Which door security is right for you?
Once you’ve fitted your door in place you may want to affix door furniture such as locks, chains and viewers to finish the job properly. But which lock is suitable for which door? Here’s a simple guide.
Mortice Lock
Mortice locks can be either cylinder or lever locks and are secure because the body of the lock is concealed within the thickness of the door – the ‘mortice’ refers to the hole made in the door. Mortice locks can be either deadlocks or sashlocks. A deadlock is a mortice lock which has just a key hole and a bolt. A sash lock has a bolt and a latch and a pair of handles. A mortice lock is often found on back doors along with bolts on the top and bottom.
Rim Locks
Rim locks screw to the surface of the door and are very easy to fit. A hole must be drilled for the cylinder of the lock into the door stile. Rim locks can be either deadlocks or sash locks.
Lock Components: Levers vs Cylinders
Commonly, main door locks contain either levers (sometimes called lever tumblers) or cylinders in their locking mechanism. A cylinder has the keyhole and tumbler mechanism contained in a cylinder whereas a lever lock uses a set of levers to prevent the bolt from moving in the lock. Lever locks can come with different numbers of levers which improve in security as the numbers of levers increase.
Fixing bolts to the top and bottom of all external doors is a good idea for extra security. There are many different types varying in their strength depending on their design, from a regular door bolt to a cranked bolt, to a tower bolt. And each of these will vary in strength depending on size and weight of material and design.
Chains
To fit a door chain you simply screw the device to the inside face of the door. Once locked, the chain will become taut preventing the door from opening up any further adding an extra level of security to a front door.
Viewers
If you have a solid door you should combine chains with a door viewer to offer you a 180-degree view of who is at the door before you open it. Viewers are very easy to fit and often found on front doors.
Night latches
A night latch lock can be mounted onto the surface of the door as opposed to being morticed into the edge of the door. It holds the door shut on a latch which can often be deadlocked into position.
Our security range offers a huge selection of locks, bolts, latches, chains and many other items in many different styles, to keep your house and home secure.