How-to… fit a garage door lock
Because why give low-life an easy life?
Words and pictures by Alan Dowds
KEEP your bike in a proper garage? Well done you – you've managed to keep away a big chunk of potential crims from your wheels away. But it's fair to say that most garage doors aren't really very secure – made from thin metal, and with a locking system that's positively Victorian. Beefing up the security on your garage door makes a lot of sense – and fitting a proper lock like this one will make it a lot tougher for anyone to get inside. Here’s how to fit one in five easy steps...
1. Get set
Gather some tools – you'll need a pretty tough SDS drill/chisel to make a hole in the ground, some ready-mix 'instant' concrete, and a normal drill to make the bolt holes in the garage door.
Decide where the lock's going, and mark the drill holes on the garage door, using the lock as a template. Drill a couple of pilot holes, then the full-sized ones, and bolt the door part on, hand tight at first.
Close the garage door, and then mark where the door lock hole lines up with the ground. Then, with the SDS drill and chisel, make a hole in the concrete big enough to take the ground section of the lock. This is a bit fiddly – you'll be excavating a big old cavity in the concrete on front of your door, so keep an eye on the position, checking as you go along to make sure the hole in the door lock lines up.
If you don't have solid concrete in front of your garage door, you might need to make a much larger hole, so you have a solid concrete base for the ground section. With paving slabs or monoblock drive, you can remove one slab or block in the lock position, dig a large hole down into the ground, and fill with concrete. It'll have to be big, solid, and heavy enough that baddies can't just lift it out with brute force.
Make sure the lock still lines up, then place the ground section into the hole, and pour your ready-mixed concrete around it. Make sure it's held straight until the concrete sets. Now, you can fully tighten the door lock bolts, and you're all set.
Depending where your garage is, you might want to paint the lock to match the door, so it's less obvious that the security's been increased. Sometimes, a garage door with big locks will attract even more attention – crims will think there's something worth nicking inside.
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