Your front door says a lot about your home. It can make your entire house more welcoming, more elegant, more playful, or more serious. Any effect you want can be achieved with the right combination of color, material, and design. However, you should never overlook safety and security in your quest to find that perfect door.
The best way to ensure your door’s barring entry to your home from would-be intruders is to incorporate a deadbolt into the design. By and large, these have become an extremely common addition to the modern home, but buying a deadbolt lock should still involve a bit of research. This is particularly true when you’re deciding whether a single-cylinder or double-cylinder deadbolt is the best fit for your home. The first step in making this decision, is, of course, understanding what each option is and what it has to offer.
Telling the difference between a single-cylinder and a double-cylinder is a simple task, even for the untrained eye. A single-cylinder deadbolt has s slot for a key on one side, while the other side features a knob or turning mechanism of some sort, usually a thumb-turn that looks like a simple lever that turns much like a key would. This turning mechanism is typically arranged to face indoors, where it can be used to lock the door in question without having to use keys.
While the single-cylinder deadbolt only features a locking mechanism requiring a key on one side, the double-cylinder deadbolt has it on both. This means that a key will be required to turn the lock both on the inside of the door and the outside. This is the main difference between these two types of deadbolts. While it seems like a small enough detail, it’s one that completely alters the functionality of this all-important lock and begs the question of which option is better for the modern home
What are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Single-Cylinder Deadbolts?
By and large, this is the most type of deadbolt you’ll find in most homes in the United States simply because it’s more practical, cheaper, and more convenient for everyday use. This common type of deadbolt features a number of benefits, including:
The ability to use a thumb-turn to lock or unlock the door from the interior of the home provides a measure of convenience that the modern homeowner has become accustomed to. This, along with the low cost of these deadbolts, is why these are more common than their double-cylinder counterparts.
Of course, these convenient deadbolts aren’t without their downsides. Generally, single-cylinder deadbolts are less secure than double-cylinder options. They could potentially allow easier access to the home from intruders in the know. Furthermore, they’re easy for small children to use, which means they could get outside without anyone being aware.
What are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Double-Cylinder Deadbolts?
This door is less common than the single-cylinder option, but that’s not to say it’s completely without its uses in the modern household. While this arrangement is generally less convenient than having an easily usable thumb-turn on one side, it’s certainly not without a major benefit: enhanced security.
This is especially true for ornamental doors that feature glass panels, which could well be smashed by intruders looking for a way into the home. With single-cylinder deadbolts, these intruders would be able to simply turn the lock on the other side and enter your home, but with a double-cylinder deadbolt, they still would not be able to enter the building without a proper key. The security so useful for keeping unwanted intruders out also helps to prevent children from heading out unsupervised and ensures that pets are kept indoors and not accidentally released by little hands playing with the thumb-turn lock.
However, this top-notch security isn’t without its own drawbacks. While keeping younger family members indoors is usually desirable, the need to use a key to leave the home could be a significant liability in emergencies, For example, vacating the home during a fire could be a complicated process when you have to track down a key to open the door, and your residence could be very difficult to access for paramedics and other emergency services if you are unable to reach the door.
Are There Deadbolt Locks with Stylistic Details?
If you’re planning on keeping your home looking as stylish as possible, then it’s important to think about how installing a deadbolt will look on your doors. While the presence of a deadbolt, in general, might detract from the appearance of a few select types of doors, you may find comfort in the fact that, aside from the turn-knob on the interior of the single-cylinder option, both of these deadbolts are identical. That means you’re welcome to choose your deadbolt based on its merits of security and convenience instead of looks. Most deadbolts are available in all finishes which will help you blend them into your décor plans perfectly.
Which Type of Lock is Better?
Each lock has a number of benefits and drawbacks to consider. So which one is best? Unfortunately, there’s no clear-cut answer. As it stands, the decision lies entirely on your needs as a homeowner. If you happen to live in an area that sees a great deal of crime like robbery or breaking and entering, a double-cylinder lock might be the best deal. However, if you’re concerned about the need for a quick exit from your home, this may be an unsafe and impractical option.
If you’re still undecided on which deadbolt will be the best fit for your house, it may be time to learn even more about the products you’re thinking of using. We at Holmes Building Materials can help, call or come by.
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