An entrance door protects the housing from unauthorized persons, outside cold and noise. Its appearance reflects the level of financial well-being of the owners and often serves as the first element in the overall design of the apartment. Therefore, a reliable, convenient and beautiful door is so important. But where to find one?
Criterias of choice
The modern market for building materials and services is clearly oversaturated with offers for the sale and installation of entrance doors. In this case, you can observe the widest price range, a variety of materials, locking devices, accessories and structural features. Deciding which front door to choose for an apartment is not so simple. After all, your purchase should consider:
- security;
- sound and heat insulation properties;
- external design;
- strength and durability;
- reasonable price.
The door should be easy to use, easy to close and open, not to allow spontaneous opening with the lock open. Of the structural elements, special attention should be paid to the device of the door leaf, duct, locking systems, hinges and a built-in eye.
Safety and Security Classification
According to the indicators of reliability and stability against the penetration of outsiders, all products are divided into 4 classes:
- Able to withstand if the usual physical impact will be applied for hacking;
- Structures that remain intact if a simple hand tool is used.
- Which can only be opened with a cutting power tool.
- Heavy armored protection, able to withstand any mechanical stress and fire from a firearm.
According to fire resistance, the doors are divided into 3 classes:
- Able to withstand open flames for up to half an hour.
- With fire resistance 1 hour.
- Providing flame protection for one and a half to two hours.
Also, the material of the walls and the method of securing the box affect the degree of protection. In some cases, installers have to take measures to strengthen the doorway.
The device of the opened cloths
The buyer primarily pays attention to the design of the door leaf, which is determined by:
- thickness of sheet metal on the skin;
- the presence and number of additional stiffeners;
- total thickness of the sash structure.
You might think that you need to choose products with maximum performance for these parameters. But not so simple.
Steel thickness. You should not think that the thicker the metal, the better. Large metal consumption entails an increase in the weight of the door, which means that the load on the hinges will increase, which will lead to their rapid wear. In addition, the heavy door has increased inertia. You can’t close it quickly, but when you close it, you will have to make an effort to stop the canvas.
On the other hand, it should be noted that sheets with a thickness of less than 2.0 mm are easily cut by hand scissors for metal. therefore the recommended thickness of the steel for the outer cladding in the house should be 3-4 mm, and for the apartment it will be enough 2-3 mm. A thicker sheet will lead to a sharp increase in the weight of the door. Iron cladding from the side of the apartment can be abandoned and other materials used.
Transverse section. The thickness of the door is usually determined by the selected size of the insulation layer. Therefore, in an apartment building with a relatively warm staircase this value can be in the range of 6-8 cm, but for the house, in the absence of a veranda, it is better to increase it to 80-100 mm.
When determining the thickness, one should also take into account the level of external noise and the soundproofing properties of the structure. If mineral wool mats are used as thermal insulation, the thickness of the door leaf for an apartment can be reduced by 10-15 mm.
Stiffening rib. A large area of the door leaf with a relatively small thickness of the metal leads to the fact that the metal sheet begins to bend. Crackers can take advantage of this by bending sheet metal near the castle. An increase in steel thickness leaves the situation virtually unchanged.
It is possible to solve the problem of creating a solid, rigid structure only by installing additional stiffeners from profiled pipes or elbows. At the same time, the corner, despite its lower strength, is more preferable, since it does not complicate the process of laying the insulation throughout the interior. Minimum installed 2 vertical rails and 1 horizontal.
Sizes of a cloth. To determine the dimensions of the front door, it is necessary to measure the existing doorway and take away the thickness of the door frame. Please note that the width of the web should not be less than 800 mm. At the same time, doors that are too wide will be very heavy, and cantilever stresses will begin to act on the hinges besides the usual weight load. Therefore, it is not recommended to make a single-leaf door wider than 1000 mm. With a strong desire to have wide doors, you should pay attention to the double-wing designs.
Wireframe. The level of protection of the door from breaking largely depends on the device of the supporting frame. The most reliable designs are made of one integral profile pipe with welds at bent corners and in the area of installation of canopies. The manufacture of the frame must take into account the correct placement of stiffeners inside it, since in essence they form a single rigid structure.
Let’s explain. You can buy a box of a U-shaped type without a threshold, or an integral design with a threshold. The first option is characterized by low performance due to its obvious unreliability - such models are classified as an economy class.
Further. For the manufacture of the block, cold-rolled or hot-rolled steel sheet is used. It is recommended to use the models of the first option, as in this case, a multistage profile with a metal platband and welding only at the corners of the product is obtained. In the case of a hot-rolled profile, each element is cut separately, then the entire web is assembled, followed by welding of stiffeners, which, again, reduces the reliability of the structure.
Thermal insulation and protection against sound vibrations. Ensuring comfortable conditions in an apartment or a private house requires ensuring silence and normal air temperature. In the front door, this is ensured by such events as:
- the use of effective heaters;
- installation of the narthex with a sealant along the contour of the canvas;
If necessary, the sealing strips are easily and quickly replaced, fastening is carried out on glue. The door to the apartment must be equipped with at least one sealing strip. A private house is needed with 2 lanes. Also note that some paintings are equipped with magnetic seals.
- exact fit with no gaps or leaks.
As fillers used:
- mineral wool plates (fluffy glass fibers);
- basalt mats;
- foamed polyurethane foam or polystyrene.
The best performance in noise and heat insulation has mats made of basalt fibers. They are not afraid of moisture, and the fluffy structure retains heat well and dampens sound vibrations.
In terms of design, the warmest look is the door with thermal break. It blocks cold bridges and eliminates the possibility of cold penetration through the door frame.
Door frame
The installation box has its own design features that should be considered when choosing the front door.
Locking anti-removable crossbars. To provide more reliable protection against hacking, when installing external loops, special pins are provided. They are fixed on the side end of the canvas, and holes are made in the box. In this case, the cracker will not be able to open the door even if he manages to remove the hinges.
Seams and mounting points. The box is a fully enclosed circuit with one butt weld, which is located in the area of the hinges. In this case, the door frame must have at least 6 mounting points for attaching to the wall. Of these, 4 on the installation side of the hinges and 2 on the lock rail.
The contour and thickness of the metal. The box of a high-quality door is made of profile metal with a wall thickness of 3-5 mm. Usually this is a steel profile pipe of square or rectangular cross section.
Other criteria
For decoration on the door frame mounted metal platbands, which simultaneously perform protective functions. The hollow metal profile must be filled with insulation.
Number and types of locks
The design of the front door should provide protection not only from hacking, but also the possibility of using master keys. As history shows, the construction of any castle, no matter how complicated it may be, sooner or later becomes known to bear cubs. As a result, they manage to come up with a way to quickly open doors (about how we do this, we wrote here). Therefore, you should not rely on the complexity of the design of the locking device.
In most cases, lever and cylinder locks are installed on steel doors. In the former, the movable-fixing part is assembled from a set of plates that can block the retractable bolt or move its open-closed position. The main advantage of these locking devices is the hidden and protected placement of the secret part.
Instructions for self-installation of the front door are described in this article.
There are no protruding parts due to the mortise design of the lock. However, there is a high likelihood of picking master keys and quickly opening doors, although recent developments by manufacturers may include magnetic or electronic key recognition systems. However, while such offers are very expensive.
For cylinder locks, the secret part is made in the form of a rotary cylinder with a protruding forelock. It is during its rotation that the locking bolt moves. On sale are several types of such cores, simple, reinforced and high strength. The main disadvantage of the cylinder is that it has a protruding outer part. In simple designs, it is enough to insert a strong steel lever instead of a key and break the secret core with a sharp turn. Strengthening the secret part and the strength of the castle leads to its significant appreciation.
It is recommended to mount several locks of various types. You can install a level lock with a cylinder or a smartlock (digital or biometric lock with a code - a fingerprint check is performed to open it) with a level mechanism. For additional protection at home, we recommend installing an internal valve, which is of 2 types - mortise and consignment note.
Opening direction
The front door should open outwards. This will exclude the possibility of knocking it out or squeezing it out with a jack, as well as complicating the process of breaking it with a crowbar.
Hinges
As practice has shown, traditional outdoor hinges can be cut or broken. Door designers took this into account and began to install special anti-removable pins in the front doors that can hold the door even in the absence of canopies.
The next constructive step was the use of hinges for indoor installation with their location inside the duct and door leaf. To ensure easy opening, these bearings include thrust bearings. It is impossible to cut them, but still they have several significant drawbacks:
- high cost of hardware and its installation;
- their installation reduces the width of the doorway;
- the rotation angle restriction is tight up to 150-160 °.
Most often, the manufacturer provides for more than 5 loops. But a significant number of holes in the frame weakens the design. However, if the mass of the web exceeds 70 kg, then the number of loops should exceed 4 pieces.
With a sharp opening of the door, there is a possibility of their deformation when the stop is reached.
If the installation of a massive door is envisaged, then hinges with thrust bearings should be included in the package. They prevent squeaks. On a high-quality canvas, manufacturers install loops that are adjustable in height.
Peephole
Installing a peephole on the front door is required. Through it, you can look outside and determine whether it is possible to open the doors and let the guests come in. The presence of a viewing device allows you to monitor the situation on the landing and, if necessary, call the police.
The choice of color, design and finishing material
Quite often, determining priorities, the main attention is paid to ensuring security, pushing design issues to the background. This is clearly a misconception. The appearance of the front door is no less important, since it is a peculiar face of the apartment.
For this, the outer surface is coated with powder polymer paints, which after sintering form a durable and beautiful film on the metal.
Other options:
- soft to the touch (vinyl) - foam is placed between the upholstery and the canvas. Such upholstery looks good, has high sound and heat insulation properties. It is characterized by high elasticity and low price;
- MDF or lining - have high sound and heat insulation properties. To open the panels, varnish is used, which extends the life of the door;
- anti-vandal film - used independently or in combination with MDF panels, wooden lining. It is characterized by high fire-resistant and protective properties;
- wood is an expensive upholstery that requires varnishing.
From the side of the apartment the doors can be sheathed:
- natural or artificial leather;
- wood or MDF panels;
- polyvinyl chloride sheet;
- laminated film;
- dermatin (both inside and out).
The most expensive materials are genuine leather and MDF panels. The most affordable film lamination.
Installation Dependence
The requirements for the front doors of apartments and private houses vary. This is due to the fact that individual buildings have a fenced personal area and do not often attract the attention of neighbors and other people. In addition, the input individual heating system requires better thermal insulation.
Apartment buildings. It is recommended to install an entrance door in a high-rise apartment with a metal sheet 2.0–2.5 mm thick, with a sheet of 50–70 mm and two locks - a level lock and a cylinder.
House of private development. In their own buildings, doors should be stronger, with metal 3.5-4.0 mm, sheet thickness 70-100 mm and three locking devices. We also wrote about choosing a door for a private house here.
Rating and characteristics of famous brands
Entrance door manufacturers' products on the market vary greatly in price, materials used, reliability, appearance and other indicators. Therefore, below is a brief overview of popular products.
Outpost The products of this company have the best ratio of price and workmanship. This is confirmed by the fact that on sale you can find fakes of this brand, which indicates high demand.
Entrance doors "Outpost" have a beautiful design, a wide range of models, a high level of protection and affordable cost. In order not to buy a fake, pay attention to the presence of a magnetic seal and an armor plate on the cylinder lock.
Guardian. These doors of the Portal factory belong to the top premium price category. However, this is fully justified by high quality, the use of expensive materials, an increased level of protection against all types of hacking. Installed fittings and trim elements from the best European manufacturers.
Condor. Products of the Russian manufacturer with one of the best reliability-price ratio. Doors are designed for sale to a middle-income buyer. There are no distinctive features in the design, but no serious shortcomings have been identified. Just a good solid thing that meets modern requirements.
Torex. Doors "Torex" have the best level of noise protection from all brands represented. Strong enough locks and hinges. A wide range of models. Finishing without any frills, but pretty nice looking.
Elbor. The company produces entrance doors in the price range from affordable economy class to expensive luxury series. Products are of high quality workmanship, effective thermal and sound insulation. The level of protection against hacking of any model is the highest.
The best door of an economy segment
In determining the brand of the best doors, the most affordable, the opinions of experts and consumers differ. The former believe that Stal plant products should be called here, while the latter likes Neman doors with the best price-quality ratio.
The best door of an expensive segment
In the premium class, the Monolith model (serial marking of the Guardian DS-4) produced by the Portal plant can be considered the best design. The door has a unique expensive design, an impeccable level of security, but costs more than ten thousand dollars, so an ordinary buyer is unlikely to make such an acquisition.