Building cover in the home

[Cyklopz]

Please excuse this post if it is not appropriate to these forums. If it needs to be moved somewhere else also please feel free to move it.


Has anyone ever tried to create their own "armour" to use in the home? My thoughts are that at night I will be in my bedroom with door locked. I have a shotgun nearby in the closet. This closet is part of a wall that separates the dressing room and the bedroom proper. I can watch the bedroom door from this point but would like to add some protection to the walls inside the closet to help shield against possible incoming. I'm thinking of building some armour samples to take to an outdoor range and test such as:

First idea:

3 layers - 3/4" plywood/heavy sheet metal/3/4" plywood laminated together (sample would have two pieces of drywall built in such a way as to simulate the outer wall of the closet)

Second idea:

4 layers - 3/4" plywood/heavy sheet metal/3/4" plywood/heavy sheet metal laminated together (sample would have two pieces of drywall built in such a way as to simulate the outer wall of the closet)


This should be easy and fairly cheap to do. Has anyone tried this kind of thing, if so what results did you get as to protection offered?

The above idea is not meant to be a big project, maybe 3' on one side of the inner wall of the closet and the turning the corner for another 1-2'. Just enough to try and help shield where we would be standing. My hope in posting to such a forum is that even if no-one has tried this exact idea maybe the members have shot enough materials to give some input in general. :-)

Thanks.

Cy

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[P7fanatic]

You might want to take a look at bullet resistant Lexan or containment grade polycarbonate sheets.

[sgtD]

Personally, my bed is made of sandbags and I have a 3 1/2 sided sandbag fighting position in the living room. The wife was ok with it, until I started to dig a hole through the slab for a grenade sump.

Just kidding of course, but it might not be a bad idea to have some cover that will stop a bullet. The rich folks build entire safe rooms or "panic rooms" with vault doors and bullet proof walls, no reason why you shouldn't have something if that's what you want. I think P7fanatic is correct about the Lexan. Should work.

[Cyklopz]

Yes, those are good ideas.

Thanks.

Cy

[Texas Yankee]

Lexan is expensive. I have no idea whether you could put together enough plywood and sheet metal to work.

[Shizzlemah]

I'd skip sheet metal and go for plate steel.

3/8" will stop most handguns and small caliber rifles. Should run about $12/sq ft and weigh about 14#/sqft

[CorpsVet]

We have a blanket chest at the foot of our bed. The insides are lined with 1/4" steel. I can crouch beside my bed (on the side opposite the bedroom door) and the chest and bed are between me and anyone coming through the door.

The bed is placed so that an intruder must expose himself in the doorway before being able to see my position. There is light (from an outside security light) that comes through a window and illuminates the door opening.

My wife and I (we are the only ones living there)have rehearsed the drill where we both have cover, we both have our weapons ready and she calls 911 on the bedside cell phone and stays on the line as long as necessary.

[Tally XD]

I'd skip sheet metal and go for plate steel.

3/8" will stop most handguns and small caliber rifles. Should run about $12/sq ft and weigh about 14#/sqft

I agree and have thought about plating my outer bedroom wall with some 3/16" steel backed up with 3/4 or 1" sheet of plywood.

3/8" plate steel is EXTREMELY heavy and difficult to cut (read PLASMA cutter needed!) if you have to fit pieces.

3/16" sheet steel isnt that expensive and will stop most bullets, especially a stray bullet that might get tossed towards the house.

[mcp1810]

Home Depot ( at least here in Texas ) has in store ads for tornado safe rooms. These have Kevlar panels on the walls to protect you against airborne projectiles. I don't know what they would stop as far as gunfire goes, but you could try this maybe backed by your sheet metal and ply wood.

[boscobeans]

My first thought would be to make entry into your bedroom very very difficult.

Reinforced frame with a solid wood door and at least 3 butts (hinges). Add a strong door lock and a steel door jam (door club).

While the BG is attempting to bash your door down you can prepare for his entrance with whatever you decide to use.

[TheShadow]

Have you though about granite tile?

It's 1/2 an inch thick and is the second hardest material next to diamond (takes a diamond blade to cut) and with the 1/2 granite installed over 1/2 inch durock cement board you have a full inch of protection. If ricochets aren't a concern this would work well and be aesthetically appealing to the eye.

I had a bathroom floor done in black galaxy granite and I love the looks and the toughness of the material!

[ppkheat]

Here's a good "rule of thumb" for ya'll on estimating steel weight, particularly if it is flat.

Roughly speaking, and this is the only part you need to remember:

A piece of one square foot of steel that is 1/4 inch thick weighs about 10 lbs.

It's actually closer to 10.21, but forget about the .21 and keep your math easier and you can do the estimate in your head using the 1/4 = 10 lbs.

Example: 4'X8'X1/2" piece of flat plate weighs what? 4x8=32 sq feet x 10 lbs = 320 lbs at 1/4 thickness, but 1/2 is twice as thick, so 320 lbs x 2 = 640 lbs estimated weight.

Had you used the actual weight of 10.21 it would weigh 653, but I'd need a calculator for that.

[celticredneck]

I remember reading an article about "Kevlar siding". Perhaps this could be used to make a cover area in the home.

[Hammurabi]

The first idea that comes to my mind is sand bags inside the wall. I don't know enough about construction to know how feasible this actually is but it sounds cheaper to me than installing steel plating.

[hiller]

Our panic room: master bedroom (with lkg door)-->master bathroom (w/lkg door)-->walk-in closet (w/non-lkg door) which is full of guns and ammo. By the time they break through the bathroom door, my family is trained to shoot through the closet door knowing where the BG will be standing.