Burglars are in love with French doors. Most residents have French doors installed as their patio doors due to their attractiveness and good light exposure. However, you need to know how to secure French doors from burglars to prevent having unwanted break-ins.
Just because most of these doors are on the back of houses, it does not mean burglars will not notice this entry door. You will need a secured level of French door security as this door is vulnerable with a weak locking mechanism.
Fortunately, this article can provide the most optimal answer to your problem. You only have to adjust your glass panes, locks & hinges, door materials, and install security bars.
Rest assured that you will not have to give up on installing this attractive door due to the lack of house protection. Continue reading for more information!
Table of Contents
Why Secure French Doors
When first considering a French door for your home, you may only think about its appealing look and the amazing amount of light it lets into your room. Sadly, most burglars also find these features tempting.
As there is a lot of glass on a French door, people can do a smash-and-grab to get some quick money. Double French doors always include a middle seam that can be opened easily as well. That is why you need to secure this type of door.
The good news is you can install this beautiful door for your house and still have enough safety. In our opinion, there is no better option than securing the French door, especially with its flimsy door frame and many windows around this glass entry.
Be aware that even inexperienced burglars like to target such doors. Most people think that a French door is often on the side or back of their home, so it is not necessary to have much protection.
Little do you know, burglars will aim for these spots when considering forced entry if they know your house has French doors.
In the spot where the double doors meet, you will find very little support. Thus, even a simple center kick can make this French door pushed open, not to mention all the fragile glass panes.
What You Will Need to Follow This Tutorial
Now that you have been fully aware of how risky an original French door can be for your home, this is a quick overview of things you can improve to protect your property from unwanted thieves targeting this type of standard door.
- Glass Panes
- Locks and Hinges
- Security Bars
- Door Materials
How to Secure Your French Doors
The first thing you need to remember when installing a French door is definitely ensuring safety and protection for the indoors. The following French door security devices will make your beautiful entry as impenetrable as possible.
Glass Panes
Since most French doors include a large number of glass panels, it causes this entry to become more vulnerable. But it is almost impossible for a burglar to squeeze himself through a broken glass pane’s tiny gap.
In most cases, burglars will crack a single glass pane, reach inside using their hands to open the French door, and get in the house. You need to strengthen its main weakness, specifically how it divides two doors.
Tips: Hurricane-rated glass, impact resistant glass, or laminated glass would be the perfect option to equip your new French door due to its incredible toughness that is hard to break. You should consider this material for your new doors if you live in hurricane prone areas.
In addition, a plain glass French door has another issue of exposing your indoors. That way, burglars can easily check out whether anyone is home. Other front door types are often colored, distorted, or frosted to prevent this problem. For privacy when using French doors, you can use curtains or blinds.
Lock and Hinges
Although it seems obvious, a lot of people do not replace the unreliable and insufficient set of door locks and hinges that comes readily with a French door. (Find out more top-rated locks for french doors here)
In terms of the hinge screws on a French door, make sure they have a minimum length of 3 inches. Also, the deadbolts should have at least a 1-inch throw.
Note: Often, mortise locks are more powerful than non-mortise locks.
For your information, a locking system with 3 points will be the finest security for a French door. If your door comes in a pair, it is ideal to secure one of them for good since burglars will have a harder time forcing this passive door open.
Security Bar
This measure of installing French door security bars is simple but optimal. It helps prevent any potential burglar from attempting to kick your door and get inside. Moreover, there are even security bar options with alarms for better security.
Door Materials
As mentioned earlier, there is some helpful advice about the door material in case you have not bought a new French door yet. Thick doors made from wood are the best. The thicker doors will definitely be better at adding protection.
Of course, you should not miss out on hurricane-rated glass when it comes to door thickness. Getting a sturdy steel frame would also be an excellent security layer to reinforce your French door to reach a higher, safer protection level.
Check out this video for more information on securing the door’s divide: French door security.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are French doors safe?
Unfortunately, an original French door without any reinforcement should not be considered safe for your house. Thus, we have addressed all of its main security flaws above and optimal solutions to deal with them.
How much does it cost to secure a French door?
In contrast to some assumptions, securing a French door is not expensive at all. You can have an easy fix of its weak point for less than $1. From that basic price, the cost will increase depending on your choice of security level for the door.
Won’t people break the glass to get through a double door?
This is highly possible. So in order to stop this risk from happening, a security film is effective in protecting the door glass.
Even when the glass is broken, having a double deadbolt lock ensures one cannot force the doors open. This is because a double cylinder deadbolt has no thumb turn.
Will the French door be a weak point in my home security?
If you wish to protect extremely valuable belongings, following our guide above is the most guaranteed method to make sure the entry is secure and impenetrable. That way, the French door can become a strong and reliable security system.
Summary
In conclusion, this article lets you know how you can build burglar proof French doors with adjustments like glass panes, locks and security hinges, security bars, or door materials. Once French doors are properly locked, they prevent potential thieves from breaking in.
Do you think these reinforcements will be helpful to eliminate your door security risk? Let us know how you feel in the comment section & share your tips on how to secure french doors from burglars. Plus, don’t forget to spread the word to friends and family about these awesome French door adjustments.
Thank you for reading.
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