Monday, November 3, 2008

Doorways: How Do You Strengthem Them?

By Pamella Neely

You should first decide on the type of door you want to have. The three main choices are fiberglass, wood, and steel, but glass is also very popular. Only choose a solid wood door because a hollow one may be kicked through very easily and is rather difficult to reinforce. Steel doors are the best choice for safety because they are stronger than other types of doors. They also will not crack, come apart, or warp as other types of doors tend to do. Any dents in steel doors can be easily repaired with a basic body repair kit.

Consider replacing the hinges on all of your exterior doors. Installing new hinges that have nonremovable pins will provide you with extra security. Remove stop molding wooden strips, and put them back on using wood glue and nails for additional protection. You might also consider installing door reinforcers, such as high-security strike boxes.

For those of you with sliding glass doors, make sure you take the necessary measures to secure them. A great way to do this is to install keyed locks at the bottom and top of your doors. Another option is to have a Charlie bar installed. Charlie bars swing down to the middle of the door which prevents the door from being opened. If neither of these fits your budget, obtain a wooden rod that will fit securely along the bottom track. This should keep your glass doors from being opened.

There are several different types of locks that you might choose for the rest of the doors in your home. Mortise locks, deadlocks, rimlocks, and deadbolts are the most popular varieties. The majority of professionals recommend using deadbolts because they provide a high level of security. One of the most popular types of deadbolt lock is the single-cylinder, and it is commonly used on both wood and steel doors. Deadbolt locks must be opened with a key from the outside.

Deadbolt locks that have a double cylinder require the use of keys on both sides of a door. You should be aware that having these locks might put you in violation of fire codes, so make sure you check on that before installing them. One of the primary concerns with these locks is that a homeowner might become trapped inside the home in the event of a fire, if the key could not be located.

Also consider hiring a professional alarm monitoring service, or installing your own home security camera system. Burglar alarms, motion detectors, door bars, strike boxes, and window bars are additional ways to increase the safety of your family members. Use this advice to gain further peace of mind by constructing a home security plan that is best suited for your specific needs.

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