Prevent any break-ins into your property by reinforcing the locks of your doors. Keeping your house safe should be your first priority. You should use safety measures like reinforcing door locks and replacing old locksets to increase the safety of your valuables and family. The best part about this is that there are many budget-friendly measures that you can take to upgrade your lock security. More so, burglary is becoming a very common phenomenon in residential societies. Keeping such a high crime rate in mind, you should keep your family’s safety a priority. To help you with that, we have listed some of the most important ways through which you can reinforce your doors at home to prevent any break-ins from potential criminals.
You may never realize that kicking in and breaking through a solid door with old locking systems is as easy as breaking through a glass door. With many demonstrations, it has been found that old door jambs were destroyed within five seconds. That is why you must upgrade your old locking hardware to a new one. Upgrade your door’s deadbolt and lockset plates, especially for exterior doors. Statistics released by the FBI on burglaries and thefts show that more than 50% of home break-ins occur through front doors, back doors, and garage door.
Check Your Exterior Doors
The first and foremost step that you need to do is to check all your exterior doors. By check, we mean to scrutinize the locking systems of your doors. For starters, you should know that an exterior door is secured if it is made of sturdy material and has deadbolts (grade 1 or grade 2) with solid long-throw bolts of at least 1-inch size. If your doorknob, do not be under the impression that your door is safe. Check the deadbolts of your door. You need to ensure that the screws of the deadbolts are tight. Lock and unlock the deadbolts to see if the bolts are less than one inch. If the bolts are less than an inch or are wobbly, you need a new deadbolt for your door as soon as possible. Now, turn to the door jambs and the strike plates. You need to unscrew the strike plates from the door frame and check if the screws of the strike plates are at least 3 inches long. If the screws are less than 3 inches long, you need to replace them and get upgraded strike plates. You need longer screws as they will help reinforce the door jambs and, hence, the bolts.
Replacing Your Door’s Deadbolt Locks
If you have an old deadbolt, you might want to replace it as soon as possible. Almost all deadbolt types have two main screws placed on the inside of the door and two screws placed on the faceplate. You need to unscrew these to get the old deadbolt out. Keep the measurements in mind for your new deadbolts. If you know how to remove a deadbolt lock, well and good, and if not, you should contact a professional carpenter. Do not experiment with your locks, as they can not only cause serious damage to the locking system but they can also harm your door. As we have already mentioned, while purchasing a new deadbolt lock, remember that the bolt should be at least an inch in size.
The majority of the time, consumers pick a deadbolt based on color or finish, but when entrance door security locks are crucial, the grade of the lock is the key deadbolt component. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) uses hammers, saws, and other equipment to attack all locks and component parts. The lock is then given one of three ratings, Grade 1 being the best and most challenging to break or damage. In hardware stores and home centers, the majority of locks are Grade 2 or 3. Even while some Grade 2 locks may include Grade 1 parts listed on the packaging, this does not automatically make the lock Grade 1. Grade 2 locks are still acceptable for home usage, but Grade 1 is the absolute best. Choose between purchasing a single-cylinder deadbolt (keyed solely on the external side of the lock) and a double-cylinder deadbolt (keyed on both internal and external sides). For fire safety considerations (it is harder to escape because you need the key), check your local building rules. They may not allow using double cylinder deadbolt locks.
Replacing Your Door’s Strike Plates
To reinforce the door jamb, upgrade your old lockset strike plates to new ones with at least 3-inch screws. Do not forget to install new strike plates for your deadbolts. If you are an expert at replacing the strike plates, you should attempt it. Otherwise, you should seek help from a professional. Better door security is an easy solution to prevent burglaries and thefts. Weak or improperly fitting strike plates can lead to kick-in burglaries. This is only an additional layer of security, like all others. If your door jambs, frame, and hinges are flimsy, even the greatest lock and strike plate is of little use. Get a door professional to inspect your doors, especially the main entry, if you are doubtful.
The majority of robbers try to enter through your entry doors. Thus, you should install high-grade lock strike plates here. Make sure to give all your exterior doors more support. If a burglar can’t get in through the front door, they will always attempt the main entry before moving on to the side and rear doors. Security for windows and doors is essential, but a housebreaker will always choose doors when given a choice. The cause is that breaking glass creates excessive noise, which might draw an excessive amount of unwelcome attention. Windows open more slowly than doors do. They are also riskier since the thief must maneuver around them.
Conclusion
The only thing separating you from the outside world is your external and internal doors. Sometimes it feels fantastic to open them to allow the light in, but when you close the doors, you want them to be solidly shut. The majority of potential burglars who target your house will not spend the time to precisely pick a deadbolt lock. So, the more solid deadbolts you have with sturdy strike plates, the more chances you will successfully deter potential criminals. Therefore, try the above methods to reinforce your locks by upgrading them, and let us know if you have any questions.
