Glass doors are beautiful but door security is a concern as glass can easily be broken by intruders. To feel comfortable using French doors, patio doors, and front doors with glass side panels, you must go the extra mile to make them less penetrable.
Cover the Glass for Door Security
The first fix to improving door security is to cover the glass. Before burglars break into your home, they first look through the glass to scan for valuables and make sure there is no one around. If you have the visibility blocked, you make your possessions look less enticing. Blinds or curtains made for your patio door or French door can obscure visibility. The downside is that covering the door restricts the amount of light that enters the room.
For patio doors, vertical blinds that can be adjusted to keep prying eyes out while still letting light in are a popular way to ensure privacy. For French doors, you can secure the curtain to the top and bottom of the door with rods, or use blinds or curtains that can be pulled or rolled up to the top of the door frame.
Aside from the decorative fix offered by curtains, applying security film to protect the glass can also make it harder to penetrate. Available for French and sliding doors, as well as for side panels, there are kits that contain optically clear material that allows you to see out but not the other way around; a bonus is that the film also makes the glass stronger and less penetrable to blows.
Protect the Door Against Break-ins
Most homeowners realize that blocking the track or adding an anti-Jimmy plate to a patio door will prevent intrusion, but there are a few tricks you can use to make a French door more secure as well. If you like the open look of French doors, you can plan your security from the start:
- By purchasing thicker doors and adding a steel frame and hurricane rated glass, you can make them hard to penetrate.
- By upgrading the locks and hinges on French doors (or any door) you can improve door security.
- By using screws at least three inches long, you can make sure that the door is connected more securely to the door frame, a deterrent to breaking by pushing the door in.
- By using three point mortise locks, you can make the door more secure.
- By inserting a wood screw into the sliding bolt at the top and bottom of the door to lock it or permanently lock one door.
- Once the door is installed, you can also add a security bar that is at an angle between the floor and door.
For more ideas about door security and to have beautiful glass-paneled doors installed, contact Rocky Mountain Windows and Doors for a free in-home consultation.