Is your front door at risk of being kicked in by a thief? It might seem counter-intuitive but thieves do often enter a home through the front door even though it tends to be the most visible entry point of a home.
Securing your front door significantly reduces the chance of burglary. 34% of burglars attempt to enter a home through the front door simply by turning the door knob to see if it’s unlocked. 95% of home invasions involve forceful entry by kicking in a door or otherwise breaking into the house.
Can a door be kicked in?
A weak door can be kicked in due to several reasons. Even a door that appears to be solid can be broken into and accessed in a number of ways due to the other parts that encompass the doorway that may lack in strength. The weakest parts of a door are typically as follows:
Strike plate: If you open your front door and look at the door jamb, you’ll see a small metal plate that surrounds the door locking bolt. This is the strike plate and its job is to keep the door securely in place. It helps to strengthen the door and door frame (typically made from wood) from being kicked in or otherwise forced open.
Lock: If you have an older home it’s possible that your lock may be the same one that the home was built with unless you know for sure it was changed ie. by you. Other people who used to live there might have a copy of the key. Older locks aren’t as burglar-proof as newer ones. The locking mechanism wears out over time and may allow similar keys to open them. Many thieves specifically target the lock to try and break it or pick it so replacing it with a quality new one makes sense.
Door hinge and frame: The hinge is the metal bracket that the door and frame are attached with. The frame is the (wooden usually) area around the door opening that the door is installed in. The frame is where the strike plate is affixed and the door lock and latch is used. The hinge can be exploited to break into which is why the hinges are normally on the inside of the home rather than the outside ie. the door opens inwards and not outwards. The frame can be weak and used to kick a door in even if the door itself is solid.
Door material: What is your door made from? Typically doors leading in and out of a house are made from solid wood, fiberglass or steel. Some have glass (windows) built in which may lower security on the one hand but also allows in light and may enable you to see who is at the door.
Door materials pros and cons
The material that your door is made from is part of not only the aesthetic design of your door but also the security aspect. Plus some doors are easier to maintain and repair as we’ll see below. Here are the three main materials used for entrance doors to the home.
Wood door
Pros: Wooden doors are easy to find and many styles are available. They are also easy to paint so you can change the color as desired. They won’t dent like a metal door will and can be repaired easier if they do get damaged. You can easily find wood doors with glass windows built in with various designs.
Cons: A wooden door can rot and experience fungi if it gets wet and may need to be repaired. The door may also need to be replaced as a result of severe rotting as it can cause drafts and weaken the integrity of the door. Wood doors do tend to be expensive too. They also tend not to be as energy efficient as other materials.
Summary: A solid wood door is a good choice for security purposes when the lock and frame are also high quality.
Fiberglass door
Pros: They tend to be more resistant to damage than steel doors and repairs are easier to make. Fiberglass doors can be stained and painted similar to wood. They tend to be reasonably priced when compared to wood. They won’t rot or warp like wood doors can. Fiberglass offers a similar look to wood without the necessary maintenance (painting).
Cons: Tends to be more expensive than both wood and steel doors. They can crack in cold weather if they are of poor quality.
Summary: Fiberglass doors are also a good choice for a door when considering security as long as the lock and frame are also high quality.
Steel door
Pros: Steel doors are heavy and solid and tend to offer the best option for security of the three materials due to its strong design. They come in various styles and you can also choose a style with glass to let in the light. They tend to be less expensive than wooden doors. Good brands are energy efficient. May come with an adjustable feature to slightly lower or raise the door on the frame if shifting occurs.
Cons: Metal door dents and other damage is harder and more expensive to fix than a wooden door. Steel doors are harder to paint too and you may need to have it professionally done if you’re not so inclined. They don’t offer the high grade wood look and intricate design that wooden doors can.
Summary: A good quality steel door tends to be a very good choice when considering security. They tend to be thicker and more solid than fiberglass and many wood styles, too.
How do burglars break into a home?
Force can be used to break into a home whether kicking in a front door, breaking a window or breaking in through a sliding door or other door that might not be as secure as the front door.
Sometimes thieves don’t even need to break in. They just enter the home because a door is left unlocked. Statistics from ADT
show that the following methods of home entry are often when the homeowner leaves a door open or otherwise leave an entry point less secured than others:
Front door: 34% of burglars enter through an unlocked front door. Maybe kids leave the front door open. Maybe you just forgot to lock it on the way into the home.
Back door: 22% of burglars enter through the back door which is often left open or is less secured than a front door. Back doors typically don’t have the same visibility as front doors and are more private, giving a thief easier access with a lower risk of getting caught.
Garage: 9% of thieves enter through the garage. Do you often leave the garage door into your home unlocked during the day as you or your kids go in and out multiple times?
Other unlocked areas: Some people have unsecured sheds. Some leave their front garage door open during the day for family members to go in and out as required. It’s another easy method for thieves to take advantage of.
So when thieves physically break in a home through the door, it’s may be due to a number of potential factors shown above including the material design of the door as well as related parts like the lock, hinges and door frame design. Make sure all of these aspects of your door are solid and that none of them can be exploited.
Can you kick in a door with a deadbolt?
While a door could still be kicked in that has a deadbolt, it makes it more difficult and less likely to happen if you take care of the other aspects of door security. A deadbolt is great addition to a door as it helps to strengthen the ability of the door to withstand a forced entry. It also adds a second lock to the door to make it less likely that a thief will be able to pick the lock(s) and enter the home that way.
If you secure your front door with a deadbolt, you then need to ensure that the above-mentioned other potential weak points are taken care of. Be sure that your door frame and strike plate are not weak points that can be taken advantage of.
Securing weak points on a door
If we look back at the main areas of potential door weaknesses above, how can you improve each area of your entryways and ensure none are exploitable?
Secure strike plate improvements: Unscrew one of the screws holding your strike plate in place to see how long it is. A 2.5″ or 3″ screw offers a stronger level of protection than a shorter screw so replace all screws if necessary with longer 2.5″ or 3″ screws. Also consider a double strike plate which has two strike plates instead of one. One hole in the double strike plate would be used by your deadbolt and one by the door latch.
Lock repairs and improvements: Replace an old locking mechanism with a newer, better quality and more modern one especially if you may have the same lock from when the home was new ie. other people may have a copy of the key, the lock is outdated and loose, etc. Add a quality deadbolt for an extra level of security. Also consider adding a mortice lock (also spelled mortise) which is a deadbolt that is built right into the door.
You may also add a flip lock which can be used to prevent children from escaping out the door without you knowing about it and also helps to reinforce a door from being kicked in.
Door hinge and frame improvements: Other than increasing the length of the screws that hold the strike plate in place, you can also ensure that the hinges of your door are on the inside of the home, which they should be. All doors leading into your home should open inwards in this regard. You’ll see that your door hinge has three screw holes including an offset one at the back end.
A 2.5″ or 3″ screw will reach the stud to properly reinforce the door from being kicked in with this screw hole since it’s at the center of the door frame.
Other: Also, consider adding a peep hole or front door camera to view (and record in the case of a camera) who is at your front door before you answer it. This isn’t securing the door per se but will increase your overall level of comfort when answering the door.
How do you fix a door that has been kicked in?
If you have experienced a door being kicked in, you have at least one and likely more weaknesses that were exploited. Depending on the age and style of the door and frame, you might want to take this as an opportunity to:
- Replace the door entirely with a new, modern one.
- Strengthen or replace the door frame material especially if it was badly damaged which in all likelihood it was.
- Improve the locking mechanism and add a second lock such as a deadbolt.
Your best bet? Unless you’re very handy and motivated, have a trusted and professional door company look at your door frame and get them to make a recommendation as to what you do rather than watching a DIY YouTube video to repair it yourself and hoping it turns out well the next time someone tries to break in.
How do you secure a back door?
Back and side doors on a home are often neglected by homeowners for security purposes but are deliberately targeted by thieves. Side and back doors – including sliding patio doors – may also be somewhat hidden and obscured by trees and bushes and are often in dark or dimly lit areas.
Add a deadbolt to strengthen the locking mechanism. Consider adding a deadbolt that locks on both the outside and inside of the house so that a thief can’t break the window, reach in and unlock the deadbolt switch.
Put shades or blinds up and close them at night and when you are away so peering eyes can’t peek into your home.
If you have a sliding patio door, use a Charley Bar that may come installed with the door to lock it in place. You can also put a metal rod or block of wood onto the siding door track to prevent it from being forced open.
How do you secure a garage door?
Your garage might have as many as three entry points rather than one.
Garage door: This is the actual garage door itself which opens to let your car in. Some garage doors come with a lock bar on either side which are metal flaps that lock the garage door in place when activated.
Electric garage door openers help to add both convenience and security in that the chain and hydraulic motor keep the garage door stationary and locked in place when closed.
Garage door into the house: The garage door into the house is often neglected in terms of its level of security. Plus if you have kids running in and out of the house and you do this as well, it may be left unlocked at times which could invite a thief especially if the main garage door or back door is open at times or accidentally left unlocked.
Adding a deadbolt and ensuring it’s locked when not in use is your best bet and it won’t cost much.
Side garage door: Some homes have a back garage door leading into the backyard or possibly one on the side of the garage. Again, ensuring this door is well-locked with a deadbolt and/or latch is an easy way to protect yourself.
Be careful with leaving this door open even during the day especially if the door is on the side of the house and can be seen from the sidewalk and quickly accessed by a person walking by.