You are repairing your flat and haven’t chosen the room doors. Or you just want to change the old ones, but don’t know which to buy. There is a great variety of materials and production methods. So which door to choose so that it will be durable, convenient, beautiful and had a nice design? We will try to answer these questions in this article.
Braced doors
Braced doors constitute from frame and panels. Panel is made of a board, veneer or other material, it fills up the empty space in the door frame.
Braced doors are recommended because of many reasons. This construction is durable, but of course its durability will also depend on the choice of wood. This type of doors has self-blocking joints, without glue. Even if some components dry up, the door keeps its form. The most popular are doors made of oak, walnut, hornbeam. Purchase and mounting of such door will be quite expensive, but you’ll be satisfied. These doors, as any other, need care and certain temperature and humidity level maintenance.
The cheaper variant is - braced doors from softer wood, for example, pine-tree. But beside proper care such doors should be protected from blows.
If you want to mount a door of valuable wood, but you don’t have enough money, you can buy a door made of combined materials. The look will be the same, but the price will be much lower, because inside part of the door will be from MDF, and outside – veneer sheet (0,5mm width) from the necessary wood. MDF is more sensitive to moisture and temperature changes, that’s why it is reasonable to mount this door only in certain conditions. It is important not to damage the veneer sheet, then you can forget about the purchase of new doors for at least 50 years.
Panel doors
Panel doors are also widely used in many houses. They are made of panels with entire or interstice infill. Panel doors have smooth surface and can be covered with veneer sheet, veneer or plastic. Doors with entire infill are not used in rooms. They are too durable and too heavy. Panel doors with interstice infill from particle boards, strips of wood, veneer sheets, veneer or cardboard are used in the rooms.
Nowadays the optimal variant is to mount panel room doors with cardboard infill in the form of cells. This construction has a good durability and weight.
The price of panel doors will depend on the quality of materials, size of cells, polishing and varnishing.
Varnishing
Before varnishing every door is polished. Then two or more varnish lays are put to protect doors from moisture and temperature changes. Natural look of the wood is achieved by the use of especially hard varnish. To get a tint, special dye is used, and only then the door is varnished.
Types of opening
Before mounting room doors, decide how will they open.
The most popular are wing doors. They can be single-, double- or triple-winged (one wing is bigger then the other). It is better to choose beforehand the way of opening: push or pull, to the right or to the left. Otherwise you’ll have to change the hinges or the whole door.
Sliding door can consist of one or two wings. Wings are connected to the lower or both guides. Sliding doors on the upper guide look more esthetic, but they can rattle because of vibrations and draughts. To prevent vibration, it is recommended to mount the doors with lower guide. Lower guide is visible, but it can be lowered in the floor.
Folding doors consist of two (book) or more (accordion) wings. These doors are appropriate when you don’t have a lot of space, and you can’t mount sliding doors.
Sash doors
It is recommended to use sash-doors to let some light in. The door can become more interesting due to sash form, color and pattern. But remember that the choice of the sash may affect the price, sometimes increasing it in two times. Glass shouldn’t rattle after mounting. The width of the glass should correspond to the width of the slots. Usually glass fastening is made with a help of wooden laths, but you can use fillets, your door will look more beautiful. Considering the choice of slash-doors, don’t forget about safety. From this point of view, it is better to choose a tempered glass. In case of damage it brakes into pieces without sharp edges. Or you can choose a triplex glass. It doesn’t scatter, but crack, and stays together because of the pellicle.
Room door frame
Door frame consists of two vertical posts and a crossbar. A frame can be made of different materials: any wood (walnut, oak, cherry-tree, birch) or MDF, covered with veneer sheet.
Doors are hanged on the frame, that’s why it is important to fasten them properly. Square frames should be fastened on-the-mitre of 90° to the frame surface. If the frame has other shape, for example, arch, then the guides should be fastened on-the-mitre of 45°.
Dimensions
Room door dimensions depend on its aim. It is important that you can bring the furniture through.
Usual door height is 2meters (Euro standard -2.1meter). Bathroom and toilet doors are 10sm smaller because of the threshold. The width can vary from 60 to 110sm with one wing, and from 120 to 180 with two wings.
Door hinges
Door is fastened on the frame with a help of hinges. Door hinges consist of halves and a shank (it is convenient if the shank can be pulled out of the hinge).Usually not heavy room doors have two hinges. Mounting a door, pay attention to the fastenings. They should bear the door weight to avoid sagging. The color of the hinges should correspond to the color of the handle.
Closing mechanism (lock, latch) and handle
Along with the choice of the door, you should choose a closing mechanism. Usually a latch is enough. Locks are used only in bathroom and toilet, but you can use them in room doors too. Locks can use a key or a toilet latch.
You should select a handle according to your taste. Its color should harmonize with the handles on your furniture. It is important that their covering is qualitative, or it may peel off.
Door compressor
Room door can have a compressor. It will create a good level of heat and sound isolation, and will prevent dust penetration. Compressor also helps to make door closing soft and silent. It is important that the compressor in the door fame is soft enough. If it is hard, it won’t evenly fit the door surface, or you’ll have to make an effort closing the door.
Selecting a room door, don’t think only of its design. Practical side of the issue is also very important. Ugly door can spoil the interior, low-quality can spoil your door.
Right choice of the door consists not only of the door choice, but also from the choice of door frame, accessories and mounting quality. All this will give a good result. Then you’ll enjoy your doors for many years!