How to choose the right interior door

Each person dreams of creating a magical atmosphere of coziness and comfort in his home, carefully choosing the details of the interior. Often there is a problem of harmonious combination of stylistic compositions of different rooms. For example, the living room is decorated in a classic style with clear lines and regular shapes, and the bedroom embodies the tenderness of the Provence style. The transitional link of different designs will be an interior door, the choice of which is better to be taken responsibly.

Criteria for choosing interior doors

1. Budget. Before choosing interior doors, it is worth determining the budget for this purchase. Hoping that now you will buy some doors, and in a month others (but high-quality) is not worth it, since the assortment is constantly changing, and you may simply not find the right model, or buy a door from a different production series, and it will differ in color. It is better to buy all the doors at once, based on the allocated budget.
2. Design. When choosing the type of doors according to the method of opening, you need to take into account the width of the doorways of an apartment or house. A standard ventilated door will look concise if the opening width is 80-95 cm. For 110 cm, it is better to take double doors (or reduce the opening). If you are planning to buy a swing structure, answer yourself the following questions in advance: is there enough space in the room for an open door, will it interfere, in which direction will it open?
3. Material. Naturally, the most durable, reliable and durable are solid wood products. The cost will be different, depending on the type of wood: oak, alder, pine and others. There are many options for decorative finishes: veneered, laminated, painted. Now there are many modern plastic, glass and even aluminum models that can decorate your interior.

Design differences

It is very important to understand how to choose the right interior doors, because only high-quality models can simultaneously become a memorable detail of the interior of an apartment and be a reliable insulator from all extraneous sounds. One of the first selection parameters is the construction. Depending on they are divided into the following types:

• Swing - the most popular option. They have double-sided or single-sided canvases and open only in one direction. There are right (open to the right of the person) and left (to the left). Keep this in mind when choosing accessories. To install them, you need additional space for opening. In small rooms, swing doors are best not to use.
• Sliding - open like a compartment, by moving the canvas inside the wall or along the doorway along the guide rails (they can be lower, upper or double). It is better to buy interior doors that are mounted on two rails - at the top and bottom. They are more reliable and durable. Ideal for small apartments, but they do not provide good sound insulation, and odors and light rays can also penetrate into the cracks.
• Folding - move on loops like an "accordion". It is better to pay special attention to the choice of this type, since a large number of small moving elements can lead to the fragility of the structure. These doors are compact, but have poor sound and heat insulation. It is better to buy them for zoning a room, or if you plan to use them infrequently.
• Pendulum (swinging) - open in any direction, more often used in public places (offices, supermarkets, train stations).

Material for interior doors

The tree is chosen by true fans of impeccable quality and connoisseurs of natural beauty. Such doors can be made from valuable species or conifers. To avoid negative effects on wood, the surface is covered with stain, tinted antiseptic or varnish. These techniques are also used to emphasize the natural wood pattern and naturalness. Wooden doors are suitable for any design of the apartment, they are made in various variations of color and texture.

Many manufacturers prefer products from re-glued solid wood (wooden bars are glued together under high pressure). Such doors are more resistant to changes in humidity and temperature conditions.

Advantages of wooden doors:

• environmental friendliness;
• durability;
• strength;
• presentable appearance;
• good performance characteristics, high rates of sound and heat insulation.

Disadvantages of wooden doors:

• it is better not to use them in rooms with high humidity, or cover them with special protective compounds.

Selection Tips:

• pay special attention to the quality of wood drying so that the product does not deform over time;
• leave the door in the room for 7-10 days before installation so that the wood acclimates to the microclimate of the house or apartment;
• if you need wooden interior doors to a room where there is high humidity, it is better to choose paneled models, they are more resistant to such conditions.

Plastic doors are very popular due to their low cost and variety of designs. Most often they are made according to the "accordion" type or as sliding structures. Both veneer and laminate can act as decor. For a low price, you get doors with many advantages.

Advantages of plastic doors:

• ease of care;
• resistance to high humidity;
• good heat and sound insulation;
• a large selection of external design;
• low cost.

Disadvantages of plastic doors:

• do not tolerate high temperatures, do not burn, but are deformed;
• fittings need to be lubricated and adjusted regularly.

Masonite doors got their name thanks to the Masonite company, which developed and was the first to use the technology for their manufacture. The design of such doors is simple: a wooden frame is sheathed with fiberboard and decorated on the outside. The hollow space between the fiberboard panels can be filled with a paper accordion, bar hollow coniferous filler or honeycomb fiberboard. Masonite doors are decorated with veneer, laminate, primer, paint or tinting.

Advantages of masonite doors:

• low cost;
• environmental friendliness;
• light weight;
• resistance to temperature extremes;
• many design variations.

Disadvantages of masonite doors:

• lower rates of heat and sound insulation, for example, in comparison with wooden doors;
• low wear resistance.

Glass doors began to be used not so long ago. But they are very practical and versatile. Glass visually expands the space, which is ideal for owners of small apartments. Modern glass doors are virtually unbreakable, hygienic and water resistant. The only drawback is the maintenance requirement, as fingerprints often remain on the glass and dust is visible.

Options for decorative interior doors

The cost of a door is very often determined by the way it is decorated. Therefore, we choose for ourselves an acceptable option, taking into account this point. Consider the most common types of decorative:

Veneered doors, having a decorative covering from the natural, reconstructed or deciduous tree. Veneered doors are made using a special technology: thin slices of wood are attached to the door leaf using special glue or hot pressing. The surface is varnished, increasing the wear resistance of the product.

Advantages of veneered doors:

• veneered doors have low hygroscopicity;
• have a small weight;
• durable;
• richness of design and colors;
• low cost.

Disadvantages of veneered doors:

• veneered structures exclude the possibility of checking the quality of the assembly of the product;
• less durable than wooden doors.

Laminated doors can be made of any material (wood, aluminum, plastic). The advantages of laminated doors include:

• low cost;
• light weight;
• ease of care;
• high moisture resistance;
• resistance to mechanical damage.

Among the disadvantages, laminated doors are characterized by low environmental friendliness, the possibility of cracking the film and the impossibility of repair.

We hope this guide will help you choose the perfect interior doors that will last a long time and fit perfectly into the interior of the room, becoming the highlight of the house.