How to choose the right interior doors, selection criteria and tips
Interior doors are part of the interior, that is, they decorate the house. At the same time, they perform many utilitarian tasks - they retain heat, protect against odors and noise. When purchasing new doors, it is important to strike a balance between the requirements of aesthetics, functionality and simple comfort for any household. Let's see how to choose the right interior doors so that the apartment looks modern, beautiful and comfortable.
Content
Requirements
Doors in houses are rarely replaced, so the choice of models should be taken responsibly so as not to experience inconvenience for many years.Usually all doors are chosen in a general style, some differences are acceptable, but the difference should not be obvious.
beauty
Beauty is the first thing to consider when choosing. Doors, like all interior details, decorate the room. The material, color, style should match the furniture, wallpaper, other elements and materials of the decoration of the room.
Feature
The main task of the door is to insulate the room. Ease of use, easy opening and closing, a pleasant handle are taken into account when choosing. Glazed models must let in a sufficient amount of light.
Reliability and durability
Doors in the apartment will have to stand for a long time, they choose durable models that will not lose their appearance and reliability over time.
It is important to choose strong upholstery and fabrics that do not deteriorate with use and due to natural aging.
We note a few more important characteristics that are taken into account when choosing:
- the resistance of the material to moisture (especially important for the bathroom, kitchen, toilet);
- sun immunity (does not fade in the sun).
Choose a door leaf that is not afraid of light knocks, mechanical damage during cleaning, moving furniture.
Basic device types
For indoor models, 4 basic design options are used, slightly differing in their properties and areas of application.
Shield
The budget version of the canvas is a frame (usually pine) and a sheet covering, often MDF. The interior is filled with insulating material. The service life depends on the mounting accuracy of the frame, the thickness of the MDF. It is difficult to check the quality in store. The cheapest models are covered with melamine paper.More expensive - eco-veneer combined with glass. Metal edges increase the durability of panel designs, as it is the edges that begin to break.
Panels
The basis of the structure is a solid wooden frame, into which small parts (panels) are inserted.The cost of the model depends on the material of the panels. They use expensive types of wood, MDF. These models are durable, strong, have many design options and have high sound insulation properties.
Tsargovye
In side-by-side structures, the wooden frame is filled with rectangular horizontal inserts (side bars). The canvases are strong, heavy, serve for a long time, do not lend themselves to deformation.
Mold
Elegant models for apartments with modern furniture. The door is made of solid glass, framed on both sides by moldings, panels. The glass is particularly durable and unbreakable. Door leaves are heavy, expensive, with multiple options for the arrangement of glass and moldings.
Material of manufacture and method of finishing
The material of the door leaf determines how expensive, sophisticated and elegant the product is. The production uses traditional wood and a variety of synthetic materials.
Solid wood
The best material for doors is wood. Such models are durable, with a high noise insulation rate. For a long service life, high-quality wood drying is required, reliable fastening to the frame, since the canvas is heavy.
Pine
Pine models dry out less than other tree species. Due to the resin in the material, these doors rot less and are less susceptible to fungus attack.
Alder
Alder has many valuable properties - it is not subject to rotting, moisture resistant, does not dry out and tolerates ultraviolet radiation. Disadvantages of the material - it does not tolerate sudden temperature changes, it is difficult to maintain.
Oak
Excellent status material for interior doors, durable, durable, decorative. Disadvantages - high weight, lack of moisture resistance, high price.
Ash
Ash fabric retains its natural color for a long time, reacts poorly to dry air and temperature changes.
Among the disadvantages are low moisture resistance and the need to process with special compounds against the effects of water.
Beech
The homogeneous structure of the wood makes beech a popular choice for doors. Close to oak in terms of reliability and resistance, it is often used to imitate walnut or mahogany. Not resistant to humidity.
Made of artificial materials
Synthetic materials are leading in the budget segment. They are lightweight so no extra loops are required. With a good finish, they serve for a long time without losing their decorative qualities.
Pine bars
Pine is the least expensive material for door frames. With careful processing of wood, the products serve for a long time, do not crack, do not rot. They are often used as a base connecting other materials.
chipboard
The material is made from wood chips by pressing, attaching small fragments with synthetic resins. Chipboard dries, the material is cheap. In appearance it is similar to plastic, the dents are formed by impacts.
MDF
A common variation of material for door frames is small, compressed sawdust impregnated with paraffin or other adhesive.The MDF material does not emit harmful substances, but it swells with moisture and is rather fragile.
Cellular cardboard
The material is used for internal filling of frame structures. Honeycomb filler is used in inexpensive models.
Laminate
The most common decorative coating in budget door options. The applied design often imitates wood. The material is cheap, the door shapes are different - with panels, glass and other decorative elements.
PVC
The PVC film reliably protects the internal structure of the frame from moisture and mechanical damage. The seals installed in the casing give the entire structure a perfect seal.
PVC doors are installed in bathrooms, kitchens.
natural veneer
The veneer is made from thin cuts of wood (1 to 10 millimeters), glued with wood glue, which makes the material environmentally friendly. It has the properties of natural wood, which gives the products a decent look.
Eco-veneer
The new generation multilayer material (CPL technology) is made of natural fibrous materials and synthetic additives. Wear and impact resistant.
Glass
Glass doors expand the space while dividing individual rooms. They look presentable. High-strength glass is used, with a thickness of 8 millimeters. Strong frames and hinges are required as these models are heavy.
Polypropylene film
Flat doors are covered with polypropylene films, since the material is not thermoplastic. They protect internal components from moisture and prevent aging. The material is strong and durable.
Finishing film
Coating material based on thick paper with a pattern printed and impregnated with resins. For doors, a pattern in the form of wood is most often chosen. The material is completely ready for use, does not require additional processing.
Painted
Painting doors with enamels increases moisture resistance, but reduces the natural qualities of the material (wood). The doors are painted industrially, in rooms, due to this, the strength and decorativeness of the coating increases. There are many options for painting - like wood, with a patina, with elements of artistic decor.
Opening methods
The comfort and functionality of the door depends on the opening methods. There are many options, each with advantages and their own areas of application.
Swing
The most common and common way to attach doors is vertically, with hinges on the frame. Advantages - it is convenient to open, tightly closed, reliable and trouble-free, in the presence of gaskets they provide tightness. Of the minuses - they require a lot of space.
Folding
The design is similar to an accordion, the doors are made with a different number of leaves. Convenient in that they partially close a wide doorway, leaving a passage of the required width.
Slippage
Sliding structures are made of any material, they harmoniously divide large rooms into zones or close a doorway. They can consist of one or two shutters that slide along the walls or enter special holes in the interior. They are not as dangerous for gape households as swing ones.
Swinging
Swing doors are rare in our homes. The door leaf is not fixed to any stud, the door is fixed from above with a special mechanism, it opens in any direction.
Rotodover
The door opens inside the opening, the rotating mechanism saves the surface of the parts. There is less space for the opening than for a swing. The mechanism eliminates sagging, is convenient for children, people with disabilities.
How to choose the right size
The wide openings make it easier to move furniture around the house, but make it difficult to use the door. For different rooms, the most convenient dimensions of the openings are provided, which guarantees the convenience of opening and sealing the room.
Food
For the kitchen, the recommended size is 700x2000x70 millimeters. The installation of joints is important to prevent the spread of odors and burns.
Bathroom
The narrowest doors are made in bathrooms and toilets - 550-600x1900-2000x50-70 millimeters. Thresholds are provided for these rooms to reduce the risk of water leaks and general dampness in the apartments.
General purpose
In other rooms, the doors are of different widths, in living rooms, hallways - often double doors. Size - 800x2000x20-70mm. Many widen the doorways in standard apartments to provide connection and ventilation.
Which doors have the best sound insulation
Noise protection is provided by the door material, design features and precise adjustment of the seals. Factors that increase sound insulation:
- lack of glass inserts;
- strip thickness - more than 40 millimeters;
- solid wood;
- absence of voids inside the door leaf;
- simulated bar.
The soundproofing properties of the doors provide independent and quiet living, rest and work for the inhabitants of the apartments.
Tip: to protect against noise from neighboring rooms, it is worth providing gaskets, a threshold, a secure fastening (latch) in the frame.
When ordering doors, consideration is given to filling internal voids with sound-retaining foam materials.
Choice of moldings
Poor quality molding will negate the beauty of the door. The choice and installation of the elements that frame the door is a necessary condition for the beauty of the room.
Box
The door frame secures the door, holds the heavy leaf, and is part of the design of the room. Poor performance leads to sagging, inconvenient and loose closing.
Conventional
The simplest option are boxes, which are attached to the openings with dowels, bolts and other fasteners. Small elements are planted on glue, nails, screws.
With special groove for telescopic trays with extensions
A more convenient option for collecting the door frame is telescopic methods with simple fastening of elements in the existing grooves. When disassembling, you do not need to unscrew the fasteners - the parts are simply removed. Additional elements cover the ends of the wall if the dimensions do not match.
General requirements
The doorway is drawn before the laying of the parquet; if necessary, a threshold is immediately made which can be embedded in the ground.
Important: the installation of the door frame is not postponed until the end of the repair, so that all the parts are harmoniously connected with the floor, wall, the wallpaper does not tear, and the open spaces do not appear.
Boxes are best made of wood; other materials (cardboard, MDF) are less durable - the door leaf will sag, the hinges will quickly weaken.
Additional wood
Dobras are used to align the width of the door frame with the thickness of the wall. This should be done in most cases. The filler bar is a wooden plank with a rectangular section. Width - 100-200 millimeters, if necessary, the workpiece is filed to the desired size.
Trays
Trays are called decorative strips that cover the joints of the door frame. The material should ideally match the quality and color of the main canvas so that the opening looks harmonious. Trays are produced with grooves, carved, flat and convex. They should match the style of the door.
Conventional
Ordinary tops are attached to the frame with clipped-head nails and tinted in the appropriate color so that there is no metallic sheen.
Telescopic
If there are grooves on the box, the trays are simply inserted. During repairs, this method of fastening excludes additional work and damage to the tree when removing nails and reinstalling.
Mooring methods
The trays found are interconnected in several ways. This is a complex job that requires dexterity and skill. The perfect seal is the basis of a door's beauty.
With square sockets
Decorative rosettes often serve as a common design when assembling expensive doors and frames of valuable wood species. Carvings, patterns and other details on the rosettes further decorate the structure.
Stock, 45 degree angle
To assemble at an angle of 45 °, use a miter box, special hacksaws, so that the board does not split when sawing the corner. Perfect cutting is required, burrs and chips spoil the appearance of the frame.
Stock, 90 degree angle
Installation of trays at an angle of 90 ° is easier, although the joint does not lose its decorative effect. Such a joint looks beautiful with wide flat tops and a door leaf with rectangular decor elements.
Capitals, cornice
Decorate the doorways with additional elements - cornices, capitals. They replace the upper crankcase. In budget models, the decor is made of plaster, polypropylene foam.Decoration of the box is provided for when choosing a design and materials, ordered together with the door.
Price gradation
The prices differ not only depending on the material, but also on the design. A swing door made of high quality pine is often cheaper than a folding door made of poor quality material.
The price of budget models starts from 2.5,000-3.5,000 rubles for a simple canvas. With high quality performance, even an inexpensive door will last a long time without losing its appearance. Comfort class doors are 2-3 times more expensive (10-20 thousand rubles). Material, performance of a higher level - due to this, the service life increases, the appearance is more presentable.
Premium class prices increase several times (from 35,000 rubles), they are placed in expensive houses, in accordance with the general situation.
Choice criteria
When choosing a model and material, functional properties, compliance with the general design of the house and a specific room, color and the need for sound insulation are taken into account. There are many basic criteria when choosing doors.
Maker
Preference is given to models produced industrially, at the factory, taking into account quality standards.Canvases and door frames, glued in small workshops from improvised means, will begin to crumble even during installation, quickly lose their appearance and will not last long.
Fittings
Handles, hinges, door closers determine how much the door opens, whether it is convenient to use it. You can not save on fittings - this determines the quality and functionality of the structure. Cheap materials quickly lose their appearance - they fade, a beautiful shine and eventually rubbing off, the hinges crumble, the canvas sags.
It is impossible to focus only on the beauty of shiny fittings - they not only perform decorative functions, but also provide reliability.
Features
Consider the most important characteristics taken into account when choosing a door structure.
Weight
The weight of the door is the most important parameter taken into account when choosing. Heavy-duty canvases require an increased strength box, double hinges and high quality fittings. The door may sag and it is more difficult to open.
Sound and heat insulation
The insulating properties are enhanced by the absence of glass, void-filling foam. Gaskets are inserted into the door frame, a threshold is made to close the lower space.
Moisture resistance
Protection of the canvas against moisture is provided for the doors of bathrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Such doors are washed more often, the rooms are damp. In budget options, coatings are made of laminated PVC materials.
Design
The method of opening and the design determine the comfort and functionality of the door when using it. The insulating properties also depend on the design.
Finishing
The decor gives the door individuality and originality. The decoration decorates the door and the room, making the type specimen interesting and exclusive.
Colors and style
The choice of color and style adapts the door to the general interior, an unsuccessful choice spoils the impression of the whole room. It is necessary that the product be combined with other elements of the room, complement them and work to create a general image.
Signs of poor quality
Subtle flaws in new doors will quickly turn into serious problems, hopelessly ruining your beloved apartment. They must be identified before installation, requiring immediate completion or replacement of defective copies.
solid wood door
Expensive solid wood products, with poor preliminary processing of wood, often have many defects.
Geometry Violation
Correct geometry is an important quality indicator. Diagonal size deviation is allowed 2 millimeters.
hairiness
In case of poor sanding quality, pieces of shavings and fluff remain on the wood. During operation, they will come off, break, leaving cracks and spots of a different color.
Small cracks
Cracks form when sawing and under-drying the wood. They are often grouped together at the edges and joints of parts. Dust accumulates in inconspicuous cracks, spoils the appearance of the canvas, gives the product an old look.
Painted
Paint does not hide flaws, minor flaws under paint are often even more noticeable.
Bad construction
The paint reveals cracks in the canvas, cracks in the joints of the parts. Poorly fitting parts do not form a harmonious image, gaps are visible at the joints after painting, the glossy surface shows them as cracks.
The front differs from the edge
The color of the entire painted canvas should be uniform and monochrome. If the facade differs from the edge, part of it can be covered with a film.
Unpainted areas
The cameras are used to paint the high quality canvas. If there is a deviation from the technology, the color is uneven, some seams are not painted, the paint lies in an uneven layer, the areas differ in shade.
film covered
The cheapest models made with sawdust, shavings, films, glue and low-quality fillers have the greatest number of problems. Before laying, they are checked over the entire surface of the canvas.
Detachment areas
A loose, loose edge will begin to fall off immediately after the start of the operation. These models are immediately discarded.
The elements of the side structures are mobile
Loose side pieces, constantly moving in the grooves, quickly loosen and collapse the door frame.
Large deviations in the stop points
The fuzzy connection of the parts looks unsightly, dirt accumulates in the voids. The games cause the movement of the constituent parts and destroy the structure.
Glue drops
Leaking glue makes it messy. Stains indicate that the parts are poorly glued, the glue itself is of low density, the seams are crooked and squeeze out the substance.
Blade deflection with light pressure
The strip sags when the facing layer is too thin and the void inside is empty. All knocks will be noticeable on the doors; if you press hard, the material will collapse.
How to match the color
The shadow of the doors visually expands or narrows the room, emphasizes the design of the room.The choice of colors for natural and synthetic materials is wide - from light tones to light and black tones.
Neutral shades
Doors in neutral hues are among the most requested by buyers. Popular colors:
- sand;
- beige;
- walnut.
Canvases of neutral tones do not attract attention, they often merge with the walls, do not get bored with prolonged use. On them, assembly errors and lack of cleanliness are barely noticeable.
Classic interior
The classic style does not overload the doors with decorative elements - the lines are clear, simple. Most often, light colors predominate - ash, alder, white, cream, gray.
Japanese
Sliding doors in the Japanese style are made with traditional decorative elements - paper, drawings of oriental themes. Alder is chosen from the wood.
Scandinavian style
The popular Scandinavian style demands simplicity and naturalness. The colors of the doors are dominated by shades of natural wood, white.
Country
The country style uses folk patterns and simple materials. The design is simple, without artistic frills, wood - without careful processing, with roughness.
Color - natural wood, without varnish, glossy.
Baroque
The palace style assumes multiple decorative elements in contrasting shades. Various colors, gilding, ornaments, stucco moldings are used.
Cool shades
Cold tones of interior doors are harmoniously combined with modern interior styles.
Minimalism
Minimalism glorifies simplicity and naturalness - a minimum of details, the emphasis on the structure of the material. The door is often made invisible against the background of the walls, so the color of the doors is in harmony with the main background, neutral, the canvas is monolithic, homogeneous.
Advanced technology
The absence of mid tones and soft shades is the main requirement of the style.High-tech doors - white, black, gray. Ocher color variants and other bright shades are allowed without softening and muffling.
Eclecticism
The eclectic style emphasizes the following door requirements:
- calm and bright colors;
- aging elements;
- golden decoration components.
Decorative elements are made in the form of geometric shapes - circles, triangles.
Attic
The loft style, as well as the recommended restrained colors, allows the use of shades that serve as a pronounced accent in the room - black, red, gray, white.
Tip: modern fashion does not recommend combining doors with furniture, floors and walls. Neutral natural colors are preferred.
Dark
Dark shades of interior doors add sophistication to the premises. Among the leaders of dark tones:
- black;
- wenge;
- shades of brown;
- chestnut.
Dark doors draw increased attention to the doors, all the flaws are visible there. Not suitable for small rooms, visually narrowing the space.
Bright
Bright shades are for outrageous lovers and those who are ready to quickly change doors when bored. Blue colors are in harmony with the classic interior, yellow-orange will help to improve the mood, red - to focus on the unusual design of the door.
Modern
The Art Nouveau style allows for a wide color palette without flashy tones. They use shades of ivory, champagne, often complementing them with dark inserts. A combination of light and dark is encouraged.
In the Art Nouveau style, the natural colors of wood are used, complementing the material with glass, inserts and forged accessories.
Bohemia
Individual preferences are the basis of style.Door leaves are chosen in different colors, correlating only with their own taste. Bright shades of any color are acceptable. The canvas is covered with paint and varnish, decorated with dark frosted glass. Additions of carved wood of the appropriate color are used.
Rules and guidelines for choosing
They choose a color according to their own taste preferences and according to several generally accepted recommendations. Tone combinations are considered with the following elements of the room:
- flooring;
- baseboards;
- window frames;
- furniture;
- the color of the walls.
They work both in harmonious correspondence and in contrast.
Reference: dark doors are more visible, light ones enlarge the space, defects and dirt are less visible there.
Tips & Tricks
When buying interior doors, you need to consider many factors. Insulating properties are combined with the requirements of the design of the room, the color scheme. Here are some important tips and tricks to make your choice easier:
- With a general replacement of doors, you should not buy products separately, hoping to gradually save money. After a short time, the necessary models often disappear from sale without a trace.
- Doors are changed rarely, you should not save on trifles. Better to spend money on quality products that can last for many years without losing their appearance.
- It is better to entrust the measurement, alignment of the doorway, installation of ready-made structures to professionals.
- Glass inserts alter the insulating properties, letting in light that can interfere with other family members. Glass interior doors are more decorative.
- Before picking up the finished doors, do not hesitate, you need to carefully check all the details for defects and minor defects.
- The design of the doors should correspond to the style of the premises, furniture. You should not choose unusual models in the hope that later you will change the decoration of the house, make appropriate repairs, change the interior. Most often, the doors remain extraneous to the apartment, do not suit the general style of housing.
If the apartment does not undergo major repairs every 5 years, then doors of flashy shades and an exotic look should not be purchased. Eyes quickly get tired of them, such models do not look chic for long.
Although there is a wide range of options, it is not easy to find doors that fit perfectly into the environment and are comfortable. It is best to do this when planning a renovation, when all interior details are thought out at once. If it was not possible to do this, the doors are made according to special orders, taking into account the design solutions of the case.