Security is always paramount when it comes to ones home. Security doors play a pivotal role in ensuring security on any structure. Strong and well-mounted security doors help prevent possible burglaries and break-ins when you are away from home, or when you are just relaxing at home and want to leave your doors open for fresh air. There are various types of security doors that you can buy depending on the nature and size of your home. Here are 3 tips that can come in handy when you go shopping for these doors.
Check the Locks and Handles
Locks are a vital component on your security door as crooks like picking them to get access to your house rather than struggle to break the frame. It is, therefore, very important to check these and ensure that they are not easy to pick. Go for five-pin cylinder locks or any that are closer to that. Such locks are designed to spread the force of an attack by preventing intruders wrenching it from either side. You should also check the lock’s warranty. Go for mortise rather than surface mounted locks. A long warranty shows that the manufacturers are confident of its quality. Check the handles as well to confirm their strength. Security doors are always handled with a bit of some force so strong handles would come in handy.
Check the Door’s Frame
Security doors’ frames can either be steel or aluminum. Most experts advise that steel doors are stronger and more effective as compared to aluminum ones, but get corroded over time losing their aesthetic appeal. Aluminum doors are less prone to corrosiveness, but are apparently less strong. This is not to say that they cannot provide the required security. If you want a beautiful door with a unique design, then you go for an aluminum door since it will still provide you with the security you need. If your focus is entirely on security and do not want to take any chances, then you can go for a steel door. You can galvanize it to delay corrosion for a period of time. Whichever material you choose, make sure the joints are strong enough.
Always Check the Hinges
A door with weak hinges is as much as useless since intruders can simply cut or lift the screws and remove the door entirely. It is more secure if a security door has three hinges or more. These hinges should be fixed permanently with pins securely welded instead of simply pressing into the leaf of the hinge. Ensure that the pins are big enough to make them difficult to cut with simple tools and that the door has a hinge filling. The filling between the frame and the door hinges is to prevent possibilities of jimmying. You can save some money by using a single block hinge that runs the entire length of the door. Such a block will not only prevent forced breakage with a jimmy, but is also more durable.
My store’s rear door, which we now use, looks to be creaking, so I’m intending to get a new one put in shortly. When I search for a business to employ to install our security doors soon, I’ll keep this advice in mind.
Thank you for informing us that aluminum doors are less prone to corrosion, so it’s best to consider them if you want a door with a beautiful design and secured frames. I’m planning to get a new door installed for my store soon since the one we use at the back seems to be creaky. I’ll keep this suggestion in mind while I look for a contractor to hire for our aluminum doors soon.
I had no idea that locks are a crucial part of your security door since thieves prefer to pick them up to enter your home rather than attempt to destroy the frame. I will be sharing this info with my mom who plans on buying a security door for her beach house. We’re only there in summer so it’d be great to have the extra protection of the property with security doors that are top-notch.