Anyone installed Shattergard (or other shatter-resistant window film?)

[louie19]

The scenario in the Successful Repulsion of Home Invasion post http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=412226 where 2 BGs kick in a door that has glass got my attention. Assuming you've got a properly installed deadbolt with long screws into the frame, you should be fine on the lock side. But the glass in a door, while being nice to enjoy to view your yard, remains a weak point. I've thought about beefing up the glass in my home with Shattergard, which is a shatter-resistant window film.

Has anyone here installed Shattergard (or some other shatter-resistant window film) on their doors with glass / windows?

 

[withdrawn34]

I know that even regular, quality window tint (even the clear UV-filtering stuff) generally adds quite a bit of shatter resistance to a window; is this much better or a similar product? Also, IMO if you are going to put film on your house windows, might as well get a UV-filtering product.

 

[WardenWolf]

The weak point of such doors is often the frame itself. In doors without a single large pane, there are often multiple thin wooden separators between the individual pieces of glass. A sharp kick to one of these will break through and take out 2 pieces of glass, whether the glass is actually broken or not.

I generally would never recommend a door like this. If you absolutely must have one, make sure the door is metal, not wood.

 

[TAB]

Assuming you've got a properly installed deadbolt with long screws into the frame, you should be fine on the lock side.

trust me when I say this, a good strike plate and long skrews just means they take wall with it when they kick the door in...

 

[Bill_G]

what TAB said....+1

 

[WardenWolf]

Unless there's a metal doorframe. Ugly, but effective.

 

[TAB]

even metal door frames are only as strong as what they are attached too. It will cost you thousands to have a good solid door installed( I do this for a living)

 

[Sir Aardvark]

Doors pop in pretty easy when given a solid kick.

Consumer Reports did an evaluation on doors a couple years ago, and the only plain-jane, basic, factory entry door that resisted their 400-pound "door kick" test was the Therma-Tru Fiber-Classic Multi-point Locking System equipped door.
Again, these were simple, basic entry doors - no special all-steel, fire-rated, bullet-proof doors, or anything actually designed for security.

So... a deadbolt with long screws isn't going to do a whole lot to protect your plain-jane door from getting kicked in.

You could try using one of these to keep the door jamb from splitting open:

http://www.invasionproof.com/?gclid=COGT47Kh2o0CFReEhgodMCwJaQ

But then, you would also need a metal plate that wraps around the door where your locksets are to help reinforce the wood lock block, otherwise this would now be the weak spot.

Also, a good deadbolt that might hold up to the kicks would probably cost over $100.00 - something like a Medeco.

You could also put in an all-steel security screen. Since these generally open outwards, they are pretty difficult to kick in. Also, anyone trying to get past this would hopefully make enough noise to warn you before he got into the house.

The sad part of all this is that no matter how strong your door is, all anyone has to do is break a window and he's in your house anyways.

3M makes Security Window Film and also a Window Film Attachment System that will actually bond the window film and glass to the frame.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...E3E02LECFTDQGG85_nid=1B65N1DKV4beT4DCJBL6BVgl

I have had no experience with security window films, but once you start trying to secure all the weak points in your house you find out that it can get really expensive!

 

[Deltaboy1984]

As a retired Home builder the jam and it's mounting to the house are the weakest points a metal plate that reinforces the Jam and a Donen #12 31/2 inch Drywall screws will help. I replace all the hinge screws with the long ones and I Add them counter sunk all around the jam.
A good quality Storm door that opens outward and has a good lock set will cause enough racket for you to be ready before the reach the Main Door.

A Dog and a pumpgun are a great welcoming party!

 

[Lurp]

I don't know how feasible or practical it is, but what about replacing your glass with lexan? I've often wondered why i have not heard anyone mention making the glass on front doors and such out of Lexan, which would be almost impossible to break. Maybe I'm missing something and this is undoable or very expensive, but it seems like it might work. It wouldn't affect the integrity of the door from being kicked in, but would prevent someone from breaking a pane of glass and reaching in to unlock the doors.

 

[Blue Line]

Hurricane Protection

in FL they is a film to put on your windows for hurricane protection. it meets code so you don't have to use shutters. its tested with the air shot 2X4 and stops it. I'm sure if you google it youll find what your looking for.

 

[withdrawn34]

I realize it is probably a bit paranoid, but IMO you would want some resistance to shattering, but not something that is basically unbreakable. Reason being, if there needs to be a legitimate forced entry (firefighters or medical personnel for example), and you cannot open it for them, then they shouldn't have to spend a few hours to get to you, if you need immediate help.

I know that quite a few years back, there was a ruckus over what to do about those security bars some people put over their windows, as firefighters were severely delayed or sometimes completely blocked from entering a home where say, an elderly person had called from emergency medical help, or someone was trapped in a fire. Now I think they are lockable or something, not sure.

If it were me, my rule of thumb would be to try to make it resistant to your "lazy" criminal (will pick easiest target possible and run at first sign of resistance), but otherwise just try to make enough of a ruckus to alert you. I would suspect that trying to seriously secure beyond this level would be very expensive and almost impractical.

Also, not sure how well these work, but they seem like a very simple solution to making a door a little harder to kick down - and relatively cheap. They look like they can also be used to jam up sliding doors/windows.

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-265DCCSEN-Dual-Function-Security/dp/B0002YUX8I

 

[Riss]

Unless you got a steel door in a steel frame I can open it. Toughest door I have kicked in was a solid wood door in a steel frame, with deadbolt engaged. 6 solid kicks and the deadbolt turned inside the door and separated the wood right up the middle. Luckily the door splintered before my leg did. Regular wood frames are 1 or 2 kicks at most and the door jamb and door will need to be replaced. If I can't open it with my size 12's I call the FD or go through a window.

 

[Old Guy]

3M

3M makes Security Window Film and also a Window Film Attachment System that will actually bond the window film and glass to the frame.

I have this film, mostly for flying stuff in big winds that are our penance for the nice weather we have in Florida!

The new Federal code for windows mandate this film on government buildings.

The add shows baseball bat attack on a patio door! pretty impressive.

My metal screen door opens out, and when the inner door starts taking kicks (3M film on glass) should wake me up, stairs with a turn back on it's self angle need to be negotiated, the next negotiation is a bright flash light, and the first of sixteen 127g WW +P+ 9mm rounds.

 

[SSN Vet]

steel door in a steel frame, hilti-bolted into a masonary structure....

multi-point locking system...

Kind of like you'll see in a jail.

big bucks!

a decent alarm system and proper home defense weapon should accomplish the same results for a lot less.

 

[KimKommando]

A claw hammer or a pry bar will damn near get through most anything. It's the middle of the day when most of the idiots break in now, not when someone is home. If they do, like one of the other posters mentioned, they will simply break a window. But all of that noise gets attention, day or night, if someone is home. Best thing to keep someone out of your house besides a gun is steel bars. A dog can be drugged or knocked out with a crowbar. If you live in a neighborhood that you really have to worry about that, might be time to MOVE.

 

[withdrawn34]

Steel bars that are effective against burglars just seem to me that a firefighter or LEO cannot enter your home if you need help and they can't get through the door fast enough.

I know there are newer versions that come with a padlock and hinges, but that seems silly as it isn't hard to break or cut off a padlock.