Sliding doors are the modern trend, and homeowners are installing them in their new homes and replacing swinging doors with these. Installing sliding doors in your home is a smart move for several reasons.
For one, they have proved to be more energy-efficient compared to the other door types. For instance, they act as weather barriers preventing warm air inside the house from escaping outside during winter. When unbreakable glass is used, the doors provide more safety. Sliding doors also save on space; they are easy to use and bring beauty to a home.
Why securing your sliding doors?
Whether installed in the patio, the reception area at the office, the living room, or the main entrance to your home, it should be appropriately reinforced to prevent intrusion by burglars and thieves.
Compared to the other door types, sliding doors can be more vulnerable to intruders. For one, remember that sliding doors use latches as opposed to locks. It is easier for burglars to overpower the latched compared to locks. Also, sliding doors run on tracks. Note that intruders can make their way into your property in a matter of minutes.
If you do not take the security of your sliding doors seriously, you risk losing your valuable items and putting the occupants' safety at risk.
Tips to block possible intruders to enter Sliding Doors
You can do several things to reinforce the security of your sliding doors, regardless of where they are installed.
1. Applying window film
A window film can help in increasing protection against burglary. If installed correctly, window film can beef up the security of the doors in several ways. For one, it can increase the strength of the glass sliding door, making it hard for the burglars to break. They will take longer to break the glass, which will give you enough time to call security. Window film can also prevent the glass from flying and causing injuries when someone breaks in or when a natural disaster occurs. The film is made of layers of polyester, which can come in different thicknesses. The more the thickness, the stronger it will make the glass doors.
2. Make use of deadbolt lock
The best way to secure a sliding door is to get a lock that cannot be unsecured from outside. This is what makes the deadbolt lock the most ideal for increasing the security of your sliding door. These locks can be used for the external sliding doors. Note that they do not break and also have the advantage of the ease of use.
This means that if burglars use their usual tactics of using hammers and crowbars to break the lock, it won’t work. Also, regardless of how skilled a burglar is at picking locks, he won’t be able to pick a deadbolt lock. It will take a long time for the burglar to break this lock, which will buy you more time to call for help.
3. Install unbreakable glass that is laminated
Using unbreakable glass-like laminated glass will go a long way in securing your sliding door. Laminated glass is 10 to 15 times stronger than regular glass. To break this glass, you will need a stronger impact. More so, the glass does not break into shards as it is held in place by the resin layers used to make the glass. This makes it impenetrable.
Laminated windows will not only offer more security for your sliding doors, but it is also UV resistant, which will provide protection for your items, and it is also soundproof.
4. Add an alarm sensor
Incorporating an alarm sensor is one of the ways that you can make your sliding door more secure. The door sensor can be attached to the frame of the sliding door. How do the alarm sensors work? Well, they monitor the opening and closing of the door. When a force that is out of the usual is put on the door, the alarm will sound and alert the monitoring centre, which will call for help.
5. Adding a rod to the track of the sliding door
This will go a long way in preventing entry by the mere lifting of the door. Some sliding doors might come with the rod. However, if you get one that does not have it, it is worth making this investment. This will help in reinforcing the sliding door.
Wrap Up!
Sliding doors are stylish, save on space, and provide an architectural view. However, compared to the other door types, you need to do more to increase their security. Buying sliding doors with unbreakable glass, fitting a deadbolt lock, applying a window film, installing sensors, and adding a rod to the tracks will go a long way in making them more secure. The tips above will help make the door impenetrable.