How to reinforce door frame?

[iwmtv]

I was looking at my door frame and the door stop is actually just a piece of moulding nailed to the frame. What's to keep someone from simply prying off the moulding and then having access to the bolts and pushing them in manually?

[mitch.capper]

http://www.djarmor.com/

Cheers.

[globallockytoo]

www.nokickins.com

Cheers

[Raymond]

Many years ago when I lived in an apartment, the landlord refused to allow a significant strengthening of the door frame to enhance my security. Being a technical minded person who did not want to accept such a frivolous denial, I invented the following solution that is indetectable without disassembly. Yes, I improved my security status anyway.

Take two 5/16" lag bolts that are about 4" long and drill and tap the center of the hex head with machine threads. 8-32, 10-32, or 10-24 are all very good sizes. 8-32 will not appear any different from standard strike wood screws.

Drill pilot holes through the original strike screw holes or make adjustments at this time if necessary to allow smooth bolt operation. The lag bolts should go all the way into the solid 2 x 4 frame behind the door moulding. Cut out enough wood just under the heads of the bolts to allow the bolts to be screwed in with a wrench or socket just below the surface of the wood frame.

Use a stainless steel screw to attach the original strike plate to the lag bolt heads.

You now have a beefed up strike that looks just like it did before you started.

Also, along the edge of the door itself, you can sink quite a few 8" by #10 drywall type screws. Repaint over them afterward. This considerably improves the split resistance of most doors.

[yono]

Wooden doors and door frames are really something we have to consider checking, besides equipting our doors with good locks especially, the main and the backdoors. RAYMOND-had said it all whats to be done. I may add a little assuming, you just have one lock, (was it a knob lock?) and the doorframe you are concern with is on your main door. Its quite advisable to have one more Deadbolt type lock, with at least 1 inch throw, be install on your door. lots of deadbolt type lock has a positive locking mechanism that resist prying. (when bolt is fully thrown). this is just an advise though.

[globallockytoo]

Wooden doors and door frames are really something we have to consider checking, besides equipting our doors with good locks especially, the main and the backdoors. RAYMOND-had said it all whats to be done. I may add a little assuming, you just have one lock, (was it a knob lock?) and the doorframe you are concern with is on your main door. Its quite advisable to have one more Deadbolt type lock, with at least 1 inch throw, be install on your door. lots of deadbolt type lock has a positive locking mechanism that resist prying. (when bolt is fully thrown). this is just an advise though.

It really doesnt matter how many locks you put on the door. If the frame is not protected, no expanded quantity of locks will improve the security of that application. I can still kick the door down. The locks including the deadbolt can remain locked.

[yono]

an apology in advance
It seems my point is missed here.
Mr.RAYMOND's contribution and MINE is to reinforce the weak door frame against PRYING.., not against kicking. if kicking (the door) would be the case, then a different suggestion would be given.- and one of those is a door that opens out. dare kicking that?

[iwmtv]

an apology in advance
It seems my point is missed here.
Mr.RAYMOND's contribution and MINE is to reinforce the weak door frame against PRYING.., not against kicking. if kicking (the door) would be the case, then a different suggestion would be given.- and one of those is a door that opens out. dare kicking that?

Yes, thank you for the help. I'm seeking to reinforce the frame against prying.

For kickins I would probably get something like the Strike Master.

Keep from prying is what I need to reinforce right now.

[iwmtv]

Many years ago when I lived in an apartment, the landlord refused to allow a significant strengthening of the door frame to enhance my security. Being a technical minded person who did not want to accept such a frivolous denial, I invented the following solution that is indetectable without disassembly. Yes, I improved my security status anyway.

Take two 5/16" lag bolts that are about 4" long and drill and tap the center of the hex head with machine threads. 8-32, 10-32, or 10-24 are all very good sizes. 8-32 will not appear any different from standard strike wood screws.

Drill pilot holes through the original strike screw holes or make adjustments at this time if necessary to allow smooth bolt operation. The lag bolts should go all the way into the solid 2 x 4 frame behind the door moulding. Cut out enough wood just under the heads of the bolts to allow the bolts to be screwed in with a wrench or socket just below the surface of the wood frame.

Use a stainless steel screw to attach the original strike plate to the lag bolt heads.

You now have a beefed up strike that looks just like it did before you started.

Also, along the edge of the door itself, you can sink quite a few 8" by #10 drywall type screws. Repaint over them afterward. This considerably improves the split resistance of most doors.

Thank you, this is very helpful. Can you provide the exact tools necessary (drill bit size and type, tapping, etc..). So essentially the the strike plate is screwing into the lag bolt which is screwed into the jamb.

[Raymond]

Well,.....
An 8-32 tap usually requires a #29 drill. (about 1/8)
The 5/16" lag bolt pilot holes can be drilled with 7/32".

I would use a drill press instead of drilling the holes in the bolts freehand. However, the fact that you requested this detailed info suggests to me that you do not commonly make such metal modifications. Tapping the holes in the bolts should be done with experienced supervision because the taps are very brittle and can break easily. If one breaks off in the bolt you can usually throw it away.

[Raymond]

I am trying to send a photo of the lag bolt strike product.

lagboltstrike.jpg

[Violent_Vegetable]

I'm a firefighter and regularly see house or apartment doors with nice expensive abloy locks, and weak hollow doors or completely inadequate frames. I open 80% of doors with nothing more than my axe. I strike the door right above the lock with the flat head of my axe and in most cases 1-2 hits makes it fly open (the days of kicking in doors are long gone!)

When a resident has a proper frame and door, or an outwards opening door, then I have to pull the heavy artillery out... the Halligan bar and a sledge hammer.

This is a halligan:


Have a look at this FF training video, it'll give you an idea how easy doors are to open (when you don't mind causing damage like in an emergency, or when a bad guy wants in your house...) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uor16OYmKs

Makes you go hmmmm!?

[globallockytoo]

This is not the point. The point of the exercise is to protect the door from potential burglars, not the fire brigade.

I would certainly hope that the FF's could use their suitable tools to destructively enter in an emergency. But protecting a door frame from a burglar and a firefighter are 2 completely different things.

[Violent_Vegetable]

I don't think you understood my point global...

The reason I draw a parallel here is that if I can open a door with nothing more than a strike with the top of my axe (using it like a ram), then you can bet your bottom dollar that a bad guy can open it just as easily with a kick.

By the way folks when beefing up your door frame, also think about the windows in or next to the door... all too often people want to save a few bucks and install a lock with a key on the outside only and a knob inside within arms reach of a window. I open many doors by breaking a window and reaching in, half the time there is a knob or a key inside.

PS: You don't really need to worry too much about "over protecting" a door from us (well within reason of course!), when push comes to shove we have heavy artillery to get in... from heavy hand tools to carbine tipped chainsaws and diamond bladed resQsaws and hydraulic tools. And if a door is too secure we'll go thru another, or a window or a wall... we won't waste time.

[globallockytoo]

I understood your point completely. If the frame is reinforced using especially designed products to thwart kick ins, then you WILL NOT KICK IN THE DOOR!

Using an adse you will probably destroy the frame far worse than any potential kick in.

I challenge you to kick down a door with a correctly installed Strikemaster II. You'll be surprised. If you can do so, then I will eat my words and publish a retraction.

I have installed at least 30 of them and never had one fail. The company have sold in excess of 5000 units in 2 years and had none fail.

There have been independent tests by fire departments, police, security agencies.
Since you are so sure, why dont you buy one and test it out on video?