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Door Bolts Oxford Security Bolts Fitted to Any Door
Barrel, tower, rack, hinge and flush bolts chosen for the door in front of us, fitted into solid timber so they actually hold, and never in a way that traps you during a fire.
Get a door bolt price
Tell us what you need and we will call you straight back. Calling is quickest: 07520 644 595. Photos by WhatsApp: 07466 695655
Five bolt types
Barrel, tower, rack, hinge and flush bolts, matched to each door and frame.
Key-operated rack bolts
Hidden inside the door edge and locked with a splined key.
Hinge side protection
Hinge bolts stop outward-opening doors being lifted off their pins.
Escape routes kept clear
We advise against bolts that would slow your way out in a fire.
We fit door bolts in Oxford to timber front, back, French, garage and shed doors, choosing between surface barrel and tower bolts, hidden mortice rack bolts, hinge bolts and flush bolts, usually within 10 to 30 minutes of your call inside the city. Bolts are priced from a WhatsApp photo before we travel, and are often added cheaply while we are already fitting a lock.
A good bolt strengthens the top and bottom of a door, where a single lock in the middle gives the least resistance to a kick or a pry bar.
Which door bolts are there, and what does each do?
Barrel bolts
A round bolt sliding in a surface-mounted barrel, shot into a staple on the frame. Cheap, simple and fine for light internal doors and sheds. Strength depends heavily on the screws and staple.
Tower bolts
A heavier version with a flat backplate and a bolt running through several towers, so it resists bending. Good for garage side doors, outbuildings and back doors you only lock from inside.
Mortice rack bolts
Fitted into a hole drilled in the door edge, with only a small keyhole showing on the inside face. A splined key winds the bolt into the frame. Neat and hard to tamper with.
Hinge bolts
Fixed steel studs on the hinge edge that sit in holes in the frame when the door is shut. They stop a door being forced on its hinge side, even if the hinge pins are removed.
Flush bolts
Recessed into the edge of the fixed leaf of a pair of doors, throwing up into the head and down into the sill. The standard way to hold the second leaf of timber French doors.
Which door needs which bolt?
| Door | Recommended bolts | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Timber back door, locked from inside only | Two mortice rack bolts or tower bolts, top and bottom | Spreads the load across the full height |
| Outward-opening door (some cottages, sheds) | Pair of hinge bolts | Hinge pins are exposed on the outside |
| Timber French doors | Flush bolts on the fixed leaf, plus rack bolts on the active leaf | Stops both doors being pushed open as one |
| Garage side door | Heavy tower bolts and a padbolt | Often thin doors with weak frames |
| Front door you leave by | A proper lock first; a bolt only for overnight | A bolt cannot be worked from outside |
For uPVC and composite doors, extra bolts are rarely the answer. The multipoint lock already throws bolts top and bottom, so if it feels weak the fix is usually on our multipoint lock repair page rather than added hardware.
Security door bolts that lock with a key
Key-operated rack bolts are the most popular security bolt we fit in Oxford’s older houses because they disappear into the door. Only a small rose and keyhole show on the inside face, nothing on the outside, and a burglar who breaks a glass panel cannot slide them back by hand.
They need a door at least 44mm thick and sound timber around the hole. On thin Victorian panel doors in places like Jericho and Cowley, we sometimes fit them into the thicker stiles only, or use a surface tower bolt instead. One key usually works all the rack bolts in the house, so keep it somewhere everyone knows, close to the door.
Bolts and fire escape routes
Do not bolt your way out of an escape
Any door that is part of your route out in a fire must open quickly without a hunt for keys. Key-operated bolts on the main exit door, or bolts set too high for children or older people to reach, can cost precious seconds. Keep keys for any keyed bolt hung beside the door, out of reach of letterboxes and glass.
In shared houses, flats and businesses the rules are stricter. Fire exit doors in commercial premises normally need approved panic or push bar hardware rather than bolts; see our fire exit door lock service and the wider commercial locksmith page. Landlords of HMOs should check fire safety guidance before adding bolts to room or exit doors.
Fitting door bolts in Oxford: what makes them hold
The bolt is rarely the weak part. Failures come from short screws in soft timber, a staple fixed only into a thin door stop, or a keep that splits the frame. When we fit door bolts we:
- Check the frame for rot or previous repairs, especially at the bottom of older back doors.
- Use long screws into the frame itself, not just the decorative architrave.
- Line up the keep so the bolt slides without force, which is what makes people actually use it every night.
- Test from both sides to confirm nothing can be worked through a letterbox, cat flap or glazing.
If the door itself is loose or rubbing, fitting bolts on top of that just moves the problem. A door repair first, or an adjustment under our door won’t close or latch service, gives the bolts a solid base.
Sheds, garages and reinforcing a weak frame
Bikes, tools and garden machinery make sheds and garages a regular target in Oxford, and their doors are usually the thinnest in the property. A padbolt, which is a heavy bolt with a loop for a padlock, gives you a lockable bolt on the outside of a shed. Use coach bolts through the door rather than screws so the plate cannot be unscrewed from outside, and pair it with a closed-shackle padlock; our padlock page covers removal if a key goes missing.
On older timber front doors where the frame has split around the lock keep, a steel strip running down the frame (often called a London bar) and a matching plate around the lock on the door (a Birmingham bar) spread the force of a kick across a much wider area. They suit doors that have already been forced once and pair well with new bolts.
Bolts alongside a lock change
Most people add bolts while we are already there for something else, which avoids a separate trip. Common combinations are a new BS3621 deadlock on a timber back door with two rack bolts, as described on our mortice lock page, flush bolts during a French door lock repair, or a chain and viewer while a front door cylinder is changed. The full list of home jobs is on our services page, and our guide on home security tips for Oxford residents covers what else to check.
Door bolt prices
Bolts are priced from a photo because sizes and door construction vary; related jobs are shown below.
| Service | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Door bolts (barrel, tower, rack, hinge or flush) | Fixed price from a photo | Usually cheaper added to another job |
| Security chain or door viewer | £35 to £65 + parts | Front doors and flats |
| Mortice deadlock fitting (BS3621 5 lever) | £85 to £115 + lock £35 to £65 | Pairs well with rack bolts |
| Door won’t close or latch | £55 to £85 | Adjustment before bolts are fitted |
Prices include VAT and labour. Parts are listed separately. See the full Oxford locksmith price list.
