One of the weakest links in most deadbolt installations is the strike plate. The one-inch bolt may be sturdy, but it extends into a flat strike plate fastened with 3/4-inch screws into door jamb material that is often even thinner than ¾ inches. Residential doors almost always open inward, so with one or two swift kicks, a thief can be inside in seconds. A few deadbolt manufacturers have tried various other strike plate designs, but they still usually depend on screws anchored to the door jamb material.
Buildings constructed with wood framing have one thing in common. Each door opening is roughed out with two-by-fours before the finished door jamb is installed. The two-by-fours provide real strength for the opening while the door jamb adds little more than beauty to the final installation.
The manufacturers of Sure-Strike have studied inherent weaknesses in a normal door jamb installation and invented a new strike plate system to solve the problem. Almost three years of designing, engineering and testing have gone into the Sure-Strike product. Hundreds of locksmiths have provided valuable feedback during the design stages. This has enabled Sure-Strike to create a product which locksmiths can both easily install and be proud to offer to their customers.
Sure-Strike products consist of two pieces. The inner piece is made of a composite material designed to withstand high impacts. The unit is shaped into a hollow tube. The tube has two functions. It is the strike plate receptacle for the deadbolt and also fully extends more than three inches back into the two-by-four framing to provide the best possible protection against forced entry.
According to Sure-Strike, there were 2.9 million homes burglarized last year. With losses in the billions of dollars, every home owner should be a potential customer for a Sure-Strike installation. This means extra profit for locksmiths while providing customers with increased protection. The simple installation takes only a short amount of time. Sure-Strike is compatible with all existing tubular deadbolt locks.
INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
Step 1. Begin by removing the existing deadbolt strike plate. (See photo 1)
Step 2. Use the new Sure-Strike cover plate as a template and mark the area to be remortised . (See photo 2.) The cover plate is approximately 4.88” high X 1.56” wide. The size is purposely larger than a standard strike plate to both cover any old strike plate location and to add strength to the installation.
Step 3. Use a 1 3/8” hole saw to drill the hole for the Sure-Strike unit. The hole must be drilled approximately 3 3/4” deep into the rough framing. (See photo 3)
Step 4. Use a router or hand chisel to remove the excess door jamb material in order for the Sure-Strike to fit flush with the jamb surface. (See photo 4)
Step 5. Clean away any existing debris after the drilling and chiseling steps are completed. (See Photo 5)
Step 6. Insert Sure-Strike into position. The Sure-Strike is designed to fit firmly into the mortised hole. (See Photo 6)
Step 7. The final step is to mark and drill starting holes for the cover plate screws. The two retaining screws are 3 1/2” long to extend through the door jamb material and into the solid two-by-four wall frame structure. (See photo 7)
Photo 8 shows the finished installation. Cover plates are available in polished brass, brushed nickel, antique brass and black.
For more information, contact Sure-Strike at telephone 888-474-2341 or visit the web site www.sure-strike.com.
