With Memorial Day, comes warmer weather and longer days perfect for sprucing up our homes’ exteriors. Improving the look of your home can be easy and budget friendly. As many home improvement television programs point out, starting with the front of your home can produce big dividends. The front of your home is the first thing prospective buyers or visitors see; it plays a crucial role in the perceived value of your house. If your home’s first impression is uncared for or run down, it may suggest that other parts of your home may hide items that need repair.

The entry to your home includes the lawn, concrete walks or driveways, landscaping, and the front porch and door. Even updating your mailbox can make a difference. A front yard with bare spots or that’s overrun with weeds suggests that the homeowner has neglected home maintenance. Take a weekend or two to shape up your yard. The easiest thing to do is to keep your grass mowed and edges trimmed. Then attack those weeds. Prune any shrubs, and consider adding a touch of color with flowers. Add fresh mulch to your flower beds.

Be sure any concrete areas are level and cracks are sealed. Then consider pressure washing to remove dirt, mold, mildew and cobwebs on your home’s siding or in the entryway. Clean your windows inside and out. Check the gutters. Fix anything that’s broken.

Your door is especially important, and it could benefit from a fresh coat of paint in a coordinating color. Replace your old welcome mat and add a few flower containers. Door hardware is often the most underappreciated items in the home; in addition to providing security, it can make a bold design statement. Schlage offers a great selection of door handlesets, door knobs, door levers, kick plates, doorbells or knockers, peepholes, and house numbers. Our precision-engineered, easy to install, front entry handlesets come in many finishes and styles to match your home’s appearance. In addition to style, buyers notice well-made door hardware immediately. Schlage door hardware offers quality and style.

Enhancing your home’s curb appeal doesn’t have to be a major effort or expenditure. Try to look at your home with objective eyes, or have a friend point out areas that could be improved. You’ll be surprised what a few quick and inexpensive upgrades can do.

With just a quick stroll down the hardware aisle at any local home improvement store, one can easily become overwhelmed with the variety of home security options available. From deadbolts, to keypad locks, to keyed levers, to remote home automation the possibilities are endless! And without a clear understanding of the feature functionality inside a lock, it's at times difficult to distinguish the good from the bad and find the one that best meets your needs.

Today, a lesson on deadbolts....

A few features to look for when purchasing a deadbolt:

Grade 1 or 2 Deadbolt- Security is obviously the most important feature to consider when purchasing a deadbolt. Choosing a Grade 1 or Grade 2 deadbolt ensures your family is getting the strongest security available on the market. For more info on security grading, check out this article.

Anti-Pick Shield - Look for a deadbolt that has an anti-pick shield across the top and bottom to protect against picking from these angles.

Sleek Face - A low profile face is almost impossible to grab with a wrench and cannot be unscrewed.

3" Screws - Longer screws provide greater strength in the door jamb.

Largest Bolt - The larger the bolt, the more kick-in resistance exists. Schlage offers the largest bolt on the market, being 10% bigger than typical bolts.

Additional lock security features are shown in the diagram below. Like everything else that's important in life, be sure to research the deadbolt prior to purchasing to ensure it has all the right interal features that will keep your family safe.


Laura W.
Social Media Brand Marketing

Keeping your family safe is an ongoing concern, and in summer, even more so. With warmer weather, more people are out and about with time on their hands.

If you have kids, they may be running in and out of the house, which may leave one or more of your doors unlocked without you knowing it. When you leave your doors unlocked, you’re inviting in trouble. According to the US Department of Justice, over 8,000 home invasions occur per day in North America with one of every five homes experiencing a break-in over time. And, surprisingly, over half of household burglaries occur during the daytime (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2008).

One of easiest ways to feel secure in your own home is to keep the doors locked and to use top-grade door locks. Protect your home and family by installing Schlage door security locks. To choose the right door locks for your home, consider how and where you will use them. Then think about the level of security needed for each particular door. 

For the doors you use most often, choose ANSI Grade 1 deadbolts for optimal security. You might want to install deadbolts on every entry door to your house. Schlage’s Grade 1 deadbolt locks offer professional grade security with the biggest adjustable bolt available. Deadbolts with keyed entry from both sides can enhance security for doors with panel glass (check your local building codes before installing this solution). 

For exterior doors that get a lot of use by children, babysitters, housecleaners, and so on, you might want to consider keyless door locks or electronic locks. There are no keys to lose, and you avoid the risk of hiding a key outside. And if you need to travel, you can add, change, or delete user codes in seconds. Schlage keyless door locks are ANSI Grade 2 certified, offering excellent security and durability for your home. 

Adding extra security to your home with Schlage door security locks is easy; the electronic locks and deadbolts are easy and quick to install, requiring only a screwdriver.

In addition to upgrading your door locks, consider installing doors with solid cores rather than hollow wooden doors, and/or install peepholes in your doors so you can see who the visitor is before opening the door.

NOTE: The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization that administers and coordinates voluntary standardization to develop and maintain performance standards for builder's hardware. The purpose of product grades is to help identify the quality and durability of locksets through a series of operational and security tests.

Ah, the riotous colors of spring: lush green lawns, pastel blooms, and of course, the many elegant metallic hues of Schlage door hardware. OK, we admit, a new handleset or knob for the front door may not be the first thing that springs to mind when embarking on the time-honored tradition of the spring clean-up, but maybe it should be.
 

After a long, gray winter, a spruced-up front door can be a major facelift without a major hassle. When your lawn and garden are looking their best, your front door should too, with smart-looking door hardware that complements your personal style and your home décor. You’ll be amazed at what a difference the right door hardware makes to the appearance of your home.

Your front door is the focal point for visitors approaching your home; it is truly the first impression you make with guests. Schlage’s eleven door hardware finishes and huge selection of door knobs, handlesets, and door levers ensure you make an impression that reflects your home’s distinctive charm.

Often the toughest part of taking on spring home maintenance is that we saddle ourselves with chores just as the warmer weather beckons us to come out and play. That’s why a seasonal door makeover is ideal: a fresh coat of paint and our easy-to-install door hardware will net you a big improvement in just an hour or two, freeing you up for more carefree pursuits, with the satisfaction of knowing your home is now both more handsome and more secure.

If installing new door hardware doesn’t sound like a breeze to you, chances are you haven’t installed Schlage hardware. We’ve built our reputation on delivering the easiest-to-install door locks and door hardware in the business, backed by strong customer support. Our customers report success in getting a new door lock installed in 20-25 minutes, with no prior experience required.

You’ll probably spend more time contemplating your many style choices than you will with screwdriver in hand, but we can help with that part of the job too; try our online hardware style selector to quickly narrow your door hardware choices to the one that suits you.