Fiberglass doors compared to steel

[lugnut]

I can't find any good info on how resistant to kick-in attacks fiberglass doors are. Anyone know?

They seem to be constructed essentially the same way as steel doors, with foam-filled interiors, fairly minimal wood outer frame except more wood around the lock.

Are there different thicknesses of the fiberglass outer skin, just as there are different gauge steel doors (25 being the cheap ones,24 gauge being most common, and a few thicker 20 gauge)? That would seem to make some difference in how hard it is to bust the door (assuming you've got the door frame shored up so it doesn't bust through first).

 

[Steve]

I can't give you specs, etc but we replaced out double steel entry doors with fiberglass and love them. Fiberglass will not rust or anything and the fiberglass 'skin' is grained and looks like wood, vs just flat steel. I would do it again in a heartbeat. And, imho, the strength of the door itself is not really an issue. If they even go thru that door vs glass, etc, I bet the frame/hinges or lock go before the door itself.

 

[programmergeek]

You should be fine it is not usally the door that gives way it is the frame where the latches latch that is the weak spot. For my back door I attached a L shaped piece of steal to the frame behind the locking point with a deadbolt, but doesn't look to good, but that goes into a utility room anyhow. For a frount door where it needs to look nice you are screwed. You can kick in just about any door anyhow unless it is a steel framed door.

 

[lugnut]

If they even go thru that door vs glass, etc, I bet the frame/hinges or lock go before the door itself.

Without taking any special measures to shore up the frame and/or door, you're definitely right.
Here are 4 different products I found over the weekend, for securing the jamb and the door. They all do it in slightly different ways but if you watch their videos they all seem fairly effective:

http://www.safedoorsystems.com
http://www.djarmor.com
http://www.invasionproof.com
http://www.jambbrace.com

I went and bought the djarmor product today, not so much because I thought it had a clear advantage over the others, it was more because I found a local distributor so I could get one quickly.