Let’s be honest here. Everybody wants a vault. Owning a custom home vault is the dream of pretty much everybody interested in home security and safes and for good reason. When it comes to space and security there’s nothing that can beat a well-built vault. Same as with safes, however, a lot of the security for a vault comes from the door. So, what makes a good vault door? Here we’ll look at some of the basic details that set apart the great vault doors from the mediocre.
Thickness and Security
While this is one important factor for choosing the right vault door be careful about making it the most important factor. More important than the thickness are the materials being used and the quality of construction. It doesn’t matter if it’s 3 feet thick if it’s all drywall sandwiched between thin steel sheet metal. In general the minimum thickness you are looking for is at least a ½ inch steel plate. More is always nice if you are confident in the materials and build quality. Also be wary of companies padding the numbers with unknown composite materials or including airspace or inner bolt work. Important for determining the security of your vault door is also the length and thickness of the deadbolts. Is there a re locking mechanism? What kind of locking mechanism does it use? How is it attached to the wall? These are all important questions to ask about any vault door you are interested in and can make the difference between a great one and a mediocre vault door. It’s about fundamentals when it comes to security. Often the special features you see are not as important as a quality build and good materials.
Installation Details
It’s important when investing in a vault door to make sure that all the details match and are exactly what you’re looking for. Imagine paying thousands for a vault door to only find that the hinges swing the wrong way for your vault. For this example, hinges are identified as if you are facing the front of the vault from the outside. Some security and insurance policies even require vault doors to swing outwards. It’s important to make sure that the dimensions are correct and it will properly fit in its designated space.
Bonus Perks
While I am a believer that fundamental build quality always trumps the bells and whistles there are still a lot of cool features available for modern vault doors. When it comes to safety I couldn’t imagine owning a vault without an internal release system. This is simply a matter of safety and now is quickly becoming a standard with good reason. For security glass plate relockers are nice and tamper-resistant locking mechanisms are important. Finally, it’s important for a vault door to also look nice. While trivial for security it’s important to be able to feel pride in your vaultand the gateway to your valuables.
