30 March 2016
 Categories: , Articles

If your home is fitted with a front door with a large single glass pane, then you may not feel as though your door is secure enough against potential intruders. This may be true if the glass can easily be broken, and a replacement should be considered to make sure that the door is as stable and intruder resistant as possible. Unfortunately, there are so many different choices when it comes to replacement glass inserts that you may be confused about what to choose. A few of your best options are outlined below, so ask about them when contacting your window and door replacement specialist.

Choose Impact Resistant Glass

There are many different types of glass that are available when purchasing a new door insert, but it can be difficult to understand the differences between them. Tempered, impact-resistant, and triple-layer are the three of the security glass options that will be available to you. Tempered is the most common type of glass that is placed in residential doors. The glass is four times stronger than regular glass and it will crumble into rounded chunks of material when broken to reduce injury concerns. However, the glass can be broken when a fast-moving object hits it. This means that it may not offer the security you want. Triple-layer glass offers more security and it is the best option if you want a decorative door with patterns formed from different glass shapes. This type of option features two layers of tempered glass with the decorative panel in between. The added layers of glass make it more resistant to damage. 

The final option available to you is a door insert made out of impact-resistant glass, and this type offers the most security. Impact-resistant or laminated glass is a three layer type of material that is bonded together. Specifically, it is made out of two pieces of glass with an interlayer in between made out of polyvinyl butyral or ethylene-vinyl acetate. The interlayer works to keep the glass from shattering or crumbling when the glass breaks. In fact, it will keep the glass securely in position even if both layers of glass are cracked. This type of glass is the same kind used to make windshields, so it is unlikely that an intruder will be able to exert enough force to break through the layers. Keep in mind that this glass will be the most expensive. However, it is often rated to withstand hurricane wind speeds, so this can offer peace of mind if you live in an area that is subjected to hurricane weather.

Look For A High Privacy Rating

If security is a concern, then you likely will want to obscure the view through your door so that intruders cannot see what is inside. This is especially true if the front of your home is open and highly visible through the door. However, one of the advantages of a glass panel door is the fact that it allows light to cascade into the home. Blinds and curtains will obstruct the light, so opt for a glass insert with a privacy rating instead. These types of doors allow light into your home while protecting the home from prying eyes with the addition of opaque coatings. The coatings will range in how much light and visibility they obscure. Low privacy ratings allow for high levels of light and viability. High ratings obscure most light and visibility. To make the most out of your door and to also retain security, opt for a mid-level privacy rating. 

Common frosted glass coatings can be used to increase the privacy rating of the door. You can also opt for patterned varieties where texture is acid-etched into the surface. Linear, curved, dotted, and floral patterns are all available, so ask a door and window specialist from a company like Beyers Window & Door Inc to show you some samples of options that you can choose from.