When it comes to keeping your home—and your family—safe, there is no decision more important than your front door. Believe it or not, the front door is actually one of the most common points of entry in home burglaries.
Installing a security door is one way to better protect your home against crimes of opportunity. The term “security door” can refer to any range of measures used to strengthen the door against damage and break-ins.
When shopping for security doors, Indianapolis homeowners should look for the following characteristics to ensure they’re making the best possible purchase decision.
1. Steel Material
There’s no doubt about it—when it comes to choosing the most secure material for your front door, steel is the clear winner. Compared to wood and fiberglass, which can crack under impact, steel is strong enough to stand firm against intruders.
Steel is also durable enough to last for many years to come, and has a solid core for extra reinforcement. Additionally, your security door should not include any glass components, especially near the door knob.
2. Strike Resistant Deadbolt Plate
A deadbolt strike plate has one job: to secure your front door against kick-ins, ramming, or other forcible entry attempts. This small metal plate attaches to the doorjamb; when the door is fully closed and locked, the deadbolt extends into a hole built into the strike plate.
If an intruder attempts to kick down the door, the strike plate will help hold the door closed by keeping the deadbolt in place.
3. Six Pin Lock
Most standard door locks are equipped with five pins. When the correct key is inserted into the lock, the ridges of the key will cause all five pins to line up, forming what is known as the “shear line.” This is what allows the door to open.
Many homeowners are surprised to learn that a six pin lock is significantly more secure than a standard five pin lock. This is because the odds of an intruder correctly picking the lock (i.e. forcing all of the pins to line up) becomes much trickier when that one extra pin is included.
4. Installed by a Professional
If you are investing in a new security door for your home, it is always worth having it properly installed by a trained and carefully vetted professional. Even the most secure door in the world won’t function as intended if it has been incorrectly mounted!
Every Unique Home Solutions security door installation is completed by our trained, in-house employee crew—never subcontractors. Additionally, all of our door varieties include appropriate features to protect your home and form a barrier against intruders.
Are you shopping for a new security door in Indianapolis? Contact Unique Home Solutions today to learn more about our installations.