How would you re-enforce this door/lock?

[snickers muncher]

How would you guys go about re-enforcing this door. I built it a while ago using 3/4 ply doubled on the edges and a few strips across. I'm finally getting around to painting and re-enforcing it. On the inside door frame I figured I could just screw some flat bar or strapping to keep the door frame from splintering, but don't know what to do for the front of the door itself. I figure those are the two weakest points. I just want to make it harder to kick in. Any and all suggestions welcome.

Thanks,

John

 

[homelessdespot]

Steel door and frame.

 

[kd3pc]

the door and the frame are only as strong as the wood behind it. While door is ply and will spring pretty hard before it cracks/splinters, the frame will likely not hold up as well.

again screwing something to the existing wood is only as good as the fasteners. If you insist on fasteners, I would slather epoxy between the wood and the backing strap, then fasten it. I would do the whole perimeter of the door.

The lock set then becomes the weak link, and a plate on the door and the frame, both U shaped that straddles the door and the adjacent frame. May help.

 

[matt_i]

Typical fail I worry about is a hammer smash right on the deadbolt or door handle itself.

Its possible the door splinters right there and the locksets just fall out and its over. Stronger door needed.

If they hold, the backside of the frame is also weak. The bolts, even though engaged in the strikers, just cut a slot out of the back side of the frame.

One directional improvement is to use the super long screws in the striker plates that go thru the door frame and ideally into the king stud behing.

But, there is no improvement like backing up the rear edge of the door frame with steel, distributing the load up and down and making sure its well-attached to the framing behind.

Its sort of open loop as I don't want to test my own work but I'm pretty sure its a better reinforcement than any around in a 1 mile radius so the real idea is to cause the prospective burgle to go elsewhere.

 

[mgbbob]

Save your building. If they want in, they will tear everything up to accomplish there goal.

 

[rakane]

Get or make a very large strike plate with long screws into the studs. Then get a locket with a longer bolt. Reinforce the deadbolt with a wrap around stainless steel sleeve.

Better is to buy a steel door, then do the 12" strike plate.



Meanwhile is a 30' Grady White.

 

[water-works]

Save your building. If they want in, they will tear everything up to accomplish there goal.

The popular theory that counters this is that thieves often look for easy pickings, and even the slightest deterrent can often cause them look for an easier target.

But you're right, if he's being specifically targeted, then usually the thief already knows what you have, and is coming to get something specific.

 

[wrenchguy]

around here thieves and firemen kick in the hinge side.

 

[rjn2649]

To prevent kick in on the hinge side, you could make something like this easy enough.
This is just the first thing that came up when I googled

https://www.hardwaresource.com/security-stud-for-door-hinges.html

 

[Lucid Moments]

For the door jamb I would find some sheet metal. The thicker the better obviously, but to be honest it probably doesn't have to huge. Form it around the wood, drill and screw through the face of it. It is a long way from perfect, but relatively simple and easy to do.

 

[1redTA]

kicking in doors sounds like an easy way to screw up body parts, a haligan will open a door as fast

 

[kjomd]

give armor concepts website a look...

KJO

 

[brownbagg]

move to a different neighborhood

 

[Hollywood D]

The door rarely breaks, the frame always blows out.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

If you have access to the inside without opening the door, a big *** piece of black pipe through two big *** sleeves mounted VERY securely to the wall/studs.

Tommy

 

[Stuart in MN]

The door rarely breaks, the frame always blows out.

That's my personal experience. Reinforcing the door jamb is the most important part.

 

[Stuart in MN]

move to a different neighborhood

Break ins can and do happen in any neighborhood, rich or poor, city or country.

 

[wasfuzz]

Large pair of Channel locks will defeat the locks in no time and not make any noise!

 

[sawduststeve]

Hinge bolts, a London Bar style security strap and two more dead locks, one higher, one lower. That ought to do it. You have two locks, the closer together they are, the more they perform like one, the further apart, the more they act as two separate locks.

Good luck
Steve

 

[Pate]

A wrap around door reinforcer and a bigger strike plate are a good start. Don Jo makes both items.

 

[bullnerd]

Is that pic from the inside or out?

I have brackets secured to the wall and two pieces of thick wood across the inside of my basement door. I'll take a pic, too hard to explain.

 

[Spareparts]

After many breakin's at our shop I built the door frame out of box tubing and welded hinges to it plenty solid I thought, solid door and all. Nope apparently the thiefs had acquired battery tool, cut the lockset complently out of the door along with 2 deadbolts, the fabricated door jam was unharmed. If they want in they will get in.

 

[Dumber than lumber]

Have you considered adding barrel bolts at top and bottom?

 

[theoldwizard1]

Steel door and frame.

The jamb is usually the weakest point. An extra long strike plate and extra long screws (that go deep into the building frame) help. If you want real security, you need to replace both and use a COMMERCIAL grade door and frame.

The next problem is attaching the door frame to the framing of the building so that a ram does not just blow the whole thing out !



My SIL is a LEO. He is the guy with the ram on the SWAT team. The only door that he was unable to bust open with one swing was an old, solid wood, in-swing door that had a 2x4 jammed under the handle on the inside, up against another 2x4 screwed to the floor.

Drop bars/security bars are great, but typically can not be "unlocked" from the outside.

 

[1redTA]

^^^^ this, we built a battering ram ( steel pipe with handles and weight) to get into houses. But, a firefighter carries his tools with him/her in case the tool is needed inside the structure or to self extricate. A battering ram isn’t a very useful tool inside a structure, which is why you see pike pools, axes and haligans

 

[Stuart in MN]

It comes down to how much time and effort do you think you need to put into this...sure, someone can show up with a battering ram (or a bulldozer) and if they really want to get in you're not going to stop them, but a decent lock and a strong door jamb are going to stop probably 95% of the potential burglars. If they can't get in with a quick kick or two, they'll move on and look for easier pickings.

 

[rjn2649]

Don't forget glass windows are easy access points, after that peeling back the siding.
Hell, in Chicago new "stick built: houses are basically drywall w/ vinyl siding, a sharp razor knife, your in pretty quietly, if you can fit through the studs w/o too much fuss...

 

[bullnerd]

Here's the brackets I was talking about. This was temporary 20 yrs ago! lol! Never even painted the door! Anyway, enough of my laziness!

I left the cheap curtain on and screwed 3/4 ply to the inside and then those brackets/bars.

Obviously, they can get in if they want, but this thing is pretty solid, would not be fun to try to get through.

Easy to pop the braces out and open the door.

EDIT: there's two pics below, not sure why one didn't show, click on the link to see the outside.

 

[snickers muncher]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I finally got to it yesterday. I missed the question earlier, but that pic is from the outside and the door opens inward.

I wound up adding angle iron to the door frame with 3" screws from two directions. For the door itself I had some fairly thick sheet metal that I epoxied over the door lock area. I then put bar stock on the front and back perimeter of the door spanning the lock area. Carriage bolts go through to make a steel, plywood, lock sandwich.

The door is on my parent's storage building. I added 2x4 barricades in brackets on the double door on the side of the building. This was all about doing a quick, inexpensive improvement to deter the casual thief. As others pointed out, a few minutes with a sledge or other tools will defeat most doors.

Thanks again

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

You can harden the door and frame as much as you want, but if the bad actors really want to get in, they will.

There was a gun shop near here, which went to great measures to build a solid steel door and frame, they put quite a few long, fairly large diameter, bolts through the frame, and into the wall, and they made it quite evident that the door would not be an easy way into the shop. So, the thieves didn't even touch the door when they burglarized the place, they brought a chain saw and made a new doorway, about six feet from the reinforced one.



.

 

[OccupantRJ]

A wireless driveway alert with the receiver in your bedroom is a good way to know when someone is close to your door before they even get there. A second receiver outside will alert the thieves that they are screwing up at this location if desired. My units shriek 3 times repeatedly as long as the unit is activated, and have a loud tone and a softer tone for inside.

They can be partially masked and mounted at a level to not pick up pets and such. These work for other areas as well such as fence gates, and can be placed anywhere you want to monitor something. If the thieves go for the sensor, it will be raising hell until they are able to crush it, and you can have another watching that one. They are cheap protection.

I have cameras also, but the sensors let you know BEFORE something happens. If I am in my shop with the doors closed and anyone is moving in my yard, I get notified.

 

[vision8]

Get a BIGGER dog !

 

[Stuart in MN]

You can harden the door and frame as much as you want, but if the bad actors really want to get in, they will.

A wireless driveway alert with the receiver in your bedroom is a good way to know when someone is close to your door before they even get there.

Get a BIGGER dog !

He's already completed the work, see post #29.

 

[OccupantRJ]

He's already completed the work, see post #29.

Saw that, but that does not mean that someone else reading this can’t use more ideas.

 

[66cj225]

Eye bolts for a horizontal bar out of 1/2 or better rebar into 2 or more studs drill for padlocks or pins at least to prevent sliding it out.