Reinforcing the Garage Interior Door: The Most Ignored Weak Point

If someone gets into your garage, the interior door is usually your last line of defense. Unfortunately, most of these doors are hollow-core, rely on weak strike plates, and are installed with short screws that can be kicked through with almost no resistance.

Before you add cameras or sensors, start with the basics. The garage interior door is the most common point burglars transition through once they’re inside the garage. If you haven’t reinforced it yet, this guide walks you through the exact steps.

1. Confirm the Door Type

Your interior garage door should be a **solid-core** or **steel-clad** door. If yours is hollow-core, it’s not a security door—it’s drywall with a handle.

• Solid-core: acceptable, and much harder to kick through.
• Steel-clad: ideal, especially if garage break-ins are common in your area.

If you're not sure how burglars commonly access garage areas, review the Garage Door Security Fundamentals guide to understand why this door needs real reinforcement.

2. Reinforce the Strike Plate

The strike plate is the first thing to fail in a forced entry. Reinforcing it is cheap and fast.

1. Replace the existing strike plate with a heavy-duty one.
2. Use **3-inch wood screws** to anchor it into the wall studs.
3. Ensure the door frame isn’t cracked or separating.

If you haven't reinforced any doors yet, look at Door Reinforcement Basics for a wider breakdown of hardware upgrades.

3. Add a Deadbolt That Actually Holds

Many garage interior doors use a simple lockset, not a deadbolt. That’s a mistake. You need a real deadbolt with a 1-inch throw.

• Grade 1 is best; Grade 2 is acceptable.
• Avoid “smart” locks here—this door needs raw strength, not Wi-Fi.
• Ensure the bolt extends fully into the reinforced strike box.

4. Strengthen the Hinges

Weak hinges turn a reinforced lock into a false sense of security.

• Replace short hinge screws with **3-inch screws** drilled into studs.
• Check for loose hinge plates and stripped screw holes.
• Add hinge security pins if the door swings outward.

5. Seal the Gaps Between Garage and Home

Security isn’t just about forced entry. If the door is loosely fitted or warped, someone can pry the latch with simple tools.

• Weatherstripping helps tighten the gaps.
• A metal door wrap increases pry resistance.
• A reinforced frame adds structural support around the lock area.

If your garage has side windows or a side entry door, make sure those aren’t the weak point either. The Garage Window Security Tactics guide covers that angle.

6. Consider an Interior Sensor as Backup

Even a reinforced door can benefit from early warning. A simple contact sensor or motion sensor placed on the interior door gives you extra time to respond if someone breaches the garage.

For a full layout that integrates cameras and sensors together, the Zone-Based Security Planning article explains how to build layered protection.

7. Quick Checklist: Is Your Door Reinforced?

• Door is solid-core or steel—not hollow.
• Strike plate upgraded and anchored with 3-inch screws.
• Deadbolt installed (Grade 1 or Grade 2).
• Hinges reinforced with long screws.
• No visible gaps that allow latch manipulation.
• Optional sensor installed for early detection.

If the garage interior door is still stock, it’s time to fix it. It’s the barrier burglars expect you to ignore—and the one they’ll head for first.