How To Lock Sliding Glass Door From Outside?

Sliding glass doors can be tricky in terms of safety. As the door is the main entrance to the entire house, it needs to be secured. Through glass doors, a better security system should be used. What can you do to find the right way? Here are some useful methods you can use to lock the sliding door from the outside.

Methods To Secure Lock Sliding Glass Door From Outside

Sliding glass doors are safe but not safe enough to stop a burglary. But, if we carefully put our minds into it, those can be made safe as well. We will need to follow some steps to complete our mission. So, let us begin with the steps:

Step 1: Fix an exterior lock

Before anything else, we need to look for basic security so we can try installing a lock, a normal one, and an extra lock for better protection. Here are some simple steps that we will need to follow:

a. Begin by cleaning your door, just like we do it normally, with some warm water and liquid soap.

b. It is wise to make sure that the door is completely clean, including the door frame.
c. Then we need to leave it to dry. It would be better if we could dry it with a towel, as it would hasten the process and make the door even cleaner.

Step 2: Finding the right spot

We need to find a place where there is no glass behind the door frame. For this, we will need a screwdriver.

We need to knock on the door with the screwdriver’s plastic part and hear with the help of our ears, waiting for the sound to change.

As soon as the sound changes, it is an indication that there is no glass behind the door frame.

Step 3: Marking the found spot

a. We can use a marker or chalk to do that. We make a mark on our found spot.
b. We must be careful while marking the spot. This spot will be the exact place where we will need to insert screws to place our lock, to make our sliding door safe.

Step 4: Installation of the lock

We will need a punch and a hammer. Drilling a hole will be as we normally drill one. We need to hit the punch with a hammer on our marked spot.

When we are sure that the lock has tightly sat inside, we need to fix the door lock firmly, aligning it with the position of the mounting screws.

Step 5: Mounting the latch plate

We now need to install a latch. Make sure that the lock is properly mounted. Mark a spot for the latch plate. Drill holes, only the essential ones, on your newly marked spot

Step 6: Checking our lock’s performance.

Check the lock’s performance. If it does not work in the right way, we will need to adjust the latches properly.

Step 7: Fixing a lock is secure but is it secure enough?

It makes us all doubt in the case of glass doors, isn’t it? What we will need to do is put in extra protection- a sliding glass door lock. The type of lock we put depends on the type of door we have.

Here are the steps:
a. Clean the glass door, making sure of leaving no dust, from the upper part.
b.. Install the lock by drilling suitable holes and installing your lock in the correct place.
c. We need to make sure that the lock has entered the correct spot, and whether the keyhole is left undamaged.
d. After double-checking, if the lock is not working well still, make sure to review your entire process.
e. And with these steps, we are good to go. Our sliding glass door is now better secured and safe from children and burglary.

Can You Lock A Sliding Glass Door From Outside?

Yes, we can lock a sliding glass door from outside. It is simple, yet effective. We need to keep in mind that sliding glass doors are not safe in case you have kids, or in case of a burglary or vandals. We will be needing a basic lock for ground security and for a special one or additional security we will be needing an extra lock. Moreover, the most common places to have sliding doors are your barn, and do make sure that you’re choosing a good barn door that can be locked from both sides.

It includes simple steps. Firstly, we will need to install the first lock, in a place where there is no glass inside the frame and check if it is working correctly. After that, we will be needing to install the second lock using quite simple steps. After we finish installing both the locks correctly, it will now be possible for us to lock our sliding glass doors from outside.

Types Of Locks For Securing Sliding Glass Doors

There are different types of door locks for sliding doors available in the market. Those are

1. Double bolt locks:

These are the easiest ones to install and can be done by ourselves as well. They fit perfectly and do not cost too much. Even if they break, they will be easily replaceable.

2. Mortise and hook style

these kinds of locks are easier to install on patio doors that already have holes for handles. It is also easily installable and operates by a thumb latch, being independent of the handle. You can get a good mortise door lock with RFID. You can have a good durable glass door handle for your glass door.

3. Offset thumb turn lock

In thecase of these locks, the latch of the thumb is fit into the handle. Otherwise, it is quite similar to the previous one. It does not operate with a key from inside, though keyed versions are also available.

4. Sliding door loop lock-

in this type of lock, no key is involved, so it works from inside. It is easy to use, is cost-effective, and is easy to find. Joint glass doors can also be locked by it.

5. Keyed lock

keyed locks can be freely operated from either way- outside or inside. It is not compatible with all types of glass doors. They come in various styles like the mortise set or the thumb set.

6. Door lock pin

it is very easy to install but does not come with a key lock. So, it cannot be operated from both sides.

7. Security bars

It is a blockage for burglary. If you cannot put a lock, it is a very good option. If you are living on rent, you can use these to avoid drilling any holes and extra charges.

8. Window locks

These locks act as a barrier for strangers trying to barge in through your door. They slide into the aluminium track of the door and fix it in place. These locks will also make your doors toddler-proof.

9. Patio locks

these are also easy to put. It is keyed lock so it can be operated from both sides. This lock works on a spring-based system. No one can pull out the pin and open the door from outside if you have this lock. Also, you should get a good magnetic door lock for your sliding door as soon as possible.

Final Talk

In this article, we came across the different ways by which we can secure our sliding glass doors. From simple locks to additional locks, the different types of locks, and even the smart locks. After all the discussion, it now depends on us how we secure our houses in case of sliding glass doors. We need to be careful and active, for our houses to be safe from any damage.