Door Jamb Armour, Security Screen Door , Install and review.

[unslung]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQWDZzQfe7I
This is the entire door jamb armor from the factory. This is the universal kit with two separate deadbolt brackets, two separate hinge brackets, one door jamb bracket, and a bag of 3 1/2" wood screws. I purchased this unit from Lowes hardware for $108.26 plus tax. They do not stock this item at any of the stores around my location so i had to order it in from the door department, which took about a week. I have never used or seen this product before, have no affiliation with this company, and do not profit from selling or installing any type of security products.


2 deadbolt brackets and screws.



2 hinge brackets and 1 door jamb bracket.



This is the crappy side door to my house, the door frame shakes when you close the door. This is an inward opening door. A twelve year old girl could kick it open in approx. six seconds.



The woman that lived here before me had a douche bag boyfriend that apparently liked to kick in doors. This busted mess is what is left.



Disassemble the handle and deadbolt face from the door using a screwdriver.



Leave the door cross bolts in place.



Try not to break the deadbolt cross pin like some dumb ass that i know. Old and broken on right , new and expensive on the left.



Slide doorknob covers over door knob hole, and screw in place then reinstall doorknob and deadbolt faces. This operation took about 17 minutes ( trip to the hardware store for a new deadbolt not withstanding )



Remove the left and right side interior door moulding,leave the top piece.Remove the screws from the jamb side of the hinge. Using a sawzall cut any remaining screws or nails on the interior wall side of the door jamb so that the hinge bracket can slide over the jamb. Slide the hinge bracket over the jamb, around the hinge. Drill an 11/64" hole through the provided openings in the bracket, and hinge screw holes.


Screw hinge bracket in place and while you are at it replace the 1" hinge screws with 3" screws that will bite in to the wall framing and door .



Repeat with lower hinge bracket. Mine is into the foundation wall so instead of screws it is held in place with 3" concrete nails. This operation took about 45 minutes.



My door framing is apparently made of fiberglass insulation. No wonder it was so flimsy. There is a 2" gap between the door jamb and the framing that it is supposed to be screwed to.



I have removed the insulation and filled the gap with 2" of good lumber,installed the door jamb bracket on the door jamb, using the same sawzall and drill bit process previously outlined for the hinge brackets, and screwed the whole thing together with 4" wood screws. This operation took 2 hours but i had to totally re frame my door jamb. Actual time with good framing would be approx. 30 min.



Door open with bracket installed.



Crappy busted moulding has been reinstalled temporarily. You can see from this picture how much of the bracket shows.



The puny screws on the left , which used to hold the hinges to the door and jamb have been replaced with the beefy wood screws on the right.



Review ... i am a six foot 235# construction worker and i kicked and body checked this door until i was afraid the i would dent the door and it is solid as a rock . This product worked just as i expected from the advertising . This is very effective at making my crummy exterior door in to a heavy duty security door. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for an inexpensive way to beef up there home security.

[raptor]

Great Post! Thanks for sharing it.

[unslung]

As a side note on the same project , i installed a security screen door with an additional door knob and deadbolt. This was also purchased form Lowes hardware. The security door cost $118 plus tax . It screws through the existing moulding with 4" proprietary head lag bolt. 3 on each side and 2 on the overhead bracket. The steel framing in this door is very stout once installed and it is backed by a fairly robust screen material. The door knob and deadbolt package was $46.99 and the clerk at Lowes changed them to fit my existing house keys at no additional cost. So i don't have multiple different keys to get in to my own house. I didn't even know that they could do that . This install took about 2 hours. All in all i am very happy with the extra security on this entrance and it is very reassuring to have it in place. I am so pleased with the way that this project came out that i am going to start hardening my other exterior doors in the same manner.

[Wildeman_13]

Well done! Good note on the reinforcing of the space between the door frame and the true wall. Most people don't bother to check this spacing to see how open it could be. Good catch! Did you or were you able to check the other side by the hinges? I would hate to have that side split if someone truly wanted entry. But I guess with the metal door as well you are pretty safe.

Quick note on the metal screen door. I tell people to use double keyed dead bolts on these for additional safety. Mostly if you ever leave the inside door open and the metal one locked for air circulation. The reason is that someone with the right tools can cut open the screen enough to get to the dead bolt and door locks. Yes it is tough and would take the right tools, but it does happen. With the double key dead bolts, there can't do squat. I put these on all side and back doors when I can. I leave the front door with the standard turn latch on the inside for fire safety, plus spare keys to the dead bolts close to those doors, just in case.

[unslung]

Wildeman, I couldnt see into the wall on the hinge side but my long screws all found good purchase and seated solidly so i think I'm good. The bottom hinge is also anchored into the concrete foundation, and it is very solid. I will also do some thinking about double key deadbolts. That possibility had not crossed my mind. Thanks.

[Richter]

nice! I've been trying to do this for a while...

how long did it take you to install everything? total time? like an afternoon?

[Wildeman_13]

Wildeman, I couldnt see into the wall on the hinge side but my long screws all found good purchase and seated solidly so i think I'm good. The bottom hinge is also anchored into the concrete foundation, and it is very solid. I will also do some thinking about double key deadbolts. That possibility had not crossed my mind. Thanks.

Not a problem. I know quite a few people that have the simple dead bolts with the turn latch on doors with glass windows on them or next to them. Kinda defeats the purpose of a dead bolt when someone can smash the window and open it from the inside.

[unslung]

nice! I've been trying to do this for a while...

how long did it take you to install everything? total time? like an afternoon?

The door jamb armor took approx. 1 1/2 hr. as long as you don't run in to any big problems or break anything like i did. This time includes rummaging around for tools and prep work so it is actual time. But you don't have to install all of the parts at one time to maintain your current level of security. The security screen door took me 2 hrs. but that includes a trip to the hardware store .

[Jaqen]

Nicely illustrated post. Thanks!

[Vicarious_Lee]

Not a problem. I know quite a few people that have the simple dead bolts with the turn latch on doors with glass windows on them or next to them. Kinda defeats the purpose of a dead bolt when someone can smash the window and open it from the inside.

Yes, it does. I have one of those. I'm pussyfooting on what to do, since my house is so unsecure in so many ways. I should prioritize replacing it with a keylock before armoring doors.

And thank you all upside your head for this thread, OP. I'm thinking it's Hall Of Fame worthy. There's a lot of talk about door jamb armor floating around. You can be the resident ZS expert on the topic. Great thread and thanks for contributing!

[Wildeman_13]

Yes, it does. I have one of those. I'm pussyfooting on what to do, since my house is so unsecure in so many ways. I should prioritize replacing it with a keylock before armoring doors.

And thank you all upside your head for this thread, OP. I'm thinking it's Hall Of Fame worthy. There's a lot of talk about door jamb armor floating around. You can be the resident ZS expert on the topic. Great thread and thanks for contributing!

I'm no security expert, but the best way to prioritize is to walk around your house and think like a thief. Find the easiest ways in first. Criminals will almost always take the easiest path. From that list, figure out which you can afford to fix now and try to do one a month. Better than fretting and doing nothing.

And I second the vote to sticky this and HoF it!!!

[thelight]

Thanks for the post. I've been curious to see an unbiased review of that product. Might have to put that on the BOL.

[nyiangelo]

Thanks for reviewing this. I have 3 that I am installing in my house. Good to see a review on it.

[mtnfolk mike]

very cool.. great post....

[Trebor]

Good write up. Thanks for posting it.

How do you think the system would work on an interior door? I've been thinking of installing it on my gun room door for some added security.

I'd also probably do the exterior doors as well, but I actually might do the gun room door first as I can afford one door right now and not all three.

[phil_in_cs]

Excellent post - thanks!

[unslung]

Good write up. Thanks for posting it.

How do you think the system would work on an interior door? I've been thinking of installing it on my gun room door for some added security.

I'd also probably do the exterior doors as well, but I actually might do the gun room door first as I can afford one door right now and not all three.

Not knowing what your door, door jamb, and frame are like, i would guess that it would turn the door into the weak link in that scenario. Most of the interior doors that i have seen are built for privacy not for security. If it is a low quality door maybe you could also replace the door with a good stout exterior door? I am doing that myself today with the back door on my house. Maybe one of the carpenters on the board will chime in. But i like the idea, and have done something very similar to what you are describing myself. It is very reassuring.

After thought... if you decide to go for it don't for get to measure the door thickness, door knob setback, and door knob to deadbolt spacing center to center. If you dont have a deadbolt on that door this would be a good excuse to get one . A couple of those heavy duty sliding bolt locks high and low on the inside of the door might not hurt either. Just saying

[Sckitzo]

Very nice, been thinking on that DJA for awhile, glad to hear it lives up to the hype.

[unslung]

Very nice, been thinking on that DJA for awhile, glad to hear it lives up to the hype.

I have another D.J.A. kit ordered. I should have it around the first of Feb. I will briefly let you know how that one went as well .

[whisk.e.rebellion]

Awesome write-up and thanks for all the pics.

I don't like that the brackets are visible, though, especially on the outside. The fact that they're visible on the inside probably precludes me from installing it on my front door because it won't go with the wife's aesthetics. The fact that they're visible on the outside makes me nervous that someone may notice them and start paying too much attention.

I just noticed that the pictures on the vendor's site don't show these as being visible in the end. They're noticeable now that I re-watch the YouTube video, though.

[unslung]

Awesome write-up and thanks for all the pics.

I don't like that the brackets are visible, though, especially on the outside. The fact that they're visible on the inside probably precludes me from installing it on my front door because it won't go with the wife's aesthetics. The fact that they're visible on the outside makes me nervous that someone may notice them and start paying too much attention.

I just noticed that the pictures on the vendor's site don't show these as being visible in the end. They're noticeable now that I re-watch the YouTube video, though.

They are paint-able to match your door. This spring I am going to remove and repaint the entire door, so i have installed them without painting.

[Wildeman_13]

If you do decide to replace your interior doors with something heavier... specifically an exterior door, make sure that you measure the opening to ensure it fits. Exterior doors tend to be larger/wider than interior. Also, older houses may not have standard sized door frames. You should remove all molding from your door frame and measure the width and height from the opening framing itself... not the door frame! This is critical if your door is not standard. Nothing worse than spending $100+ on a door that doesnt fit and forces you to reframe the entire doorway. Not that I have ever had to do that...

On the plus side, it helps to teach your basic framing skills and even dry walling.

[JTNieman]

For new construction, iirc, exterior doors are typically 3070, while interior are 2868. 3'0"x7'0", and 2'8"x6'8" respectively.

[Trebor]

Good write up. Thanks for posting it.

How do you think the system would work on an interior door? I've been thinking of installing it on my gun room door for some added security.

I'd also probably do the exterior doors as well, but I actually might do the gun room door first as I can afford one door right now and not all three.

Not knowing what your door, door jamb, and frame are like, i would guess that it would turn the door into the weak link in that scenario. Most of the interior doors that i have seen are built for privacy not for security. If it is a low quality door maybe you could also replace the door with a good stout exterior door? I am doing that myself today with the back door on my house. Maybe one of the carpenters on the board will chime in. But i like the idea, and have done something very similar to what you are describing myself. It is very reassuring.

After thought... if you decide to go for it don't for get to measure the door thickness, door knob setback, and door knob to deadbolt spacing center to center. If you dont have a deadbolt on that door this would be a good excuse to get one . A couple of those heavy duty sliding bolt locks high and low on the inside of the door might not hurt either. Just saying

Thanks for the tips.

There is a deadbolt on that door now. When we moved in the first thing I did was have a locksmith install new, better, locks on the exterior doors. I recycled one of the old deadbolts by having it installed on that interior door. This also made it so that room uses a different key then all the exterior locks, just for when we loan keys to a friend to take care of our pets, etc.

I think what I might do is buy a set and see if it will work on the interior door. If it doesn't, I'll just install it on the front door instead.