Doors – How to fortify them against invasion

Doors can be made of a variety of materials and provided with various means to secure them. In the house I grew up in, we had a screen door that was just a wooden frame with a mesh material stapled to it. It was locked by hook and eye lock. Not defendable at all. I mean with a little bit of strength someone could break through the mesh and rip the wooden frame apart. Add the "jonesing for brains" and the door is down with no problem. Our home had a regular entry door behind it so at night no criminals were getting in. However, during the day only the screen door separated us from the potential zombie frenzy. Our recommendation, if you have one of these doors, take it down and throw it away. They are not defendable.
 

Entry Doors

Homes come with some sort of entry door. They can be solid construction (fiberglass, wood, steel) or provided with glass panels. Sometimes the glass panels are integral with the door and sometimes there are glass panels next to the door.
As pretty as your glass panels may be, they are a security concern. A glass panel of any size can be broken through with enough force and the right tool. You have to stop and think. If the glass panel was gone, could a zombie get into my home (either by managing to unlock the door or by falling through the opening)?  If the answer is yes, then you need to either get rid of them all together, replace them with a shatterproof glass or keep spare wood and nails handy.
 

French Doors

So much glass EVERWHERE. Talk about non-defendable. These doors are pretty much pieces of glass with a frame. Some of them have fairly decent locks (deadbolts on top and bottom). But how good is a lock if all a zombie has to do is smash through the glass. Forgo the extra natural lighting and go green (solar panels) instead of opting for these doors.

 

Security Doors

These can be constructed of solid panel glass with a metal frame (Security Storm Door – See Storm Doors below). Some are even provided with a metal grid that covers the glass panel (Gardenview Security Door). Or they can be constructed of solid metal.

 

Most security doors are fairly solid and highly defendable. Those that are solid pieces of glass are not as defendable. If you do choose to have one of these, keep a solid door of some sort behind it. Keep the solid door shut at all times. The solid glass door should really only be used for decoration not zombie defense.

 
 Sliding Glass Doors

Ah, my favorite door. They are cheap and allow you a wonderful view (assuming you have something better to look at than just an apartment parking lot). Locks are easily popped, that's why they sale bars (Charlie Lock) to keep the doors shut. Again its like the french doors, not easily defendable. Keep them away from entry level. You also need to know if the sliding track is on the inside or the outside. A door with an inside track is easier to secure than one with an outside track.
 

Storm Doors

These are my favorite. A very lovely door that lets all the light in you could want with a little security. Usually these doors are in front of an entry door. What could be better than 2 doors that are protecting you? Now the zombies will have to take twice as long to get in to your home.

Some storm door varieties:

• Full-View - Full pane of glass
  
• Ventilating - Multi vent doors have full screens and allow for top and bottom ventilation with easily adjusting glass panels. Single Vent doors offer a half screens allowing for bottom ventilation.
• Security - Can be full pane of glass or as described earlier.
  

Locks

Of course the best door in the world is meaningless without a proper lock. All doors should be provided with some sort of deadbolt that extends as far as you can fit (this will vary on based on your home's construction). Maybe you already have a deadbolt. But if it is only a few inches long, only resides within the door frame, how hard do you think it is to kick that one in? In addition, we reccommend addition of a second lock on your doors (still talking exterior ones). This will give you added protection. You really need to do your own research here too. Find out what kind you need for your home and get the best you can.

"Oh no ZombieHomePrep", you say, "I have one of those doors you say are not defendable. What should I do?" You do have a few options. (1) Replace the current door with one that is more defendable, (2) Replace all glass with shatterproof or even bullett proof glass) (3) Board them all up and never use again. 

Happy Home Improvements!

The wife