The first thing you look at when you see any building is the front door. Whether it be for an office building, a house, an apartment building, or a store you always notice the door first. However, there are so many different options! How do you choose which door is right for your needs? Here we’ll go through the different types of door options you can use for the front door and doors in and around your home.
Hinged Doors:
Hinged doors are exactly that, a door that is attached to the wall with hinges. The taller the door the more hinges are needed to support the door. There are hinged doors that have handles, one on either side for pushing or pulling. Swing doors also fall under the catagory of hinged doors.
There are many advantages of hinged doors, they are very common doors making them less expensive than other options. They are easy to install, low maintenance and there is an enormous selection of handles! One side of the door can be used for attaching hooks for robes or coats or shoe pockets. Making them great for hidden storage. However, with all the advantages there are disadvantages. They require more space than other doors, you need the space to push or pull open the door into the room. One of the biggest points is to watch those fingers, make sure they don’t get slammed in the door.
Where would you use a hinged door? Most houses use a hinged door as the front door to your house. They are also used around the house, such as bedrooms, bathrooms, maybe for a front room or an office. They are also the doors used on cabinets and closets. Hinged doors can come in different types of materials, as well as shapes and sizes.
Sliding Doors:
The one big advantage of sliding doors is that they are a space saver. In a small room like a bathroom, a sliding door would be perfect. This way you don’t need to worry about having the space to open a hinged door. Other places you can find sliding doors would be the door to the back yard or a closet, or the shower unit.
You need to be careful as the mechanism needs to be cleaned constantly from dirt, otherwise it might not work. Sliding doors also do not keep out noise and light as well as other doors.
How does a sliding door work? It is a door set on a horizontal railing. You need to be careful with the weight of the door as it is suspended on the railing at the top of the door. There is also a feature stopper, at the end to stop the door from falling off the railing.
Pocket Doors:
Pocket doors are another great option if you need to save space. You don’t need to worry about having the space to open a hinged door. A pocket door is exactly that, it goes into a pocket in between the walls. Giving you the option to make a room bigger or smaller depending on your needs. The advantage a pocket door has over a sliding door is that a pocket door will give you extra wall space.
As many advantages there are for pocket doors there are also disadvantages. As they don’t close as tightly as hinged doors they do not keep out all the noise, smells, and light traveling from another room. They can have many functioning problems, such as falling off the tracks. One also needs to be careful as the walls around the pocket doors are not as stable as other walls around the room. Pocket doors also have an integral handle. Which might be hard for someone who has unsteady hands to use.
How does the pocket door work? Very similar to a sliding door. The door is fixed on the railing. However, it is embedded within the wall, so it can not be seen. Many designers and contractors nowadays say you shouldn’t install track at the bottom of the door so there is nothing to trip and fall over.
Still unsure about which door to use? Which door will be suited best in which place in your home? Then don’t forget to email for a consultation.
