Secure an outward-swinging door in an apartment

Discussion Forum
1

Hey all, I have a situation I’m afraid to post fully online, but I need help. I need to find the best way to secure an apartment door that swings outward to a shared, steep, back staircase. It is not the door to the building, but it is the door to the apartment. It is a thin POS, and I have reason to be concerned about other things happening in the same building. It has a door lock already, but not a great one. The handle could securely fit some kind of chain. There is a small step before the door on the inside—it’s a weird setup. The door swings outward. Windows beside it are unreachable.

I don’t have woodworking tools, and it’s an apartment. I do not and cannot currently get CCL. Please help.

2

We put security hinges on our outward-swinging door. You have to match the number of screw holes to what your current hinges have. But that won’t help a flimsy door. You could ask your landlord about using door armor (that’s the brand-name one on Amazon, but there are others too) to strengthen the door. But if there are windows beside the door, can they be smashed in?

3

@Jesse
Windows are over a staircase that is very steep and tough to reach—not impossible, but it’s on the list.

4

Did you say the door itself is shit? Like a hollow-core, interior wood slab type door?

If the door can be punched through, the locks really don’t make much of a difference.

5

Lior said:
Did you say the door itself is shit? Like a hollow-core, interior wood slab type door?

If the door can be punched through, the locks really don’t make much of a difference.

Yeah, I’m trying to find reasonable partway steps. The landlord would have to fully fix it.

6

@Skylar
I would be getting on the landlord really hard about it.

7

You don’t need a concealed carry license to have a gun in your house, at least not in the USA.

8

Bao said:
You don’t need a concealed carry license to have a gun in your house, at least not in the USA.

Gun laws vary from state to state.

9

Fasten something around the doorknob, maybe some chain? Use steel hardware to securely fasten that to a wooden crossbar across the doorframe. Maybe use a padlock as part of the fastening so it can be unlocked and disconnected.

10

@Vero

Fasten something around the doorknob, maybe some chain? Use steel hardware to securely fasten that to a wooden crossbar across the doorframe. Maybe use a padlock as part of the fastening so it can be unlocked and disconnected.

What an excellent way to get yourself killed in the event of a house fire or some other emergency that requires egress.

11

@Zev
We have two points of egress.

12

Skylar said:
@Zev
We have two points of egress.

Two points are required in the event one is blocked.

That said, windows of proper size and distance to the ground/floor are also points of egress.

13

Buy the FlipLock. They make them for outward-swinging doors. Of course, no lock is great unless you have a good frame, but that lock definitely works. Just Google the name.