Secuirty: Doors & Locks

[RJ]

What are best doors and locks, including deadbolts? What is second best?

[Mark Bower]

Opinions will vary on the best brands. Some of the real high quality ones will cost more than your door!

Really what you should look at is the finish and rating. I like a lifetime finish with a high security rating. Good locks will have the security rating printed right on the package.

But the best locks in the world won't stop intruders who may be able to spread your frame and open the door that way. To spread the door frame, they put a jack in the doorway and crank on the handle widening the frame until the latch of the lock no longer latches. This is prevented by cross-pieces inside the walls on both sides of the door.

Otherwise your biggest deterent is a deadbolt. Without a deadbolt, anyone with a screwdriver and credit card can be inside your home in 2 minutes. I know because lenders would hire me to winterize their repos -- and I had no keys. If the door was locked and they didn't have a deadbolt, I'd remove the stop with a screwdriver, slip in a credit card and I was inside the home. If the homeowner had added a deadbolt, entry through the door was about impossible so I looked for an open window.

Mark
You gotta see my repair manual!

[RJ]

You said, "This is prevented by cross-pieces inside the walls on both sides of the door."

How are cross-pieces installed on doors? Do walls have to be torn apart to install cross-pieces? What is material of cross pieces?

What grade should lock and deadbolt be?

[Mark Bower]

Those cross pieces I'm referring to is actually part of the wall framing. In a standard wall you have studs that run up and down. These are pieces that go horozontially from stud to stud so the studs can't bend. You'd put 2-3 between each stud for the first few studs. Of course a good solid wallboard or exterior sheathing may give the same effect.

Without standing in the lock section of the hardware store, I can't remember if a higher number means a higher security rating, or if its the opposite. Once you look at a few locks you'll figure it out. I think security ratings are ranked 1-5 or something like that. If you can't find a rating, that's probably not a good sign as all the good locks want you to know their rating.

Mark
You gotta see my repair manual!

[Galen]

If the door is not properly shimmed, the cross bracing between the studs usually won't help much. All there has to be is 1/4" of flex in the door jamb itself and the thief is in. Deadbolts will help this, as they extend into the jab farther, but with a jack they can still gain intry. Best defense is a properly installed door, quality deadbolts and a neighborhood watch.