Patios are an important part of any home’s aesthetic, but the patio door needs to look good and also be secure and prevent burglars or unwanted animals from entering your home. When it comes down to it, which type of patio door is the most secure?
Sliding patio doors are the most secure type of patio door. They have shatter-resistant double or triple-paned glass and the latch is secure when in place. Sliding doors are also heavier than other patio doors. A wood or metal bar can be placed in the frame of sliding glass doors for added security.
Now that you know what the most secure type of patio door is, you may be wondering how you can ensure that your patio door is secure and what other types of patio door you might choose for your home. Let’s explore these questions below!
The Most Secure Type of Patio Door
Sliding glass doors are the most secure type of patio door because of the double-paned glass and somewhat heavy latch that is used to lock it (we wrote about how patio door locks work here). It is also the most secure type of patio door because it has a metal frame. The metal frame of sliding glass doors makes it harder for people to break in. If someone kicks hard enough, they can break through a wooden door frame, but they will have a much harder time forcing their way through a metal door frame.
Sliding glass doors are the most secure type of patio door because the glass is double-paned (or even triple-paned) and is shatter-resistant. That means that the glass can’t be broken easily, so intruders won’t be able to get in unnoticed. In the time that it takes for people to break sliding door glass, someone will have time to notice and either scare them away or call the police to report a break-in. (Source)
Sliding glass doors are the most secure type of patio door because you can also add metal or wooden bar along the grooves of the frame to make the door stop before it reaches the end of the frame. This makes it harder for people to open the sliding door and prevents burglars from entering your house.
Sliding glass doors are also very heavy. Most children and some adults struggle to open sliding glass doors when they are unlocked, and it is even harder to open them when they are locked. Although it is possible to make sliding glass doors go off track, it is quite difficult to do so.
We also wrote an article about how to childproof your sliding glass doors, so please check that out if you have concerns about your child interacting with it.
It is also very hard to reach the latch on a sliding door to unlock it from the outside. Have you ever gotten locked out of your house and tried to open the locked sliding glass door? It’s nearly impossible. However, it is relatively easy for a burglar to pick the lock of a wooden door, and French doors have easily breakable panes of glass located near the handle. Burglars can just smash through the glass and unlock the door from the outside if you use a French door on your patio. (Source)
Wood doors are also very secure door options. Solid wooden doors are thick and heavy so they are hard to break into unless someone is very heavy or strong. Although a wooden door lock can be picked, people can’t see through it to see the valuables inside, so they are not as tempted to break in because they don’t know if it will be worth it.
Now that you know what the most secure patio doors are, you may be wondering how you can make your current patio doors more secure without having to replace the entire door.
How to Make Your Patio Door More Secure
We also have a complete guide on how to secure your patio door, but here are some quick and easy tips.
If you have a French patio door, replace the glass panels with durable plastic that looks like glass. Or, if you don’t want to replace the glass, put a coating on the glass that you already have that makes the glass more durable. You can find all of the necessary materials to do this at any local hardware store.
If you have a French patio door, you could also add a coating to the glass that makes it harder for people to see into your home. If people can’t see what is inside, then they won’t want to break in.
If you have a wooden patio door, reinforce the door frame with metal. If possible, replace the entire wood door frame with a metal one. The metal door frame will make it more difficult for people to break through the patio door.
Make sure that the lock on your door is secure and can’t be easily disabled. You could also add multiple locks to your patio door. Multiple locks will make it harder for burglars to pick the locks in a short amount of time, so they likely won’t bother trying.
As we mentioned above, if you have a sliding glass door, add a metal or wooden bar to one of the tracks. Make sure that it is easily removable from the inside so you can open and close the door as you see fit. Once it’s in place though, it will prevent the door from opening fully, which adds another layer of safety. This is a simple fix that will make your sliding glass door much more secure.
You can also add a security alarm to your patio door. You can find simple security alarms that will scare away burglars at almost any store in your area, or you can purchase a more high-tech security alarm that will notify the police that someone is trying to break into your house. You will need to choose the security alarm that is best for you and your family’s needs.
When you are not outside on your patio, lock the patio door, even if you are still in the house and not going anywhere. Sometimes people can’t see that you are home, and they will try to break into your home. If your patio door isn’t locked, then it is very easy for them to get inside of your house. It is best to lock your patio door while you are home so you don’t forget to do so when you leave.