Strengthen the front door yourself. There will be no robbery! Ways to strengthen a wooden front door Strengthening a wooden door with a metal sheet

No matter how high quality an exterior door is, over time its protective properties decrease. Especially if the owners of the apartment saved during installation, and manufacturers saved during the manufacture of the door leaf. Then the jambs loosen, the loops loosen. Therefore, it may soon be necessary to strengthen the entire structure or replace it. This article describes in detail how to strengthen the front door.

The front door performs certain functions, namely, it protects the home from the entry of unauthorized persons. If the hinges are loosened, the jamb is loosened, the functions are not fully performed, the level of security of the premises decreases, and the risk of criminals entering increases. Therefore, it may be necessary to replace the entire structure. But there is a less time-consuming and less costly way - strengthening the front door.

We offer you to watch a video about the need and features of strengthening the doorway:

How can you strengthen a wooden door leaf?

There are many options for strengthening the external door leaf.

Wooden structures can be reinforced with iron sheets with a thickness of at least three mm. Steel plates are attached to the end of the structure.
Another good way to strengthen a wooden structure is a metal mesh, which is fixed at the edges with metal strips.

How to strengthen with metal lining?

Attention

When strengthening the front door, it is imperative to strengthen the lock.

It is possible to strengthen the locking mechanisms with the help of carbon steel armor plates. There are two types of overlays:
- Overhead - consist of two parts, one is mounted on the door, the second - on the inner panel, connected with special fasteners.
- Mortise - cut into the outer side of the structure and into the mounting pocket, in which the locking mechanism is located.
Mortise armor plates are considered more reliable because they are more difficult to destroy or spoil.
Another way to strengthen the lock are rotary and sliding magnetic pads. In appearance, they look like a swivel casing that closes access to the keyhole for keys and other foreign objects.

If for some reason the first two options do not suit you, then the design can be strengthened with the help of coded armor plates. Almost all variants of coded armor plates on the modern market are manufactured by Cisa. They are installed only on the products of the same company. The pad hides the keyhole and is driven by a special key.

Advantages and disadvantages of reinforced door structures

Reinforced exterior doors are needed in every house or apartment. After all, only after installing a new steel structure or strengthening the old one, you can sleep peacefully. But increasing the level of burglar resistance is not the only advantage of such doors.

There are many more benefits:

strength;
thermal insulation;
tightness;
soundproofing;
aesthetics and original design.

Despite all the advantages, reinforced structures have certain disadvantages.

Firstly, when the canvas is strengthened, the weight increases, therefore, before strengthening the door, it is necessary to strengthen the box and hinges.
Secondly, after strengthening the door leaf, it is imperative to strengthen the locks.

Reinforcing front doors is becoming more popular every day. That's why manufacturers of door panels and fittings began to produce various elements for strengthening. It is possible to strengthen both wooden and metal canvases. Reinforced structures not only increase the safety of the premises, but also create comfort, preventing the penetration of cold air, extraneous sounds and even smells from the street into the premises.

In our hectic and unsafe age, care must be taken that the front door is a reliable guard for our home. Not only the door should be reliable, but also the door frame.

Quite often, in apartment buildings, door frames are fixed in such a way that it is not worth making a lot of effort, as you can pull the box together with the door from its place. So the first thing fixing the door frame so that it is rigidly connected to the wall. To do this, we drill holes in the vertical racks of the door frame and in the wall.

We drill the rack with an ordinary drill, and the wall with a victorious tip. The diameter of the hole on the box should be 1 cm, and in the wall the drill should go to a depth of 5-7 cm. Now we drive steel rods into the holes obtained, if the walls are wooden, then first we insert metal tubes into the holes, and then rods into them.

In most cases, the door has 2 hinges, for reinforcement we install 1-2 more. We fasten the hinges to the door frame with hardened screws (this will give additional reinforcement to the hinges). The screws must pass through the door frame and enter the wall by at least 3 cm.

There is one more additional protection of the front door - anti-burglary paws that insure the hinges on the door. These steel strips are bolted to the door leaf, and when it is closed, they rest against the holes on the box.

Also help to strengthen the door two pins with a diameter of 1 cm, which must be fixed on the door from the side of the hinges. The essence of these pins is as follows: having made a sufficient hole in the door frame, we insert a piece of steel pipe into them, the diameter of which will be slightly larger than the pins, and when the door closes, the pins enter these steel bushings and fix the door. Such fixation will make it more difficult to break the door in comparison with unreliable hinges. But the best result in strengthening the door will be the replacement of ordinary hinges with special anti-squeeze hinges, which have both pins and corresponding holes.

Strengthening the door frame in place of the locking plate will help steel corner. It is installed vertically along the entire height of the box. The corner will be invisible on the door frame if it is cut flush into the jamb.

You can paint it with the same paint as the platband is painted. Before installing the corner, we select holes for the tongues of the locks and make mounting holes. The corner is fastened with screws, the length of which is not less than 3.5 cm.

Made of hardened steel, it will also allow you to slightly strengthen the front door. We fasten the chain to the door jamb with screws, and the locking pan to the door itself horizontally. This is necessary so that the chain can be removed only by closing the door. But this is not a very reliable protection, since it can be bitten with wire cutters, or simply pulled out. Therefore, it is better to install a special door stopper, which is more reliable than the chain. You can also make a peephole, which is more appropriate to install at a height that will be convenient for all family members.

Installing the peephole is quite simple, you just need to drill a hole and insert it. We recommend taking a panoramic peephole, which has a wide field of view and closes from the inside.

But the best protection for the front door will be a second steel door with a secure lock (by the way, a hardwood door is also suitable for this purpose), which can be ordered and installed on top of yours.

Home burglaries are characterized by the fact that thieves most often enter the premises through a hacked one. Usually it "opens" in a few minutes. However, the door can be strengthened in such a way that it will resist unwanted penetration for a longer time. Before you strengthen your front door (we are talking about a door overlooking a pestle area or street), you need to find out the quality of its manufacture. After all, many doors cannot resist even a good kick, and strengthening them will not work.

If a dull sound is heard when the door leaf is tapped, and you lift it without much effort, then the internal structure of such a door most likely consists of glued honeycombs made from fiberboard scraps and short wooden planks and bars that are covered with a sheet of laminated fiberboard. It is useless to put any fasteners and additional locks on this door. It is better to replace it, along with the frame, with a solid wood door, which can be reinforced with steel sheet armor, as well as an effective lock.

By the way, in many countries a gradation or scale has been adopted according to the degree of protection of doors from breaking. For example, in France, the National Council of French Entrepreneurs has adopted trademarks that include one, two or three stars, which correspond to varying degrees of protection. A door with one star must resist burglars for at least 5 minutes and even if they use normal burglary tools. A door with two stars under the same conditions should stand for 10 minutes. As for doors with three stars, they withstand at least 15 minutes, even if they use more advanced breaking equipment.

In addition, additional gradations have been added to this classification of door protection against burglary for the resistance of doors to opening them with master keys, for anti-vandal protection, as well as for resistance to the impact of a drill.

If your front door deserves to be strengthened, then the main lock needs to be inspected first. And if you need to put in a new one, since picking up a master key for a simple lock is not difficult, especially if the model was released more than 10-15 years ago. The more complex and non-standard the key, which can have several barbs, and a large number of gases, the more difficult it is to pick up a master key to its lock.

It is good when the complex main lock is supplemented with one or two more locks distributed along the height of the door. Additional locks should be of different designs and different manufacturers in order to complicate the task of burglars in selecting master keys.

However, even a strong door with a good lock can be squeezed out or torn out by a crowbar if the paw of the latter is inserted into the gap between the door and the jamb. To counter this, special plates with pins and reciprocal holes are used to fix the door in the closed position (photo 5-8). At the same time, it is possible to strengthen the door from the outside along the perimeter with a steel corner, which will prevent the penetration of the crowbar into the gap (photo 9-10), and install a steel sheet from the inside, passing hemispherical head bolts through it and steel corners.

Criminal statistics show that burglars most often enter someone else's home by breaking the front door. Particularly "neat" thieves pick up master keys to locks. The most impatient knock them out with a crowbar or wring out the jambs.

In this material, we will not touch on antediluvian wooden doors, which can often be knocked out even with a shoulder or a strong kick. We are talking about seemingly reliable, with all sorts of guarantees, metal doors, which also often “pass in” to intruders. And there is only one way out - to try additionally and as firmly as possible to strengthen the passage to your apartment.

An effective way to strengthen the castle with overlays

But even the most reliable lock is unlikely to resist forceful methods of breaking, such as drilling, knocking out a larva (cylinder). In this case, a good option would be to install special armor pads on the lock that protect its “core”.

Quality linings are made from high quality steel, resistant to corrosion and wear. To improve reliability, they are subjected to various types of processing.

According to the type of installation, overhead and mortise linings are distinguished. Overhead are installed over the mask on the door leaf. For mortise, a hole is made in the outer sheet. Such protection, covering the larva, is pressed directly against the lock body.

Reinforcement of door jambs with a steel frame

However, even the strongest door with a good lock can be squeezed out or torn out by a crowbar if the “paw” of the latter is inserted into the gap between the door and the jamb. To counter this, special frames or plates with pins and reciprocal holes are used to fix the door in the closed position.

Temporarily, the door can be strengthened from the outside along the perimeter with a steel corner, which will prevent the penetration of the crowbar into the gap, and on the inside it is required to install a steel sheet by passing hemispherical head bolts through it and steel corners.

To strengthen the door in the box, holes are drilled equal to the diameters of the dowels, which must be inserted into the brickwork or concrete wall.

Then, with a drill bit with a diameter equal to the diameter of the dowel, the wall is drilled to a depth corresponding to the length of the screw, minus the thickness of the door frame. A screw with a mounted dowel is driven into the hole with a hammer and tightened with a screwdriver.

A frame made of a steel corner, reinforced around the perimeter of the door, will protect the door from deformation when trying to wring it out of the jambs. Steel corners are fixed with clamps and holes for bolts are drilled every 12-15 cm.

Steel corners are attached to the outside of the door as close as possible to the frame, but so as not to impede the movement of the door itself. Holes are also drilled from the inside (to avoid damage to the surface of the door), and the bolts are screwed in with a hemispherical head to the outside.

On the door frame on the hinge side, steel plates are fixed with a tight fit. A plate with a pin is placed on the door frame and a contour is drawn along which a chisel is selected to a depth equal to the thickness of the plate. Then drill holes for the screws and put a plate with a pin.

At the final stage, the door is slightly covered and marks are received on its box for installing plates with a counter hole. These plates are also installed flush (level) with the surface of the box.

Door armor

An equally effective way to strengthen the front door is to make it armored.

To begin with, you will need to purchase a steel sheet the size of your door and 1.5 mm thick. Since the weight of such a sheet is considerable (12 kg / sq. M), the introductory door must be durable and with a reinforced frame.

At the first stage, the lock is taken out, then the door is removed, which is laid on wooden blocks.

The steel sheet together with the door is drilled through with a drill with a diameter equal to the diameter of the bolts. The drill is set to such a depth that only the tip of the drill comes out from the back. After all the holes have been made, the door is turned over and drilling is completed.

Then the bolt is inserted into the holes, leaving the hemispherical heads outside. The nuts are tightened from the side of the armor plate and tightened. This position will not allow you to unscrew the bolts from the outside.

After that, the door is laid on the bars face up and holes are made according to the shape of the handle and the cylinder of the lock with a drill-mill or a Forstner drill. The door is turned over and the excess metal is cut out with a chisel along the contours obtained.

At the final stage, holes are drilled for the screws of the lock face. Finally, the latter is inserted, the larvae are applied and the handles are fixed.

The need to strengthen the doors in the country may appear in several cases: after long-term operation and with the wrong choice of canvas. In these situations, most summer residents who cannot afford to buy a new unit have a question - how to strengthen the door in the country?

Experts advise that if the canvas is of poor quality, then it is better not to carry out strengthening measures, since the level of security will still remain at the same level.

Door frame reinforcement technology

Metal doors that open to the inside are rare, but they still exist. If there is such a system in the country house, then it needs to be fixed immediately, since external opening significantly increases the level of protection, and also frees up space inside the room. The dismantling process is simple and takes little time, for this it is necessary to remove the door unit and install it in the desired position.

If a metal box is installed in the country house, then the structure must be welded to steel rods or reinforcement hammered into the ends, this method of strengthening is considered one of the best. It is also possible to install a box on the spacer anchors, which will increase fixation. This requires metal dowels to be fixed into pre-drilled holes in the ends of the opening and screw in the bolts.

Checking and choosing hinges for a door in the country

How to strengthen the door in the country? - the question arises for most owners, hinges play a significant role in strengthening, and the level of security as a whole depends on the design of the structure.

If a high-quality canvas is available, then it is better to equip the doors with hidden hinges. The whole mechanism is hidden in a specialized hole in the box, which is not visible from the outside. The operation of a door with internal hinges is much easier, since the balls on the axles or bearings provide ease of opening.

Benefits of Hidden Hinges

Due to the hidden device, an attractive and presentable appearance is guaranteed;
An increased level of security, since the loops cannot be cut or knocked down;
If necessary, internal loops can be changed to conventional devices;
Simple adjustment, due to which a full and uniform fit to the box is ensured.

Features and Benefits of Anti-Removal Pins

If the doors have external hinges, then the structure must be reinforced with 12 mm iron rods. The elements are mounted from 2 pieces on the end side with a loop.

Advantages of anti-removable pins

It is impossible to remove the door when sawing off the hinge by intruders, since the pins are securely fixed in the box when the leaf is closed;
When installing the pins, the integrity of the web does not suffer;
The attractiveness and style of the surface does not change in any way and remains at the same level.

Installing a steel sheet to reinforce a cottage door

To increase the strength and reliability of a summer cottage door, the most common way is to install an aluminum or steel sheet. The material must be chosen in such a way that the sheet is slightly larger than the door leaf and protrudes beyond it.

This reinforcement method involves strengthening the hinges, since the mass of the door will increase significantly, due to which the structure will sag or deform, the base will also need to be upholstered with metal corners.

Another way is to upholster the canvas with a metal mesh. The process will require steel strips, the installation of which takes place from the inside. Mineral wool is used to insulate the structure, the material is fixed over the mesh and then sheathed with a leather substitute.

Replacing the lock on the door to give

If there is a simple or faulty lock on the front door of the country house, then it is necessary to replace it, since this element is the basis of protection against intrusion by unauthorized persons. For places not intended for permanent residence, it is better to choose more complex locking mechanisms, for example, a combination of a cylindrical and lever lock will be an excellent security solution.

Additional ways to protect a country house

A high level of security will ensure the safety of your property, and any measures to strengthen the door in the country will not be superfluous.