Home Doors – How to Strengthen Your Defenses

When it comes to home security, many of us focus on a number of add-ons to our homes. Maybe you want your windows to be more secure. Maybe you are considering installing an outside fence or an electric garage-door opener.

Of course, many of us forget one of the chief lines of defense in our homes: the points of entry. These crucial gateways are also known as doors, and considering they’re necessary for your own comfortable usage of your home, it is important to shore them up, strengthen them, and ensure that they let the good guys in – and keep the bad guys out. Here’s how to shore up your doors.

Modifying Existing Doors

One of the quickest ways to shore up your security is to start with what you already have. Here are a few ways to enhance the security of your existing doors if you’re in a financial pinch:

• Sliding doors: Inserting a dowel rod to keep a sliding door from sliding is one of the quickest “hacks” to shore up the security of a sliding door. Without the ability to slide from the outside, your sliding door will behave like a locked castle gate.

(Source: bokeh burger)

• Changing locks: Ensuring that you are the only one with the key to your home is essential. Change the locks if there’s even a chance that someone else might still have keys to your home.
• Glass doors: Adding a glass security laminate to your glass door will help you to enhance security without getting rid of the glass doors.
• Wood/metal doors: Although it’s difficult to reinforce wood or metal doors without replacing them, you can always reinforce the frame. Installing wood shims, for example, is a well-known way to reinforce a door.

Of course, there are more ways you can modify an existing door beyond simply reinforcing its structure. Let’s take a look at some of the devices you can use to fortify your doors.

Door Devices

There’s a lot you can do to enhance the security of your doors, especially if you have a preference for electronic devices.

• Door brace: Much like putting a “club” on your steering wheel, a door brace helps to add to the strength of a door, similar to the idea of a dowel rod for a sliding door.

• Door entry alarms: If you can’t prevent someone from kicking down your door, you can still rig an alarm near the door just in case someone does break in.
• Door stop alarm: Similar to combining the two concepts above into one device, a door stop alarm is a great way to ensure that your door isn’t opened. If it is, someone else will know about it.

However you choose to enhance the security of your doors, the most important thing is that you do take action sooner rather than later. Your door may end up thanking you for it.