About Your Front Door Locks
Your front door is a very important part of your home. It's often one of the focal points when approaching the house. It's also the part of the house that officially welcomes those visiting your home. Another extremely important fact about your front door is that it is often the front door that is the most at risk of being compromised by someone looking to break into your home. So, while you want a great looking front door that meets your aesthetic wants, you are also going to need to have locks put on that to protect your home and family from criminals. Here are some tips to follow when you are getting a new front door installed:
Have a deadbolt installed
You need to have a deadbolt on your front door. In order to clearly understand the importance of a deadbolt, you need to educate yourself on the difference between a regular lock on the doorknob and the lock of the deadbolt.
With the lock on the doorknob, there is a latch that's spring loaded and only extends a very short amount past the lock plate into the door frame. With a deadbolt, the latch will go deeper past the lock plate and into the door frame. This is important because it means that a door can't be as easily compromised by someone slamming into the door or trying to kick it in. Another thing you want to know is that the lock on a doorknob can be broken into in many cases by someone using a credit card to move the latch. With a deadbolt, this will not be possible.
You do want to be sure you have a deadbolt installed that only requires a key from the outside, as you can go with this kind or one that requires a key on both the inside and outside. One that needs a key on both sides of the door can be dangerous and one example of this would be needing out of your door right away and forgetting where you placed your keys.
Have a matching set installed
Even if you only need a deadbolt installed, you may want to have a matching set installed at the same time. You will end up with the same style of locks and door handles, so your front door maintains a nice uniform look. Also, the outside of the doorknob and deadbolt will wear evenly with one another, so one won't be noticeably older than the other. You will also have the same key that you can use in both and this is convenient.
Have a locksmith install both locks
You are going to want to have a locksmith be the one who installs your doorknob and your deadbolt. You want it to be installed so the locks don't stick. You also want to make sure that there isn't any extra play that is going to cause there to be excessive wearing on the mechanisms and other parts. A locksmith can come out and have this job done quickly and most importantly, correctly.