Let us admit it! Security is always one of the topmost concerns for everyone who owns an apartment. If you own one yourself, you surely do know what we are talking about. Even though buildings have good security to restrict outsiders from getting inside, your apartment might go unnoticed amid all the other apartments.
And the truth is- the majority of the apartments do not have good security systems. If you, too, are concerned about your apartment’s low-grade security system, it is high time you upgraded it. In this article, we will discuss how to secure apartment doors. So, sit back & relax while we tell you how to do it.
How to Secure Apartment Door
After upgrading your door lock, now it’s time to follow the tips below to secure your apartment door for protecting your lives and valuables.
Change the Strike Plate of Your Deadbolt
If you can not understand what the ‘strike plate’ is, let us help you. There is a piece of metal where the latch of your deadbolt insures into the door frame. Usually, this strike plate is only suited to keep your front door shut. But in the cases of a forced entry, they are not that capable.
So, in this case, you should change the strike plate & install one that consists of longer screws & a more capable box strike model. Make sure this strike plate also has a full metal slot so that the latch can use to lock into. As a result, you will get an improved door that will be able to endure a few full power kicks. Quite protective, isn’t it?
Defender Security Door Reinforcement Lock
Fortify the Door Jamb & Your Door
The first way to secure your apartment door was to install a box plate. But installing a box plate alone will not be able to keep a persistent burglar or thief away. He will be able to break your door down with a series of powerful kicks. It is not something you will want, right? To avoid such an incident, you can always purchase a door fortification kit.
It will reinforce the overall ability of your door that can endure forced entrance. If you do not want your door frames to separate, you can use this door fortification kit. It will add an extra part of steel that will restrict the structure of your door from separating. And doing this will make it stiffer for the burglar to kick your door.
Portable Door Jammer
Install Metal or Solid Wood Doors Instead of Your Cheap & Hollow Core Doors
The second thing you can do to protect your apartment from persistent burglars is to install high-quality solid wood doors or metal doors. In most cases, the doors that we use as our front doors are hollow core doors. They may be cheap, but they are not that good in terms of securing your apartment. Within many of these doors, you will find cardboard only.
If you are short on budget, you may go for pinewood doors. They should do the job. But if you want to know the best wood for this purpose, we can say it is nothing but hardwood. They are comparatively expensive & at the same time, they are the best choice for anybody who wants to secure their apartments.
Besides wooden doors, you can also try installing metal doors. They are superb when it comes to protection & affordable as well. They are rot-resistant & thieves can not break into your house if you have a metal door in front of your apartment.
Related: Yale Smart Lock Review (You Need to Protect Your Family Smartly)
Smart Door Lock You May Consider
Safeguard the Hinges of Your Door
You will find two types of doors. One that swings inwards & the other one that swings outwards. This security technique is meant for those who have doors that swing outwards. The latter type of doors has exposed hinges that are targeted & attacked by experienced burglars. You can try these three ways to avoid such security mishap:
- Fast unmoving pins
- Safety studs &
- Setscrew in the hinge
These methods will restrict the burglars from detaching the hinge pin & ultimately prevent them from lifting the door up & off.
Install Additional Security Lights & Accessories
Another way to secure your apartment door is to include an extra layer of security in your existing security system. When a burglar comes in front of any house, he takes a close look at that house’s security system. If he notices that the house has a very low-security level or no security at all, he then sets a plan for an attack.
And if he sees a high level of security system is protecting the house, he may get disinterested in the very first place. So, it is always good to implement a conspicuous amount of security accessories like a wi-fi doorbell, CCTV camera, motion-detecting LED light in front of the front door of your house. Any burglar who passes by your home will realize that it is not their cup of tea.
Put Home Security Stickers on the Nearby Walls & the Front Door itself.
Besides adding a layer of extra security to your system, you may paste some stickers with caution or an alert message that will warn anyone about the danger of messing with your apartment. For example, you can paste stickers saying- “CAUTION!!! THIS HOUSE IS UNDER VIDEO SURVEILLANCE”. Anyone who thinks of getting inside your house will be alerted by this message that this is not the right place to mess around. Pretty awesome! No?!
Place a Door Barricade.
The last method that we have here for you is the door barricade method. This barricade we are talking about is not so expensive but can provide good security by physically holding the door closed. Some of them are bolted down & some of them are not. Bolted down ones are the best in terms of security. But if you are not allowed to drill holes in your apartment, you can go for the non-bolted ones without any confusion.
Final Words
Dear reader, you have come to the end of our article. We hope you enjoyed reading it. If you feel that your apartment door is not secure enough, please use the methods we mentioned here & make it safe. And do share it with your friends & family if you liked it! Thank you for reading!