Security Screen Doors: How to Make the Right Choice

It’s been proven many times that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In terms of the security of your home that means that every single entrance needs to be as safe and secure as possible. This doesn’t mean we need to turn our homes into bunkers, but we should probably take some reasonable steps to ensure that a burglar has as difficult a task as possible.

Whether you’re thinking about having a screen door installed because you live in a hot climate and need to let a breeze into your home or you live in a cold area and you need to protect your regular door even more, there are some security issues you need to take into account before making a purchase. So, let’s look at some of them.

What type of door do you need?

This is probably the most important question and the answer depends on many factors. First of all, only you know how valuable your belongings are and whether your neighbourhood is known for break-ins. The more security you need, the sturdier door you’ll have to get. Steel is always a good option in such cases.

If, on the other hand, burglars are not a great concern of yours, but you’d love to keep bugs and rodents at bay, you might opt for one of aluminium security screen doors, which give the appearance of security. You can choose different types of aluminium that provide various levels of protection, depending on their sturdiness and price.

Steel vs Aluminium Doors

Many experts claim that if you install a steel door properly, you’ll get the best protection possible. They are more expensive to purchase than aluminium ones, and they are also more prone to corrosion, i.e. they require more maintenance.

Aluminium doors, on the other hand, need to be reinforced at the corners and the frame needs to feature a deeper channel for the grille to make it more difficult to push the edge out of the frame.

Infill

There’s a wide range of options here, from steel bars and aluminium grilles to stainless steel mesh. Bars and grilles provide the best security if they’re made of steel. If you’re not so worried about that, you may well go for aluminium grilles.

Both aluminium and steel door frames can use woven stainless steel mesh as infill. Such doors might be a good compromise, since they don’t obstruct your view like bars and grilles, but they provide more security.

One of the more recent additions to the market are aluminium perforated sheets, which resemble stainless steel mesh, but come at a cheaper price. The level of security they provide is said to be on a par with stainless steel mesh.

Locks

Just like you need a good door to provide better security to your whole home, if you don’t have a good lock, no matter what kind of door you have, your home will be easy to break into. Avoid wafer locks and choose a five- or six-pin cylinder for the key lock. An additional three-point lock at the top or bottom will strengthen your door more by spreading the force of an attack.

Hinges

Ideally, your hinges should be recessed or you should at least have a hinge filling between the door and the frame for increased safety. Another option is to have one hinge running along the full length of the frame. If you don’t have such a hinge, you should choose a door that comes with at least three hinges.

As you can see, there are quite a few considerations to make when choosing the best screen door and the correct choice depends on many factors. If you know what you’re looking for and if your budget is appropriate, you can treat yourself to a great new screen door that will provide exactly what you need.