UPDATED February 10, 2022 This piece has been updated to reflect the emergence of new technology
Christian Mathews Security Writer
Double doors, also known as French doors, provide a gorgeous upgrade to the aesthetics of your house. When you replace your single or sliding doors with double doors, it turns ordinary exits into welcoming gateways to balconies, pool decks, and gardens. Double doors are known to impart the image of a bygone era, giving the house a vintage look.
While double doors are beautiful to look at, they have one crucial disadvantage. They are notoriously difficult to secure without destroying their overall look and design. Luckily, we bring you all the steps and products you can take to secure your double door security doors and improve the security of your home.
1How to Secure Double Doors
Double Door Security Lock
Finding a proper lock for your double door security doors is the most crucial step in ensuring your home’s security. You can install the flush bolt and deadbolt security door locks for your home. If your budget allows, you can upgrade to electrical locks that are highly reliable and safe to use.
Double Steel Security Doors
Double steel security doors provide the security that regular fiberglass doors cannot. They are incredibly secure and a more affordable choice when compared to fiberglass. They also have a high resale value if you decide to upgrade to heavy wooden doors.
They do have some disadvantages. Steel doors can rust easily in a humid environment and come in limited styles. Moreover, they cannot be painted over and are less energy efficient.
Double Door Security Latch
Adding a security latch to your double door security doors can increase the overall security of your door. The latch functions when it is affixed to the moving part of the door. Along with a doorknob, the latch ensures greater protection for your doors.
However, there is an extra step you need to take to make sure that no one can jimmy up the latch and enter the house. You can secure the latch by driving the screw right below it. This prevents the thief or burglar from trying to tamper with the latch.
Double Door Security Bar
Often, people use broomsticks or dowels to secure the knob of their double doors. However, it is quite obvious to see that a little force can easily jiggle the makeshift dowel arrangement out of its place, making it easy to open the double doors.
This is where you can replace your makeshift arrangements with a right double door bar, a tool that is specifically meant for securing the doorknobs of your double doors.
The security bars come with a pressure mounting system and padding that makes it impossible to jimmy the bar. They are straightforward to install and provide an added layer of security to your doors.
Double Steel Security Screen Doors
Double steel security screen doors refer to a set of outer screen doors made of steel, grill, and wire mesh. Similar to single steel doors, the double steel doors provide additional security against burglars and unwanted elements.
Steel doors come in elegant and understated colors, adding to the aesthetic appeal of your home. They provide a highly reliable security system with multiple locking mechanisms. They are unbreakable from both ends. Additionally, they are guaranteed to be termite and rustproof and are heat and sound resistant. They are relatively easy to install and require virtually no additional maintenance.
They are suitable for indoor and outdoor use, for main entry/exit ways like security front door screens, patio or garden doors, and balconies. An alternative is also to consider security doors for french doors.
2How To Secure Double Sliding Glass Doors
double door security doors and sliding doors add a timeless look to any patio or deck. However, as we have detailed in this article, they do have security risks. These types of doors are notoriously difficult to secure. But worry not; we have assembled a handy guide with the easiest ways to secure your doors without compromising the aesthetics.
Installing A Sliding Door Lock
The best way to secure the glass sliding door in your home is by installing a door lock. The lock mechanism functions when the stationary glass door and the moving sliding door make contact. These locks are generally placed at the top of your door. These locks work in tandem with the latches and doorknobs to keep the doors secure. They make it impossible to force the door open with jackhammers or other tools.
It is best to get a carpenter to install these locks as they are complicated to install. However, if you want to install the locks on your own, then be sure to follow the guidelines and instructions set by the manufacturer.
Using A Security Bar For Your Glass Doors
As mentioned above, you can use a security bar to secure double doors. The same principle applies to glass sliding doors as well. The market is filled with various options for security bars. The standard security bar is placed along the tracks of the glass sliding door.
Another type of security bar is the Charley bar. This security bar is placed high up and fixed with screws on one end. The Charley security bars work well in households that have children.
Using Electronic Locks To Secure Doors
If you are serious about your home’s security, we suggest that you replace your traditional locks with eclectic locks and upgrade the overall security of your house. Electric locks are less prone to tampering and can help prevent a break-in by informing the police through Wi-Fi.
Most electronic locks come with motion sensors that detect sound and motion and automatically alert you and the authorities if anything is suspicious. With electronic locks, the sky is the limit. You can install biometric, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi enabled locks that can easily be connected to the smart home security system. You can either independently install electric locks or get them professionally fitted by a security company.
