Can you share any experience or knowledge of inexpensive vault doors?

Any to recommend?

This one, SnapSafe 36 in. W x 80 in. H Vault Room Safe Door, is inexpensive, less than $1,500.



Comments?

I'll be building a gun room in my basement before too long. I prefer something that looks less like a vault door.

A good steel security door, properly hung in a secure frame, with a high security deadbolt is plenty for me and looks like a regular interior door if you're not paying close attention.

Just my opinion.

-Rob

You get what you pay for, which is why:

quote:

A good steel security door, properly hung in a secure frame, with a high security deadbolt is plenty for me and looks like a regular interior door if you're not paying close attention.

This is a better way to go. A quality steel man door will give you much better long term use than a poor quality vault door.

I wonder if it just isn't telling the bad guys where a cut or sledge through the sheetrock might be most fruitful?

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
I wonder if it just isn't telling the bad guys where a cut or sledge through the sheetrock might be most fruitful?

That’s the whole point: slowing them down. Eventually, if they want it bad enough, they’re gonna succeed in breaking through almost anything.

You can't put in a vault door and just leave the walls of the room sheetrock.
If you're not going to reinforce the walls, don't waste money on a door.

"Thick steel construction" is not referring to the "12-gauge door and frame". 12-gauge is less than 1/8" and easily cut with an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel.

I've looked into these and decided to go with the steel security door.

They will both keep out the average smash and grab types.

Neither are likely to stop a motivated and equipped person.

The difference is that the vault door advertises that there's something good behind it. Drawing attention to my valuables is not something I want to do.

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
You can't put in a vault door and just leave the walls of the room sheetrock.
If you're not going to reinforce the walls, don't waste money on a door.

I think it depends on where you're putting it.

The closet in going to secure has a brick exterior wall on one side and a tiled bathroom on the other two.

A buddy of mine has a basement room that has ground on three sides.

For the Man Cave I'm just putting in a solid core door, with reinforced hinges, strike plate, and lockset.

I would have preferred a metal-clad door, but they don't make doors short enough for my entry. (I'm actually cutting-down a slab and doing my own framing from scratch.)

I'll be putting a digital lock on the door so I don't have to have my keys on me all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by Scurvy:

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
You can't put in a vault door and just leave the walls of the room sheetrock.
If you're not going to reinforce the walls, don't waste money on a door.

I think it depends on where you're putting it.

The closet in going to secure has a brick exterior wall on one side and a tiled bathroom on the other two.

A buddy of mine has a basement room that has ground on three sides.

Tile over sheetrock isn't much better than plain sheetrock.

Of course it depends on where you put the door, but if any of the walls of the 'secured' room are just standard interior walls, a vault door is a wasted effort.

Put the Vault door on a closet to confuse them.

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:

quote:

Originally posted by Scurvy:

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
You can't put in a vault door and just leave the walls of the room sheetrock.
If you're not going to reinforce the walls, don't waste money on a door.

I think it depends on where you're putting it.

The closet in going to secure has a brick exterior wall on one side and a tiled bathroom on the other two.

A buddy of mine has a basement room that has ground on three sides.

Tile over sheetrock isn't much better than plain sheetrock.

Of course it depends on where you put the door, but if any of the walls of the 'secured' room are just standard interior walls, a vault door is a wasted effort.

Its a wet wall so you're cutting plumbing, knocking out a shower wall, removing a toilet etc.

But yeah, in general, I agree. Like I said, it depends.

I like commercial security, steel, people-doors and frames, and Medeco/etc locks... Subtle is best, IMO.

I'd have them for nearly every damn door and lock in the house, if I had built this one myself.

We’ve built two vault room for clients over the years. The doors were considerably more expensive and we installed the frame in a poured, reinforced concrete wall. It would have taken a very good safe cracker and a fair amount of time to get into those.

It’s all a layered approach. Along with the safe rooms there were various security cameras and motion alarms both inside and outside so the owners were well aware of who was coming onto the property long before they got to the door.

I appreciate your thoughts. I wondered if there weren’t good steel security doors that would be a better fit. The room is being poured of concrete all sides, top and bottom. I’m sure the builder can tell me more about doors; I’ll have to see if it has multiple bolts.

And, I want to make sure I can’t be blocked in there. Escape hatch? :-)

quote:

I wondered if there weren’t good steel security doors that would be a better fit. The room is being poured of concrete all sides, top and bottom. I’m sure the builder can tell me more about doors;

There are, and most builders haven't the slightest idea where to look.

quote:

Originally posted by dubya:
And, I want to make sure I can’t be blocked in there. Escape hatch? :-)

Look for an in-swing door.

I have a storage room that is underground on 3 sides, built into a hill. It currently has a regular interior door that swings out. I've thought about upgrading the door, and one of the considerations is an in-swing door. Directly across from the door is a wall. Someone could shut the door from the outside, prop a 2 x 4 against it and whoever is inside the storage room would not be able to get out. The fourth wall is sheetrock so I could get out eventually, but it would take a while.

If there's space, how about a pocket door? One could reinforce the door, frame, edges and where it slides into the wall. A steel door would be simpler, but the pocket door wouldn't need to slide in or out.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

I wondered if there weren’t good steel security doors that would be a better fit. The room is being poured of concrete all sides, top and bottom. I’m sure the builder can tell me more about doors;

There are, and most builders haven't the slightest idea where to look.

a1abdj, what do you suggest? I thought of you when I first posted this. I wish you were local...