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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
The glass window in my solid-wood door was broken and the thief was
able to reach in and open the deadbolt. I'm planning to install a 1/2" thick lexan sheet with L-shaped stainless steel brackets in the four corners, caulk the gaps and cover the edges with fir stops. The brackets will be attached to the door with wood screws and to the plastic with machine screws and the brackets will be on the inside of the door. Any suggestions, comments? KK |
#2
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
(KublaiKhan) writes:
The glass window in my solid-wood door was broken and the thief was able to reach in and open the deadbolt. I'm planning to install a 1/2" thick lexan sheet with L-shaped stainless steel brackets in the four corners, caulk the gaps and cover the edges with fir stops. The brackets will be attached to the door with wood screws and to the plastic with machine screws and the brackets will be on the inside of the door. Any suggestions, comments? Easier (if not cheaper) to swap out the deadbolt with one that's keyed on both sides. That's what I did with my exterior doors that have enough glass for a thief to be able to reach the lock after smashing glass. Just make sure you keep the key in a convenient place. Best, Marc |
#3
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
Do you have a real nice house? My neighbor did that and they cut it with
a propane torch. Deadbolts keyed both sides, unpickable Medico. |
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
"MrAoD" wrote in message ... (KublaiKhan) writes: The glass window in my solid-wood door was broken and the thief was able to reach in and open the deadbolt. I'm planning to install a 1/2" thick lexan sheet with L-shaped stainless steel brackets in the four corners, caulk the gaps and cover the edges with fir stops. The brackets will be attached to the door with wood screws and to the plastic with machine screws and the brackets will be on the inside of the door. Any suggestions, comments? Easier (if not cheaper) to swap out the deadbolt with one that's keyed on both sides. That's what I did with my exterior doors that have enough glass for a thief to be able to reach the lock after smashing glass. Just make sure you keep the key in a convenient place. Bad idea, and against fire code in many areas, not to mention your insurance agent will be ****ed off if they find out. Murphy being Murphy, the one time you need the key in a hurry to escape, it aint there. I think OP will find that the thick Lexan will look like crap, and probably be drafty. And if it is a wood door in in wood frame, it really won't increse security. Even solid wood doors are pretty easy to shatter with repeated kicks near the striker. I'd replace the busted glass panel, maybe with a wired-glass one, and add a second layer of thin lexan on inside, which will give some dead air for insulation. aem sends... |
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
"ameijers" writes:
"MrAoD" wrote in message ... (KublaiKhan) writes: The glass window in my solid-wood door was broken and the thief was able to reach in and open the deadbolt. I'm planning to install a 1/2" thick lexan sheet with L-shaped stainless steel brackets in the four corners, caulk the gaps and cover the edges with fir stops. [snip] Easier (if not cheaper) to swap out the deadbolt with one that's keyed on both sides. That's what I did with my exterior doors that have enough glass for a thief to be able to reach the lock after smashing glass. Just make sure you keep the key in a convenient place. Bad idea, and against fire code in many areas, not to mention your insurance agent will be ****ed off if they find out. Murphy being Murphy, the one time you need the key in a hurry to escape, it aint there. Agreed it's against many codes but I make certain that the key is right where it's supposed to be at least twice a day, not including my evening perimeter check. I think OP will find that the thick Lexan will look like crap, and probably be drafty. And if it is a wood door in in wood frame, it really won't increse security. Even solid wood doors are pretty easy to shatter with repeated kicks near the striker. I'd replace the busted glass panel, maybe with a wired-glass one, and add a second layer of thin lexan on inside, which will give some dead air for insulation. Lexan's a sucky idea for the reasons you mention, which is why I didn't endorse the OP's proposal. Wired glass obscures the view, not something I think the OP would wish. Short of bulletproof glass, if you're going to have a glass exterior door you' just gotta suck it up. Depending on the OP's circumstances and the crime rate in his area, an up-and-down bolt might work. I'm guessing the real problem with break-ins is in the absence of the owner, in which case you could leave the interior key in the lock while the house is tenanted? Best, Marc |
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
Leave the key in the lock when you are home remove it when you leave.
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
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#8
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
KublaiKhan wrote:
The glass window in my solid-wood door was broken and the thief was able to reach in and open the deadbolt. I'm planning to install a 1/2" thick lexan sheet with L-shaped stainless steel brackets in the four corners, caulk the gaps and cover the edges with fir stops. The brackets will be attached to the door with wood screws and to the plastic with machine screws and the brackets will be on the inside of the door. Any suggestions, comments? KK Half inch would be overkill. By double at least. Also, keep your dog away from it... -- dadiOH _____________________________ dadiOH's dandies v3.0... ....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico ____________________________ |
#9
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
So that's why I've never seen locks in the USA like I used in Australia:
a combo latch and deadbolt where the deadbolt could be held in the disengaged position but "tripped" automatically as soon as the door was closed -- so it could be locked without using the key but, once "tripped," needed the key even on the inside. (Of course there was a "latch only" option as well.) MB On 03/13/04 10:29 am Michael Daly put fingers to keyboard and launched the following message into cyberspace: . . . Keyed interior lock is against fire codes |
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
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#14
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
"ameijers" wrote in message Bad idea, and against fire code in many areas, not to mention your insurance agent will be ****ed off if they find out. Murphy being Murphy, the one time you need the key in a hurry to escape, it aint there. You are right about the codes, but I still have them and I'm not changing them. Just wake up one morning and find the window glass broken and you will understand. I'm damned glad I had a double key setup. The keys are in easy reach from inside, but not from outside. My insurance guy has never asked about my locks either. There is not a house built that cannot be penetrated, but you sure can lower the chances one hell of a lot with a few security measure. Ed |
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
Jim Yanik wrote: Jeff Cochran wrote in news On 12 Mar 2004 18:24:38 -0800, (KublaiKhan) wrote: The glass window in my solid-wood door was broken and the thief was able to reach in and open the deadbolt. I'm planning to install a 1/2" thick lexan sheet with L-shaped stainless steel brackets in the four corners, caulk the gaps and cover the edges with fir stops. The brackets will be attached to the door with wood screws and to the plastic with machine screws and the brackets will be on the inside of the door. Any suggestions, comments? Lexan scratches very easily, and looks like hell in a few weeks. A deadbolt keyed both side and a burglar alarm would be better options. Jeff Just putting in 1/2" thick -glass- panes would make them difficult to break.You could also use tempered glass to make it even harder. I also would not have ANY windows in my door,or within arm's reach of the door bolt.Use a peephole or security camera to see who's knocking. -- Jim Yanik jyanik-at-kua.net The real solution is to install the CORRECT deadbolt which is a key operated deadbolt which has no handle. That's the kind you use with a window in the door. You hang the key close by but out of sight Yoy permanently attach the key nearby, out of sight for safety purposes. A thief can still break the window but they can't release the deadbolt to walk through the door. |
#16
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
(Tom Miller) wrote in message ...
On 13 Mar 2004 10:16:22 GMT, (MrAoD) wrote: | (KublaiKhan) writes: | | The glass window in my solid-wood door was broken and the thief was | able to reach in and open the deadbolt. I'm planning to install a 1/2" | thick lexan sheet with L-shaped stainless steel brackets in the four | corners, caulk the gaps and cover the edges with fir stops. The | brackets will be attached to the door with wood screws and to the | plastic with machine screws and the brackets will be on the inside of | the door. Any suggestions, comments? | | Easier (if not cheaper) to swap out the deadbolt with one that's keyed on both | sides. That's what I did with my exterior doors that have enough glass for a | thief to be able to reach the lock after smashing glass. | | Just make sure you keep the key in a convenient place. | | Best, | | Marc | I installed a lexan sheet inside several doors, but left the glass installed. I screwed the edges of the lexan into the door about every foot (I drilled holes through the lexan for the screws and also put 3/4 inch wide decorative washers under the screw heads to keep them from pulling through). The lexan panel braces the doors and adds considerable structural strength in addition to backing up the glass. Even adds a little (!) insulation. FWIW, I also removed the woodwork on the jamb and screwed 2 x 6 planks inside the outside door jamb (and then replaced the woodwork) to allow the locks and the hinges to be screwed into more solid wood and to stiffen the frame itself. The locks and hinges were originally screwed into 1-inch chestnut and in several places could be pulled out with your fingers. In addition, I installed a weather strip over the outside edges of the door that makes it a little harder to effectively wedge a crowbar into the crack. Rest of the excellent post deleted to save space Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Having paid big money for the lexan sheet ($30/sf), I was looking for critiques on how I was planning to mount it. I went ahead and installed it over the weekend and it looks gorgeous. Hopefully it won't yellow nor get scratched up too much over time. I had considered and rejected the idea of mounting the lexan on the inside in addition to the glass window. The door is a nice one with a red patina developed over time and I didn't want it looking like something I bought at an industrial swap meet. My creativity doesn't extend far enough to make a plastic sheet screwed on very attractive, I'm afraid. BTW, the number I got for thermal expansion is ~4x10^-5. I assume the units are length/unit length/C. If that's the case, the 800 mm-long sheet I have would expand 1 mm for a 30 degree C swing in temperature. This being Seattle, the temp change is realistic. Also insulation is not such a big issue. A large number of homes still sport single-pane glass windows. My reason for not going with glass was that if the thief were to return (as allegedly happens often) he'd break the window again. A good thief of course would pick the lock straight and all these ideas would be useless in that case. The police officer suggested that I strengthen the notch for the dead bolt. I'm thinking of attaching a brass plate on the jamb to augment the notch. I'd appreciate suggestions for any other minimal but effective designs. Thanks again. KK |
#17
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Installing Lexan in lieu of glass in a window
KublaiKhan wrote:
The police officer suggested that I strengthen the notch for the dead bolt. I'm thinking of attaching a brass plate on the jamb to augment the notch. I'd appreciate suggestions for any other minimal but effective designs. The purpose of a plate is to spread the load from the dead bolt when the door is kicked/shoved; therefore, the longer it is the better. The most effective would be a "U" shaped plate encasing the frame. Next would be an "L" affixed so the short side fits over the jamb on the *outside*. Naturally, the screws holding it would be in the long leg going into the frame parallel to the closed door. For either of those you would have to cut a hole for the deadbolt. Least effective would be a plate on the inside. Through fastening with bolts from the outside would hold much more firmly than screws. -- dadiOH _____________________________ dadiOH's dandies v3.0... ....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico ____________________________ |
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