What your Locksmith might not tell You

If your deadbolt has begun to malfunction, and you haven't been using it because you fear the key will get jammed in it—perhaps it's time to call a locksmith and have him fix it.

Well, not so fast. This is not the way to go if you want to upgrade your door's security—its ability to withstand forceful kicking by a burglar. Kicking in doors is a common way for intruders to gain entry.

You've made the right move by deciding to get a new, stronger deadbolt; any dolt could gain entry via that keyhole in the doorknob. But you still want a good lock in that doorknob nonetheless. Here are more tips:

• Have your door replaced with a solid wood or metal one if it's currently hollow wood.
• Your new door should not have a window (an intruder could break it and dismantle the locks).
• If your current door is solid wood or metal, and has a big window, then at least have metal bars placed over the window.
• Hinges should not be visible (and thus prone to removal by someone on the outside) to the burglar.
• Have a peephole on the door.
• The door jamb is a crucial part of the door. Low grade ones will give way to a few good kicks. You can strengthen the door jamb with steel plates.
• Of course, you know to replace any lame deadbolt with a top-notch deadbolt, but it's even better to have two deadbolts. But the second one should be one-sided, for interior use. Obviously, you can't do anything with it from the outside (and neither can a burglar), but it will give you that extra security when you're inside by having it locked.
• Yet another layer of security is a cross bar. As its name implies, it's a bar that goes across the door inside. A steel one is best.
• For portability use a door brace. Stick it under the doorknob, and the other end affixes to the floor, so that the device is angled from floor to doorknob. The biggest problem with this, perhaps, is forgetting to put it in place. Many people have these devices…leaning uselessly against the wall next to the door. It takes only five seconds to set it in place. Whatever you have to increase the kick-in-proofness of your door, you should implement; no excuses.
• For rockstar door security install door reinforcement. What if your door included one-sixteenth inch of heavy steel? Try kicking through that. And what about a four foot bar that's installed over the strike plates, screwed right into the door's frame? Wow, you have one tough-ass security system for your door: Check out the Door Devil Anti Kick Door Jamb Security Kit.