Introduction

Install special door and jamb reinforcement plates to keep burglars from breaking into your home. It only takes an hour.

You can spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy “pick-proof” deadbolt for your entry door. But you’re kidding yourself if you think that will stop most burglars.

The truth is, most bad guys don’t know how to pick a lock. They gain entry with one really well-placed kick or body slam that splits the doorjamb, and often the door as well. Then they walk right in. You can increase your entry door security and stop burglars in their tracks by beefing up your door and jamb with reinforcing hardware.

Start by measuring the entry door thickness and the spacing between the entry knob and the deadbolt cylinder. Then buy a single or a double wrap-around door reinforcement plate kit (less than $25 at any home center or hardware store) and four 1-1/2-in.-long stainless steel wood screws. Grab a doorjamb reinforcement kit as well; we recommend the StrikeMaster II.