How to Improve Front Door Security

As a homeowner, security is a top priority in order to protect your family and precious belongings from intruders. While every front door has a typical locking system, it’s important to consider other ways of improving your front door security. This ensures that every detail of your front door is upgraded for enhanced home protection. Check out the 12 tips below to learn how you can improve your front door security:

Top 12 Front Door Security Tips

High-Quality Front Door
Door Locks
Door Handles
Strike Plates
Reinforcement Lock
Hinge Maintenance
Tempered Windows
Textured Windows
Keep the Area Well-lit
Cameras
Lock it Every Time
Rekey as Needed

By considering each of these 12 home security tips, you can significantly improve your front door security. These tips will require a bit of observation—you must be willing to assess the age, structure, and quality of your door in order to correctly apply these tips, as some front door security upgrades are major, while others are minor.

But before we can dive into details of each tip, let’s talk about why front door security is so important in the first place.

Why is Front Door Security So Important?

While the answer to why front door security is important may seem obvious, it’s one of those things that many people surprisingly overlook. Burglaries and home break-ins are oftentimes one of those things that most people think will “never happen to them,” especially those who live in “good neighborhoods.”

Unfortunately, burglaries are more common than you think. According to the FBI, more than 1 million burglaries are committed each year in the United States, with a break-in occurring every 26 seconds. Surprisingly, 34% of burglars use the front door as their access point into the home. Those statistics are eye-opening, and they point to the importance of front door security, in addition to securing back doors and garage doors.

The statistics show that 95% of burglaries involve forced entry into the home. This means the burglar damages your property, such as a window or door, to force their way into your home. This statistic shows that there must have been a weak point on the home’s first level (81% of robberies begin on the first floor), which is most likely the front door.

Given this information, it’s imperative to evaluate the structural integrity of your front door and invest in the needed door accessories. This may be something as small as upgrading to heavy-duty hinges and locks, or it may be necessary to upgrade to a new front door and frame. Besides the structural integrity of your front door, you can improve security with cameras and home security systems, which we’ll cover in more depth below.

Protecting your home from robbery with enhanced front door protection will not only keep your home and family safe, but it will also save you from costly damages and loss of possessions. Statistics show that burglary victims lose an average of $2,416. So, if the cost of front door security is holding you back, consider the costs of what a robbery entails, and you’ll probably be more willing to give your front door the upgrades it needs.

Now that we know the statistics around the risk of break-ins, let’s dive into the practical ways you can improve your front door security.

1. High-Quality Front Door

If you feel your front door security needs some improvements, the first thing to evaluate is your front door as a whole. If your front door or door frame is damaged, warping, or visibly aging, there’s only so much new handles, locks, or hinges can do. If the overall structure is weak, it makes it susceptible to forced entries, as it has lower impact resistance.

Furthermore, older homes usually have degrading wood or hollow-core doors if it hasn’t been upgraded in a while. If these doors have glass, the glass is typically single-paned annealed glass, which is significantly weaker than the standard door glass used today. These details make an overall weak door easy to break down or unlock.

If your front door has any of these characteristics, it may be time to upgrade to a high security front door. The best front doors for security include solid wood doors, solid steel doors, and wood doors with a steel core. These security doors are incredibly strong, impact-resistant, and long-lasting, making them an ideal choice for an entry door.

Upgrading to a high security door doesn’t mean sacrificing aesthetics or style. Rustica has a variety of solid wood and solid metal doors that are both strong and aesthetically pleasing. And let’s not forget that you can custom design each door so that it matches your style while still meeting your security needs.

2. Door Locks

If your front door is still in good shape, upgrading security may be as simple as adding new locks to your front door. Most front doors have a knob lock or lever handle lock—which is the lock in the door handle.

Door knob and lever handle locks alone aren’t enough to keep a potential intruder out, because if the door knob or handle is broken off, the lock won’t work. These locks are also easier to pick than other lock types. Combining a knob lock with a deadbolt lock is a common door lock combination that can be effective at keeping intruders out.

Deadbolt locks are much harder to pick, and are the best way to prevent a forced entry. There are a few different types of deadbolt locks, such as the vertical deadbolt lock, single-sided deadbolt lock, and keyless lock, which are more break-in resistant than other types.

When purchasing new door locks to upgrade your front door security, it’s important to know about the door lock grading system. Door locks are graded by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) according to their level of security, which takes into account the lock's strength, quality, durability, and mechanics.

Locks are graded as 1, 2, or 3, with grade 1 locks being the highest quality security locks on the market. Grade 1 locks are usually used for commercial doors, but can also be used for residential homes. If you’re upgrading your door locks, it’s best to choose a high-quality, grade 1 or 2 lock in combination with another grade 2 or 3 lock.

You may also want to consider smart door locks for your front door, which are keyless deadbolt locks. These smart locks are connected to your phone and can only be locked or unlocked via with the phone. They also alert you when your door is opened, which is very useful for security.

Lastly, you can install a door guard or chain for enhanced security when you’re at home. Door chain locks prevent the door from being fully opened. Given that 27.6% of burglaries happen when someone is home, this extra layer of protection can be well worth it when it comes to protecting your family.

3. Door Handles

Along with new door locks, installing new door handles is a simple security upgrade that can improve your home’s protection from potential intruders. Old or damaged door handles are easy to break with the right force, making them a weak point in the front door.

By giving your front door new and stronger door handles, you’re making your entryway that much more safe and secure.

Upgrading your door handles typically coincides with new door locks, as the deadbolt lock usually matches the door handle in appearance. So, if you wish to upgrade your door handles, you’ll probably need to upgrade the lock while you’re at it.

4. Strike Plates

Another simple security upgrade for your front door is installing a security strike plate.

A strike plate is a door hardware accessory that accompanies locks, and reinforces the security and strength of the lock. It is installed on the door jamb, and contains a hole that the spring-loaded latch or bolt enters when the door is locked.

Most doors have a standard strike plate for both the knob lock and deadbolt lock. However, these standard strike plates are thin pieces of metal with only two screw holes.

A security strike plate, on the other hand, is a solid piece of metal that has both the knob lock hole and deadbolt lock hole. It is thicker and stronger than standard strike plates. It also has multiple screw holes, allowing for numerous points of contact with the door jamb. This strengthens the strike plate’s secure connection to the frame when compared to standard strike plates.

One tip for installing a security strike plate is to use three-inch screws. This length of screw creates a solid strike plate, as the screws go into the jamb and the wall framing.

5. Reinforcement Lock

A reinforcement lock is one of the best added security measures to prevent forced entry. A reinforcement lock is a hardware accessory installed on the door jamb that sits on the inside of the door.

Essentially, it prevents in-swing doors from being forced open, even if the door locks are compromised.

Reinforcement locks are tamper and pick-resistant because they can’t be accessed from the outside. They are also incredibly impact-resistant, and can withstand up to 800 lbs of force.

With an upgraded grade 1 deadbolt lock, security strike plate, and reinforcement lock, you will have a high security front door with minimal cost and effort.

6. Hinge Maintenance

Given that 95% of burglaries involve a forceful entry into the home, it’s important to check the quality of your door hinges. If you have old, damaged, or rusted hinges, it’s much easier to break a door down with a few forceful kicks.

If you notice that your hinges are old and rusting, it’s well worth the time and effort to upgrade to newer, high-quality hinges. From there, you’ll want to check your hinges about once a year to make sure they’re still in good shape.

Rustica Builder

12 Ways to Improve Front Door Security

Top 12 Front Door Security Tips

Why is Front Door Security So Important?