How secure are your premises? Whether you own a shop, garage, warehouse or have premises that store high-end goods such as jewellery or expensive equipment you no doubt you have quite a bit of security at the front of the property, but what about at the rear of it?
It’s important to think about both the rear and the front of your premises when it comes to security – an obvious thing to highlight, but often the rear of a premises can be the weakest entry point for a determined intruder. Away from the view of passers-by and perhaps a little less well lit, it offers would-be thieves a quieter spot to try and force entry.
So, it is really important to think about your external doorways and the type of security doors you have fitted and how well they can withstand a determined attempt to gain access to your property.
Wood or Steel Security Doors?
In the past wood has been the material of choice for a strong security door. A naturally robust and strong material if well-maintained as well as aesthetically pleasing, it was the cost-efficient choice.
However, steel security doors now offer a higher level of security and benefits than their wood counterparts and have come down significantly in price over the past few years. Below we take a look at the different benefits of investing in a steel security door.
Security
Steel doors offer increased security against a determined intruder. Whilst wood is strong, a steel door is stronger.
Steel doors:
- Don’t crack under impact
- Are built with an anti-jemmy bar lip, so they can withstand attack with a crowbar for longer
- Are drill and impact resistant
- Can be bought with different levels of security features
Maintenance
Timber doors require regular maintenance such as sanding down and painting or varnishing to keep them weather-proof and in tip-top condition. As they are a natural material, they can warp and bend due to the weather and climate and if not properly maintained will start to rot, reducing the strength and security of the door.
Steel on the other hand requires a lot less maintenance. Whilst steel can rust, most steel security doors and their parts have a specially galvanised coating, where specified, to ensure protection from rust and ensure durability, most have between 5-10 years paint guarantee. Scratches or dents may need to be patched up and repainted if they are severe. But otherwise steel doors do not require the same regular maintenance as wood.
Fire-resistant
One huge advantage that steel has over wood, is that it is fire-resistant. Whilst timber doors can offer some level of fire protection, it is ultimately made of a naturally flammable material.
Steel doors offer a robust barrier to fire and doors can be fitted with an emergency push-panel to allow quick and easy escape from a building in the event of a fire or other emergency. Steel doors can be built to many standards ie fire, flood, power-room, acoustic, ballistic etc.
Locks
It’s important to note that for any door, the lock and locking mechanism is an important and integral part of the door’s level of security.
For steel doors there are plenty of options when it comes to locks from 12-point mechanisms to multi-point systems. Whilst it will also be important to make sure that any lock fitted is to BS Standard.
Insulation
Keeping the warm air in and the cold air out of a premises is key with our autumns and winters and whilst it’s true that metal is not a good insulator when compared to wood, the insulation in steel doors is now very good.
Take the standard version of the Shield steel security door – it is fitted with 50mm of rock wool insulation – making it a great insulator both from heat and noise.
Cost
As we’ve already mentioned, in the past a wooden door used to be the cheaper option, but now there is not a big cost difference and given the lack or minimal maintenance involved with steel security doors, we think a steel door is a lot more cost-effective in the longrun.
Aesthetics
Do I still hear you hesitating? Not sure that a steel metal door is quite the look you want for your shop front or rear entrance?
Today you can buy steel doors in almost any finish you want. They are available for both the commercial and residential market. So if you want it to be painted red, to have partial glazing or look like wood – there are plenty of options to ensure that your steel door not only offers security but is pleasing on the eye.
Thornhill – Helping you Choose your Steel Security Door
If you’d like to chat with our experts at Thornhill about a suitable steel security door for your premises or business, then give us a call on 0117 9674994.
We stock the top brands such as Chubb, Shield and Robust and can talk you through the different features as well as locking mechanisms that can be offered with each door.
If you would prefer us to call you – just fill out our contact form here.