Best way to secure a bedroom door?

[telomerase]

Friend wants some ideas on securing a bedroom door in a two-floor rented townhouse. Their ground floor basically can't be secured, has too many easy accesses. The interior door isn't all that strong... AND they want whatever to be cheap and easy to use

They probably need a porticullis (sp?) and a moat, but any ideas would be appreciated... I don't know much about urban security (our rural security consists of a mob of mutts backed up by what THR considers "normal" household items )

 

[Zach S]

Shrubs with thorns under the windows, or barbed wire in the shrubs they have. could help tighten up the ground floor. The latter may not be legal though (could be considered a booby-trap).

Not exactly cheap and easy but they could go with an entry door on their bedroom. Its not very expensive (less than $150, last time I got one), but the bigger problem is that entry doors are normally a lot wider than interior doors. I haven't looked at any for a while (I rent). Of course, entry doors normally have the option of being drilled for a deadbolt as well.

They also make solid wood interior doors, but IIRC they cost a little more than entry doors and they're pretty flimsy in comparison.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

If the Owner of the townhhouse / condo / etc. did not instruct (Pay for) thier builder to use quality exterior doors, likely the interiors are not either. Even if they sound solid, they could be foam core or fiberboard. This is for sound, not security. If anyone with a little determination kicked it, it would break.

I would go for noise an lights. Place automated lights outdoors, and even on the first floor. Make the place light up. Then secure the doors and windows even if they are glass. Make them break them to get in (Make noise). Get a motion activated alarm and pay for one that is key chain activated (Otherwise you wont use it) This way, anyone breaking in will be under a spot light (Or two), making a lot noise, with an alarm going off.

Then that will give the resident time to arm themselves and defend the stair. (Hiding behind a bed room door, hoping to survive isn't a plan in my book!)

 

[musick]

I thought the question was about a interior bedroom door, no?

Id say something along these lines for $20:
http://www.improvementscatalog.com/home/improvements/792924382-door-security-bar.html

 

[Fred Fuller]

IMHO they need to extend their perimeter as far as possible. That might only be to the downstairs, since they are renters, but there shouldn't be any way anyone can get in down there without making a lot of noise in the process. The little $1 each door/window alarms from Dollar Tree might do, if they are light sleepers. See http://www.dollartree.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=184790 - that's one listing, the stores around here sell them as single units, not by the case. They can be installed with double sided tape, which is included.

Of course there are lots of other options, many of them portable and inexpensive as well. A little looking around might offer other ideas and options for noise and lights downstairs after bedtime, if uninvited giests show up.

As to the main question, securing the BR door might best be done by using one of the brace bars that goes under the doorknob, as mentioned earlier. Some offerings come with built-in alarms as well.

And even gun-unfriendly areas don't usually object to the old fowling piece. I don't know where they live, but a simple shotgun might be an option for them to consider.

hth,

lpl

 

[Tiomoid]

IF the door IS solid and not just filled with Styrofoam, I would recommend a brace bar. While deadbolts help, if the frame and the door aren't metal, they can be kicked in. I once accidentally (long story) kicked a deadbolted door in. Blew the frame off in one kick.

 

[DeepSouth]

Just balance a beer bottle upside down on the door knob, that way if anyone tries to turn the knob it will fall and you can grab the .357

Didn't everybody watch Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory?

 

[mcdonl]

Thanks Lee, thats awesome. I just called my local store and I now have a dozen of them.

I feel as though my bulkhead/basement entry is a weak point. Thanks.

Leroy

 

[thesolidus]

put some pretty pretty vases that break real easy on the windowsills.made it hard to sneak in or out when I was a kid And, you can see their absence from outside. (a warning not to enter/ bump into a thief.

Short of replacing the door with a heavy, solid core a bar jam is the best you can do.

Ideally you could get a solid door, reinforce the hinges or reframe the door and turn the bedroom into a panic room. But stuck with what you've got when renting...

 

[89yj]

I found that a shipping box from one of my rifles slides perfectly between my bedroom door and a heavy dresser. It has the cheap plastic hardcase inside it for reinforcement. I stand it up so it contacts the bottom 10-12 inches of the door.
I'm sure it can be defeated, but I think it would take enough time and make enough noise that I would be awake and armed by the time someone made it through the door.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

You can get Steel doors with Steel frames from any Lowes / Home Depot.

 

[mbt2001]

Get one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Duty-Ho...ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1243389113&sr=1-9

Mount them with 4" or 3 and 1/2" screws right into a stud... Also get a MACE Security Door Bar. It would be tough to get through those into the room. Not impossible, but it would make it awkward and buy enough time to react in most cases.

 

[Route2]

Being a rental, you want to keep it cheap

Interior residential doors are seldom very strong. They are usually 6’8” X 3’0” x 1-3/16" hollow-core units. Not only are these doors weak, but the frames they are mounted to are weak as well. It would only take seconds to crash through one of these doors. Take a look at the dead latch throw on your door, there is only about ½“ projection into the strike plate.

The cheapest real option is a Police Lock. It is a Multi-Point Locking System that mounts into the top and sides of the frame and into the floor. This really needs to have a solid core door to be effective and lag bolt the strike brackets. However, check fire code because these may not be allowed for fire safety reasons.

A quick, dirty and ugly, but cheap method is to mount ¾“ plywood to the door. Remove the frame trim and sandwich the old frame with ¾“ plywood to support the weak framing. Be careful not to restrict the swing arc of the door so it can still be opened after the plywood is mounted and replace the wooden door stop (on the frame) with a steel one. Mount security hinges and a substantial locking mechanism, [heavy duty strike plate(s) and dead bolt(s) as on an exterior door.] Exact details would depend on if the door was in-swing or out-swing, right or left handed, etc.

A more attractive option is a Steel Door & Frame Assembly where the door is pre-hung in a steel frame system. Possibly a steel telescoping frame system to fit various widths of walls. I suggest not less than 10 gauge steel and welded together in the corners and with non removable stops. These frames come with a prime finish so they can be painted and the door will look nice. I would go with an internally mounted Multiple-Point Lockset. The workings are inside the door so that the outside does not look so fortress-like.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

Internal doors of a dwelling dont enjoy any kind of protection. I recently replaced some closet doors and find them to be nothing more than 1/8 thick wood with cardboard filling inside. Pathetic.

And that gypsum drywall can easily be mouse-holed with the right item next to the door. Not very secure.

In fact, why bother with the door or windows? Just slap a ladder on the house get up top, rip a shingle or three and saw a circle in that old plywood below and drop down yer in while the owner is wondering what the hell is all that commotion up there.

 

[Mr.510]

How to fortify a flimsy bedroom door in a rental for cheap!

This only works if the bedroom door opens in! Cut a sheet of 3/4" plywood to fit the inside of the door. Put a 3" hole through it for the standard knob and notch it for the hinges if needed. If there's a spring door-stopper thingy knock a 1" hole for that so you don't have to take it off the door. Next cut two 2x4s the width of the door and screw them to the plywood from the door side. One goes at the bottom and the other goes just below the knob. Use lots of screws on the upper one! Now screw the plywood to the door with about two dozen drywall screws 1/2" in from the edge. Even really flimsy doors usually have an inch or more of wood around the edges, you want to hit this!

Cut two 2x4x8" blocks and screw them to the floor about three feet back from the door with serious screws. Cut two 2x4s that fit between these blocks and the 2x4 at the bottom of the door with about 1/4" of slop. Next cut two 2x4s to fit between the floor blocks and the upper 2x4 on the door. These should be angle cut so they have to be slipped in sideways. Mine are cut at a 45 degree angle from both sides to form a point when viewed from the edge.

When you're in for the night slip the two longer 2x4s in place right next to the jambs. Then drop the two short 2x4s between the blocks and the bottom of the door just inboard of the long ones. This setup triangulates the bottom half of the door and makes it nearly impossible to get through without a battering ram. You can also pull the blocks up and remove the plywood from the door in less than five minutes if your landlord or fire marshal does annual inspections or whatever.

WARNING! If you fortify your bedroom door put at least two smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector in the room. You have to be self-reliant if there is a fire because the fire department will not get through that door in time to save you!

I have done this door brace mod to a couple of my own doors and several friend's. When one friend decided to remodel we tried to knock down his door with the braces in place. No dice. Not even with a sledge hammer. We completely destroyed the actual door but couldn't even get a hand through after five minutes of bashing.

 

[telomerase]

Thanks guys, lots of good thoughts here.

 

[Girodin]

Mr. 510 that sounds rather secure, but far too unsightly to fly in my home. If one had a serious threat and lacked other security measures then it might be worth the sacrificing style for some extra security. i suppose if one already had an unsightly home it might be a fine addition as well.

 

[mbt2001]

If you have a mace bar and / or the brass security lock pictured above, the door will fall in the way of the attacker causing him to trip up on the way in...

The door is not going to crumble to pieces or explode into the room, it will be dangling over the door way and the attacker will not have very much freedom of movement at that point....

Cheap too. $30 bucks and done.

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

I'm a construction guy.... Some of the ideas about latching to door better dont take into account the fact you could easily kick it off the hinges or simply break the door. For that matter, the drywall wall isnt much of a barrier either. So, agian, dont spend to much time & money putting a better lock on a flimsy door. Unless you are willing to barracade the door, with the plywood & 2x4s then noise, lights, etc. should be considered. A good lock is fine, but dont put to much faith in it. When I look around my house, I know that a determined person can always get in, I just try to make it loud, in the light, and take enough time that I can arm myself. Unless you live in a masonry building with steel doors and frames, you really are not that secure.

 

[Tiomoid]

My Bedroom, while easily penetrable, is set up to make the most amount of noise and the most difficulty for an intruding party. My poor-mans brace bar is a kitchen chair under the doorknob. My GSD and 12 gauge should take care of anything that makes it threw.

 

[Mr.510]

Girodin:You are correct, it's not pretty, but.... the friend that I mentioned, that remodeled, owned the home with the braced door we tried to knock down. I helped him do the brace work and after it was installed he painted all the door reinforcement bits to match the room. He's a neat-freak minimalist type that keeps every door inside his house open unless he's asleep. Visitors are welcome to wander through his whole house (not my style!). With the bedroom door open you'd never know the bracing was there. The door opened 90 degrees and stopped against a wall. He put a dresser over the floor block on the hinge side and painted the block to match. We put his GF's small, low desk on the opposite side of the doorway at 90 degrees to the door opening, mostly so nobody would trip on the floor block that's basically in the middle of the room. I only know of one person that noticed and asked about the blocks on the floor..... and we braced the bedroom and entry doors in that guy's rental a month later.

The nearly invisible version:
One of my houses has solid wood doors throughout and they are HEAVY. We have a serious monitored alarm system and the house is on acreage in a nice rural area with very little crime. Since the doors, jambs, and hinges are so strong in this house I just screwed two pieces of 2x2x1/4" stainless steel angle 2" long into the floor on either side of the door, with the horizontal part butting up to the baseboard trim. Then I cut a piece of 1-1/2" OD SS pipe that drops in to secure the door. This version is only intended to slow somebody down long enough for my wife or I to get the cobwebs out of our eyes and the .308 Saiga to the ready.

 

[mbt2001]

"... fixed fortifications. Monuments to the stupidity of man. Mountains and Rivers can be overcome, anything built by man can be overcome." from the movie Patton

No offense Ohio, but if you spend your time trying to "harden" your house where do you stop?? Best strategy, harden the house to the degree that it negatively impacts the mobility of the attackers while maximizes your defensive tactics.

Keep your mobility:

I have a duty belt with gear (flashlight, reloads, radio / cell phone pouch) and my grab and go bag by my bed. Why? Fire, robbery, midnight phone call for any number of emergencies and I am good to go. I have a brace on the bedroom door. I have an iron gate over my front door, a heavy constructed and braced sliding rear door and a very good alarm system set at night full perimeter alerts and motion senors on. I have motion lights outside as well as some other tricks.

My house is a harder target than the neighbors house. Supposing that they do come here, I have the alarm system which defeats their surprise. I have a Boxer dog and a cat, the cat is a better early warning system believe it or not. The hallway to my bedroom is deadly choke point for attackers whether they use windows or not. The motion lights in the back give me an idea if we still have a line of retreat if they overrun us.

This isn't home defense, it is war and mobility is key. You have to minimize the enemy mobility, force them into kill zones to halt forward progress and maintain a reasonable avenue of escape to regroup and start the process over again. Done correctly, the enemy will either retreat or deplete their supply of man power. That is a victory, but the war goes on....

 

[Sunray]

"...Their ground floor basically can't be secured..." Nonsense.
Sliding balcony doors are secured with a length dowel. 1/2" will do. 3/4" is better. Cheap to buy too.
"...a mob of mutts..." One dog will do as much. Even a wee dog. A wee dog will defend its territory just like a big dog and they all think they're Rottweilers anyway.
Criminals are afraid of dogs of any kind. Dogs make noise and hear stuff you or your friend doesn't. There's no alarm sytem that as good as a dog. (Well, except for a goose. Roman military camps used geese.) Tell your friend to let a pound dog pick him/her. Animals pick who they'll live with. Doesn't work well the other way.
I'd suggest naming it 'portcullis', but that's not how it works with pets.

 

[telomerase]

Sliding balcony doors are secured with a length dowel.

He did that, but knows that the glass isn't much of a barrier.

Criminals are afraid of dogs of any kind.

Somewhat, but landlords fear them more

Unless you are willing to barricade the door, with the plywood & 2x4s then noise, lights, etc. should be considered.

Yeah. He either needs to replace the door or add some other stuff besides a latch bar.

fixed fortifications. Monuments to the stupidity of man.

He's not trying to keep out the Third Army... and for that matter the fixed fortifications DID keep the US Army bottled up in Italy till the war ended. Then there was the Mannerheim Line, that was cost-effective. more recently, Ecuador defeated Peru's offensive using a system of fixed defenses and minefields. People that build defensive lines are usually countering a larger opponent. They're also signalling that they have some policy alternatives to treacherous first strikes, something that might be nice for many nations that we could name.

Even the Maginot Line helped some... just wasn't a substitute for tank radios or tactical doctrine.

 

[scotjute]

Those rubber wedges used to hold a door open could be used to keep it shut or at least slow down the opening of it. Add a cheap lock as mentioned above, and you have increased your security for 2-3 minutes maybe at very little cost.