How to choose an interior door?

How to choose an interior door? In this article, we will not touch on the issues of price and appearance (design) of doors, it depends on the design and interior creation and the availability of funds that you are willing to spend. Here we will touch upon the issues of reliability, durability and ease of use of doors. We want to note right away that the choice of doors should be taken more carefully than, for example, the choice of furniture, since, unlike the latter, the replacement of doors entails repair work, often accompanied by a replacement of wall decoration.

PANELED HARDWOOD DOORS

Such doors are valued because of solid precious woods: teak, oak, walnut, hornbeam, expensive tropical woods. They are considered the most durable. This is due to both the lifespan of the wood itself and the manufacturing technology of these doors. They are made using self-locking spike joints, without glue. The panels are attached to the grooves. Like any expensive thing, such doors require special attention and maintenance of the microclimate, otherwise they will not be able to serve you for a long time, no matter how well they are made.

SOFTWOOD PANEL DOORS

As a rule, paneled doors made of softwood, primarily pine, are very common when creating interiors of country houses in the Country style. Such doors are produced mainly without finishing (only impregnation with special oils) and have a low cost. In design of a modern apartment such doors are not used, as they do not match the style, nor by the microclimate of the room.

PANEL DOORS FROM COMBINED MATERIALS

The manufacturing technology is even more complex than fine wood panel doors. The materials are produced by pasting an array of cheap wood with MDF or HDF, material, thereby increasing resistance to changes in temperature and humidity. More MDF is pasted over with precious wood veneer and treated with various impregnations and varnishes, just like doors made of expensive solid wood. The service life of such doors is less than that of panel doors made of precious wood, but also quite long. The low price in terms of price-quality-service life ratio, the absence of problems during operation, even in rooms with extreme macroclimate, as well as the richness and beauty of the texture of valuable wood, make such doors very popular in the finishing materials market.

SHIELD DOORS

The most common type of door on the modern market of finishing materials. According to GOST 6629-88, panel doors are made on the basis of a panel:

• Shield with continuous filling with wooden blocks (slats) or chipboard strips;
• Shield with small-hollow filling with wooden blocks (slats) or chipboard strips;
• Shield with small-hollow filling made of veneer or cardboard;
• Plywood or hardboard hollow core shield

The price range of panel doors is quite large. The difference in price depends on the materials used in the manufacture of the canvas – the quality and thickness of the MDF (in the cheapest versions of the “wet” fiberboard), the quality of the cardboard and the cell size of the honeycomb (from 10x10mm to 40×40, i.e. from 100 sq. mm per cell until 1600). But the main difference in price “runs” during the finishing. The finishing of panel doors is carried out both with artificial materials and with natural veneer of valuable wood species. Also, the panel door can have different types of glazing. In this case, its price will also depend on the glazing material, its shape and method of fastening.

When choosing doors, keep in mind that a door is not only a door leaf. The door assembly is:

• Door leaf;
• Door frame;
• Frames;
• Additional elements;
• Sham bar (for double doors);
• Glass (if not factory installed);
• Locking device, depending on the intended functions, either a lock or a latch;
• Loops;
• End crossbars (for double doors).

WHAT TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHEN CHOOSE AN INTERIOR DOOR:

Based on the above, before making a choice, you need to consider the following:

• Budget;
• Design direction;
• Canvas dimensions;
• Opening options;
• Technical requirements (moisture resistance, sound insulation);
• Dimensions of doorways and wall thickness.