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.

The New Front Door Blog

Your front door is the first impression you will give most visitors to your home. Not only that, but the door is what protects you from the worlds vulnerabilities – the cold blast of the elements and potential crime. With these factors in mind, you should consider your options carefully when purchasing a new front door.

There are many styles to choose from and many additional features such as hardware specifically designed to increase security, but there are only 3 choices of material on the door market: uPVC, wood or composite. This blog will take you through each different door, with the main focus being on composite front doors.