Advice needed for new, secure front entry door

[kwadz 11]

I put this topic under "NJ Prepared" since I would think a secure entry door is an important part of being prepared for the unknown.  If anyone feels it doens't belong here, please move it to a more appropriate forum.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations or experience regarding an attractive, yet strong/secure front entry door company/installer?  I've seen a few different ones, at gun shows, that claim to be strong enough to withstand battering rams and crowbars, even to the glass components.  I'm looking at a full reconstruction, not just a replacement door.  Currently we just have a wooden door with no glass and we want to add a more attractive and safer (preferably steel) door with translucent, but not transparent, glass on either side of it.  I'd also like to still have the option of installing a storm door, which I don't see people do too much anymore with new, attractive doors.

 

Thanks in advance for any tips, info, or ideas.

[JayWilling 33]

I am not a security expert but I have 30+ years in the construction industry. Residential options are not all that varied, and commercial options are generally out of the price range of homeowners.

 

First, your entry door is only as strong as the wall and frame that holds it. You should consider adding framing structure around the door opening, including metal strapping, plates, or supports, to strengthen the wood frame that holds the door "frame".

 

Second, any entry door frame made of wood is susceptible to crowbar and power tools, so IF you want wood jambs for aesthetic reasons you should look into steel sheet reinforcement of the jambs OR go into a steel door frame. They can be welded complete and built-in or knock-down. Heavy duty offerings are commercial grade, and this won't be the easiest thing to deal with at your front door but it can be done.

 

The door itself should be steel, and steel doors are available in heavy duty and security rated configurations, but this strays into commercial products and can get quite expensive. You will have to make a judgement on the trade-off of security to cost. Locksets and bolts can be quite sophisticated and expensive or simple(like slide bolts) but again, the locks are only as strong and what they lock INTO, so the jamb and frame must be reinforced as much as possible.

 

Glazing in a door is always a security liability. Tempered glass can easily be broken, so you are left with laminated glass lites, which can still be broken, but take much more effort to break THROUGH. Again, this stuff is expensive.

 

Check storm door manufacturers...many offer "security" storm doors.

 

I realize this is not specific information, but it's all I've got. You need to make a priority list, estimate the risks you want to minimize, and spend money on items that will address that.

[checko 180]

Generally the less glass the more "secure" but as jay said it won't stop them from kicking or prying it open. There are many door companies that offer 3 point locking systems built into the door and jamb. I also have a storm door at work that has a full sheet of laminate glass (like in car windshields) AND a 3 point lock. Not gonna help you much for the summer breeze but helps with keeping people out.

 

Keep in mind that anything discussed here is just a deterrent. If they want they'll throw a brick through your back window and crawl through. A security system is the next logical step.

[Zeke 5,504]

Throw a cremone bolt on the door. Or split bolts top and bottom on the latch side.

 

Back up the jambs with angle( aluminum) rabbited so the casing covers it.

 

 

That's what I do for my clients......

[kwadz 11]

Guys, thanks for the tips and recommendations.  I'm definitely aware of what makes it safer and the fact that the glass does present a new risk.  That's one of the reasons I want to do a full reconstruction, including the frame, instead of just replacement.  We're only looking to do a small sliver of glass on each side - just enough to allow some light in.

 

I was more or less looking to see if anyone recommended any specific manufacturer or installer since there seem to be quite a few companies out there that claim to specialize in doors for those who are security conscious.  However, all of you had some good tips that I will consider throughout the process.

[Howard 538]

I would be more concerned about your back or side door that the front door, don't most break-ins take place from a less noticeable location.  I recall years ago my parent's friends house was broken into from the back - they just pulled the shingles off the house cut the plywood and smashed the sheet rock.

[kwadz 11]

The back door is going to be part of a future kitchen remodeling project, so that's why we're just looking at the front door for now.  It's very old and ugly right now so we want to at least increase our curb appeal while also putting in something safer (and tighter from an air-sealing perspective).

 

If someone really wants to get in, he is going to get in, regardless of what protections you put in place.  It's just a matter of having a better deterrent than your neighbors so that he chooses their houses instead of yours.

[SW9racer 262]

... I recall years ago my parent's friends house was broken into from the back - they just pulled the shingles off the house cut the plywood and smashed the sheet rock.

They don't even use plywood anymore. In the new houses by me the walls are: Sheetrock, 2x4 stud, fiberglass insulation, foam board, plastic siding. You can just about walk directly through the wall.

[Howard 538]

They don't even use plywood anymore. In the new houses by me the walls are: Sheetrock, 2x4 stud, fiberglass insulation, foam board, plastic siding. You can just about walk directly through the wall.

Yea that was the point I was making.  Not a lot of sense making the door like Fort Knox when the rest of the perimeter is easily breached. 

[kwadz 11]

Yea that was the point I was making.  Not a lot of sense making the door like Fort Knox when the rest of the perimeter is easily breached. 

 

Yeah, but that's assuming you're talking about some guys who have half a brain.  If those guys want to get in, they'll find a weak spot in ANY house.  My concern here is the 3/4 of would-be thieves who are probably knuckleheads who are high half the time and couldn't even get a GED.  Those are the ones who would probably try the front door. 

 

I definitely see what you guys are saying, but since we want to replace the door anyway, aesthetically, I'm trying to figure out the best way to do so without breaking the bank.  I wouldn't want to intentionally put in something flimsy to save money just because the majority of smart criminals wouldn't use the front door, anyway. 

[High Exposure 5,661]

I have heard a lot of good things about this:

http://armorconcepts.com/EZ-Armor/

But have no first hand experience.

[kwadz 11]

Thanks, H.E.  I'll have to check them out.

 

I saw this graphic in an article and found it interesting.  I didn't check the source(s) of the statistic, but claims that the front door is the most vulnerable part of a plurality of homes.  

Edited January 9, 2015 by kwadz

[OfcrFek 21]

I have heard a lot of good things about this:

http://armorconcepts.com/EZ-Armor/

But have no first hand experience.

 

I'm extremely curious just how much more this will reinforce the door....

[jackandjill 683]

Just read that two homes in my town,  on the same block, were broken into y'day.  Between 3 to 6 PM. Ransacked and jewellery, laptops etc missing.

In one case, perps used back door to enter and in second, they broke through a glass door in the back.

[High Exposure 5,661]

I just left the scene of two attempted forcd entries. They tried to kick in 2 doors in a garden apartment complex and somebody scared them off.

 

Be vigilant and don't be afraid to confront strangers or to shut a common area door on someone you don't know.

[JohnnyB 4,322]

kwadz,

 

        My Brother-in-Law imports doors from Italy that look like normal wood doors but are solid steel with frame and locking pins like a safe door.

He can even make them bullet proof if needed. He also installs them and lives in Wenonah so not far from Cherry Hill. I can tell him I know you

and you can probably get a good price.

[OfcrFek 21]

kwadz,

 

        My Brother-in-Law imports doors from Italy that look like normal wood doors but are solid steel with frame and locking pins like a safe door.

He can even make them bullet proof if needed. He also installs them and lives in Wenonah so not far from Cherry Hill. I can tell him I know you

and you can probably get a good price.

Those doors sound awesome... the company have a website or something??

[djg0770 481]

http://www.nokey.com/foxstylpollo.html

[JohnnyB 4,322]

Those doors sound awesome... the company have a website or something??

http://mastersecuritydoors.com/ Is one of the companies he deals with. He is opening a shop in Philly where he will be assembling the doors himself

with Italian security locks that can't be picked. The door has 11 locking points. The door can have bullet proof glass as well as be modified to be completely bullet

proof. I believe he said even a .300 Magnum won't penetrate.  His name is Nino but goes by Tex. He is at many of the local gun shows selling his knives

as well as showing a sample of his door and its options.  He is a general contractor by trade and specializes in Italian marble and granite counter tops, floors fireplaces etc.

 

I don't work for him nor do I get commission, I have seen much of his work and he is a frigging artist at what he does.

[kwadz 11]

JohnnyB, thanks for the recommendation!  I'll definitely look into it and I'll let you know if I'm going to contact him for an estimate.  I wonder if he's one of the ones I met at Oaks last March.  Do you know if he had a table/demo there, then?

[JohnnyB 4,322]

Kwadz, 

 

            I know he almost always has a table at Oaks. He sells his custom knives but has the door displayed next to the table. He has found new companies in Italy

that he is dealing with. Italy seems to have a totally different way of looking at security than we do. Their doors are more like bank vault doors yet cost about the same as

a normal door here.

[Carcano 14]

http://mastersecuritydoors.com/ Is one of the companies he deals with. He is opening a shop in Philly where he will be assembling the doors himself

with Italian security locks that can't be picked. The door has 11 locking points. The door can have bullet proof glass as well as be modified to be completely bullet

proof. I believe he said even a .300 Magnum won't penetrate.  His name is Nino but goes by Tex. He is at many of the local gun shows selling his knives

as well as showing a sample of his door and its options.  He is a general contractor by trade and specializes in Italian marble and granite counter tops, floors fireplaces etc.

 

I don't work for him nor do I get commission, I have seen much of his work and he is a frigging artist at what he does.

 

It's funny how this is new over here when in Europe high-security doors have always been a big thing.

 

I'm digging this door: http://mastersecuritydoors.com/?tpage=products&spec=HMS_30.06

 

Stops up to 30-06

[Dan 177]

I have a solid wood exterior front door with only a window at the very top. I also installed a door devil anti-kick kit. http://doordevil.com/. The screws go past the door frame and into the frame of the house. The plate distributes force from the deadbolt latch over a large area and many screws.

 

With that I use a Mul-t-lock Interactive high security deadbolt and a reinforcement plate that wraps around both sides of the deadbolt like this : http://www.amazon.com/Prime-Line-Products-9589-Non-Recessed-Stainless/dp/B005H371PM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1422391813&sr=8-8&keywords=door+reinforcement+plate .

 

To get through would mean smashing/cutting through the door... basically much more then a few kicks or hits with a ram.

 

To get better then this would mean moving up to perhaps a steel covered/wood door, or start getting into the high security vault-like doors mentioned above (which are super cool btw).

[Carcano 14]

I have a solid wood exterior front door with only a window at the very top. I also installed a door devil anti-kick kit. http://doordevil.com/. The screws go past the door frame and into the frame of the house. The plate distributes force from the deadbolt latch over a large area and many screws.

 

With that I use a Mul-t-lock Interactive high security deadbolt and a reinforcement plate that wraps around both sides of the deadbolt like this : http://www.amazon.com/Prime-Line-Products-9589-Non-Recessed-Stainless/dp/B005H371PM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1422391813&sr=8-8&keywords=door+reinforcement+plate .

 

To get through would mean smashing/cutting through the door... basically much more then a few kicks or hits with a ram.

 

To get better then this would mean moving up to perhaps a steel covered/wood door, or start getting into the high security vault-like doors mentioned above (which are super cool btw).

 

Interesting product (door devil).

[FirearmFrank 2]

I purchased this Dead Bolt For My two exterior doors and my Gun Room.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Millennium-Lock-Satin-Nickel-Door-Locking-Ultimate-Lock-System-Residential-3000-Series-SN/202885862?cm_mmc=shopping-_-bingpa-_-25-_-202885862&ci_src=328768002&ci_sku=202885862

 

its kind of like having two dead bolts in one.  there is a video of it online of police trying to break a door down with it.  I also put 3" screws in the hinges to help strengthen them.  The reinforcement plates work well too.

[kwadz 11]

You guys have had some great ideas.  Thank you, all.  After thinking about it, taking what you all said into consideration, and looking at what's out there, I think I'm going to go with a pretty standard door but really concentrate or the reinforcements and type of installation. 

 

What are your feelings about fiberglass vs. steel?  Pros, cons?  I've read a lot about them on the web, but can't seem to figure out which is preferred.  I know for sure I don't want real wood.

[T Bill 649]

From one who used to be in the door business, fiberglass is better. Does not sweat, dent or peel (paint) like steel doors can.  Think about getting it pre-finished. Expensive but the baked on finish is a lot nicer.  As far as vendors, there are many out there.  Go to an independent lumber yard to see them. Stay away from the box stores.  Try a door only place if you can find one, bigger selection and price points.  I would recommend one place but they are in Bergen County, too far from you.  The most important part of the door for longevity is the jambs and hinges along with proper installation.  Take your time, do it right, and it will last. Again, it will not be cheap, but it is the way to go.

[Carcano 14]

You guys have had some great ideas.  Thank you, all.  After thinking about it, taking what you all said into consideration, and looking at what's out there, I think I'm going to go with a pretty standard door but really concentrate or the reinforcements and type of installation. 

 

What are your feelings about fiberglass vs. steel?  Pros, cons?  I've read a lot about them on the web, but can't seem to figure out which is preferred.  I know for sure I don't want real wood.

 

I can only speak of steel doors

 

Some companies produce wood doors with steel inside, they look nice and inviting from the outside but good luck breaking one down.

 

Steel doors will rust (given time/exposure to enough salt air and moisture) and dents will easily show, fiberglass is strong if not as strong as steel for this application.

 

As pointed out by others the door is one thing but you need to concentrate of the jams and mounting hardware, cheap hardware and jams that are not reinforced would be counterproductive.

[AVB-AMG 530]

On a related topic, for what it is worth, a local police officer told me several years ago that one of the easiest ways for thieves to enter a house with an attached garage in the suburbs during the typical holiday/vacation periods, either during the day or at night, is the following:

1. They check to see if any cars are parked in the driveway and if so, then check if they are unlocked.
2. If one is unlocked, open the door and check inside for a remote control to the overhead garage door and activate it.
3. Once the overhead garage door has opened, in about 50% of the cases, the door from the garage into the house is unlocked and they proceed into the house….

After hearing this, I make sure any of our cars parked in our driveway are always locked at night, let alone if we are away. Also, we arm our security system which also activates motion detectors in the garage. And yes, we close and lock the door from our garage to our house.

[High Exposure 5,661]

If you are going away, pull the manual release on the auto garage door and zip tie it in the open position so it can't catch the chain again. Also lock the locking bar on your garage doors.