Did you know about 70% of intruders enter homes through a door? That makes your front door, and any other exterior doors, the initial focus for home security.

Properly securing these doors can deter an intruder, foil a burglary attempt or at least slow down a break-in long enough for neighbors or law enforcement to respond. Here are a few ways to increase the security of your doors.

Solid doors

Popular simple solution for exterior doors

Interior doors may be lightweight, but your front door needs to be made of a solid material.

This could be solid wood, or metal, but it needs to be reinforced properly in order to stand up to brute force attacks. Intruders will kick, charge and even take sledgehammers to doors to get them open. If your door looks the part, many would-be burglars will skip your house. If it's also able to withstand a few sturdy kicks, it may convince the most daring burglar to move on. 

Windowless

Attacks may mostly occur through the door, but a window in or around your door is an attractive weak point. The window could allow an intruder to smash through it and reach through to unlock the door.

A window located in the door means that a great deal of mass was removed from the door, which makes it weaker and less likely to withstand kicks or hammering. Installing a secondary lock near the top or bottom of the door, out of arm's reach, will solve the first problem. When buying a new door, resist the urge to install one with a window in order to maximize security. 

Deadbolts

Sturdy upgrade to exterior doors

Even solid, reinforced doors are only as strong as the locks installed with them. While the door may withstand a kick, if the lock doesn't extend into the frame far enough, the lock will give way and allow an intruder to enter.

There are plenty of options when it comes to deadbolts that range from the $5 hardware store model to more than $100 for the top of the line model. The right deadbolt for your home likely falls in between those two options. Going for the cheapest option likely won't be enough to withstand a serious attack, however, so be sure the deadbolt you install offers a lock that extends at least an inch into the door frame.

Frame and jamb tweaks to exterior doors

The ‘foundation’ of each exterior entrance

Finally, another element to door security is how sturdy the door frame and door jamb are. When weak, the frame and jamb can allow the sturdiest door and most secure lock to fail.

To reinforce the door jamb, consider adding galvanized steel to help it withstand forceful entry attempts. For the frame, replace the flimsy strike plate with a deeper box strike that attaches to the wall studs, rather than just the jamb.

At Holder's Security in Tulsa, we offer a variety of tools to upgrade the doors at your home. Ask us about locks, deadbolts, and more.