Your Gilbert home is your palace, and you'll do whatever you need to do to make sure it keeps your family safe and sound from anything that may go bump in the night. Security is a paramount concern, and that security starts with your entry door.
But you face a challenge in the fight against criminals. Most doors claim they offer some level of security, which makes it all the more challenging the find the best security doors around. After all, if every door is secure (a bold claim indeed), how can you find the door that keeps your house safe, doesn't break the bank, and looks good?
PINKYS has the answers as we dig into what makes good security doors in Gilbert, Arizona.
Why Home Security Doors Matter
There are surely many reasons why you joined the 281,169 people who call Gilbert, Arizona, their home. There's the explosive growth that Gilbert has experienced over the last 40 years, with the once humble city of 6,000 (based on past U.S. Census figures) growing into a bustling metropolis that nearly 300,000 people call home. The city, which is dubbed Kindness, Arizona, by its residents, also has a reputation for safety, which statistics from Neighborhood Scout back up.
The site (which catalogs crime rate statistics for almost every city in America) says you have a 1 in 843 chance of being a victim of violent crime in Gilbert (which compares favorably to Arizona's statewide 1 in 204 rate). The same source tells us that Gilbert is safer than 42% of American cities, placing it squarely in the middle when it comes to security.
Nevertheless, being safer than 42% of cities means Gilbert is less secure than 58% of them, with property-related crime being a particular problem. Neighborhood Scout's figures go on to tell us that 2,926 property-related crimes occur in Gilbert annually, meaning 10.71 in every 1,000 residents need the extra safety that custom security doors provide.
For context, 10.71 in every 1,000 equates to about 1% of all property owners, emphasizing that Gilbert is a safe place to live. Still, it's always better to be safe than sorry. The extra security that comes from having the right door installed goes a long way to giving you additional peace of mind when you're enjoying your home.
The Qualities of a Good High-Security Door
Every company that manufactures front doors will tell you that they equip them with an extra layer of strength to make them more secure. So, you need to figure out what separates a standard door from a truly secure one, and these eight qualities hold the key.
The Highest Quality Materials
Imagine that you buy a car and drive it back home from the lot, only to find out later that it has a ton of problems. The engine rattles whenever you turn the key in the ignition, and the doors squeak whenever you open or close them. It's not going to be long before you decide that you don't trust your vehicle, which means back to the lot you go.
The same school of thought applies to your door, as every minor issue (often born from using poor materials) presents a security risk. If the lock rattles or feels loose when you turn the key, it's not going to create much of a protective barrier against the intruder. Every squeaking hinge, shoddy frame, and loose handle is a sign to a criminal that it's going to be easier to gain access to your home. Materials matter. Make sure your security door emphasizes quality as much as aesthetics.
A Formidable Frame
Aluminum, PVC, and solid wood are the most common materials used to create doorframes, but each has vulnerabilities that a thief can exploit. Plastic can crack, and wood is susceptible to the elements, causing rot and warping problems that can present vulnerabilities that a savvy burglar could exploit.
Think of your door's frame as though it's the foundation of your house. A building can't stand upright if it doesn't sit on a solid foundation, and your door won't be secure unless it has a tough frame (ideally made using iron or steel) to support it.
The Locking Mechanism
A door's lock is its first line of defense against an intruder. If that lock is shaky, unreliable, or requires you to jiggle it a little to open, it's vulnerable to a burglar who can use that lock's shoddiness to get your front door open.
The sad truth is that a locked door isn't necessarily a secure door, as there are many ways to pop the standard locks found on most front doors. A secure steel or iron door combines the strength and stopping power of the material used for the door with a tamper-proof locking mechanism (such as those found on the PINKYS website).
Strong Hinges
Did you know that there are hard and soft metals, and your choice between these metals can affect how secure your front door is?
Let us give you an example.
Many front doors combine stainless steel ball bearings with steel hinges, which pair a hard metal (stainless steel) with a soft one (steel). That combination is dangerous because the hard rubs against the soft, creating wear that will eventually force you to replace the hinges to stop the door from hanging loose in its frame.
PINKYS's security doors avoid this problem with a special hinge mechanism that combines steel hinges with copper washers, meaning you get two soft metals that last longer in concert with each other.
Elegance to Boost Your Home's Curb Appeal
Installing a big and bulky steel security door may give your home more protection, but you run the risk of making the property's frontage look garish to anybody who views it from the outside. That's a huge problem if you're trying to sell your home, as data from Strutt & Parker tells us that 76% of buyers say that first impressions are "everything" when they're viewing potential homes.
Security must come with a balance, meaning your door has to look as good as it functions to boost your home's curb appeal.
A Substantial Warranty
A warranty is so much more than a way for a manufacturer to sell you a product. It's a statement of confidence in the quality of the product that the manufacturer creates, with longer warranties telling you that the maker is confident that what they're selling will stand the test of time.
A limited lifetime warranty (be that on the door or the parts used in its construction) is the gold standard. But any warranty or returns policy the manufacturer provides, such as PINKYS 30-day no quibbles return policy, is a good sign that the door is a high-quality product.
Protection Against Extreme Weather
The level of protection you need against the might of Mother Nature will vary depending on where you live. In Arizona, a desert state, monsoon season is a definite risk to your front door. And don't listen to the denials of the state's old-timers, who often claim that monsoons aren't a thing in Arizona, as Arizona State University's School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning say they happen every year.
Bringing heavy rains along with them, these monsoons are akin to storms, though often without the thunder, lightning, and heavy winds you get in a storm. Even so, rain can cause rotting and warping in wood, as well as rust in untreated iron, meaning you may want to consider security storm doors to protect against the wet battering that occurs during the hot Arizona summer.
Materials Matter - The Differences That Materials Make in Security Doors
So, we've covered what makes a security door reliable, but now you have a bigger question to answer - what material is best?
Should you go with a steel door? After all, there's a reason why "strong as steel" is such a common cliché, so you might assume that steel is the best material for the job. But iron can be just as tough, wood is more common (and more cost-effective), and there's talk of new fiberglass doors that could offer even more security. Let's look at the pros and cons of each to help you decide.
Steel Security Doors
Simplicity, style, and durability are the trio of features that make steel doors so popular for home security.
Pros
- Very Little Maintenance - With a wooden security door, you're going to have to take the time to repaint and finish the door every couple of years to make it last. Steel doesn't rot or warp (which are both problems for wood), so you won't have to whip out your paintbrush often.
- Cost-Effective - Low manufacturing costs benefit homeowners when it comes to steel, as it's far cheaper to build solid (and aesthetically) stunning steel doors than it is for their wood or fiberglass equivalents.
Cons
- Energy Efficiency - A standard steel door won't do much to keep your home warm (or cool) because steel is an excellent conductor. Smart manufacturers (like PINKYS) solve the problem with thermal breaking, which involves using two layers of steel, with a gap between them in which to stuff an insulative material.
Wood Doors for Security
Pros
- Simple Repairs - Sanding, painting, and refinishing are all easy ways to repair a wood door. And with wood being in such abundant supply (depending on the type of wood you use), it's usually easy to replace broken parts of a wooden security door, too.
- Rustic Character - The natural look of wood makes it the go-to choice for those who want to achieve a traditional or rustic style for their home. Of course, the aesthetic qualities of the material do little for security, though they'll enhance curb appeal.
Cons
- The Need for Repairs - It's good that wood is so easy to repair because you'll be doing a lot of maintenance and touching up to keep your wooden door strong. When it comes to security, ask yourself if you want to use a material that's prone to rotting and warping, as well as being easier to break than iron or steel.
- High Cost - If you have money to burn, the upfront cost of a wooden door (combined with the cost of continued maintenance) may not be a big deal. But those trying to balance a budget may find that wood puts a big dent in their bank account.
Iron Doors
Pros
- Extreme Durability - There's a good reason why iron is the first choice for any product for which strength is a priority. Ancient cultures used iron to make everything from swords to suits or armor, and that level of protection is precisely what you get with the 12-gauge iron used to make a PINKYS's security door.
- A Dramatic Aesthetic - If you love the modern design philosophy, the bold and brilliant lines in a PINKYS iron door deliver modernity (and frame the built-in windows). For the traditionalists among you, wrought iron can be fashioned to offer ornate scrollwork and patterns that lend a touch of luxury to an otherwise barren frontage.
Cons
- High Cost - Like wood, iron is a more expensive material, often due to the extra care required in manufacturing. But unlike wood, iron gives you more strength, a hefty weight, and, when treated properly, fewer maintenance issues.
Fiberglass Doors
Pros
- Save Money on the Cost of Energy - Fiberglass has long been a material used for energy-saving purposes, with Forbes stating that insulation made using the material can cut heating and cooling bills by up to 50%. Those energy-saving properties translate to front doors made using fiberglass.
- Customizable - As a composite material, fiberglass gives customers (and manufacturers) more options when it comes to designing the door. You can use fiberglass to emulate wood, steel, or iron doors, though the material doesn't have the same properties.
Cons
- An Unnatural Look – The natural look is rarely evoked by fiberglass, although doors made from this material can be fashioned to emulate natural wood. However, they still have a distinctive sheen that gives the game away.
- They Don't Hold Their Value - Despite their longevity, fiberglass doors aren't attractive to prospective homebuyers. According to figures from property gurus Provia, sellers recoup an average of 77% (a little over three-quarters) of the cost of a fiberglass door, with steel doors recouping an average of 90% of their cost.
Ways to Beef Up Front Door Security to Keep Burglars at Bay
If you have a sturdy front door, why should you bother with extra security features to beef up your security?
Think about what people do with cars.
Every car comes with doors with locks that serve as a first line of defense in preventing criminals from breaking in and stealing the vehicle. But a lot of people will install extra measures, such as car alarms and steering wheel locks so that anybody who manages to break through that first barrier will have more work to do. Combined, these multiple layers of security are a deterrent that thieves will take one look and decide that breaking into the car is more trouble than it's worth.
The same line of thinking applies to your house, as each extra layer of security you create makes intruders far less likely to choose your home as their next target. If your new security door is the suit of armor that protects your home, these seven additional measures are the bulletproof vests (and similar accessories) that reinforce that armor.
Install a Security Screen Door
Everybody knows that screen doors, with their see-through mesh, are ideal for homeowners who want to get a peek at a visitor before letting them into their homes. They're also ideal for keeping dust at bay, as well as blocking pesky bugs from getting into the home.
But what you may not know is that you can get special security screen doors that essentially serve as a door behind your front door. You double up on your front door protection, forcing thieves to get through two big layers before they can get access to your home’s interior.
Use Home Security Systems
We talked about car owners using alarm systems in the introduction to this section, and anybody who's ever been awakened at night by the high-pitched blaring of a car alarm can tell you how effective they are.
Home security systems offer the same level of protection, starting with basic systems that detect motion and sound the alarm, to more advanced systems that alert the authorities.
Fit a Door Chain, Peephole, or Camera
Getting a look at whoever's standing at your front door can help you figure out if you're facing a threat or a friendly face. On the most basic level, door chains serve the dual purpose of being a secondary locking mechanism while allowing you to crack the door open to get a look outside without opening it fully.
If opening your door (even a little bit) sounds unsafe, peepholes give you a clear view of your home's frontage while you stand behind the shield of your front door. The more tech-minded among you can take the peephole further by installing a front door camera (like Amazon's Ring) so you can record live footage of anybody who approaches your home.
Reinforce Glass (Or Get a Window Replacement)
If a thief decides that your front door is too much of a barrier (and they don't mind making a little noise), your home's windows may be their next attempted port of entry. Single-pane windows are easy to smash through, so getting reinforced panes to replace them is a must.
Incidentally, PINKYS takes this approach with any of our iron or steel security doors that use glass. Beyond creating a beautiful look, with the glass allowing natural light to stream into your rooms, our dual-paned and tempered glass is tougher (and more energy efficient) than single-pane glass.
Light it Up
Burglars rely on the cover that night gives them to sneak up to homes without getting caught. Therefore, light is their enemy, meaning any illumination you create around your home's frontage is an instant deterrent to anybody who's hoping to go undetected when the sun goes down.
Automatic lights (which trigger whenever they detect movement) will startle intruders and often force a retreat when they're in the process of breaking in. But if you don't want to deal with lights flickering on and off whenever even the smallest animal wanders past the sensor, some elegant sidelights can serve a similar purpose, in addition to accenting the home's frontage.
Strike Plate Installation
A latch that locks directly into the door's frame is a latch that is easily broken with enough force. Strike plates give the latch a solid metal plate to slot into, which is why they've become a common part of the locking mechanisms used in modern security doors.
Strike plates come in several varieties, from the common strikers that connect to timber frames to T strikers that fit metal frames and door jambs. If your door doesn't have one of these plates installed, your lock is compromised because it'll be easier to break or pick.
Custom Iron Doors and Steel Doors from PINKYS
Your Gilbert home is your castle, but you don't have the luxury of building a moat or erecting a drawbridge to keep unwanted visitors at bay. Thankfully, you don't have to go to those extremes due to modern security door technology, which prevents forced entry while offering your home that all-important curb appeal.
So, let's assume you're ready to buy a security door. The question now is simple:
Why PINKYS?
A Family Legacy in the Making
PINKYS is the brainchild of two brothers, Vic and Dion Der, who took over the family door manufacturing business in 2014. Inspired by the gorgeous Californian landscape they grew up around, the Ders have made it their mission to create attractive and powerful iron and steel doors that are as stunning as they are secure.
Customized to Your Needs
A PINKYS door isn't an off-the-shelf product that you could find at any home store. Our doors are made to order, with options such as swing direction, color, size, thickness, and even the type of glass used.
Inspired by Modern Design
Gone are the heavy and clunky iron and steel doors of the past. PINKYS blends the old with the modern to create stunning exterior and interior doors. Big and bold lines, which often frame attractive glasswork or support detailed scrollwork, are hallmarks of the PINKYS design philosophy.
So, what are you waiting for?
Get in touch with PINKYS today and we'll help you secure your home's frontage (and make it look more beautiful) with a stylish steel or iron door.
