How to Secure Double Shed Doors?

According to Cuprinol’s Shed economics Survey in 2016, the average worth of belongings stored in sheds in the UK costs 458 pounds. Another study of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows, almost a quarter of shed owners faced backyard burglaries at some point. Why does this happen so much?

Most shed doors have no door frames. Instead, they are hinged to the shed’s siding, which is why mortise locks can’t be used in those doors. This is a lucrative situation for intruders to make past the shed door and run away with your valuables.

To prevent these mishaps, you need to secure the door of your shed with the right type of lock so that no one can break into your property and go unnoticed. Let’s learn how to secure double shed doors and what shed door lock ideas are available out there.

Types of Locks to Secure Double Shed Doors

Some of the door locks are easy to operate but easy to break as well. And some of them take a bit of time to open and close but will secure your shed better. 

Rim Latch Lock

Rim latch locks are prevalent for use in thin wall sheds. A solid door frame isn’t required as these locks can be installed inside or outside the door. These locks usually consist of a latch bolt, deadbolt, strike plate, and keyhole.

The spring-loaded latch can be locked or unlocked without any key to secure the door temporarily. When you are done with your jobs in the shed, you can close the deadbolt with the key, and the bolt goes inside the strike plate to secure the shed door.

But the problem with these types of locks is they are highly vulnerable. As the lock body is attached to the door with only a few screws, a large crowbar might be enough to pry open the lock from its place.

So, we suggest not to use rim latch locks on thick shed doors, especially if you have something valuable inside. 

Pad Bolt Lock

Pad bolt lock is a combination of a bolt housing and a padlock. Often the padlock isn’t provided with the bolt housing, and you need to buy that separately. In this type of lock, there are two parts of the housing.

The longer section is mounted onto the door, and the shorter part is mounted onto the door frame or the siding of the shed. A flat or circular bolt can move through a horizontal channel to fit inside the shorter housing.

But the locking won’t be complete until you use a padlock on the bolt. The extended handle of the bolt can slip through a locking ring where the padlock goes inside and secures the shed door.

Pad bolt locks are conventionally used in shed doors. But a determined intruder can easily open these locks by either breaking the padlock or prying the bolt housing from the door.

Hasp and Staple

This type of lock is straightforward to use as there is only one moving part in the whole mechanism: the hasp. The hasp has two sections, one of them is fixed to the door with bolts, and the other is hinged to the bottom section.

The staple is completely fixed to the door frame or siding. There is a slit on the hasp where the staple can pass through. And then, you can use a padlock or grab a disk lock to ensure shed security.

But the problem is, the locking ring of the staple can easily be broken with long rods. This type of lock can be suitable if you frequently open and close the shed door and don’t have anything much valuable inside the shed.

Bar Lock

If you are up to finding heavy duty shed door locks, a shed door security bar can be the best option. This lock can be used solely or to reinforce your plastic shed in combination with other locks.

Bar locks consist of a long metal bar with two metal housings on each side. You need to slide the metal bar into the housing on one side and secure the other side with the best shed locks.

In some other cases, one side of the metal bar is hinged to the housing, just like hasp and staple locks, so you can just close the metal bar into the other housing and secure your shed with padlocks.

Which is the Best Lock for Shed Double Doors?

As long as your shed security is concerned, it should be pretty clear from the above discussion that a bar lock is the best lock for shed double doors. Here are the key points why bar locks are better than any other type.

• Bar locks can be installed in combination with other locks such as rim latch locks or pad bolt locks. This reinforces the security of your shed and discourages intruders from entering.

• With proper tools, other locks are easy to break or pry. But as long as you install bar locks with round or flat head bolts, tackling them will be very difficult.

There is another type of lock which falls under the latch lock category but works a bit different from usual rim latch locks. It’s called a 3 point lock. Let’s see how it works.

How does the 3 Point Shed Door Locking System work?

It is evident from the name that the 3 point locking system works at multiple points.

A 3 point locking system consists of a rotary box, keyhole, and three locking rods on different sides. The rotary movement is translated into a linear motion that pushes three steel rods in three directions when you turn the key.

The primary latch moves horizontally to slide into the mortice of the door frame or siding. The other two rods move upwards and downwards to slide into a metal housing or holes in the frame.

As a result, the door is locked in three points and can’t be moved even the slightest. When you turn the key backward, those rods get back to their original position. 

You can add this mechanism inside your shed door along with your preferred lock type on the outside. This will multiply the security of your shed and help you keep thieves out of your yard.

Pro Tips to Make Your Shed Double Doors Extra Secure

Knowing how to secure double shed doors might not be enough to keep your belongings safe from intruders. Apply these tips from expert professionals to take your shed security to the next level.

Try and Test Different Shed Double Door Latch Ideas

Don’t be relaxed after trying just one lock system. Instead, examine the different lock and latch ideas to test which system better withstand poundings. This will ensure you have the most effective locking system installed on your shed doors.

Use a Combination of Locks

If you store valuable equipment in your shed, using just one type of lock isn’t enough. Try combining two or three different locks to make it impossible for the burglar to peek through the doors.

Using a three-point lock inside and a door bar on the outside can increase security.

Install Security Lights, Cameras, or Alarms

Adding security lights or cameras to your shed will repel intruders from taking chances. Install security cameras that you can monitor from your smartphones so that you can see what’s going on at any given time.

A simple burglar alarm will also do fine to shake the soul of thieves by screaming.

FAQs

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about the security of shed doors. Take a quick look.

How do I secure my shed hinges?

Hinges of door locks or latches are the weakest point of shed security as traditional screws can easily be removed with a simple screwdriver. You can use flat or dome head screws to secure the hinges so that no one can take them out with screwdrivers or wrenches.

Should a shed door swing in or out?

Opening shed doors outward means you need to install hinges on the outside of the door frame. This imposes risks on security. So, if you have enough space inside the shed, it is better to open the door inside so that you can install hinges on the inside.

How much gap should be around a shed door?

There shouldn’t be significant gaps around a shed door to prevent thieves from using pry bars to break open the door. You can keep a gap of a quarter-inch around a shed door.

Conclusion

Though sheds sit inside the perimeter of our house, they can be easy targets of burglars if you don’t ensure enough security for your shed. And that can only be done when you know how to secure double shed doors.

Know how different locks work and implement the best lock to keep your belongings out of reach of strangers.