There are several ways to make your front door more secure, to give your home added security and your family peace of mind.
Your front door is the most likely target for intruders wanting to break into your home. Therefore, it’s vital to ensure your entrance is capable of withstanding any attempts to break through it.
Fortunately, you can refit your door with new locks and other features to protect what matters most.
Door security is becoming increasingly advanced. You can get a vast array of locks for your front door, each one helping to lock down every element.
These days, you can even get computerised locking systems with different modes, as well as traditional locks that meet the highest standards of security. Not only that, but you can make sure your door meets British Standards (BS) regulations by upgrading the locks.
By upgrading your front door, you can make it far more secure and able to protect the most valuable things in your living space. Also, you can give it a smoother operation by getting locks that are less prone to rust and wear over time.
However you decide to upgrade your door, you can get locks with cutting-edge security performance to keep you and your family safe.
1: Re-Key the Lock
If you’ve just moved into a new home, and you want to ensure you and your family have total security, then re-keying it can make a genuine difference.
Re-keying is a process in which you can replace the old cylinder in your lock with a new one that fits different pins. As a result, you can ensure any past tenants don’t still have access, and you can refresh the lock’s hardware too.
You can find re-keying kits at most hardware stores, and you can get packages that match most brands. As a result, re-keying is one of the more straightforward steps you can take to make your front door more secure.
You could also be able to get six locks re-keyed for the same type of keys, meaning you can use one kit to secure many other doors in your home as well.
Alternatively, you can also hire a trained locksmith to re-key your locks for you. Hiring a locksmith ensures the process goes smoothly, and a professional installer will ensure that the new cylinder conforms to BS3621 (or BS8621 if you live in a single-exit dwelling) regulations.
Unless your lock is beginning to malfunction, then you can re-key it to protect your home from unwanted visitors.
2: Add a Strike Box
A strike box is a more complicated option to install on your door but gives it a new layer of security. Today’s strike boxes are a significant improvement on the old strike plates that many older doors feature.
Instead of only the plates, you’ll get a structure that includes a metal pocket, a solid wall connection, and even larger plates that are over-sized to protect your door more effectively.
Installing one of these systems toughens up your entry considerably. Not only that, but they are relatively small and sleek, meaning they’ll fit your door seamlessly and even enhance its overall style.
You can attach the strike box to the door’s hinges to protect the opening and block it from bad weather so that rust and wind don’t affect the opening system.
To fit a strike box, you do have to make some adjustments to make your front door more secure. However, you’ll only have to enlarge the hole in the jamb and the cover plate recess, which are straightforward processes for a trained locksmith.
You can find an approved and trusted locksmith with ease by using sites such as the Master Locksmiths Association to find local experts.
3: Replace the Glazing in Your Door
Many older doors use single-glazed glass in their designs. However, this type of glazing isn’t suited to protecting your living space.
That’s because single glazing is fragile, and not only does that mean intruders can break it, but they can separate it from the door’s frame as well. As a result, getting through the glazing can help them access the door far more quickly.
By adding new glazing to your door, you can get double or even triple glazing integrated into the design. These glazing solutions use multiple panes of glass to put more in the way of your home and any threats.
The glazing is much harder to break, and it’ll also be less likely to weaken over time. That way, this small addition can make a larger impact on your family’s safety.
Additionally, new glazing comes with multi-point locking systems as standard. These systems ensure that the glass stays fastened to the door’s frame, no matter what.
As a result, any intruder that tries to get through your entry won’t be able to break the glass alone, reducing the risk of them getting through. Because of this, glazing can make your front door much more secure.
4: Install a Wide-Angled Peephole
One of the other benefits of glazing is that it gives you an opening in your door for you to look through. However, it isn’t a subtle option and doesn’t give you a discreet view of your visitors.
If you want to make threats to your home disappear before they happen, then you can fit your front door with a wide-angled peephole to make your whole home more secure.
A wide-angled peephole is a safety feature that’s easy to install and use. You can fit it in doors that are up to 2 inches thick, meaning that you’ll be able to add them to most designs.
They work by covertly giving you a view to the front of your home, so you can check what’s going on outside without people outside checking on you.
Their ease of installation makes them a straightforward option to make your front door more secure. You can get a trained locksmith to install a peephole for you, or you could try yourself if you feel that you have the required competence.
However, going with a locksmith to install any new security features ensures they’ll be tested, and that your door will conform to British Standards.
5: Add a Reinforcer Plate
You can’t say that reinforcer plates don’t do what their name suggests. These durable designs work to reinforce your front door with a three-sided metal plate.
The system works by encasing your door around its deadbolt or handset, extending the door’s edge and strengthening the security of the whole door. That way, you’ll make your door into a nightmare for any intruders.
Reinforcer plates are a more elaborate installation, but that means they can improve security across many aspects of your door. You’ll have to measure the thickness of the frame and the distance between the entrance’s edge and the handset or deadbolt’s centre.
This distance is known as the setback and informs the size of the reinforcer plate.
Additionally, you’ll need to measure the diameter of the deadbolt or the handset too. Because of all this, it’s wise to hire a trained locksmith to carry out the installation for you. A locksmith will also deepen the hinge mortises to ensure your newly reinforced door doesn’t catch or stick.
That way, your reinforcer plate will be an investment that’s worth the hassle for the peace of mind it will give you and your family.
6: Add a High-Security Deadbolt
Deadbolts are a low-cost option that provides real bang for your buck. These security measures offer some of the firmest protection you can find for your front door.
They come in three primary styles: the single, double and lockable thumb turn options. Each one helps you secure the door by using an outer key cylinder, and an inner thumb turn, to close the lock automatically.
Whichever deadbolt style you choose, you can ensure that it’ll secure your home firmly by getting one that conforms to British Standards. Also, different styles lock your door in unique ways, so you choose exactly how you’d like to secure your home.
For example, a lockable thumb turn deadbolt allows you to leave the door unlocked when you’re inside, but automatically locks when you go out.
7: Replace your Front Door
If you have an older front door, however, or one that features timber construction, then you may be better off getting a brand-new door entirely.
Many new doors feature internal security hardware, like dead bolts and multi-point locking systems, in their designs. That way, you can not only get these security features, but you can get them inside a durable new door that uses advanced materials.
For example, you can get aluminium or composite front doors. Aluminium doors have market-leading security, thanks to the robust material which they use.
With aluminium in the frame, you’ll have an almost impenetrable entrance, and you’ll conceal and protect the internal hardware from any intruders.
Composite doors have similar durability, but they use a blend of materials to imitate traditional timber. That way, if you do have an older wooden door, then you can recreate its look without having to deal with its drawbacks.
Although replacing a new front door can be costly, it can give you a design that offers your family complete security, total protection and peace of mind.