A hollow-core door is very easily broken through. If you can't afford to replace it, add a deadbolt near the lockset. Doors made of solid wood usually provide adequate security – if they are in good condition.
You can reinforce the door by adding a high-security steel striker plate with four screws that penetrate deep into the stud framing plus longer screws to the hinges. This type of reinforced door is almost kick-proof.
This locking mechanism makes deadbolts especially secure as compared to other locks. When installing a deadbolt in a hollow core door, you will need to create room for all of the lock components on both sides of the door. Since the door is hollow, little force is required to make this room, unlike a non-hollow door.
Hollow doors have little material for nailing and screwing things, but a hollow door anchor can solve this problem. This Old House explains that hollow door anchors are similar to molly bolts. Both are screw fasteners that attach things to hollow walls with anchors lodged inside holes.
Fill a hollow core door with insulation foam
Make small holes on the edges of the door. Start from a low point on the door and let the foam expand and solidify. Keep progressing to the top of the door, spraying foam every 12 inches.
In this article, I will share the principles needed to determine how much weight your door can hold. In general, an interior door in a residential house can hold between 45 to 100 pounds. An exterior door with robust hardware can withstand anywhere from 200 to 400 pounds.
Yes. All hollow doors will have whats called a 'lock block' situated in the centre of the door on one edge. This is there for latches/locks/handles to be solidly fixed to.
"Yes, you can. In a solid wooden door it would be hollowed out for the lock body anyway, with the outer frame of the door supporting the fixings, so actually they are easier to fit as less hollowing out is needed. In a hollow door the outer framework of the door is solid and will hold the fixing screws no problem.
The drywall is soft enough, and the plastic drywall anchors are strong enough, that they will drill themselves through the drywall and enlarge the hole as they are screwed in. When using these in a hollow core door though, the wood of the door is too strong for a small pilot hole to be enlarged just by this anchor.
For a quick fix, you could take a toothpick, wooden skewer or wooden golf tee with a little wood glue and gently hammer it into the screw holes to strengthen the wooden stile so that it will provide a better grip for the screws. Then just reinstall the hinges and you should be fine.
Some people prefer filling their hollow core doors with sand because it adds weight to the door. Sand is also easier to pour inside than foam because sand falls with gravity.
By filling wall voids, the foam curbs resonance, keeping the sound from leaving or entering the desired room or space. Sprayed foam can also reduce sounds generated inside wall spaces, caused by flushing toilets, clanging pipes, and other miscellaneous utilities.
It's definitely not a problem. As @ChrisF mentioned, the best way is to drill a small pilot hole (1/8" would probably be about right) and use a self-tapping screw. "Self tapping screws" suggest that you don't need a pilot hole, but they're really meant for sheet metal.
2 Answers from MyBuilder Carpenters & Joiners All hollow doors will have whats called a 'lock block' situated in the centre of the door on one edge. This is there for latches/locks/handles to be solidly fixed to. Usually this block is located roughly 750mm up from the bottom of the door and is about 300mm long.