Given homeowner worry over the threat of a break-in it’s no surprise that locksmiths everywhere have been busy scrambling around, installing new gadgets in your home designed to protect your valuables. We have been surprised however that the requests of homeowners are not as robust as expected. This comes in big regarding door reinforcement.
Perhaps the information not been properly spread to homeowners (there needs to be more formal education for their protection, that’s partly why we have this blog). But it’s important that people are aware that a deadbolt on your door, even a very strong one, is not sufficient to keep out someone actively trying to break in. At a recent convention most locksmiths agreed that doors, even with a deadbolt, cannot withstand more than two or three strong kicks from outside. Despite this, most customers ask straight away about deadbolt installation, but they neglect to ask about what they really would need, which is doorframe reinforcement.
One of the key points of focus for a burglar will be your main entryway, especially if it’s in an area that is not altogether visible from the street. Robbers tend to like to find points of entry that they can exploit with the least possible visibility. If you’re in a densely populated urban area this may make your front door safer, if you’re out in the country however, at night, this is a different story altogether. In this context a deadbolt is just going to delay a burglar for a couple of extra seconds, whereas doorframe reinforcement could prevent him getting in altogether.
A door is only as strong as its weakest point. When force is applied, it doesn’t actually matter whether the deadbolt holds or not if some other part of the door begins to give way immediately. Typically the only thing holding the door firm to the wall is a couple of rusty old nails and some rotted wood. It makes virtually no sense next to the shiny thick new deadbolt you may have just purchased. Doorframe reinforcement however solves that problem, and focuses specially on the weak part of the door, which is where it most needs improvement.
Most people when they hear this picture a fortress-like modification. It’s really not that complicated or overboard and the installation is fairly painless. The surprising part about this is that less than 10% of homeowners have had doorframe reinforcements installed. Depending on your area and your own level of worry, it could be much cheaper to spend the money proactively on these defensive measures than to lose all sorts of property in a robbery. This is especially the case if you’re in an area where you think someone might be able to break in when you’re away without being noticed. This isn’t to stem paranoid, but just to perform a public service of keeping people in formed, and prepared for whatever might come their way. There are many great locksmiths in the area.
