I lived in an apartment and replaced the deadbolt with my own (it was an ASSA, highly pick resistant). Well, I still got burglarized. They kicked in the door at the deadbolt, turns out the door was just styrofoam sandwiched between 2 thin pieces of sheet metal. The kick caused the deadbolt to bend out the metal sheet, push it out of battery and the door just opened right up. The expensive deadbolt was bent up and ruined. Moral of the story: a pick-proof lock is no good if they can just huff and puff and blow the door down.

People laughed when I put sum bars on windows. I rented to a lady with a baby. She liked the extra security very much. New Fan here💓🙏

Thank you for this information. I’m an elderly woman living alone who often wonders about my safety. Very helpful information.

Thanks, very helpful. I never considered why my super-heavy door has some of those features; now I know. An elderly woman owned this condo previously and I guess she took security very seriously, thankfully.

I'm a professional door reinforcer and what he says about what fails first and second and third is correct. I do some even more extreme stuff for people who require it, but a lot of those things are not exactly aesthetically pleasing but very effective. One thing I've done four people is the sleeve that goes over the door to keep it from spreading apart can be done with lag bolts instead of the little wood screws that come with it, that makes a very robust door. I take an angle grinder and cut off the excess bolts so they look a little better and don't end up sticking someone, I then put a dab of epoxy on the e and of the bolt and nut to keep the nuts from coming loose. I have also made my own giant striker plate out of that angle steel with the holes in it that is used for attaching garage door tracks. It uses a bunch of long deck screws for the striker area and then threw the front part I put some long skinny lag bolts. The lag bolts have to be slightly angled so that they hit the 2x4 framing. That is a pretty involved process because you have to hollow out the back of the door casing so you can cover up the metal and the lag bolts, plus mortis about a 2ft area on the door frame so the door doesn't hit the metal. This works really well on things like detached garages that are in a not-so-great neighborhood. Those two modifications will make a door extremely hard to kick in. One of them I did for someone ended up having a SWAT team battering ram used on it and it did not give way they did pretty much destroy the door though. SWAT got in but they got through a different door than the back door that I did the reinforcements on. You could tell by the condition of the door of that they really beat the hell out of it too. I did this to a detached garage for some lady in not completely gentrified area because they kept breaking in and stealing her son's bikes and stuff. It's been a year and nobody's breaking in now.

2:27 something that should be mentioned though also is that most screws do not have good shear strength and can snap very easily. You should make sure to choose a very strong screw because it doesn't matter how far in it goes if the screw itself is weak.

My second home was broken into by kicking in the side kitchen door. Took maybe 8-10 kicks, by the number of foot prints we saw on the door. After that incident, I reinforced all of my doors' jambs (amazon is a good source for materials, or local hardware store) with metal plates, installed the plate referenced in this video that is placed over the door knob, replaced the short screws (yep, they were in there) with the longer screws, and had security storm doors installed on a couple of the doors. I did everything myself (easy to do, plenty of youtube vids out there on installing) except for the storm door installation. Before the incident, I never thought that this would've happened to me.

This guy does a fantastic job at covering what is needed and not wasting time doing it. Thank you

When we build our houses we always beef up exterior doors and put 3" screws in the hinges and strike plates.

A local news story generated plenty of paranoia from a recent rash of B&Es. Since then I installed a double keyed deadbolt, the brass plate covers, and fastened an 8th inch thick steel strip on the inside of the door frame. Total cost $75 bucks.

I've learned more from this man then from my 'mentors' in my apprenticeship.

Thank you for keeping the videos short, sweet , and to the point.

I cut out parts of the frame from a foot past where the locks were located and fitted oak and teak inserts. These were glued and well screwed in using plenty of 6" long screws. The door itself had a half inch thick sheet of exterior grade plywood glued and through bolted onto its interior using steel coachbolts and wide washers. The frame where the hinges mounted was replaced in exactly the same was as described above for the lock locations and thick steel hinges were fitted using deep screws. Hinge bolts were also fitted. From the outside, the door revealed nothing about it's hardened state and after I had moved my old neighbour told me that the Police had raided the house looking for the new tenant and that it had taken over 15 minutes of multiple Officers repeatedly kicking the door. He told me that it was the lock itself (a Chubb) that had broken internally and that the door and frame were undamaged, I was especially pleased to hear this! One's front door is the first line of defence and should be treated accordingly! They can be very highly reinforced without too much outlay and the peace of mind alone is worthwhile! Whilst one doesn't have to go to the lengths that I did, virtually anything will be an improvement over standard doors and frames.

Make sure you use structural screws not regular wood screws because they don't have sheer strength. A regular wood screw if kicked hard enough the head would just snap off.

A friend of mine is a firefighter. He says he can kick in most doors when they need to get access to a house fire. The lock strength isn’t a factor, the framing around the door is.

Thanks for the tips. I've made a few minor upgrades: 1. Longer screws 2. Longer strike plate 3. Added a Phalanx CIWS with six barrel gatling gun firing 20 mm depleted uranium rounds

As a builder I do care about a secure door always put 3" screws through the hinges and the strike plate

We are buying a new house in a month and this info is fantastic! Thank you so much.

Adding long screws to the door hardware is a brilliant "Why didn't I think of that" idea! Thank you very much!

Thank you sooo much. I've had people come in at night when I am sleeping, so this will help.

Always thought this kind of stuff was so interesting. Great video.

In a maximum security situation you want to have as much time as possible to ready your firearm to deal with a deadly intruder. These tips can be the difference between having the time to ready lethal force or not.

I watched this and spent last weekend working on all my doors and windows.I got precious cargo to protect!!! Thanks for the tips.

I have 2 deadbolts,chain lock,chain lock with key,an 2 books on front door!Plus wedge wood 2x4 against door at all times!!My family had done this since I was a kid now I do it in my own home!!Everyone says it's way to much but it helps me feel little safer!!

I think hinge bolts should have been mentioned, they are cheap, diy friendly and secure a part of the door people ignore.

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video and try to educate us on safety & security. I have just subscribed. You have great tips for people like my husband and I that are seniors and aren't tech savvy.

Great tips! I tell people this all the time and try to get them to secure their doors. Most don't listen, but some do, and that's what matters.

The weakest part of the door is the false security it gives anyone.

I have strike kits on both of my doors and feel much more secure in my home. Those long screws really make a difference. 👍👍👍

Absolutely to the point And well articulated. A really good video.

Awesome information, thank you for sharing. Growing up in the 60s my father was big on being safe to protect us so we had a solid wood across our front door .

Great video!

This is a FANTASTIC video; tons of great info! Thank you for taking the time to make it!

Cause we need time to get the shotgun.

Good video. My laundry room door to garage only had a locking knob like for a bathroom . I added a dead bolt, and a door wrap for knob and dead bolt . The strike is long enough for dead bolt and knob and I screwed in nine # 9 3" deck screws into stud . I also added two 3" deck screws into each half of each hinge ( 2 into door and 2 into studs) .

i have walls and dogs. have never been robbed, everyone around my house has at one point or other. dogs are the best security systems.

That’s the screws I put on my doors as soon as I moved into my new home!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Some points I would like to add if you don't mind. 1. The screw should be star or torx so it doesn't strip out when inserting it. 2. It should have the cut out thingie near the tip of the screw. That makes it so the screw can go in the 2x4 and whatever else without splitting and/or cracking the wood. 3. if its an exterior door e.g. front or back, then the screw should be ceramic coated or stainless steel. 4. A structural screw is always preferable when going into structure. However, most structural screws don't have a flat head so it wont sit flush with the strike plate. That means you'll probably have to use a framing screw. Something like the Simpson SDWS Framing Screws or GRK R4 framing screw. Either one of those would work well as long as you get the appropriate length. 5. The screw should have twists up at the top. About 1/4" or 1/8" from the head of the screw on the shaft of the screw. That keeps the screw from backing out. The aforementioned Simpson SDWS and GRK R4 both have that.

Shocked by the statistics I learned from your "more..." section! 56% of burglars use a door! 😮 Where can I subscribe? Thanks for getting to the point in a relatable way.

We all feel so secure with our doors locked until we see this video! You did a great job of showing us how unprepared we are. The only thing I have going for me is my Pitt who lies at the front door waiting on me to come home…

Great video. No scare tactics. All info. I appreciate the info and wish the links were to your store, not Amazon.

Part of the problem with longer screws and stronger strike plates is that the poor design of the modern door and standard hardware puts the plate out over the end of the drywall, or maybe a half inch into the framing at most. The best replacement strike plates are probably the wider ones with 4 holes, which shifts the 2 inside screws another 1/2" or so into the framing.

Excellent advice. I will make some of these modifications on my doors. Thank you!

Last year when I helped him renovate his COMMERCIAL property we encounter some impressive security because the place used to be a bank, they used long screws, long strikes, door wrap, hidden locks etc, even double walls. Although everything was bought down with a sledgehammer and power saw, it was extremely hard, and the whole street can hear us grinding through the night, and we had several police and neighbour visits because people were curious about the noise (NOT NOISE COMPLAINTS). So yeah good security does work and does its job.

Thank you so very much for your planning, energy, and time you have put into this; invaluable information, professionally delivered; bless you.

Thank you! I feel mentally safe aIready, of learning of these products and problems I was unaware of!!!👍🙏😷

I’ve never seen a couple of the products you had in this video. I particularly liked the half deadbolt and the little accessory that would keep the deadbolt thumb latch from turning.Nice video…thanks for posting.

All door frames should be metal casing

Need wall security too. So many contractor built homes have walls that i can kick a hole in easily. I prefer 60kpsi concrete with steel reinforcement.

Absolutely the best thing you can do if you own a home is to put a security screen door on. That way you have to pull that door out before you can get to the main door.

We have had a steel entry door for decades. When I put the new door lock and deadbolt on I used three inch screws after I removed the interior wall and put additional studs on all three sides of the door. So now the framing around the steel door is over Five inches.

This is totally true, the apartment I live in was burgled a few years ago and the short screws that had been used weren't sufficient to hold the door. Since then, the screws were replaced with 3" ones and if another attempt is made, that won't be the cause of them getting in.

Awesome info! I need to do this for my mother's house.

What's the point when your windows are made of glass? Or if you have a sliding glass door.

Glad this was randomly recommended to me. I learned a lot and this is extremely practical to any homeowner.

I love how people on the coments are saying to use structural screws and all that mess, trust me it doesn't matter how strong the screw is, the fact is that unless you have a metal door, frame and door jam, it all breaks fairly easy. The screw will stay intact but the door jam is what breaks away. It's only about 1/2 an inch thick where the doorknob plunger engages the striker plate. If someone wants to get in your house through the front door by kicking it in they will most likely succeed

I've always upgrade the screws when installing doors. The host suggested using 3-4" screws. Great. What he didn't mention is overtightning them. Easy does it. Finish with a screw driver.

Replacing those short screws is the first thing I do in a new place

Excellently produced video. Thank you.

This is great information. I always replace the screws with 3 1/2 inch for that added protection. It’s quick n fast. The other products I will definitely look into and possibly use for some more added protection. Thank you

Excellent recommendations! I suggest that everyone looking at this video read "Burglars on are Job". As far as a know it's the only book written using interviews of professional burglars that have NEVER been caught.

I have a German shepherd and a 357. Also sensors on my driveway that chimes in my house when someone or something goes by them. No problems.

The half deadbolt is awesome! The sad thing is some people will install all of this great hardware on a crappy hollow core door. With all this great hardware you should at least have a solid door, or even a steel door.

Installing a commerial door would be a great security upgrade. Commercila doors open outward instead of inward like residential doors and are almost impossible to kick in. And prying it outward is also much more difficult.

big thank you for a great video from Canada

Quick and logical presentation with effective suggestions....well done 👍

Great presentation, I have already installed some of your suggestions, but will sow add some of yours. Thanks!

Funny how warnings like this just continue to come through my feed. Thank you though. It’s always wise to be one step ahead. Keep talking❤️

We had our door kicked in once, our on site security kept whoever it was from getting in (a 140 pound Rottweiler named Greta :) ). My dad fixed everything up and after he put the door back together he got a piece of stainless tubing and drilled the dead bolt hole out for it, it fit all the way thru the studs and the bolt went inside it. None was gonna kick that.

On the new house the doors will open outward, it's required to be gold fortified in hurricane country and also is much more resistant to being kicked in.

thank you so much for the lessons.

Hello; Thank you for all you do. *IF* you liked the video "LIKE" the video. I appreciated this, very good. Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!

I have been busting doors and windows for over 25 years. Thats right I am a professiinal firefighter. None of this stuff will slow down anyone who knows what they are doing for more than a second. Criminals are not complicated. Get a security system and have big dogs for when you are not home. If you are home have guns.

Another great informative video. I will be taking your information into account when I build my house. thank you.

BTW, great video. I appreciate your pointing out less expensive options. For me, it makes me then want to consider the more expensive options, too. I'm going to check out your other videos.

Really excellent video, thank you! I will be using these techniques to secure my home!

Had to come to your channel even though I’m in New Hampshire and say thank you 60 years old I had no idea that that plunger I had no idea what its function was! Thank you I’m going to go readjust all my doors! GREAT VIDEO! YOU sir have a knack for video......... I learned more in that five minute video about door hardware and safety my guess is I’m gonna go through all my doors and my children’s doors in their homes thank you very much❤️🇺🇸 How about a sliding glass door can you install the deadbolt and the slider?

Your take on this is the best and I've watched a lot of videos

Wow, I wish I knew this earlier. I wished I had seen this video a week ago. Robert is 100% correct. My house was recently burglarized through breaking in the front door. Unbelievable that the police and detectives didn't offer this advice when they came to the scene to investigate. The PD is only useful for taking reports. Anyway, my house was breached through the front door by the scumbag thieves just forcing the door open. The tiny screws gave and the striker plates came off and even the hinges dislodged from the frame. I now believe if I had 4" screws all over and the security striker plate my front door could've been more secure and possibly not be burglarized. I can tell you from my own experience, the door is an easiest entry point, because after all that's how they got my gun safe and everything else out. I had everything of security: 12 floodlights, RING, ADT alarm system and monitoring, signs and stickers, and 4 high end surveillance cameras. It all failed!!! I should give a course on this. All alarm companies have inherent failures. This is in the dispatching time. In a burglary every second counts. What happens is that there is a 40 second entry delay to enter code in key pad when you enter the house and set off the alarm. 40 seconds is enough time for burglars to roam. Then once alarm is activated, ADT spends about 3-5 minutes trying to call you or your contacts at all the numbers you listed as a contact. Finally once they call you and alert you of the break in, which my stomach churned when I got this call, they finally called the police. It took about 5 minutes for police to arrive. Well, I reviewed the camera footage and the scumbags only took 4 minutes in the house. So they were gone and had more than 5 minutes to get away. Also, I believe this high tech scumbags use phone apps with police scanners and time the burglary. So, I had everything in security in place and I got robbed. So here's what I learned, yes the system kept them down to 4 minutes and. But they did well in 4 minutes, the stolen property and damages cost about $15,000. The police dispatch needs to be sent before they break in. So don't waste money on cameras unless it can detect motion and through Wi-fi send an alert. If cameras can't send alerts, they are useless. Also, don't give alarm companies a number to call, this is so stupid. Have them call the police with any inside alert, so what about a $75 false alarm. Looking back I wished I knew this all because I love my home and this could've been prevented. The Ring worked. It recorded the whole break in and sent out an alert. But the problem was the alert to my phone was delayed due to poor cell phone connection. Besides, we are not glued to the phone and in my case I didn't have it nearby so this was useless too. All in all,surveillance footage makes for a gut wrenching terrible movie to watch. To see your home invaded and all your personal valuable taken for ever is sickening. So use the 4 inch screws, security striker plates, extra deadbolt, alerts from cameras, lights outside the front and back of house, exterior siren with strobe in front of house. Most importantly forgo the $75 false alarm fee by the town police and get the police to the house ASAP. Alarm systems all fail because the delays built in them. However, a neighbor is probably the best and can call 911 asap, but in my case my evil neighbors aren't friendly and they watched the whole thing go down and never called 911. So don't rely on neighbors. This all happened while I was away working long hours to help in the COVID crisis as a tester and this is what I came home to. Please be safe, and during these challenging times, remember that crisis brings the worst in people too, they are desperate and will do evil things. Take care friends and if anyone needs more info let me know.

My wife is crying 😢 out for long screws😍

1:14 anyone could say the same thing about your trade... “ Locksmiths don’t actually care about your safety or security. They’re just trying to make a quick buck and get onto the next job” I don’t actually believe that but that’s basically what you just said about Builder’s -Not a builder or locksmith

The strike has a strike side security plate that is larger, thicker and is secured with #8 3” screw.

This guy did a great job explaining some of the principles of improving door security.

Great tips. I've never seen a door installed with the plunger in a place to be correctly actuated by the strike.

I really feel sorry for you guys! Here in Israel all doors from all companies are made of steel with much more thickness than what you advertise as a "door wrap" and all doors have multi lock pins to the ground top back and front of the door! The frame is steel on concrete! (old doors are steel on wood) the only way to get in is from a window or to hack the look, and if you add a smart look as well as a camera it is virtually impossible to enter the house...

I’m on the other side of my door with my 4 dogs and arms. Fenced with cameras and alerts. Never had a problem but neighbors have been robbed because they weren’t prepared.

Thanks for educating us.

My door and frame are steel. The wall solid cement. Good video though.

Is Wile E. Coyote one of your customers?

This was a phenomenal video. Thank you!!!

Love the half deadbolt and never knew about that. VERY happy to see your video, so thank you for the schooling :-) Gary

Great video with a lot of good points on how to stop someone from coming in through a door. But if they are that willing to pound on a door that hard, whats stopping them to come in through a window? Any tips for improving window and doorwall security?

thank you for helping me protect my love ones

Such easy common sense improvements. Thank you for sharing I am considering more Down sizing to live alone in immediate so these are great tips.

Awesome, straightforward security upgrade tips!

Why do you need to have extra security? Today's news.

Like to have a dollar for every one of those Don-Jo wraparounds I've installed. Worked at a university so you might imagine.

there has never been a better time to get home doors strengthened

Great Job, thank you

Wood door frames really are the worst; I accidentally kicked my front door in with a single kick, after being locked out of my house. Just kicked it once, outta frustration and the frame split from top to bottom. WTF?! Pulled out my hammer, some twisted nails and nailed it back together. After the 'repair', I gave it several swift kicks and it won't budge. After having that happen, I've come to see the frame itself as a major security flaw. That two foot strike guard sounds like a great investment for anyone with a wood frame. But, it'd be even better if it was L-shaped, with screws also running the length of the frame.