Security door installation, and the part that actually resists a kick

Deciding screen door or reinforced entry door

A security screen goes over what you have and keeps ventilation. A reinforced entry door replaces the slab and gives you a solid barrier but no airflow. Many homes end up with the screen, because the entry door is already adequate once the frame around it is sorted out.

Watch for: Being quoted a full reinforced door when the actual weakness is a hollow jamb and short screws. Fix the fixings first and re-assess what the door needs to do.

Measuring, and checking what the frame is made of

Standard door widths run roughly 28 to 36 inches at 80 inches tall, but the installer's more important job is establishing what the jamb is: solid wood into framing, a hollow metal frame, or a thin jamb packed out with shims.

Watch for: A heavy security door hung on a jamb nobody has tested. Weight plus force goes straight into the fixings, and a jamb that will not hold them makes the whole thing ornamental.

Frame construction — welded versus assembled

A welded frame is fabricated as one piece and cannot be pulled apart at the corners. An assembled or screwed frame is cheaper and lighter, and the corners are the weak point. Local fabricators typically weld; imported retail units typically do not.

Watch for: Corner joints held by screws on a door being sold as security. Look at the corners before you look at the price.

Mesh, grille and glazing choices

The infill is either a heavy steel mesh, a decorative steel grille, or perforated sheet. Denser mesh resists cutting and prying better and lets less light through; grilles look better and depend entirely on bar spacing.

Watch for: Fly screen described as security mesh. Insect screen and structural mesh look similar from four feet away and are not remotely the same product.

Hinges, strike and the fixings that carry the load

Hinges are through-fixed into the framing, not just the jamb. Out-swing doors — which most security screens are — need non-removable pins or hinge studs. The strike gets a reinforced plate with screws long enough to reach the stud behind the jamb.

Watch for: The standard short screws supplied in the box. This is the single cheapest and most commonly skipped part of the entire job, and it is the difference between a door that holds and one that swings open with the jamb attached.

Locking, and the egress question

Security doors are commonly fitted with a keyed lock on both sides so the door cannot be opened by reaching through the mesh. That decision has a consequence: nobody leaves in a hurry without a key.

Watch for: Double-keyed locks on the only exit from a bedroom or a small apartment. If you fit one, the key lives somewhere everyone in the house knows and can reach in the dark. Check what your local fire code says before choosing.