Garage Security: A Burglarproof Door

To get real-world garage-security advice, I've spoken with cops, insurance adjusters, even burglars. But one of my most interesting security talks was with a firefighter who routinely busts through doors to do his job. When I asked him about garage security, he told me two interesting things:

Secure wood-panel service doors to keep your garage - and everything stored or parked inside of it - safe.

1. Lots of garages still have old, wood-panel service doors. The panels are thin and easy to break through. And once a panel is broken, you can reach inside to unlock the door. The simplest solution is to screw a ½-in. plywood panel over the inside of the door as shown. Cut lengths of 2x4 and slip them into the brackets. Place one bar about 26 in. from the floor, the other about 52 in. from the floor.

2. A good dead bolt and a strike plate secured with beefy screws make a door difficult to kick or ram in. But for the ultimate garage security, the firefighter recommends barring the door. Steel brackets sized to hold 2x4s are available for a few bucks apiece at home centers. One bar is great; two are even better. Screw plywood strips to the framing to form a mounting surface that's flush with the inside of the door. Mount the brackets with screws or lag screws that are long enough to penetrate the framing by at least 1-1/2 in.