Man door reinforcement

[VT-Rider]

I’m building a 30x30 garage/shop with two 10x10 doors, 12’ ceiling, and a 36” man door. The weakest part of the entry is the jamb of the man door. People install super doors, but forget to reinforce the 3/4” soft pine jambs. The screws are equally short - seems that they should be considered “shipping screws,” to be replaced with 3” screws into the framing.

There is “jamb armor” on Amazon and elsewhere that is intended to be screwed on the external surface of the jamb, reinforcing it. That seems a bit clunky... Has anyone seen a metal strip intended to be mounted on the OUTSIDE of the jamb before setting the door into the RO? Attach maybe a 6’ plate to the outside of the uninstalled jamb with 3 or 4 short screws, drill holes for later installation of long screws, put it into the RO and (while shimming it into the RO) run a bunch of 3” screws through the pine jamb and metal plate into framing. Any ideas?

 

[tarmy]

I put in steel doors...and welded up a “frame” out of 1/4” bar steel. Trimmed over the steel frame with wood...but I made sure the dead bolt throws through the steel. I also installed a hasp at the top and that too is bolted into the steel frame. They would really want to get in...

 

[Higgins]

Steel door and frame !!

 

[theoldwizard1]

Steel door and steel frame !!

Commercial. $$$, but it is the best solution.

 

[Jeepster04]

Ive put angle iron behind the jamb so the dead bolt went behind it when locked. Used 3" screws through the dead bolt plate so they went into studs too. Wouldve been easier to fire up a chain saw and cut a door in the wall than try to shoulder through that door.

 

[juddspaintballs]

If they want in, they'll get in. I'm pretty good at breaking in and opening secured doors in a timely manner. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Chances are, your garage doors are the easiest to get into anyways, particularly without doing any damage.


The simplest quick option to "secure" your door is a well installed hasp and quality pad lock, but even those will fail within seconds to an intentioned entrant. It's the illusion of security. Reinforcing the jamb helps keep the deadbolt from blowing out of the jamb, but the reality of it is that the deadbolt itself fails pretty quickly as well. You don't have the illusion of security that way, either.

 

[AZ Pete]

a steel door and a steel security screen

 

[NUTTSGT]

I use some 11 gauge steel to make a plate. It goes behind the trim and lagged in to the king & jack studs.

 

[loganb]

Search for Kikgard Door Guard. Not affiliated with it but am in building material sales and have heard its well done and reasonable priced

If you're going to fab your own, make sure that the plate turns 90 degrees and backs up the thin web of wood between the lock bore and the edge of the jamb. Yes the deadbolt should throw into the metal plate, but the latch won't and you want the maximum support for that material.

Another thing thing to think about is the ability of the door jambs to withstand lateral pressure...think about someone taking a widowmaker/handyman jack horizontally at the latch and jacking enough that the lock disengages from the jamb. Most are surprised about how easy this is to do and how little force it takes and its not the doors fault, its the framing or lack of.

Couple ways I've seen to mitigate that:
-lots of 2x framing lumber as additional cripple/king studs well anchored together...not elegant but will work
-install horizontal blocking in several spots in the first couple stud cavities on each side of the door, improving resistance to horizontal loads
-add structural steel like C channel, anchored to top and bottom plate and thru bolted to the wood framing





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[LS6 Tommy]

Most effective thing I've seen is what some local bars do- Two big loops anchored to the wall and a nice ol' piece of 2" Sched 40 black pipe...

Tommy

 

[no704]

With the advent of cordless angle grinders all you can do is slow the thief down. Some of the higher end dead bolts have a ceramic core to make them saw resistant. But if someone really wants in it’s not that hard to go thru a wall.
This is why we have insurance.

 

[nadogail]

IMHO, Locks are only good to keep honest people honest.

 

[The Cobbler]

cordless drill, 1/4" drill bit and a screwdriver gets thru most residential grade deadbolt locks in 30 seconds

 

[unslow1]

Ive put angle iron behind the jamb so the dead bolt went behind it when locked. Used 3" screws through the dead bolt plate so they went into studs too. Wouldve been easier to fire up a chain saw and cut a door in the wall than try to shoulder through that door.

We did angle iron inside the jamb on a friend of mine's after it was kicked in. Once we put the trim back on you can't even tell. I have some friends that are firemen I was pretty surprised watching how fast they went through a few steel commercial doors.

 

[matt_i]

I put this in, its secured with 5" GRK-RSS screws into the 2x6 framing, double king studs. Weldment of 1/4" cold rolled and a piece of angle iron. 7018 stick welded both sides.

 

[schurtjl]

A rigid jamb/door frame doesn’t help much, if anything I’ve found that makes it easier to force entry. Helps transfer the force to the door instead, which is usually the weaker of the two. As has been said above, doors/locks provide the illusion of security. I haven’t yet found a door, residential or commercial, that we couldn’t get through with irons. Or worse case a circ. saw attacking the hinges or lockset. Drop bars help, but are fairly easy to defeat as well if you know what you’re doing. A security system is probably your most effective deterrent.

 

[yeldogt]

Couple long screws through the hinges -- get a reinforced deadbolt latch. They use a heavier hole surround and two long screws that go deep into the studs.

Most cheap locks can be snapped off with a hammer -- a good deadbolt will slow them a bit ...

 

[Innovate1]

I have used something similar to the Kikguard before. Many years ago and picked it up at a local big box store in Oregon where I lived at the time. It goes behind the jamb and is hidden behind trim. I have also used these on a door when my wooden front door was kicked in. It just splintered and broke the deadbolt and entry set out of the edge of the door.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gatehouse-Entry-Door-Reinforcer/3407874

Lock picking isn't that hard for most common house locks. Or other even quicker and easier ways to open locks. All these things just keep most people out and a determined/skilled person will get in if they want to. Basically you are just making it hard enough that they move on to easier targets.

As security system is a good idea. There are places with lower monthly fees (and with UL approved monitoring) than ADT if you want to do an install yourself. Not that hard. I haven't dealt with ADT in many years but wasn't impressed with their knowledge or prices when I had them quote - that's why I do them myself but that's how I roll on many things.

 

[Woodfield MC]

If you're buying a door anyway, just spend a couple hundred more on a pre-hung steel door with steel jamb. You're right that the weak point is the thin wood jamb, especially if there's no deadbolt and all you have is the little 1/2" lockset strike.

You can buy these at all "big box" stores, but beware that like everything they sell, they're thin metal, cheap as possible, an imitation of "commercial". You can also buy real steel commercial door (18ga or thicker door, instead of like 24ga) if you look around locally for a real door company

 

[Highland]

Spending a lot of time and effort on securing your man door when you have overhead doors doesn't make a lot of sense. Overheads are pretty flimsy and the thief doesn't care what or how bad he tears things up to get that next meth hit.

 

[Higgins]

OK, Now that someone has gotten thru the door and is inside, they will be surprised when one of these go off!

https://www.burglarbomb.com/

If your in a remote location, you would want to install the REPULSAR IV unit as it can be triggered multiple times!

Then trough in 3 - 4 bright strobe lights going off, along with several 140 DB alarm and sirens and the thieves will not be sticking around!

Still there !!!! the proximity sensor can trigger the REPULSAR IV a second time!

Make sure you have a camera to record all the chaos of the break-in

AL

 

[Woodfield MC]

^ I agree, but I'm still a fan of upgrading the weakest link (if you only have <1" of soft pine holding a door secure, that would only take one shoulder bump to break).

There's always a way to get in, that's why we all carry insurance. But IMO, thieves in general will take the path of least resistance, meaning if it's too much effort they will go to the next building to check unlocked doors etc

 

[Bretny]

I put this in, its secured with 5" GRK-RSS screws into the 2x6 framing, double king studs. Weldment of 1/4" cold rolled and a piece of angle iron. 7018 stick welded both sides.

Nice plate.

All these good suggestions on re inforcing the door area and all you need is a cordless circular saw...few cuts in the sheething right next to the door knob, reach in and un lock it.

 

[gtsgarage]

Nice plate.

All these good suggestions on re inforcing the door area and all you need is a cordless circular saw...few cuts in the sheething right next to the door knob, reach in and un lock it.

Yup!

 

[NUTTSGT]

We did angle iron inside the jamb on a friend of mine's after it was kicked in. Once we put the trim back on you can't even tell. I have some friends that are firemen I was pretty surprised watching how fast they went through a few steel commercial doors.

Perks of the job, destroying stuff that isn't yours.




You can hang all the steel you want in a door but if you're building something like a pole bldg, all they might need is an impact driver to remove a steel panel and defeat the monster steel door.


Those that want in, are going to get in.

 

[unslow1]

We had a few thefts of construction equipment on new buildings a few years ago. The police came around asking those with video cameras if they caught anything. They suspected somebody from the trades because they cut through the walls and only took construction tools.

 

[Mr.N]

cordless drill, 1/4" drill bit and a screwdriver gets thru most residential grade deadbolt locks in 30 seconds

Overheads are pretty flimsy and the thief doesn't care what or how bad he tears things up to get that next meth hit.

I'm still a fan of upgrading the weakest link

There's always a way to get in, that's why we all carry insurance.

Whatever you do don't google how easy it is to pick a residential lock. ($6 pick kit and 14 minutes)

I do a lot of the above (I have a welder), and have a lock not sold by the big box stores and run a Wyze camera with a sign of video recording... that plus insurance.

That said, best advice...

But IMO, thieves in general will take the path of least resistance, meaning if it's too much effort they will go to the next building to check unlocked doors etc

 

[aggie113]

I installed my entrance door last month. The steel door itself was about 500 special ordered through local home depot. Arrived mostly intact, and installed simple enough with the frame welded on three sides (no bottom sill plate). It would now be easier for a thief to just go through the wall

 

[Wood Rat]

I am in the security trade, Any improvement is better than nothing, I would suggest a steel door at the minimum the heaviest you can get, 14 gage skin reinforced at locks & hinges assuming an 8ft door 5 cross braces top, chest high, centered or lock high, knee high and at the bottom of the door hung on heavy duty hinges, a welded frame with strap and rod bracing tying into the wall 2 feet or more.

In New York City I have seen the wall on each side of the door reinforced with a 3 X 7 foot section of steel plate bolted to the wall and welded to the door frame.

Sometimes the alarm sign is enough to deflect a thief, they skip you and rob the place next door. Or they think your guarding Fort Knox and will spend a weekend trying to break in. I have had a few conversations with thieves about what they were looking at 90% of the time it was it looked easy to get into. No Glass on your doors or within arms reach of a door so I recommend more than 2 feet away if any and I don't recommend windows at all.

My next build will be poured concrete with reinforcing rebar and heavy duty steel doors, the garage door will be a commercial steel roll up door. and yes it can be breached I have done it, I just want time enough to notice and or let the alarms go off, and yes aloud exterior alarm bell will on it.

I have trained on entry technique's to include forced, covert, dynamic entry (using a det cord key) and Fire Department entry techniques most are a hoot to do as long as your not doing it in turnout gear in 100 degrees in the sun. most of that I picked up wearing a army uniform for to long.

And reinforce the garage door and the garage door track with cross bracing it can be pulled out to easy.

 

[NETexas]

Or a garage dog. Preferably a German Shepherd or Doberman Pincher that likes to bark at any noise he hears! [emoji23]


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[Negen]

Just remember locks do not require keys. I have yet to find a lock that can't be opened within two or three minutes. So best to setup cameras with motion sensors. Go check out lock picking lawyer of you think the locks are good. Maybe 3-6 locks might be enough if a deterrent might give enough time for police to arrive if they are still allowed. Here in the Seattle area theft is legalized.

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[Professor Fate]

Move to a better neighborhood.

 

[Bretny]

I would reasonably secure the building and spend the rest of the money on a camera system. Even if that camera is a $50 trail camera hidden near by. A picture of a licence plate is going to be alot more usefull then pictures of people running in and out of your building carrying things.

 

[yeldogt]

Move to a better neighborhood.

this is normally the solution

 

[Woodfield MC]

I'll jump gears to a "tinfoil hat" mindset now, since Wood Rat had some great points that got me thinking. I do commercial steel doors and OHD's and a few other commercial building products.

First think of your potential points of entry: doors, windows, OHD, then wall being the hardest

Doors. A standard "big box" door, is like 24ga skin with little/no reinforcement. Residential grade locksets/hinges... My commercial doors start at 18ga door skin (heavily reinforced) up to 14ga. I have doors in military bases and other federal government properties, hurricane rated, blast proof, etc. Not much is super special about them, just 14-16ga door skins, commercial internal strikes only (no panic bars), heavy duty hinges. Deadbolts are much harder to pick than a standard lockset. Then just as important, the hardware securing your door frame to the building.

Windows. Door was too beefy, so now I'm gonna smash a window. Standard < tempered glass < security laminated film < wire glass. Avoid cheap sliders, you can hit them decently hard and it's just plastic clips (slider part) holding the window in the frame. Tint or blinds/curtains so thieves can't see in in the first place. Some people choose no windows at all if they're that paranoid

OHD. Residential grade tracks are just a couple brackets screwed into the rough opening, and they flex. Commercial tracks are welded to solid angle (still just screwed into RO) but are much more rigid. Liftmaster has some nice newer operators that include automatic deadbolts, so you can't force the door up or snake in a hook to pull the release cord, you'd have to manually slide the dead bolt over also. OHD panels can have multiple struts screwed onto each panel to resist bendng if hit with a car. Florida/etc does this for hurricane rating. A crappy OHD you can just nudge with a car and it will fold and push right into the building (but that's loud and makes a scene)

Wall. Ok so the doors are too reinforced and there's no windows. You're in a metal building so I can just zip your steel siding screws off if the interior is unfinished. If there's sheetrock I can sawzall between 16"oc studs and still gain entry. Vinyl siding/OSB on the exterior is same thing, just start sawzalling and find the studs. Unless if you want to spend money on poured concrete or concrete block for the first 6'!

Some of these methods are quick/quiet, others take time or are loud/obvious. Thieves want to quick get in and get out, and will do anything to avoid getting caught. Exterior flood lights, obvious cameras (you want people to see you have security), security signs, all of these help. But again 99% of thieves are either quick "smash and grab" or they'll go through some effort to grab an easily stolen car they know they can easily flip (new mopars these days). But some deadbeats in Chicago aren't going to go through all that effort to steal your Hellcat when there's another down the block that's easier to get to

 

[59 wagon man]

impact door like we use in south florida installed to our code makes a very secure installation. you can also match that with impact windows and garage doors

 

[Mr.N]

Whatever you do don't google how easy it is to pick a residential lock. ($6 pick kit and 14 minutes).

Just remember locks do not require keys. I have yet to find a lock that can't be opened within two or three minutes.

I was talking about the first try....

 

[ddawg16]

OK, Now that someone has gotten thru the door and is inside, they will be surprised when one of these go off!

https://www.burglarbomb.com/

If your in a remote location, you would want to install the REPULSAR IV unit as it can be triggered multiple times!

Then trough in 3 - 4 bright strobe lights going off, along with several 140 DB alarm and sirens and the thieves will not be sticking around!

Still there !!!! the proximity sensor can trigger the REPULSAR IV a second time!

Make sure you have a camera to record all the chaos of the break-in

AL

That was a fun video....the pic of the deputy in a squad car (we call the Radio Cars) showed the old MDT (Mobil Digital Terminal)....it's an old pic. We haven't had those in over 10 years

Anyway, getting back on topic.

If someone wants in, they will get in. The tougher you make it, the more the damage.

As someone who has taken plenty of burg reports....I've never taken taken one where there were large dogs.

If a dog is not an option....
Motion lights and cameras.

The best cameras are the ones with audio. Nothing like saying "Hi, I am watching you and the police are on the way."

On roll up doors....they just run a spike through the door, attach it to a car or truck and pull your door out. Those guys are usually looking for your roll around tool box.