Strengthening solid metal and wood entry doors:
- If the door is in good condition, inspect the hinges. Three hinges are recommended.
- Make sure the screws in the hinges are long enough to penetrate the permanent structure at least 1 inch.
- The door should have a dead-bolt lock with a minimum 1-inch bolt throw length.
- For double entry doors:
- Install heavy-duty barrel bolt sliding latches at the top and bottom.
- Connect the barrel bolt through the door header and threshold and into the subfloor.
- Fasteners can be added to improve the anchorage of the door frame to the wall.
- The length of the fastener will need to be at least 3 inches.
- Wood screws should be No. 12.
- Nails should be 10 or 12 penny.
- Tapcons can be 3/16-inch in diameter.
- Install the first fastener within 6 inches of the end of the frame with one fastener at the top and one at the bottom of each side. These should be placed no farther apart than 16 inches.
