I know that is not the only way in for the burglars but statistically it is the first way the robber forces himself in, so the more a resistant is your front door to an attack, the more time, noise and risk for the thief.
There are many options to choose from as there are a wide range of doors designed to make the home a safer place. Not in vain, a good reinforced door is synonymous of protection.
Types of Spanish doors.
In the market there are different types of security doors, and although it is shown that none is impassable, a good security door, could discourages our uninvited friends, because the noise that it is require to break them open, may wake up people in the house or any surrounding neighbours.
Let us take a look at the different types available in Spain:
Security doors. They are the most economical, and obviously the less secure. They are not subject to any regulations, and therefore, there is no guarantee to its strength nor its composition. They can be made of PVC, metal or reinforced wood with gas and may have fire resistant profiles, but are not always made of steel so they can be forced with levers. They normally have security cylinder which prevents its opening using a normal lock picks.
Armoured doors. They are solid doors; they use solid timber, which can incorporate one or two sheets of steel as reinforcement. The frames are also made of wood, reinforced by a steel plate in the area where the locks are placed. With regard to the lock, usually have a cylinder lock picks proof, but its strength and quality depends on the model chosen and the size of the door. Keys are formed by drilling holes on the keys sides at different depths, they are made to measure for each specific door.
Usually, after a key is turned it displaces a steel bars which simultaneously locks the door on its four sides. However, the wood on the inside of the door allows any experienced burglar to use a lever between the gaps of the steel plate and the timber part.
Armoured doors. Its main quality is its high resistance to all types of violent attacks, and its major disadvantage surprise, surprise is that they are the most expensive in the market. They are formed by tubes of steel and concrete, as well as various metal alloys, and the so-called stiffeners, elements that are inserted into the surface of the door to maintain the strength of steel sheets. They have several points of closure that will fit in the frame which could be wood-coated.
The hinges are also reinforced, and are resistant to the action of levers. With regard to the lock, its success lies in that once the door is closed; the lock is activated in the front, lower, upper and lateral part of the same. This type of doors also allows the installation of a combination lock which can be mechanical, digital, delayed or electronics, among other possibilities. The keys are made by computed machinery, i.e. manufactured with high technology and tailor-made for each door in particular, what makes turn it almost impossible to make unauthorized copies.
What can we do if we have a normal door?
To reinforce an existing normal entrance door we can fix in steel sheets having between one and two millimetres on its inner part. Once the plate is placed, can be coated with a wooden boarding to conceal its presence and improve the aesthetics of the door. In addition to placing the iron sheeting, we could change the existing hinges by a hinges fitted with anti-lever pivots, to hinder a possible attempt of tampering them.
A fragile area of doors being armoured or not, are the frames. A steel sheet placed in the frames is a method that tends to deter thieves trying to force the door.
Another important point to have a more secure door is the lock. In this case, a good choice are the three anchor points locks, which are fixed in the vertical frame as any conventional lock, but that also have a vertical steel bar that is anchored in a hole in the threshold and in a box located in the top frame. In this way we can obtain a greater resistance to intrusion attempts. You can find in some market a do-it yourself kits prepared to be easily installed by yourself.
A good bolt inside can be another effective system to provide extra security from inside.
Write a comment