Entry
Doors & LocksThe number-one way bad guys break into your home is through a door-front, side or back -it doesn't matter. And the way they break in is simply to kick the door in. No matter what type of door you have, if someone has the time, they can break in. But different types of doors, door hardware, locks and so on, make a huge difference. So let's talk about the types of doors, first.
Door Types
Basically there are three door types: wood, metal and fiberglass. They all have their place, they all are good insulators, but they all have advantages and disadvantages. Let's use my front door as an example. I have a solid two-inch wood door that would break your foot if you tried to kick it in. But it's nearly 65 years old. Today's wood doors are usually hollow cores and not nearly as substantial. If you want a wood door and are willing to spend the money, buy a solid door. They are not inexpensive, however. The second door is metal, which everyone presumes is impenetrable and a good security door. This simply isn't true. Most metal doors again are hollow cores and can be kicked in very easily. They also are plug ugly. Fiberglass seems to be the door of choice today because you can have anything done to it. My side door is fiberglass, stained to match the natural wood in my home. It is not very secure, though it is well insulated. Fiberglass doors probably are the easiest to break in to. So with only the very expensive solid wood door being reasonably difficult to break into, what solutions do you have to keep your home safe?
Door Hardware
The first thing you want is an in-swinging door with your hinges on the inside of the house. Otherwise, it would be quite easy for someone to simply remove the hinge pins from outside - and also remove the door. This is not good. You want heavy-duty hinges, and try to find the ones that have four or five screws holding them in. Then you want to be certain to use three- to four-inch screws to fasten those hinges into the doorjamb. They will go through the jamb and into the stud, giving you some measure of added protection. My old-fashioned solid wood door has old-fashioned hinges with five holes, long screws and (a very good measure) the entire doorframe is covered with light metal so that the hinge screws absolutely are not accessible without great difficulty. That covers one side of the door. Now we must look at the other side.
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