gain access by compromising the door jambs or lock hardware.
Consider Door Security Bars
Another option to improve security are door braces and bars that mount on the interior side of the door. They are typically made from heavy-duty steel and span an angle between the floor and door. Popular options include:
- Door security bar – A bar that mounts to the floor and braces diagonally against the door. Security bars are manually positioned across the door and resist forces trying to push the door open.
- Door brace bar – Functions like a security bar but can be quickly released via a pressure switch that otherwise keeps the bar wedged against the door at an angle.
- Door entry alarms – Battery powered alarms that trigger a high volume sound if the door is opened while the brace is in place. This provides an alert if an intruder attempts to gain access.
Door security bars are a cost effective additional layer of protection against an intruder breaking through the door. The bar makes it impossible to open the door even if lock hardware fails. The width and angle of the bar determines how much reinforcement force it provides.
Replace or Upgrade Door Hardware
Replacing or upgrading locks and door hardware is an essential step in reinforcing entry doors. Consider these hardware upgrades:
- High security deadbolt – Install deadbolts with 1 inch long lock bolts made of hardened steel. Ensure the lock cylinder has pick and drill resistant features.
- Reinforced strike plate – Upgrade to an extra heavy duty strike plate to match a high security deadbolt. They are thicker and have longer screws to anchor firmly into framing.
- Double cylinder deadbolt – Having both exterior and interior cylinders requires a key to unlock the door from the inside or outside. This prevents an intruder from breaking glass to reach inside and unlock the door.
- Security keyed knobs – Upgrade exterior door knobs and locks to security keyed hardware. This uses unique key patterns that make the locks extremely difficult to pick.
Proper installation using the manufacturer reinforced screw holes is important to create a strong connection and prevent hardware from being knocked or pried off the door or jamb. High quality hardware paired with proper installation provides significant reinforcement against forced entry.
Create a Stronger Door Frame
The door frame, or jamb, that your door mounts into is just as important as the door itself for security. Weak door jambs can allow a door to be pried open even if the lock holds. Consider upgrading to:
- Metal door jambs – Steel door jambs do not split like wood frames. Metal prevents an intruder prying between the jamb and door to separate them.
- Steel jamb reinforcements – For existing wood jambs, install steel jamb guards on both sides to prevent splitting or spreading the jamb. Jamb guards act like a strong metal sleeve around a wood frame.
- Longer jamb screws – Replacing short jamb screws with 3 to 4 inch long screws that penetrate deeply into framing adds strength against prying or hammer attacks on the jamb.
A strong, tight fitting door jamb keeps the door firmly anchored in place and eliminates gaps that could allow prying tools to compromise the frame. Installing reinforcement hardware and elongating jamb screws creates a robust barrier an intruder is unlikely to breech quickly or quietly.
Consider Smart Lock Options
Technology improvements have created “smart” door locks controlled from smartphones and offering keyless entry. Smart locks provide convenience as well as potential security advantages. Features to consider include:
- Remote locking/unlocking – Monitor home access and lock or unlock doors remotely using a smartphone app. Helpful if you forget to lock up when away or wish to allow access for family/friends without sharing keys.
- Temporary access codes – Create unique entry codes for certain days/times. Allow delivery drivers a one-time code to leave packages inside while away.
- Alerts – Receive notifications when someone accesses the door. Review history of lock activity and who entered.
- Fingerprint access – Allow family to use fingerprint scanners to unlock the door. More secure than sharing codes.
Smart locks maintain the strength of physical deadbolts and hardware while adding technology elements that boost security in other ways. However, smart locks rely on battery power and network connectivity that could be disrupted by an intruder. Hardened mechanical locks are more dependable as the primary deterrent against forced entry.
Install Visibility and Security Features
Making doors more visible and securing access ways around them will also help improve home security. Recommendations include:
- Install exterior motion sensor lighting focused on each entry door.
- Trim shrubs or landscaping to eliminate hiding spots around doors.
- Use a wide angle viewer or peephole to see who is outside without opening the door.
- Apply security window film to door windows to slow glass breakage.
- Install a video doorbell camera to monitor and record anyone approaching or at the door.
Layers of physical security paired with visibility enhances protection against intruders targeting doors. Well-lit doors without cover, door cameras, and window films remove the element of surprise and make entry attempts more risky.
Conclusion
Exterior doors are a favorite point of entry for home intruders and burglars. Reinforcing the security of these doors is one of the most effective ways to protect your home. Upgrading to security doors, adding reinforcement plates and bars, installing high strength hardware, and creating tight door frames makes entry much harder. Smart locks add tech-enabled security options as well. Door security paired with good visibility in the entry area will significantly reduce your risk of a break-in.