Cutting a piece of wood or broom handle to put in the door track is cheap and easy. They also make a metal bar that mounts on the center of the backside of the door that drops down to open
@@mercyed3598You want a tutorial on how to stop someone from throwing a rock through your glass? They have sensors you can apply to glass to detect glass breakage and sound an alarm....if you're home you would hear the glass breaking. You can't stop someone from throwing a rock unless you maybe put up an expensive fence and thorny shrubbery around your property.
One things for sure, you'll wind up with a compound fracture f**king with my door! Those 2 (2×4)s across it will tell u quick that's not going to work. Front an back. Never had the pleasure of someone kicking they're way in! 😂😂
We did that on our tool shed after a break in. Afterwards, I was very happy to see a foot print on the metal door, and hopefully it was made by someone who now has a broken ankle.
Pro Tip: Don't use the screws that come with the heavy duty strike or interior latch. They will break. Pick up a set of good 3 or 4 inch case hardened screws from the hardware store.
I know you did this video several months ago, but videos like this are what helps older people like me to understand how easy every little bit helps! Thank you 🙏
We used your ideas to secure our outside door latches. We also replaced 1” hinge screws with 3” screws in all outside door hinges around our home since kick-ins are vulnerable at latch and hinge sides of doors. Thanks for your great videos!
I'm a blacksmith and work with all kinds of metals. I ended up buying some stainless and made the strike plate the full length of the door jamb and on top of the door. I also put a piece on the door itself. My door is a steel security door with windows so small you cant break them out to reach the deabolts. I added a new solid piece of steel on the side because of the way it looked like it could still be separated. I made it more kickproof by adding 3 more deadbolts. I have one above the door knob, one below the door knob, on half way to the bottom of the door and one straight up on top. I also replaced the hinges with some i made out of 01 tool steel and hardened to a Rockwell hardness of 60. I put everything together with big stainless lag screws. Anyone that tries to kick my door in, is going to need a knee replacement.
In the UK you can get what are called 'hinge bolts' that you drill into the door, they recess into the frame on the hinge side Not sure what the US name is.
I’ve yet to come across a house that didn’t already have 3” screws on the hinges of exterior doors because exterior doors are heavy and especially metal doors but I guess there are “those guys” if you catch my drift…. Less than avg lol
I did this with four doors, three into the house and one into the garage. I'm very happy with it and feel much more secure. Several years ago somebody kicked in my back door and broke into the house so I'm glad to have this in place.
Remember, the screws on the hinge side are probably 1/2" too. Take those out and exchange them for some 3" screws with a solid shank towards the head. Using standard threads all the way to the head of the screw causes the screw not to take a lot of abuse before sheering.
yeah don't get screws threaded all the way up. Screw shear strength is actually super poor. You wanna get proper wood screws that dont have threads for the last like 1/2-1"
As a former landlord, I've been doing this for the last 30 years or so for myself and family members. However, my strike plates are thicker and longer (18 inches) than the typical hardware kind. I have them on all of my 3 exterior doors. I've also installed mag plates, which are thin pieces of metal that wrap around the door and under the door knob and lock. This provides a visible deterrent from the outside, hopefully enough that no attempt is made to attack the door. Any good carpenter/ door istaller would tell you the 3 inch screws are only effectve as the wood (framing) that it is screwed into. As mentioned earlier, don't forget to change out the screws in the door hinges as well.
Hey David. If you happen to have loose door latches or dead bolts on your doors at your home or family members, there is a new door hardware called ReSecure Latch. Sits inside the door alongside the latch. We show how it works over on our page. Trying to get the word out. Hopefully, one day, we will be in the major stores.
You need to be careful, at the beginning of the video there was a guy that looked just like you kicking a door in. Sensible and affordable modifications that can help. A lot of comments assume your not home, but what if you are, at least if someone tries to kick your door in it’s going to slow them down or stop them giving you time to react. I used to work night shift so I took a lot of precautions to keep my wife safe including swing out security screen doors and solid core external doors, reinforced hinges and as well as locks and an emergency button next to the bed that instantly set off the alarm system if pressed. Never needed it but it gave both of us piece of mind. Cheers
Are you trying to be funny??. I'm absolutely sure that was example of what the video was about and yeah it's the same guy LOL, you folks are hilarious 😂
it's a nice video for people who want a simple DIY addition for security. I went ahead and spent the $$ and got a door devil, which has a striker plate, door plate, hinge plate, door edge guard, and hinge bolts.
Metal doors come with a wood core and 1 inch screws which makes the hinges just as vulnerable as the latch, your door isn't a tank until you consider putting longer screws into the hinges as well
My steel doors are anchored to solid wood frames via a 3 inch screw every 8 inches up the frame, the hinges have three inch screws on both door and frame. I have the lock plate he shows on all three doors. Then it is worth mentioning the house is built with block and I have hurricane shutters on the windows. Here in Arizona security doors are on most all houses, mine has 3 of these doors outside of the steel entry doors anchored via 12 bolts each door.
Sure, it's worth doing but the hinge side will usually have three points of attachment with 4 screws each. If a thief can't kick in the deadbolt side it's extremely unlikely they will think "let me try the hinge side".
I went to the door lock section of the hardware store and purchased all the safety add ons that were available. I also picked up a box of 4" coarse thread construction screw's. It was a lot of work to do the multiple projects. Recently several neighbors have been robbed, in all cases entry was through a kicked in door. It is something I no longer worry about. The effort to do the projects is well worth it. These improvements won't stop a determined thief but it will make them think and maybe go to the neighbor's house were these safety improvements have not been done.
Well done, I agree. Beef-up security on all doors & windows inside & out. People forget about indoor security. If you keep them out, that's fine, but don't give free access to the whole home. Lock all inside doors, multiple locks. The main goal is to keep intruders out. Make them go away disappointed. They will seek easier prey. 2nd. Goal, internal upgrades. If they get inside, extra locks indoors will prevent total plunder & shield you if you're home. They will try, make them fail.
Thank you! I was looking for UA-cam reviews on the reinforcement lock, out of the 3 I've watched this is definitely the best, the first 2 videos I watched show the reinforcement lock being placed a couple feet from the top of the door rather than a few inches above the dead bolt. I appreciate the bonus security measure of the duel reinforcement strick plate. Excellent tutorial on installation of both products.
lol . And then Ring can share the video with the police and anyone else they want without your permission . Anyone that has a Ring camera needs their head examining !
@@rudeawakening3833 if it has wi-if , it’s hackable , meaning anyone could be watching you on camera . A year or two back Ring brought out something called “ sidewalk “ with very little publicity . It enables them to hack into your camera system remotely . You needed to opt out or you was automatically put in it . Hardly anyone knew about it so most people gave up permission without even knowing . I know people that have these dotted all round their homes . May as well be in prison ( which is the whole long term goal of Ring )
@@rudeawakening3833 also , Police have admitted gathering footage from Ring without the owners permission or them even knowing . They go direct to Ring
The LA housing authority did a fantastic experiment in the 90's. They were tearing down public housing and decided to conduct a test. They used long screws in various combinatations on a front a door. It turns out, screws that were at least 3" mounting the existing hardware and strike plates including strike plates, deadbolt barrel, and hinges worked the very best. The fire department used a battering ram and it took a long time before they finally broke the door. The door. The door broke apart. It's one of the first things i do when I move. And predrilling the holes is critical. Based on that study, the bar and reinforcement lock aren't necessary. Just buy some inexpensive screws and a long drill bit and you'll have ample notice of someone kicking in your door. And if you're first curious about home defense, this is the 3rd of 4 D's of home defense. There are some pretty ehhh videos on that on youtube, but you can research Deter, Detect, Delay, and Defend.
@valeria262 You'll want to use a drill with a drill bit to drill the holes before you drive the screws in. Try to just drive in a larger diameter 3 screw without first drilling, and you'll run to the hardware store and grab the bit.
I bought these for every door in my house that has access to outside. I would say put two security reinforcements on every door above the deadbolt and below the handle. If you have small children or children period, educate them on how to operate the locks incase of emergency or fire. Intruders will always kick the door in multiple times before being scared off by all the noise they are making, if they can't kick in after the 5th try they will probably flee the scene. If you have the money have a professional install floor based/drilled impact stopper as they will most likely never fail.
Without a doubt. The door jambs can be a more fragile wood. Also if you can find them, square drive screws have much less chance of camming out than phillips, especially if you hit some hard wood in the framing.
@@Chris-mo9gt That would be a pretty expensive big job and nobody would really do that unless your house is being built from scratch you could just add it in
You should place a pin by each hinge so if a criminal decides to pull hinge pins the door will open. A very stout screw with a thick head can be used. once you drill in the screw you put peanut butter on the screw head then close the door to the screws, the peanut butter will mark the door edge so you can drill a slightly bigger hole into the door in which the screw head can be, preventing the door from being opened!!
if possible, you should always put shims behind where you put screws through the door frame. you have a fairly wide gap in your door frame, which is where you comment about only a few millimeters of the handle latch catches comes in. putting screws in the frame with no support behind them from shims will pull the frame further from the door and increase that gap
Another quality video. The only thing I would add is the metal reinforcement sleeve that slides over the door itself under the deadbolt to reinforce the door itself. You have a metal door so the sleeve would be superfluous. As a cop for 25+ years I've kicked or hooligan tooled many doors that failed before the frame. Keep up the good videos, especially with your little helpers.
I just came across your video and loved it! My neighbour got burgled twice in one month and I have been looking for a door lock and other attachments for her door (and mine). Yours is the best video I have seen for months. I will be purchasing all the tools and everything mentioned on your video. Once again, thank you so much! : -)
These improvements will make entry more difficult for the not-so-stubborn intruder; however, unless the door is steel, the weak point will be where the deadbolt and the entry set are located. Wooden doors will splinter in these areas if stressed enough. In addition, common door jambs are made from pine, which is weak. Even with the improved strike plate, the door jamb itself will splinter. Using longer screws, as others here have suggested, and driving them into the framing of the door jamb, with a solid spacer between the jamb and the framing will add additional integrity. Adding a brass or steel plate to the door where the hardware is will also help. That we have to resort to these measures to keep our families and our property safe is disgusting. Thanks for the post.
@@KM-jp2wx In my City all retail doors must face outwards, so I took that argument to the building dept., and it was exceptionally easy to get permission. Residential builders I was told, 'prefer' inward swinging doors.
If someone is determined to get in they will get in. It's about buying time or just making it difficult enough that the intruder deems it to be not worth it.
Two weeks ago I installed these stronger plates on all my exterior doors and swapped out the hinge screws, too. Took me 15 minutes and I love the extra strength to my doors. These plates look sharp, too. Also, I’m a woman, all women can do this to their home. Even their apartments. I think I paid $12 for each plate. Smart investment.
Don't feel too comfortable, I remember kicking in maney well built doors in a apartment building slated for demolition, a flying 180 lbs kick opened all the doors, kicking the hinge side would send it spinning like a top into the room! Hing side protection is never considered! It's why I got steal ghetto/ security doors, in front of the wood doors!
@@stevemitz4740 my only intent is that they have to kick it twice or break their foot. Enough to pull out my punishing she-bang bang and get into position.
@@bjm315lacy9 It sounds like your Ms. "she bang can be a real Bitch! BUT that has nothing to do with what I said! My main point is, also reinforce the weak hinge side, at least with 4" or 5" screws [both sides] BUT with Godless corrupt/ iatrogenic "medicine" killing 2075 each day [see Death by Medicine] your "doctor" is much much more likely to kill you than door kickers! [Fact!] I think it's safer to leave your door unlocked, than trust the 5 billion in fraud fines/ big pharma "medicine" [Fact!] see "Big Pharma's Big fines" ! I.E. worry more about fraudulent mass death "medicine" than break-ins!
Very good tutorial! Just a remark for other people. Please don't forget to fortify your hinges to make this complete. Many times doors are installed with inferior hinges and short non security screws. If somebody tries to kick in your door and you fortified the lock-plates; al that force wil now seek the weakest point. *(your hinges) So please use quality hinges and strong 3 inch just like the man said.
Also remember that the new plate is going to sit on top of the area where the old plates were sitting and may make it too tight for the door to close. The old ones were recessed into the door jam and you may have to chizel out that area for the new plate to fit inside. Been there and done that.....
I've worked on tight fitting doors where it was necessary to chisel ecess the new, larger, strike plate into th jamb, as were the original small strike plates
Other than a lock, this is the most important video. I saw your other video and commented that you should be upgrading strike plates and screws first and foremost. You did that here. This is essential on ALL outside doors! It’s a $10-20 fix and it’ll make it damn hard for anyone to kick in your door. I use the exact same products except my screws are hardened - not sure if yours are or not. Either way this should be a hard target door. Great job!
One thing that was not mentioned about adding the 3 inch steel screws to the strike plates and that is any gap between the door frame and the wall 2x4's. If there is a gap and you put in the 3 inch screws the door frame will be pulled closer to the 2x4's and the door latch will not even touch the striker plate. It will be necessary to put shims in between the door frame and the 2x4's.
I really like that long strike plate. Makes sense it is stronger and I learned from a tv show somewhere 10 or more years ago about the 3 inch screws. I'll look into all these modifications. We also have security cameras
I'm here because my daughter's apartment door was kicked in 2 days ago. When she moved in I checked it and the complex, or someone, had already added longer screws to the 2 strike plates. I added 3 long screws above and below the strike plates. When the door was kicked in it took out about a 2 foot section the door frame and even some sheetrock. There was a significant gap between the frame and the 2x4s that only have the 3 inch screws a shallow bite. IMO, this one piece strike plate with 4 inch screws would have been harder to kick in. I've seen some even longer ones though, and I'm looking at using one those. Probably the ultimate door strengthening technique is a pair of 2x4s across the entire door opening. But that's ugly. Even the brackets alone are ugly. That's what I'd like for my house, but my wife would never go for it. Admittedly it is also probably over kill for where we live. Until it isn’t, lol. Predrilling helps a lot, but sometimes the wood will still split. To help keep your screws from splitting the wood you can also rub the screw threads on a bar of soap before hand. The soap helps a lot also if you have to hand tighten a difficult screw, or lots of them. Regarding placement of extra locks. Agreed, if they are low on the door then kids can mess with them. But pets can mess with them also and inadvertently lock you out. IMO, 3 inch screws aren't long enough. Most doors are set into a frame made from a pait of 2x4 studs. In the US, those 2x4s are only a total 3 inches thick. However the door frame itself is about an inch thick, and the wood is very soft. There may even be shims or an air gap between the door frame and the 2x4s. So in many cases, a 3 inch screw has only 2 inches or less bite into the studs. Unless there are bricks or glass right behind the studs, I think 4 inch screws give you more strength. I would also take at least half a dozen of my long screws and drive them above and below the strike plate area with about a 9 to 12 inch spacing. That makes the entire frame one strong unit. Then, I'd use at least one more long screw on each door hinge. When you beef up your frame, you can change the dimensions around the door enough to cause an air gap, so you might have to install thicker weather stripping. At this point, the most likely failure point becomes your door. I've seen metal exterior doors split or bend in the area around the lock and the bolt. If that's a concern, then you can install one of the metal shields that wraps around the deadbolt area. Or buy a stronger door.
I bought the Strikemaster II which is 4 feet long, and 11- 3" hardened screws. I also put the 3" screws in the door hinges. I'm confident with my setup.
Great ideas on this video, but there is a missing detail. You must add tight shims between the door jamb and the framing. If you just install 3 inch screws like this, there is a good chance you will distort the jamb and lose function of the door.
Thank you very much! I never gave much thought about beefing up my door locks. As a widow, I’m very concerned about my safety. This is something I can actually do myself.😊
A really simple and cheap upgrade is to just put some decent screws into the edge of the jamb to prevent the strike area from splitting out. These can often be concealed by the architrave.
Our front door opens outwards, kick-in safe as well as easy escape in case of emergencies. The deadbolt has a double lock feature to make the lock go in deep as well.
Thank you, but you should also reinforce the door side across from the strike plate with a U shaped metal plate if possible. Otherwise the door becomes the weak point and can split.
I appreciate the to-the-point focus of your videos. The one thing which always bothers me about reinforcing doors in homes with ground-floor windows...I can fairly quietly break into a fairly well-hidden window in a home enormously faster and more easily than bothering with a well secured door. I'm not saying doors shouldn't be secured, just - it takes less than two quiet minutes to remove most thermo-glass inserts from a typical Jeld-Wen window. And that 's being careful to make next to no noise and to even not break the glass.
These days a burglar is not worried about being quiet when they are kicking in doors. Even so these days the criminals don't even care if you catch them they are so emboldened.
@@DM-lk5ym if the glass is an outside of frame mount in, where the adhesive is between the glass and inside of the house, you would only need to remove the trim around the glass (pops out easily) and run a razor blade behind the glass cutting the mounting tape (basically a double sided thin foam tape), then pull the glass towards you. In the reverse where the glass is towards the inside, you would run a razor blade around the edge of the glass to cut the mounting tape and push the glass inwards. I learned this when I installed a new glass panel in a window of my parents basement when a wall dart was thrown through it lol
Perhaps a more extensive measure, but more secure, is to also install a metal door frame that goes within the studs around the door. This way there is no give to the door frame. Even with some of these modifications, if someone tries hard enough they can deform the doorframe itself (not the door, but the frame around the door). You can then cover the metal door frame with wood trim so it stays hidden, but the frame itself around the door is metal and attached to the studs (structure of the wall) with heavy duty screws. Many modern homes have this but older homes may not, and again, this may be harder to do because it would be like installing a door again but if you own the home, it may be worth the exepsne and/or effort to have it done.
Very interesting n informative upload, especially reinforcing a door. Question: how did ur reinforced door plate match exactly with ur existing deadbolt n door knob locks' holes??? Is there a standard spacing between the two locks??? Please comment. Would be interested in purchasing that type of plate. Kudos for vid. It was very helpful. Looking forward to ur next one. Peace
Between watching your video and EVERYDAY HOME REPAIR video, I bought the same Defender Security latch plate and put on my small garage entrance door and install was very helpful after watching both videos. My only complaint on this latch plate is I noticed one of the supplied three inch screws was curved, or slightly bent, which made me wonder about the strength of the supplied screws. Luckily, I had three inch galvanized screws I had put on existing latch plates two years ago and I used four of the three inch galvanized screws on this new security latch plate, which I think will add more security. Otherwise, I give this Defender Security latch plate a thumbs up 👍 👌
You should have added that chain that you see clearly bolted to the door in the last scene. Those actually make it insanely hard to kick in a door as well. Or at least hard enough if they blast through your tank of a door, to give them a few more kicks while you grab your shotgun to address their poor decisions.
I wish more people realized how strong those chains are and the physics that make them work. I've put them to the test and they defeated me every time no matter how hard I kicked
@@realiouslytv1711 I understand that chains are kick resistant because of the fact that the door needs to be open to break it but I still thought they were relatively bad compared to a door guard and also the fact that the chain can be cut by pliers is bad also.
@@vicgamesvt9682 chain cutting must be thought about when installing. You can install it so that bolt cutters can't get to it. The slack of the chain absorbs all of your Kik power. It's incredible I've tested it myself and was quite embarrassed. Fortunately whoever installed the one I tried to kick through did not think of bolt cutters and I had just enough Gap to get in there and cut the chain. Also installing it with two and a half inch screws so that it's screwed to the wall stud makes it impenetrable
Those chains aren't foolproof. If you kick the door and split the frame you can either cut it or kick the door again while it's open with no slack on the chain. There's also an extremely simple way of opening those chains with just a single rubber band. Most videos on it show the person reaching inside to put it on the handle but there are ways around it even if you can't get your arm inside
Watched many videos of people standing with back to the door and kicking at the bottom of the door to force it open. SO to me that extra lock would be better closer to the bottom. Great video and thanks for the links to the products
I've never seen a lock or deadbolt at bottom of a door, didn't realize it could be kicked in that way. What a pain to unlock it from the outside though even if it's a good idea.
That cam lock should be placed much higher on the door. The idea is to have it higher than someone can reasonably kick. If the cam is at boot level, then 100% of the force will be applied to the screws holding it in. When you place it 12 to 18 inches above boot height, the door flexes and absorbs most of the energy of the kick.
So if you were trying to loosen a bolt with a cheater bar, you would rather get closer to the bolt to apply "100%" of the force? The further you grab down the handle of the cheater bar, the more force you can apply because you are moving a greater distance at the end. The cam lock and screws are the strongest point and act as the fulcrum in this instance and the door as a lever. The further along the door you apply force from the lock, the more mechanical advantage you have. I'd put my money on somebody trying to kick directly against the lock with 100% of their force over somebody kicking away from it and getting mechanical advantage. The door "flexing" is just a greater "input distance" applying more force at the cam lock. It's like if you ever did demolition on a house and tried to tear out a 2x4 stud from a wall. You wouldn't grab it close to where it's nailed, you'd grab it from the end and pull it like a lever.
Multiple layers of security. I will be adding security doors to all my exterior doors. So if anyone wants to break in they have to kick open through two doors! and since the exterior security door opens outwardly that is going to be twice as hard to do as they will have to pull not kick.
@@JGoodwin I didn't know that was possible all the metal mesh security doors I've ever seen or that my family has in their various houses have the hinge seams welded shut and you have to attach the whole assembly through the door frame which is inaccessible when the door is closed. But yea thats a fair point.
A nice, welcoming front door design: Door is 4 to 6" thick, with a steel bar core offset to the interior side. The exterior sheath is supported spaced out from the core with a wooden "crumple zone" and 3 to 5" long, super sharp needles face outward from the steel core. The outer door sheath has weaken exit "holes" for the needles. A bad actor bashing the door in with their shoulder or unarmored foot will have their violent entry quickly punctured.
Booby traps like that are illegal in all 50 States in the US. Reason being they could harm a firefighter, police officer, or other first responder who has a legitimate reasons for forcing entry. DEFEATING forced entry is fine, but actively trying to HARM indiscriminately all persons attempting to force entry is illegal.
This is good advice on reinforcing the jam itself, but there are a few other things. A door wrap around like Don-Jo. For inswing doors, you can get an interlocking astragle to prevent tools being jammed in to pry the door(or overlapping for outswing). Security hinges(or security pins that replace a couple screws)
The dojo door wrap is not meant for a steel door, it will not wrap properly and they are not attractive. Better quality deadbolts are a much better idea.
@@cyberwolf6667 I wasn't going for the aesthetics. A wrap can absolutely go on a steel door. The bends are curved so you can get a nice fit (on wood doors, you have to trim the corner of the wood). Problem with just putting a better deadbolt is that most north american entrance doors are steel "laminate". Steel skin on the outside, but a relativiley soft wood frame and edge. A good kick will split the door.
@@Rithanel I have to agree and disagree I will admit , certain big city areas you do whatever you can to make the door as strong as possible, but in rural areas most attacks are spontaneous and if the door doesn’t open quick, they leave. I don’t like the fact that have to alter the door edge to allow the Donjo plate ( I’m old enough to remember Mag, the original)to sit flush, you can never undo that. How many kicks will it take to split a good wood door, Hollywood 1 kick opens aren’t real. (Unless you have a crap frame) And yes, the wrap plate will definitely help protect the door, I just have the believe that you can go to far. Like I said , no point in wrapping a door with a Kwikset or Defiant deadbolt on the door Thanks for your response I’m a locksmith for 36 years , east coast, but I don’t work the big cities anymore, rural Ohio now We have idiot for crooks
@cyberwolf6667 @cyberwolf6667 Will admit, got a couple decades on me. Operate out of Alberta. Just wish I had gotten out of my way to meet Mr. Lang sooner. I think we have different varieties of idiots. Town, they usually give up pretty quick. Rural for us is the worst, because they know they have at least a half hour response time. Only difference is touching the house is extremely rare (don't want to deal people or dogs) but they'll do everything to clear out the shop/garage/sea cans. Is it just me or the weiser element series just a rebranded gatehouse line? I had to rekey an electronic db, and it felt like the flimsiest thing I've ever held in my hands.
Kwikset owns the weiser name now so it’s probably an import. I’ve been noticing that the residential hardware getting worse and worse. I only use grade 2 or better because of that. It’s become a throw away and replace with new world for our industry. Manufacturers only seem to want it to last 5 years or so. I use Mul-T-Lock, EMTEK, Arrow and LSDA (grade 2) primary, I do upgrade LSda with the Emtek’s bolt for my residential customers. I can see how you have issues with peoples home being far apart from each other, our residential area are on top of one another, 25ft between neighbors and a lot of condos. So around here if the door doesn’t open first or second kick , they move on. What’s your feeling about that secondary flip lock, I don’t recommend it here, people forget it’s locked and leave out the attached garage, loose power, they can’t open the doors with the key.
A person could always add a drop bar that crosses the whole door made from a 2x4 and uses 1/8 inch metal brackets screwed into the house framing with lag bolts.
I bought a few of these to try to add extra security to some of my doors, mainly a basement door and a side door which is rather out of site and likely more vulnerable to break ins. The issue I'm having is that both those doors are half light doors. Without having to purchase new solid doors, I'm not sure how to best secure the glass portion. In all, I have 3 half light doors and one full light doors. I understand why they were originally installed and they are nice metal doors, it just seems like they would be easy to get into by breaking the glass. I can't afford all new doors at the moment.
@@terriann3031 I purchased security grills that go over the inside of the glass windows and secure into the door with screws. You can order different sizes that will do the job for you. Ebay has them as does Home Depot and Lowes (but you'll probably have to order them, as I don't think they have them in stock in the stores). Type in "security window grills" and you'll see lots of different kinds. ;-)
Takes longer and is just as noisy, most thieves aren't prepared with a recip saw. Try to get in and out through 16" on center studs while a homeowner is pointing a shotgun at you.
i was looking at the same dead bolt but never occurred to me about the metal plate. placing an order on amazon now. Thank you so much. added security. new subscriber!
Personally, I would have moved the Reinforcement Lock up about 6 to 9 inches. Moving it up does two things for you. First, it futureproofs the deadbolt lock; who knows when you might end up with a new "smart lock" that takes up a bit more room. Second, and more importantly, it spreads out the force that's being applied to the entire area on the supporting side. There is a downside to those reinforcement locks however; if you have someone that is weaker in the hands, smaller hands, or "less coordinated", they might have trouble opening the lock . That said, it's also comforting to someone inside because the lock cannot be opened from the outside, unless the door has a window in it that is used to bypass it, or there's a window off to the side of the door. The wife is one of those people that have difficulty opening this type of lock; she uses a screwdriver. Like the strike plate. Can't use 3 inch screws due to how this house was originally framed and built.
Lmao get your self a 2x4 the width of the door 5 inches past each side so take for example a 32 inch door you would need 42 inch board screw board into frame one each side. If you want to further increase door strength replace door jame and door itself with a steel core door. Replace 2x4 with a metal bar. N absolutely nothing will get through door. Securing your door latch which is only a 1x3 wood and on it's latch part it's only a inch thick. Zero strength. I'm in construction for over 20 years I've replaced hundreds of kicked in doors.
Wow, good job needed this for our garage door in 2020 and 2021 thieves broke into our garage took everything they could carry. Glad I came across your channel. Now, I know what we (hubby and me) need to do make our garage door harder get in. Thanks for sharing and you be safe too. 👍👍👍
Very inexpensive is to close the door completely and look at the track the door rides in, locate where you can drill a hole big enough for a caribener to fit for both door rails. Of course they need to be removed to operate the door. Protect the emergency release rope so it can not be used from outside, and if possible interrupt the circuit wiring to the door opener and place a light switch where you interrupted the wiring circuit. Garage door openers can be scanned and operated remotely to get in. The door openers operate by radio frequency thus can be scanned and controlled. Being a retired law enforcement officer I was told how the bad guys get in.
I'd say that the big problem you have in North America is your entrance door swinging inwards; I will never understand why you've chosen to mount them like that. Where I live (Scandinavia) almost every entrance door swings outwards - very important in case of a fire. Anyone who'd try to kick in those doors would end up with a broken leg. There are many pros (and maybe a few cons) with this solution. Just saying.
It's weird, how often a locked screen door has stopped theft. And years ago, Bob, had the ultimate theft deterrent technique. He'd leave the front door open, but the screen door shut, and a radio or tv playing. It confused thieves. They do not know if someone is home or not.
There are still two weak points on your door: Firstly the timber frame is very thin and liable to split as you bolts are focused around the centre. Consider having a dead bolt on top and then running a steel strip from top to bottom on the left frame. Secondly, the door hinges are a weak spot, but this is easily fixed by having two or three bolts drilled into the edge of the door and sticking out so that they lock into a corresponding hole in the right-hand door frame. Lastly put another steel strip from top to bottom on the right-hand frame to stop it splitting.
If you are in an area that requires such heavy upgrades to the frame, you need a better deadbolt first. The strike plate he is showing is not a bad strike, however some did comment correctly and said not to use the screws that come with it, 3”torx deck screws work great for this. Many people forget they don’t know what the door is made of Simply use 1-5/8 screw into the door side and one or two 3”screws into the frame side , make sure to use the holes closest to the outside of the frame not the interior side.
@@cyberwolf6667 my advice is independent of area - if anyone’s personal circumstance requires them to secure their door (be it in Beverley Hills or the Bronx) then half measures simply undermine the project.
I loved your video! As a woman doing things myself, you are an extremely huge help! The drill bit that is extra heavy duty with the no skip tip you have to put in the length you want. Your description doesn’t tell me. Also will they fit any brand drill? Thank you so much!
Nice stuff! As long as the distance between the locks lines up with the dual strike plate, I like to run a steel plate vertically along the door jam overlapping 2" or 3" and screwed into the framing studs then cover with wood trim, can do with ANY lock setup - pre drill the plate of course
Thank You for this video, when I go buy me a door I'll remind the person putting it up to do this & I'm getting a METAL DOOR so that will be a big help.
Using a lrager door striker plate for the deadbolt, and regularknob really helps because when any force is applied to the door, it gets concentrated at the deadbolt, and knob latch. The bigger plate helps spread that energy out and away from the deadbolt locking mechanism. If you could run on the entire length of your door, and afford it, that is best way to go. Not cheap but they really do work. If you notice, most deadbolts only go in about an inch as well. having multiple deadbolts, say 3 of them can really help secure a door (top, middle, bottom). The reinforcement locks work great, but you can only employ them when home.
great video... not sure if you've ever showed the screws that are used on sliding glass door locks (the part that's in the frame and the door locks into)... they are so short... My neighbor's installer used the screws that came with it. A burglar grabbed the exterior handle and just yanked the door open pulling the tiny screws out in one motion. When we had our sliders installed, I made sure they were using 3" screws.. fortunately that was the installers normal practice.
Can you please make a video on how to keep sliding glass doors safe🤗
Hi Mercy! I made I video on that 8 days ago please watch! Here’s the link! m.ua-cam.com/video/oZmJcwbqCPA/v-deo.html
Cutting a piece of wood or broom handle to put in the door track is cheap and easy. They also make a metal bar that mounts on the center of the backside of the door that drops down to open
@@zachrorke9046 that's good to know but that doesn't prevent them from breaking the glass!
@@mercyed3598You want a tutorial on how to stop someone from throwing a rock through your glass? They have sensors you can apply to glass to detect glass breakage and sound an alarm....if you're home you would hear the glass breaking. You can't stop someone from throwing a rock unless you maybe put up an expensive fence and thorny shrubbery around your property.
One things for sure, you'll wind up with a compound fracture f**king with my door! Those 2 (2×4)s across it will tell u quick that's not going to work. Front an back. Never had the pleasure of someone kicking they're way in! 😂😂
We did that on our tool shed after a break in. Afterwards, I was very happy to see a foot print on the metal door, and hopefully it was made by someone who now has a broken ankle.
LOL, check the ER rooms!
A 60kV 2A souvenir would have been nice too.😁
Serves ‘em right!
Do these tips stop the 87,000 FBI agents?
Calm down grandpa, fox news isn't good for you.
Pro Tip: Don't use the screws that come with the heavy duty strike or interior latch. They will break. Pick up a set of good 3 or 4 inch case hardened screws from the hardware store.
Good tip thanks
Definitely 4 inch
Yeah, that's what I was thinking! And I also wouldn't use cheap Chinese steel from Amazon.
I know you did this video several months ago, but videos like this are what helps older people like me to understand how easy every little bit helps! Thank you 🙏
GET A METAL SECURITY DOOR TO PUT IN FRONT OF YOUR WOOD😂
We used your ideas to secure our outside door latches. We also replaced 1” hinge screws with 3” screws in all outside door hinges around our home since kick-ins are vulnerable at latch and hinge sides of doors. Thanks for your great videos!
Thank you Jodi for the love, support and feedback! Stay safe out there my friend! 🙏🏽😊
I'm a blacksmith and work with all kinds of metals. I ended up buying some stainless and made the strike plate the full length of the door jamb and on top of the door. I also put a piece on the door itself. My door is a steel security door with windows so small you cant break them out to reach the deabolts. I added a new solid piece of steel on the side because of the way it looked like it could still be separated. I made it more kickproof by adding 3 more deadbolts. I have one above the door knob, one below the door knob, on half way to the bottom of the door and one straight up on top. I also replaced the hinges with some i made out of 01 tool steel and hardened to a Rockwell hardness of 60. I put everything together with big stainless lag screws. Anyone that tries to kick my door in, is going to need a knee replacement.
That is awesome Krod! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙏🏽👍🏽😊
Your neighborhood must suck!
Don't forget the hinge side, it kicks in very easily!
@@stevemitz4740 There is steel all around the door and the door jamb. All the way around
@@Darkice77 That's good, so I won't try kicking in your front door, BUT what about the back door?
Inquiring minds want to know
Those product manufacturers should sponsor you! Solid reviews from an honest customer
Yes, indeed. 💯
I would also add 3" screws to the door hinges as the criminal could kick in the door on the hinge side.
In the UK you can get what are called 'hinge bolts' that you drill into the door, they recess into the frame on the hinge side Not sure what the US name is.
I did the same with 4.5 inch screws and a second oak 2x4 support
Good idea.
I’ve yet to come across a house that didn’t already have 3” screws on the hinges of exterior doors because exterior doors are heavy and especially metal doors but I guess there are “those guys” if you catch my drift…. Less than avg lol
Yes I was just thinking about that after viewing this upload. Screw reinforcement on the door hinges.
I did this with four doors, three into the house and one into the garage. I'm very happy with it and feel much more secure. Several years ago somebody kicked in my back door and broke into the house so I'm glad to have this in place.
I have locks on all my interior doors. No reason to make life easy for thieves.
Remember, the screws on the hinge side are probably 1/2" too. Take those out and exchange them for some 3" screws with a solid shank towards the head. Using standard threads all the way to the head of the screw causes the screw not to take a lot of abuse before sheering.
Thanks , never though about the solid shank making them stronger! Good info😁😁😁
Also replace the 1/2 inch screws on the hinge/door side as well.
Use a safety hinge. Better than screws
Great advice because they are kicking the doors in on that side of the door!!
yeah don't get screws threaded all the way up. Screw shear strength is actually super poor. You wanna get proper wood screws that dont have threads for the last like 1/2-1"
As a former landlord, I've been doing this for the last 30 years or so for myself and family members. However, my strike plates are thicker and longer (18 inches) than the typical hardware kind. I have them on all of my 3 exterior doors. I've also installed mag plates, which are thin pieces of metal that wrap around the door and under the door knob and lock. This provides a visible deterrent from the outside, hopefully enough that no attempt is made to attack the door. Any good carpenter/ door istaller would tell you the 3 inch screws are only effectve as the wood (framing) that it is screwed into. As mentioned earlier, don't forget to change out the screws in the door hinges as well.
Hey David. If you happen to have loose door latches or dead bolts on your doors at your home or family members, there is a new door hardware called ReSecure Latch. Sits inside the door alongside the latch. We show how it works over on our page. Trying to get the word out. Hopefully, one day, we will be in the major stores.
You need to be careful, at the beginning of the video there was a guy that looked just like you kicking a door in. Sensible and affordable modifications that can help. A lot of comments assume your not home, but what if you are, at least if someone tries to kick your door in it’s going to slow them down or stop them giving you time to react. I used to work night shift so I took a lot of precautions to keep my wife safe including swing out security screen doors and solid core external doors, reinforced hinges and as well as locks and an emergency button next to the bed that instantly set off the alarm system if pressed. Never needed it but it gave both of us piece of mind. Cheers
What an excellent extra precaution to discover. Never have seen such a thing. THANK YOU!!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Are you trying to be funny??. I'm absolutely sure that was example of what the video was about and yeah it's the same guy LOL, you folks are hilarious 😂
@@Bellemogli Yes, just a joke😂😂
Scrounga's Workshop: Bless you for caring!
Hope you benefit from that extra 'piece' of mind.
it's a nice video for people who want a simple DIY addition for security. I went ahead and spent the $$ and got a door devil, which has a striker plate, door plate, hinge plate, door edge guard, and hinge bolts.
Metal doors come with a wood core and 1 inch screws which makes the hinges just as vulnerable as the latch, your door isn't a tank until you consider putting longer screws into the hinges as well
The manufacturer actually gives you one long screw for each hinge which is not enough
My steel doors are anchored to solid wood frames via a 3 inch screw every 8 inches up the frame, the hinges have three inch screws on both door and frame. I have the lock plate he shows on all three doors. Then it is worth mentioning the house is built with block and I have hurricane shutters on the windows. Here in Arizona security doors are on most all houses, mine has 3 of these doors outside of the steel entry doors anchored via 12 bolts each door.
@@GM8101PHX Just come through the turlet window instead
Yess!!!!!!!
Sure, it's worth doing but the hinge side will usually have three points of attachment with 4 screws each. If a thief can't kick in the deadbolt side it's extremely unlikely they will think "let me try the hinge side".
I went to the door lock section of the hardware store and purchased all the safety add ons that were available. I also picked up a box of 4" coarse thread construction screw's. It was a lot of work to do the multiple projects.
Recently several neighbors have been robbed, in all cases entry was through a kicked in door. It is something I no longer worry about. The effort to do the projects is well worth it. These improvements won't stop a determined thief but it will make them think and maybe go to the neighbor's house were these safety improvements have not been done.
Excellent. If you have a patio door, secure that the best you can. Also, take the cord with the red hamdle off your garage door.
Well done, I agree. Beef-up security on all doors & windows inside & out. People forget about indoor security. If you keep them out, that's fine, but don't give free access to the whole home. Lock all inside doors, multiple locks.
The main goal is to keep intruders out. Make them go away disappointed. They will seek easier prey.
2nd. Goal, internal upgrades. If they get inside, extra locks indoors will prevent total plunder & shield you if you're home.
They will try, make them fail.
I used to live i LA, talk about security, I always replaced that whole side from top to bottom with angle iron, super secure.
Thanks for showing us how to protect ourselves. We're getting new doors for our house so this info is great...especially in these times!!
Thank you so much for this demonstration, I never considered just how vulnerable my door was until this video.
Thank you! I was looking for UA-cam reviews on the reinforcement lock, out of the 3 I've watched this is definitely the best, the first 2 videos I watched show the reinforcement lock being placed a couple feet from the top of the door rather than a few inches above the dead bolt. I appreciate the bonus security measure of the duel reinforcement strick plate. Excellent tutorial on installation of both products.
Be sure to add a ring cam on the door so you can share the perps hobbling away with their Broken ankles!! Gotta Love the self infliction!
lol . And then Ring can share the video with the police and anyone else they want without your permission . Anyone that has a Ring camera needs their head examining !
@@sgoredraw1455 so I can learn - please elaborate , I don’t get what you just brought up …
@@rudeawakening3833 if it has wi-if , it’s hackable , meaning anyone could be watching you on camera . A year or two back Ring brought out something called “ sidewalk “ with very little publicity . It enables them to hack into your camera system remotely . You needed to opt out or you was automatically put in it . Hardly anyone knew about it so most people gave up permission without even knowing . I know people that have these dotted all round their homes . May as well be in prison ( which is the whole long term goal of Ring )
@@rudeawakening3833 also , Police have admitted gathering footage from Ring without the owners permission or them even knowing . They go direct to Ring
@@sgoredraw1455 thanks 🙏
The LA housing authority did a fantastic experiment in the 90's. They were tearing down public housing and decided to conduct a test. They used long screws in various combinatations on a front a door. It turns out, screws that were at least 3" mounting the existing hardware and strike plates including strike plates, deadbolt barrel, and hinges worked the very best. The fire department used a battering ram and it took a long time before they finally broke the door. The door. The door broke apart. It's one of the first things i do when I move. And predrilling the holes is critical. Based on that study, the bar and reinforcement lock aren't necessary. Just buy some inexpensive screws and a long drill bit and you'll have ample notice of someone kicking in your door. And if you're first curious about home defense, this is the 3rd of 4 D's of home defense. There are some pretty ehhh videos on that on youtube, but you can research Deter, Detect, Delay, and Defend.
Thanks for this - thats new knowledge to me
What's meant by predrilling holes? Like put the screws in first then take them out and back on with the strike plate?
@valeria262 You'll want to use a drill with a drill bit to drill the holes before you drive the screws in. Try to just drive in a larger diameter 3 screw without first drilling, and you'll run to the hardware store and grab the bit.
@@rcampbell4967 gotcha, thanks for the clarification
Do you pre drill the entire 3 inch screw length? Do you need a drill bit the same diameter of the screw?
I bought these for every door in my house that has access to outside. I would say put two security reinforcements on every door above the deadbolt and below the handle. If you have small children or children period, educate them on how to operate the locks incase of emergency or fire. Intruders will always kick the door in multiple times before being scared off by all the noise they are making, if they can't kick in after the 5th try they will probably flee the scene. If you have the money have a professional install floor based/drilled impact stopper as they will most likely never fail.
Great idea, but I highly recommend drilling a pilot hole slightly smaller than the base diameter of the screw to prevent any splitting of the framing.
Without a doubt. The door jambs can be a more fragile wood. Also if you can find them, square drive screws have much less chance of camming out than phillips, especially if you hit some hard wood in the framing.
I highly recommend replacing all wood studs and framing with steel. Boom! I just out highly recommend you. 👍🏽👊🏽
@@Chris-mo9gt 😂😂
@@Chris-mo9gt That would be a pretty expensive big job and nobody would really do that unless your house is being built from scratch you could just add it in
Oh yeah
Very informative. In Southeast Florida all entry doors open out instead of inwards due to hurricane building code.
You should place a pin by each hinge so if a criminal decides to pull hinge pins the door will open. A very stout screw with a thick head can be used. once you drill in the screw you put peanut butter on the screw head then close the door to the screws, the peanut butter will mark the door edge so you can drill a slightly bigger hole into the door in which the screw head can be, preventing the door from being opened!!
@@GM8101PHX There are security hinge pins.
if possible, you should always put shims behind where you put screws through the door frame. you have a fairly wide gap in your door frame, which is where you comment about only a few millimeters of the handle latch catches comes in. putting screws in the frame with no support behind them from shims will pull the frame further from the door and increase that gap
Deadbolt enter wall 1 inch deep Handle/locks help you FORGET KEYS IN HOUSE : USE DEADBOLTS
Great channel! Can you please make a video on how to secure French doors? French patio doors? THANKS!
Thank you so much! Yes! I’ll put that on my list! 🙏🏽👍🏽😊
Thanks,you're awesome!
Another quality video. The only thing I would add is the metal reinforcement sleeve that slides over the door itself under the deadbolt to reinforce the door itself. You have a metal door so the sleeve would be superfluous. As a cop for 25+ years I've kicked or hooligan tooled many doors that failed before the frame. Keep up the good videos, especially with your little helpers.
Thank you so much for the advice and the love and support my friend! 🙏🏽😊
I just came across your video and loved it! My neighbour got burgled twice in one month and I have been looking for a door lock and other attachments for her door (and mine). Yours is the best video I have seen for months. I will be purchasing all the tools and everything mentioned on your video. Once again, thank you so much! : -)
These improvements will make entry more difficult for the not-so-stubborn intruder; however, unless the door is steel, the weak point will be where the deadbolt and the entry set are located. Wooden doors will splinter in these areas if stressed enough. In addition, common door jambs are made from pine, which is weak. Even with the improved strike plate, the door jamb itself will splinter. Using longer screws, as others here have suggested, and driving them into the framing of the door jamb, with a solid spacer between the jamb and the framing will add additional integrity. Adding a brass or steel plate to the door where the hardware is will also help. That we have to resort to these measures to keep our families and our property safe is disgusting. Thanks for the post.
Another way to do is how I did. I reversed the door frame so my main door opens outwards.
@@jan_phd That is a good way to make the entry point much more secure; however, that may be a building code violation.
@@KM-jp2wx In my City all retail doors must face outwards, so I took that argument to the building dept., and it was exceptionally easy to get permission. Residential builders I was told, 'prefer' inward swinging doors.
@@jan_phd Interesting...thanks for sharing that.
If someone is determined to get in they will get in. It's about buying time or just making it difficult enough that the intruder deems it to be not worth it.
Two weeks ago I installed these stronger plates on all my exterior doors and swapped out the hinge screws, too. Took me 15 minutes and I love the extra strength to my doors. These plates look sharp, too. Also, I’m a woman, all women can do this to their home. Even their apartments. I think I paid $12 for each plate. Smart investment.
Don't feel too comfortable, I remember kicking in maney well built doors in a apartment building slated for demolition, a flying 180 lbs kick opened all the doors, kicking the hinge side would send it spinning like a top into the room! Hing side protection is never considered! It's why I got steal ghetto/ security doors, in front of the wood doors!
@@stevemitz4740 my only intent is that they have to kick it twice or break their foot. Enough to pull out my punishing she-bang bang and get into position.
@@bjm315lacy9 It sounds like your Ms. "she bang can be a real Bitch! BUT that has nothing to do with what I said!
My main point is, also reinforce the weak hinge side, at least with 4" or 5" screws [both sides] BUT with Godless corrupt/ iatrogenic "medicine" killing 2075 each day [see Death by Medicine] your "doctor" is much much more likely to kill you than door kickers! [Fact!] I think it's safer to leave your door unlocked, than trust the 5 billion in fraud fines/ big pharma "medicine" [Fact!] see "Big Pharma's Big fines" ! I.E. worry more about fraudulent mass death "medicine" than break-ins!
Very good tutorial! Just a remark for other people. Please don't forget to fortify your hinges to make this complete. Many times doors are installed with inferior hinges and short non security screws. If somebody tries to kick in your door and you fortified the lock-plates; al that force wil now seek the weakest point. *(your hinges) So please use quality hinges and strong 3 inch just like the man said.
Door length piano hinge ;)
Instead of going through all that, install a heavy metal outer door.
TY, TY, TY for this video. Clearly explained, quick and easy to follow.
Also remember that the new plate is going to sit on top of the area where the old plates were sitting and may make it too tight for the door to close. The old ones were recessed into the door jam and you may have to chizel out that area for the new plate to fit inside. Been there and done that.....
I found that a 4lb hammer solved that problem for us.
@@garyodle5663 Good one! Lol
@@garyodle5663 And the wife didn't put you in the dog house for that? ;-)
I've worked on tight fitting doors where it was necessary to chisel
ecess the new, larger, strike plate into th jamb, as were the original small strike plates
Thank you for sharing! 🙏🏽😊
Other than a lock, this is the most important video. I saw your other video and commented that you should be upgrading strike plates and screws first and foremost. You did that here.
This is essential on ALL outside doors! It’s a $10-20 fix and it’ll make it damn hard for anyone to kick in your door. I use the exact same products except my screws are hardened - not sure if yours are or not. Either way this should be a hard target door.
Great job!
What's hardened screws?? If I go to home Depot to ask for them will they know what I'm talking about?
One thing that was not mentioned about adding the 3 inch steel screws to the strike plates and that is any gap between the door frame and the wall 2x4's. If there is a gap and you put in the 3 inch screws the door frame will be pulled closer to the 2x4's and the door latch will not even touch the striker plate. It will be necessary to put shims in between the door frame and the 2x4's.
VERY GOOD IDEA !!! THANKYOU !!!
I really like that long strike plate. Makes sense it is stronger and I learned from a tv show somewhere 10 or more years ago about the 3 inch screws. I'll look into all these modifications. We also have security cameras
I'm here because my daughter's apartment door was kicked in 2 days ago. When she moved in I checked it and the complex, or someone, had already added longer screws to the 2 strike plates. I added 3 long screws above and below the strike plates. When the door was kicked in it took out about a 2 foot section the door frame and even some sheetrock. There was a significant gap between the frame and the 2x4s that only have the 3 inch screws a shallow bite.
IMO, this one piece strike plate with 4 inch screws would have been harder to kick in. I've seen some even longer ones though, and I'm looking at using one those.
Probably the ultimate door strengthening technique is a pair of 2x4s across the entire door opening. But that's ugly. Even the brackets alone are ugly. That's what I'd like for my house, but my wife would never go for it. Admittedly it is also probably over kill for where we live. Until it isn’t, lol.
Predrilling helps a lot, but sometimes the wood will still split. To help keep your screws from splitting the wood you can also rub the screw threads on a bar of soap before hand. The soap helps a lot also if you have to hand tighten a difficult screw, or lots of them.
Regarding placement of extra locks. Agreed, if they are low on the door then kids can mess with them. But pets can mess with them also and inadvertently lock you out.
IMO, 3 inch screws aren't long enough. Most doors are set into a frame made from a pait of 2x4 studs. In the US, those 2x4s are only a total 3 inches thick. However the door frame itself is about an inch thick, and the wood is very soft. There may even be shims or an air gap between the door frame and the 2x4s. So in many cases, a 3 inch screw has only 2 inches or less bite into the studs. Unless there are bricks or glass right behind the studs, I think 4 inch screws give you more strength.
I would also take at least half a dozen of my long screws and drive them above and below the strike plate area with about a 9 to 12 inch spacing. That makes the entire frame one strong unit. Then, I'd use at least one more long screw on each door hinge.
When you beef up your frame, you can change the dimensions around the door enough to cause an air gap, so you might have to install thicker weather stripping.
At this point, the most likely failure point becomes your door. I've seen metal exterior doors split or bend in the area around the lock and the bolt. If that's a concern, then you can install one of the metal shields that wraps around the deadbolt area. Or buy a stronger door.
I bought the Strikemaster II which is 4 feet long, and 11- 3" hardened screws. I also put the 3" screws in the door hinges. I'm confident with my setup.
Thank you for sharing Steve! I’ve seen that set up before I will have to try and check it out! 👍🏽😊
Just installed the same thing. Took 30 minutes to install both. Door looks great and more secure!
Nice Paul! I’m glad you like this method! Thanks for sharing your experience! 👍🏽😊
Great ideas on this video, but there is a missing detail. You must add tight shims between the door jamb and the framing. If you just install 3 inch screws like this, there is a good chance you will distort the jamb and lose function of the door.
Great job. I also reenforced my hinges.
Useful information that most homeowners can follow, thank you.
but girls love people breakin into their home though
Thank you very much! I never gave much thought about beefing up my door locks. As a widow, I’m very concerned about my safety. This is something I can actually do myself.😊
A really simple and cheap upgrade is to just put some decent screws into the edge of the jamb to prevent the strike area from splitting out. These can often be concealed by the architrave.
In Florida modern houses are made with hurricane rated doors. They only open out and cannot be kicked in.
Thank you for sharing this info! Stay tuned for outward swinging door security 👍🏽😊
Our front door opens outwards, kick-in safe as well as easy escape in case of emergencies. The deadbolt has a double lock feature to make the lock go in deep as well.
You should have some way to prevent the door pins from being backed out. I drilled and tapped a set screw on the inside of the hinge.
After watching this video l will have my brother do this to the front and side doors. Thank you for this helpful video!
Thank you, but you should also reinforce the door side across from the strike plate with a U shaped metal plate if possible. Otherwise the door becomes the weak point and can split.
Bonus feature, the visible reinforced plate is a deterrent to thieves.
@@titaniumspecial4207 They are better than the stock hardware and less expensive than your solution.
I installed the reinforcement lock, which I love, but I now need to install the security door strike plate. Thanks for this video, it really helped.
Thank You Sir for taking the time to do this very educational video, GREAT JOB!!!
Thank you so much! Mean a lot Rich! 🙏🏽😊
Very good ideas. I added a heavy duty security door and security screens to my windows. Not to mention ADT alarm and cameras.
EXCELLENT PRESENTATION==YOU ARE VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND A HUGE HELP TO THOSE WHO NEED TO BE SAFE IN THEIR HOMES.
THANK YOU.
I appreciate the to-the-point focus of your videos.
The one thing which always bothers me about reinforcing doors in homes with ground-floor windows...I can fairly quietly break into a fairly well-hidden window in a home enormously faster and more easily than bothering with a well secured door.
I'm not saying doors shouldn't be secured, just - it takes less than two quiet minutes to remove most thermo-glass inserts from a typical Jeld-Wen window. And that 's being careful to make next to no noise and to even not break the glass.
interesting. so then, how can windows be secured as much as front doors?
These days a burglar is not worried about being quiet when they are kicking in doors.
Even so these days the criminals don't even care if you catch them they are so emboldened.
Do you use a glass cutter? Or disassemble the frame somehow?
@@DM-lk5ym if the glass is an outside of frame mount in, where the adhesive is between the glass and inside of the house, you would only need to remove the trim around the glass (pops out easily) and run a razor blade behind the glass cutting the mounting tape (basically a double sided thin foam tape), then pull the glass towards you. In the reverse where the glass is towards the inside, you would run a razor blade around the edge of the glass to cut the mounting tape and push the glass inwards. I learned this when I installed a new glass panel in a window of my parents basement when a wall dart was thrown through it lol
You are the reason I have metal bars on window openings!
What a fantastic video. I'm not an overly handy guy, so I appreciate the step-by-step by step information that you included. Thank you!
Perhaps a more extensive measure, but more secure, is to also install a metal door frame that goes within the studs around the door. This way there is no give to the door frame. Even with some of these modifications, if someone tries hard enough they can deform the doorframe itself (not the door, but the frame around the door). You can then cover the metal door frame with wood trim so it stays hidden, but the frame itself around the door is metal and attached to the studs (structure of the wall) with heavy duty screws. Many modern homes have this but older homes may not, and again, this may be harder to do because it would be like installing a door again but if you own the home, it may be worth the exepsne and/or effort to have it done.
Three inch screws go into the framing. I use four inch on my house. Tests show that long screws will ensure the door will fail before the frame.
After a few hits at the door, it thru the windows they go. You just need to delay enough to prepare your defense. Then call the police.
@@danc2014 Deter, Detect, DELAY, Defend. You're absolutely correct.
3M sells a film that works to delay entry through a window.
Well done
Thank you! 🙏🏽😊
Very interesting n informative upload, especially reinforcing a door. Question: how did ur reinforced door plate match exactly with ur existing deadbolt n door knob locks' holes??? Is there a standard spacing between the two locks??? Please comment.
Would be interested in purchasing that type of plate. Kudos for vid. It was very helpful.
Looking forward to ur next one. Peace
most door come with both holes already, standard backset and spacing
Between watching your video and EVERYDAY HOME REPAIR video, I bought the same Defender Security latch plate and put on my small garage entrance door and install was very helpful after watching both videos. My only complaint on this latch plate is I noticed one of the supplied three inch screws was curved, or slightly bent, which made me wonder about the strength of the supplied screws. Luckily, I had three inch galvanized screws I had put on existing latch plates two years ago and I used four of the three inch galvanized screws on this new security latch plate, which I think will add more security. Otherwise, I give this Defender Security latch plate a thumbs up 👍 👌
You should have added that chain that you see clearly bolted to the door in the last scene. Those actually make it insanely hard to kick in a door as well. Or at least hard enough if they blast through your tank of a door, to give them a few more kicks while you grab your shotgun to address their poor decisions.
I wish more people realized how strong those chains are and the physics that make them work. I've put them to the test and they defeated me every time no matter how hard I kicked
@@realiouslytv1711 I understand that chains are kick resistant because of the fact that the door needs to be open to break it but I still thought they were relatively bad compared to a door guard and also the fact that the chain can be cut by pliers is bad also.
@@vicgamesvt9682 chain cutting must be thought about when installing. You can install it so that bolt cutters can't get to it. The slack of the chain absorbs all of your Kik power. It's incredible I've tested it myself and was quite embarrassed. Fortunately whoever installed the one I tried to kick through did not think of bolt cutters and I had just enough Gap to get in there and cut the chain. Also installing it with two and a half inch screws so that it's screwed to the wall stud makes it impenetrable
Or 5.56
Those chains aren't foolproof. If you kick the door and split the frame you can either cut it or kick the door again while it's open with no slack on the chain.
There's also an extremely simple way of opening those chains with just a single rubber band. Most videos on it show the person reaching inside to put it on the handle but there are ways around it even if you can't get your arm inside
I added a security screen which really helps us feel much safe in addition to this. Thanks
Watched many videos of people standing with back to the door and kicking at the bottom of the door to force it open. SO to me that extra lock would be better closer to the bottom. Great video and thanks for the links to the products
Thank you for sharing! It was pleasure to make this video to help! Have a great day! 🙏🏽😊👍🏽
I've never seen a lock or deadbolt at bottom of a door, didn't realize it could be kicked in that way. What a pain to unlock it from the outside though even if it's a good idea.
@@DM-lk5ym He's talking about Defender Security Reinforcement Lock that's in this video that doesn't use a key.
Kids can open in case of fire also.
2x4 across with a couple metal holders works awesome
Great improvements. I would also add a swing out security storm door.
That cam lock should be placed much higher on the door. The idea is to have it higher than someone can reasonably kick. If the cam is at boot level, then 100% of the force will be applied to the screws holding it in. When you place it 12 to 18 inches above boot height, the door flexes and absorbs most of the energy of the kick.
I SEE that...yeah,,,good idea...thanks
Should it be all the way at the top?
Ideally, yes.
So if you were trying to loosen a bolt with a cheater bar, you would rather get closer to the bolt to apply "100%" of the force? The further you grab down the handle of the cheater bar, the more force you can apply because you are moving a greater distance at the end. The cam lock and screws are the strongest point and act as the fulcrum in this instance and the door as a lever. The further along the door you apply force from the lock, the more mechanical advantage you have. I'd put my money on somebody trying to kick directly against the lock with 100% of their force over somebody kicking away from it and getting mechanical advantage. The door "flexing" is just a greater "input distance" applying more force at the cam lock. It's like if you ever did demolition on a house and tried to tear out a 2x4 stud from a wall. You wouldn't grab it close to where it's nailed, you'd grab it from the end and pull it like a lever.
Excellent presentation!
Multiple layers of security. I will be adding security doors to all my exterior doors. So if anyone wants to break in they have to kick open through two doors! and since the exterior security door opens outwardly that is going to be twice as hard to do as they will have to pull not kick.
Smart man! 👊🏽😎
Or just remove your hinge pins if you forget to use security hinge pins.
@@JGoodwin I didn't know that was possible all the metal mesh security doors I've ever seen or that my family has in their various houses have the hinge seams welded shut and you have to attach the whole assembly through the door frame which is inaccessible when the door is closed. But yea thats a fair point.
Couldn't they just pry the outswing door open with a crowbar?
@@DM-lk5ym Sure. Might need a 3ft pry bar minimum. A standard crowbar wouldn't cut the mustard.
Thanks! I just had these installed today. Great video.
A nice, welcoming front door design:
Door is 4 to 6" thick, with a steel bar core offset to the interior side. The exterior sheath is supported spaced out from the core with a wooden "crumple zone" and 3 to 5" long, super sharp needles face outward from the steel core. The outer door sheath has weaken exit "holes" for the needles.
A bad actor bashing the door in with their shoulder or unarmored foot will have their violent entry quickly punctured.
No Hollywood for me then? 😆
No Democrat actors for me!
Booby traps like that are illegal in all 50 States in the US. Reason being they could harm a firefighter, police officer, or other first responder who has a legitimate reasons for forcing entry. DEFEATING forced entry is fine, but actively trying to HARM indiscriminately all persons attempting to force entry is illegal.
@@ajm5007 I remember a 4 AM jogger busting into my un-consus friends [smoke alarm free] home, filled with smoke & rescuing him his wife & guest!
This man prisons.
Very ! Good all around video. Salute !;!
This is good advice on reinforcing the jam itself, but there are a few other things. A door wrap around like Don-Jo. For inswing doors, you can get an interlocking astragle to prevent tools being jammed in to pry the door(or overlapping for outswing). Security hinges(or security pins that replace a couple screws)
The dojo door wrap is not meant for a steel door, it will not wrap properly and they are not attractive. Better quality deadbolts are a much better idea.
@@cyberwolf6667 I wasn't going for the aesthetics. A wrap can absolutely go on a steel door. The bends are curved so you can get a nice fit (on wood doors, you have to trim the corner of the wood). Problem with just putting a better deadbolt is that most north american entrance doors are steel "laminate". Steel skin on the outside, but a relativiley soft wood frame and edge. A good kick will split the door.
@@Rithanel
I have to agree and disagree
I will admit , certain big city areas you do whatever you can to make the door as strong as possible, but in rural areas most attacks are spontaneous and if the door doesn’t open quick, they leave.
I don’t like the fact that have to alter the door edge to allow the Donjo plate ( I’m old enough to remember Mag, the original)to sit flush, you can never undo that. How many kicks will it take to split a good wood door, Hollywood 1 kick opens aren’t real. (Unless you have a crap frame)
And yes, the wrap plate will definitely help protect the door, I just have the believe that you can go to far. Like I said , no point in wrapping a door with a Kwikset or Defiant deadbolt on the door
Thanks for your response
I’m a locksmith for 36 years , east coast, but I don’t work the big cities anymore, rural Ohio now
We have idiot for crooks
@cyberwolf6667 @cyberwolf6667 Will admit, got a couple decades on me. Operate out of Alberta. Just wish I had gotten out of my way to meet Mr. Lang sooner.
I think we have different varieties of idiots. Town, they usually give up pretty quick. Rural for us is the worst, because they know they have at least a half hour response time. Only difference is touching the house is extremely rare (don't want to deal people or dogs) but they'll do everything to clear out the shop/garage/sea cans.
Is it just me or the weiser element series just a rebranded gatehouse line? I had to rekey an electronic db, and it felt like the flimsiest thing I've ever held in my hands.
Kwikset owns the weiser name now so it’s probably an import. I’ve been noticing that the residential hardware getting worse and worse. I only use grade 2 or better because of that. It’s become a throw away and replace with new world for our industry. Manufacturers only seem to want it to last 5 years or so.
I use Mul-T-Lock, EMTEK, Arrow and LSDA (grade 2) primary, I do upgrade LSda with the Emtek’s bolt for my residential customers.
I can see how you have issues with peoples home being far apart from each other, our residential area are on top of one another, 25ft between neighbors and a lot of condos. So around here if the door doesn’t open first or second kick , they move on.
What’s your feeling about that secondary flip lock, I don’t recommend it here, people forget it’s locked and leave out the attached garage, loose power, they can’t open the doors with the key.
I have a different deadbolt but i installed the same strike plate and the same defender security lock. Well done
A person could always add a drop bar that crosses the whole door made from a 2x4 and uses 1/8 inch metal brackets screwed into the house framing with lag bolts.
Exactly what I did on my basement door and it works great. ;-)
I bought a few of these to try to add extra security to some of my doors, mainly a basement door and a side door which is rather out of site and likely more vulnerable to break ins. The issue I'm having is that both those doors are half light doors. Without having to purchase new solid doors, I'm not sure how to best secure the glass portion. In all, I have 3 half light doors and one full light doors. I understand why they were originally installed and they are nice metal doors, it just seems like they would be easy to get into by breaking the glass. I can't afford all new doors at the moment.
@@terriann3031 I purchased security grills that go over the inside of the glass windows and secure into the door with screws. You can order different sizes that will do the job for you. Ebay has them as does Home Depot and Lowes (but you'll probably have to order them, as I don't think they have them in stock in the stores). Type in "security window grills" and you'll see lots of different kinds. ;-)
pERSONALLY, i DUG A MOAT AROUND MY HOUSE. aND, I keep it chock fULL of Hungry alligators
That's only good while you're inside.
Thanks for the demo and security tip. Have a great day
Sadly, with most new constuction, cutting the vinyl siding, fiber board and drywall next to the door is easier.
Takes longer and is just as noisy, most thieves aren't prepared with a recip saw. Try to get in and out through 16" on center studs while a homeowner is pointing a shotgun at you.
Try living in mobile home aka trailer house. Flimsy. And those sliding glass doors. What a girl to do?
I just bought a few of the reinforcement locks for my house and my neighbors and they work great.
Do at least 1 3inch screw on each hinge, too.
Thank you for the tip! 🙏🏽😊
i was looking at the same dead bolt but never occurred to me about the metal plate. placing an order on amazon now. Thank you so much. added security. new subscriber!
Personally, I would have moved the Reinforcement Lock up about 6 to 9 inches. Moving it up does two things for you. First, it futureproofs the deadbolt lock; who knows when you might end up with a new "smart lock" that takes up a bit more room. Second, and more importantly, it spreads out the force that's being applied to the entire area on the supporting side.
There is a downside to those reinforcement locks however; if you have someone that is weaker in the hands, smaller hands, or "less coordinated", they might have trouble opening the lock . That said, it's also comforting to someone inside because the lock cannot be opened from the outside, unless the door has a window in it that is used to bypass it, or there's a window off to the side of the door. The wife is one of those people that have difficulty opening this type of lock; she uses a screwdriver.
Like the strike plate. Can't use 3 inch screws due to how this house was originally framed and built.
Same here. I have those stupid, little windows on the side of the door.
Good tips! This was an excellent video. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Bill for the feedback! Means a lot! 🙏🏽😊
Lmao get your self a 2x4 the width of the door 5 inches past each side so take for example a 32 inch door you would need 42 inch board screw board into frame one each side. If you want to further increase door strength replace door jame and door itself with a steel core door. Replace 2x4 with a metal bar. N absolutely nothing will get through door. Securing your door latch which is only a 1x3 wood and on it's latch part it's only a inch thick. Zero strength. I'm in construction for over 20 years I've replaced hundreds of kicked in doors.
Wow, good job needed this for our garage door in 2020 and 2021 thieves broke into our garage took everything they could carry. Glad I came across your channel. Now, I know what we (hubby and me) need to do make our garage door harder get in. Thanks for sharing and you be safe too. 👍👍👍
Very inexpensive is to close the door completely and look at the track the door rides in, locate where you can drill a hole big enough for a caribener to fit for both door rails. Of course they need to be removed to operate the door. Protect the emergency release rope so it can not be used from outside, and if possible interrupt the circuit wiring to the door opener and place a light switch where you interrupted the wiring circuit. Garage door openers can be scanned and operated remotely to get in. The door openers operate by radio frequency thus can be scanned and controlled. Being a retired law enforcement officer I was told how the bad guys get in.
I'd say that the big problem you have in North America is your entrance door swinging inwards; I will never understand why you've chosen to mount them like that. Where I live (Scandinavia) almost every entrance door swings outwards - very important in case of a fire. Anyone who'd try to kick in those doors would end up with a broken leg. There are many pros (and maybe a few cons) with this solution. Just saying.
It's weird, how often a locked screen door has stopped theft. And years ago, Bob, had the ultimate theft deterrent technique. He'd leave the front door open, but the screen door shut, and a radio or tv playing. It confused thieves. They do not know if someone is home or not.
I like the "Smith Wesson" deterrent .
Salamat Po!!!!! Awesome!!!! I did my door jambs with lead strips!!!! They will eat their knee before kicking my door in!!!!
There are still two weak points on your door:
Firstly the timber frame is very thin and liable to split as you bolts are focused around the centre. Consider having a dead bolt on top and then running a steel strip from top to bottom on the left frame.
Secondly, the door hinges are a weak spot, but this is easily fixed by having two or three bolts drilled into the edge of the door and sticking out so that they lock into a corresponding hole in the right-hand door frame. Lastly put another steel strip from top to bottom on the right-hand frame to stop it splitting.
If you are in an area that requires such heavy upgrades to the frame, you need a better deadbolt first. The strike plate he is showing is not a bad strike, however some did comment correctly and said not to use the screws that come with it, 3”torx deck screws work great for this. Many people forget they don’t know what the door is made of
Simply use 1-5/8 screw into the door side and one or two 3”screws into the frame side , make sure to use the holes closest to the outside of the frame not the interior side.
@@cyberwolf6667 my advice is independent of area - if anyone’s personal circumstance requires them to secure their door (be it in Beverley Hills or the Bronx) then half measures simply undermine the project.
I loved your video! As a woman doing things myself, you are an extremely huge help! The drill bit that is extra heavy duty with the no skip tip you have to put in the length you want. Your description doesn’t tell me. Also will they fit any brand drill? Thank you so much!
My husband always has told me that if someone wants in bad enough, they will get in no matter what you do.🤷♀️
Better words to live by would be, anyone will be able to break in, why not make them work for it. Lol
You get metal and fold it around the holes for the dead bolt
I would add Also get a metal screen door 🚪 that has a strong lock 🔒
Thank you so much for the video I appreciate your time and effort a lot.❤❤❤🐾🐾🐾🐾❤❤❤My HERO.
Havenshield door barricade was my choice for my front door security, although his set up seems pretty legit as well. Great job
Nice stuff! As long as the distance between the locks lines up with the dual strike plate, I like to run a steel plate vertically along the door jam overlapping 2" or 3" and screwed into the framing studs then cover with wood trim, can do with ANY lock setup - pre drill the plate of course
Thank You for this video, when I go buy me a door
I'll remind the person putting it up to do this & I'm
getting a METAL DOOR so that will be a big help.
Thank you for doing this and explaining it so easily.
Using a lrager door striker plate for the deadbolt, and regularknob really helps because when any force is applied to the door, it gets concentrated at the deadbolt, and knob latch. The bigger plate helps spread that energy out and away from the deadbolt locking mechanism. If you could run on the entire length of your door, and afford it, that is best way to go. Not cheap but they really do work. If you notice, most deadbolts only go in about an inch as well. having multiple deadbolts, say 3 of them can really help secure a door (top, middle, bottom). The reinforcement locks work great, but you can only employ them when home.
THANK YOU. FOR. SHARING. VIDEO. IT. HELP. US. ALOT.
great video... not sure if you've ever showed the screws that are used on sliding glass door locks (the part that's in the frame and the door locks into)... they are so short... My neighbor's installer used the screws that came with it. A burglar grabbed the exterior handle and just yanked the door open pulling the tiny screws out in one motion. When we had our sliders installed, I made sure they were using 3" screws.. fortunately that was the installers normal practice.