How to Make Your Front Door Safer
Upgrading your home’s security doesn’t have to involve a major overhaul — it can be as simple as evaluating your front door and making small but important changes to begin with. There are a few things you can do to make your home’s main entry point more secure.
Before doing anything else, evaluate your starting point. If your door is solid (more on that below), with windows that are far away from your latches, you’re off to a good start. Assess your lock and latches to make sure they are working properly and not sticking or sticking. If you already have a deadbolt, make sure it closes securely. If your door is in good condition and working properly, you are already most of the way there. If not, you can start by replacing locks or other major parts.
Install a door with a massive core
If you don’t have a solid core door, meaning a door filled with high density engineered or composite wood rather than hollow, it’s worth investing in one. They are resistant to bending or kicking, making them more secure. To replace a door, you will need to measure its dimensions and note which direction it opens. Doors tend to come in standard sizes, so if you have the dimensions and opening direction of the door, finding a replacement at a hardware store isn’t difficult.
To replace, it is enough to unscrew the hinges from the door frame (first from the bottom, then from the top). Your new door most likely came with hinges, but if not, you can use the ones from the old door if they are in good condition. Screw the hinges into the door first; then, starting at the top hinge, screw the other side of the hinge onto the door body. While you’re at it, you can use a spacer or piece of cardboard to hold the door at just the right height so it lines up with the window sill.
Add a quality deadbolt
To add or replace a deadbolt, it is best to choose a Grade 1 or 2 deadbolt. These ratings, compiled by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), are made by bolting through various tests and rating them based on the number of hits they can take. ANSI Class 1 locks are the best you can buy, while Class 2 is generally considered acceptable for residential applications.
Most doors come with cutouts that you can fit a deadbolt into, but if you don’t have one, you’ll need a hole saw bit, a paddle bit large enough to hold the deadbolt, drill, tape measure, square and knife. or an awl to mark the center of your holes. Your deadbolt kit will come with a template, so you’ll also need masking tape for this part. Follow the instructions on your deadbolt to install it, measuring to line it up with your template. It helps to drill a hole for the lock cylinder first and then drill a hole in the side of the door. This way it’s easy to see how deep the bolt hole needs to be because it will intersect with the one you’ve already drilled for the lock cylinder.
To make it easier to get all the correct sizes, you can opt for an installation kit that includes everything you need to install the lock, as well as some placement and measurement instructions.
Additional improvements you can make
If you want to go even further and increase security, you can add a chain so that you can open the door partially without letting it open completely, or you can use a doorbell camera to add a layer of security when you open the door. . You may also want to consider switching to a keypad deadbolt , which allows you to change the code periodically for added security.
Other ways to make your front door safer are things like adding motion-sensing lighting ; cut hedges; or add a smart lock that will connect to your wireless devices, lock and unlock remotely, and automatically lock behind you.