20 Home Security Tips from Door Repair Professionals

The strongest deadbolt in the world is useless if the wooden frame around it splinters when kicked. Most forced entries succeed not because the lock fails, but because the jamb and frame give way. Reinforcing the frame — with a door frame reinforcement kit, a metal jamb plate, or simply solid blocking behind the strike area — spreads the impact of a kick across far more material.

Homeowner tip: stand inside and look at the gap between the door edge and the frame. If it's uneven or the wood around the lock looks thin, the frame is a likely weak point.

Call a pro when: the frame is already cracked, the door has been forced before, or you want a properly fitted reinforcement that won't bind the door. We reinforce frames so they're stronger than original.

The strike plate is the small metal plate the deadbolt and latch slide into. Builder-grade plates are often held by two short 1.9 cm screws that bite only into the thin jamb — they pop out under force. Swapping in a heavy-duty strike plate secured with 7.5 cm screws that reach the wall stud is one of the cheapest, most effective security upgrades you can make.

Homeowner tip: a longer-screw upgrade takes minutes with a screwdriver and dramatically increases kick resistance.

Call a pro when: the existing screw holes are stripped, the jamb is already split, or the latch no longer lines up with the strike after the change.

A deadbolt only protects you if it throws all the way into the strike. If the door has dropped, swollen, or the strike is misaligned, the bolt may only extend partway — or not engage at all. A partially thrown bolt is easy to force and gives a false sense of security.

Homeowner tip: with the door open, turn the lock and watch how far the bolt extends. Then close the door and confirm it throws just as far without resistance.

Call a pro when: the bolt sticks, won't fully throw with the door closed, or you have to lift the door to lock it — that's an alignment problem we fix on-site.

Hinges carry the entire weight of the door, and over years of use the screws loosen and the door begins to sag. A sagging door drags on the threshold, won't latch cleanly, and pulls away from its weatherstripping — hurting both security and your heating bill. Loose hinges also let a door be pried more easily.

Homeowner tip: tighten hinge screws first; if they spin freely, replace one screw per hinge with a longer screw that reaches the framing.

Call a pro when: the door still sags after tightening, the hinge screws are stripped, or the hinges themselves are worn or bent.

The jamb is the vertical part of the frame the door closes against and where the strike plate lives. Cracks and splits — from age, moisture, or a forced entry — weaken the whole opening and let drafts through. A split jamb around the strike is the single most common point of failure in a break-in.

Homeowner tip: run your hand along the jamb and look for hairline splits near the lock; small ones only get worse through freeze-thaw cycles.

Call a pro when: the split is around the strike, the wood is soft or rotted, or the door no longer seats properly against the jamb. We repair or replace the damaged section and reinforce it.

Large glass patio and sliding doors are a favourite target because they're often poorly secured and easy to reach from a backyard. A slider that has dropped on its rollers may not latch fully, and many can be lifted out of the track entirely. Keeping the rollers and track in good condition is itself a security measure, because a properly seated door locks the way it's meant to.

Homeowner tip: try to lift the closed panel upward — if it moves significantly, it may be liftable from outside and needs an anti-lift fix.

Call a pro when: the door won't latch, sits crooked, or lifts in the track. See our Patio Door Repair Ottawa and Sliding Door Repair Ottawa pages.

The factory latch on a sliding door is often the weakest lock in the house. Adding a secondary lock — a track bar, a foot bolt, or a pin lock that drops through both panels — means the door can't be slid open or lifted even if the main latch is defeated. It's an inexpensive upgrade that makes a real difference.

Homeowner tip: a length of dowel or an adjustable security bar laid in the track is a quick stopgap, but a proper installed lock is far more reliable.

Call a pro when: you want a secondary lock fitted that won't interfere with the door's operation or its weather seal.

Weatherstripping is the flexible seal around the door that blocks air and water. In Ottawa, a few hard winters compress and crack it, leaving gaps that let cold air pour in and heated air escape. Worn weatherstripping is one of the biggest hidden drivers of high heating bills — and it's one of the easiest things to fix.

Homeowner tip: on a cold day, run your hand around the closed door's edge; if you feel a draft, the weatherstripping or door sweep needs replacing.

Call a pro when: the draft persists after new weatherstripping, which usually means the door also needs re-adjusting to close tight against the seal.

Beyond the weatherstripping on the door itself, gaps can open up between the door frame and the surrounding wall, especially as a house settles. These gaps let in cold air, moisture, and even insects. Sealing them with the correct exterior caulk or expanding foam improves comfort and protects the framing from water damage.

Homeowner tip: inspect the outside perimeter of the frame for cracks in old caulk or daylight showing through; reseal before winter.

Call a pro when: the gaps are large, the trim is damaged, or you suspect water has been getting in behind the frame.

An Ottawa cold snap can freeze the moisture inside a lock cylinder, leaving you locked out in the worst weather. Prevention is simple: lubricate locks with a dry graphite or PTFE-based lubricant (not oil, which attracts grit and holds moisture) before winter, and keep water from getting into the mechanism.

Homeowner tip: never pour hot water on a frozen lock — it refreezes and can crack the cylinder. A little hand sanitizer or a gentle warm key works in a pinch.

Call a pro when: a lock repeatedly freezes, the cylinder feels gritty, or the key turns roughly — that points to a worn or water-damaged lock that should be serviced or replaced.

Doors stick in winter for two main reasons: wood swelling with humidity, and ice or frost building up where the door meets the threshold. A door you have to shove won't seal properly and accelerates wear on the hinges and latch. Good weatherstripping and a clear, draining threshold prevent most winter sticking.

Homeowner tip: keep the threshold and bottom of the door clear of packed snow and ice, and make sure melt-water can drain away rather than pool and freeze.

Call a pro when: the sticking continues in mild weather too, which usually means the door needs planing or re-alignment rather than just cleaning.

As temperatures swing, doors and frames expand, contract, and shift. A door that was fine in summer may bind, gap, or fail to latch once the cold arrives. Checking alignment in the fall lets you catch and correct problems before they become a draft you fight all season — or a door that won't lock on the coldest night.

Homeowner tip: close the door slowly and watch the gap along the latch side; it should be even top to bottom. An uneven gap signals the door has shifted.

Call a pro when: the door rubs, the gap is uneven, or the latch no longer lines up — alignment is one of our most common and quick repairs.

Ottawa's storms — wind, hail, ice, and the occasional flying branch — can chip, crack, or stress the glass in entry and patio doors. A small chip can spread into a full crack over a freeze-thaw cycle, and fogging between the panes means the sealed glass unit has failed and is no longer insulating.

Homeowner tip: after a major storm, check glass doors for new chips, cracks, or condensation trapped between the panes.

Call a pro when: you find a crack, a chip near the edge, or fogging between panes — we replace cracked and failed insulated glass units, including tempered safety glass.

If a door or its glass is destroyed — in a break-in, a storm, or an accident — the priority is to secure the opening immediately so your home isn't left exposed to weather or further entry. A proper board up protects the property until permanent repairs can be made, and it should be done the same day.

Homeowner tip: photograph the damage for insurance before anything is covered or repaired.

Call a pro when: any opening is left unsecured. We provide 24/7 emergency board up and repair — see Emergency Door Repair & Board Up Ottawa.

Handles, levers, and locksets wear out — they loosen, the internal springs fail, and eventually they stop latching or locking reliably. A handle that doesn't fully retract the latch can leave a door appearing closed when it isn't actually secured, and a worn lock is far easier to defeat.

Homeowner tip: if a handle is loose, wobbly, or the latch is sluggish to spring back, don't wait for it to fail completely.

Call a pro when: the lockset is failing, the latch won't catch, or you want to upgrade to higher-security hardware that fits your existing door.

Lighting is a simple, proven deterrent. Most break-ins favour darkness and cover, so well-lit entrances, motion-activated lights, and clear sightlines to doors make a home far less appealing to an intruder. It also makes coming home safer on dark Ottawa winter evenings.

Homeowner tip: add motion-sensor lights at front, back, and side doors, and trim shrubs that hide an entrance from the street.

Call a pro when: while lighting is typically an electrician's job, we're happy to point out which of your entrances are the most vulnerable when we assess your doors.

A door that doesn't latch on its own is both a security hole and a draft. People often "live with it" by relying on the deadbolt alone — but a door that isn't latched can be blown open, won't seal against the weatherstripping, and signals an alignment or hardware problem that's only getting worse.

Homeowner tip: a door should latch with a gentle push, no slamming or lifting required. If it doesn't, something has shifted.

Call a pro when: the latch misses the strike, the door springs back open, or you have to lift or shove it to latch — these are fast fixes that prevent bigger problems.

Storefronts, office entries, and aluminum-framed commercial doors have their own demands: high traffic, panic hardware, closers, and locks that must work reliably every day. A commercial door that drags, won't close fully, or has a failing closer is both a security and a liability concern.

Business tip: check that closers pull doors fully shut and that locks engage on every cycle, especially on after-hours entrances.

Call a pro when: a commercial door won't close or lock reliably, the closer is leaking or failing, or panic/exit hardware needs service. We repair residential and commercial doors across Ottawa.

The door between an attached garage and the house is one of the most overlooked. Homeowners often treat it as "interior" and leave it unlocked or fit it with a flimsy lock — but if an intruder gets into the garage, that door is the last line of defence. It's also a major source of cold air and fumes if it isn't sealed.

Homeowner tip: fit the garage-to-house door with a real deadbolt, keep it locked, and make sure it's weatherstripped and self-closing where possible.

Call a pro when: the door lacks a deadbolt, doesn't seal, or doesn't latch — it should be treated with the same care as an exterior entry.

The single best habit is a twice-a-year door check — fall and spring. Fall maintenance gets your doors ready for winter: weatherstripping, lock lubrication, alignment, and sealing gaps. Spring maintenance addresses any winter damage and seasonal movement. Catching small issues on a schedule is far cheaper than an emergency call on a frozen night.

Homeowner tip: tie it to changing your smoke-detector batteries so you don't forget.

Call a pro when: you'd rather have it done right in one visit — we'll inspect every exterior door, lock, hinge, and seal and fix what needs it. Request a free quote.