Front Door Security – Secured by Design

In previous posts I have written about the importance of considering your security options. In this post, I am going to write about the reassurance you get by buying a front door endorsed by a good security scheme.

Can you really trust the boasts of the person trying to sell you the door? More often than not, front doors are put through the minimum amount of testing required by law and then left at that. Trustworthy third-party schemes, like the non-profit UK initiative ‘Secured by Design’, can offer reassurance by providing impartial testing and certification. Crime prevention schemes that test home security products will always perform more thorough tests than most standard security tests.

Secured by Design is the perfect example of one of these schemes. It aims to phase out vulnerabilities in security by ‘designing out crime’ during the planning and construction stages. Doors which pass its vigorous testing are given the Secured by Design logo to highlight that it has a ‘Police Preferred Specification’. The scheme hopes that by doing this, it will set a new security standard amongst the door industry.

Front Door Security Guides

Composite Front Doors & Security
#1 – The Front Door
#2 – Hinges
#3 – Glass & Glazing

Secured by Design Doors

Front Door Security #3 – Glass & Glazing

Front Door Security #1 – The Front Door
Front Door Security #2 – Hinges

If you choose a new front door with glazing, then you need to consider the security and safety of your front door’s window. Most front doors will come with several glass options – not just design, but glass type. Each glass type has it’s own benefits – some are beneficial for energy efficiency, some for UV protection, some for safety and some for security.
All modern front doors with glazing should use double-glazing to ensure your home stays warm. In addition to double-glazing, you can choose from the following security glasses:

1) Tempered Glass

Tempered glass is sometimes known as toughened glass. As this name suggests, the glass is tougher than standard glass. The glass is made by heating the surface and then cooling it again very quickly. This process increases the compression and tension, resulting in a glass that is four times stronger than standard glass. This tough glass is also used for safety purposes, for when it is broken it shatters in to blunt cubes instead of sharp shards.

2) Laminated Glass

The more popular security glass is laminated glass. This is more popular due to the fact that when it is broken, the glass shards remain stuck to a plastic sheet in the centre of the glass, which remains as a barrier preventing access. The glass is created by fusing a sheet of plastic in the centre of two panes of glass, creating an invisible core that cannot be easily penetrated.

Front Door Security #2 – Hinges

Front Door Security #1 – The Front Door

Each door component plays an important part in the security of your home, and each should be considered carefully to avoid weaknesses that leave your home vulnerable to attacks. In the first post on front door security, the role of the main door surface was covered.

Hinges can be one of the most vulnerable points of your front door, especially if your door opens outwards with external hinges. Standard hinges often allows the pin to be easily removed, freeing your door from the frame and providing access. Modern security hinges tend to have some form of protection added to the hinge to make the removal of the pin more difficult. Such protection can come in the form of riveted pins – the pins used are longer than the hinge, with the exposed ends turned into a rivet which prevents removal of the pin; security studs – a stud on one side of the hinge which fits into a hole on the other side, even when the pin is removed the door cannot be removed as the stud holds it in place; non-removable pins – a screw holds the pin into place preventing the removal of the pin when the door is closed.

Hinge bolts reinforce hinges by providing additional protection against the front door being ripped from its hinges.

Front Door Security #1 – The Front Door

Front doors come with a wide range of security options.
The actual door itself should be the first consideration when thinking about security. Could the door be kicked in easily?

Many front doors are made from a single material – such as wood or uPVC – which, without reinforcement, are likely to break and provide access when attacked. For this reason, it is wise to choose a reinforced front door or, better yet, a composite front door.

When you are satisfied that the door you have chosen will provide sufficient security, it is time to consider the security of the hardware. This will be the focus of the next post.

Composite Front Doors & Security
Front Door History

Front doors – over the years

It started with wooden doors. Various woods were used and there were different designs for each situation. Iron latches, bolts, fancy door knockers, large ornamental hinges and studs were the common hardware of early doors. Wooden doors were standard over the years, and are even popular today, where other choices are available.

Next, came uPVC doors. Favoured for being lightweight, energy efficient, inexpensive and having a modern appearance, they fast became the number one choice for new builds, extensions  and wooden door replacements. The doors are available in a number of designs, with different glasses available. The doors require little maintenance over the years, unlike wooden doors which require painting/varnishing.

Composite doors were introduced in recent years. Composite doors are made from a number of materials, each chosen for their benefits, and engineered into a door that has the qualities of both uPVC and wooden doors as well as considerable improvements in security, durability and thermal insulation. The doors come in many styles and colours and have the wood grain appearance of a wooden door, but the easy wipe-clean maintenance of a uPVC door. Composite front doors are increasing in popularity as more and more people become aware of them and their benefits.

What are composite doors?