How to choose the front door

The front door is one of the most important things in the house. In the absence, she acts as the guardian of your hearth. It does not allow cold, a variety of sounds or smells to get into your home. In addition to everything else, the front door should always be beautiful and neat and have aesthetic functions. How to achieve a harmonious combination of all these its properties? Let's try to figure it out.

Which doors are better to choose

The main materials used for the front door are metal, wood and combinations of the previous two with fiberboard or particleboard. Here are a few recommendations. Decide which doors are better to choose:

1. First of all, remember that a one-piece web is more reliable than with seams. This applies to both wooden and metal doors. A seam is always the most vulnerable spot of any design. Whether it is a door or a door, it is appropriate to remember the hinges here. One-piece doors are much more expensive, but their acquisition justifies itself. By the way, covering the door leaf with a fiberboard or chipboard sheet will partially solve this problem. Thus, the seams can be hidden from prying eyes.
2. A steel door is more practical than a wooden one. And less trouble with her. A wooden door is afraid of moisture and frost (if in a private house), but it has better sound and heat insulation. Although this is not a problem for metal doors that can be additionally sheathed. This, of course, is reflected in the price. But here it is, the front door is not the place to save.
3. Pay due attention to such elements as curtains, locks, eye for observation, latches. They, of course, are not the main, but important elements. Most often, unwanted entry into an apartment or house occurs through these details. Cut or broken loops, as well as a broken lock, can become a weak point when intruders try to get into your home. It is desirable to put loops 3 or more. At least 2 locks, and of various types. Removable pins or, as they are also called, “fingers” or “tongues”.

Steel front door

We have already decided that a steel door has better protective qualities than a wooden one. Although it is made of oak, if the manufacturer also tries, it will provide the robbers with a lot of worries and fuss.

If the door is metal, then it has two steel sheets (in some cases, three) - front, back and inside (for added protection). Front - the one that is outside should beat whole. If there are seams, then when applying several powerful blows with a sledgehammer, they will disperse. And then with the help of scrap you can just take apart your door. Although one may not find fault with this so much - the noise in a large residential building is very well audible, but it will not be superfluous.

Each sheet of steel on the front door must have a specific thickness. Their strength directly depends on this. The minimum thickness of the steel sheet should be 1.5 mm. But do not bend, because the front door with a sheet thickness of 3-4 mm. will be very difficult. It will be difficult for a child or an old man to open or close it. But in country houses or cottages, where the owners do not appear for a long time, such doors are put quite often. It must be borne in mind that ordinary curtains will not fit them. Such a door is held by levers. Its cost is higher, but the price justifies itself.

Stiffening ribs are very important in a metal door. The steel sheet itself is very flexible if it is not hot rolled. It does not have rigidity, it can simply be taken and bent. It is the stiffeners that betray the doors of elasticity and strength. They are made of no less high-quality material than the canvas itself (often even vice versa).Each metal door has at least two vertical and two horizontal stiffeners. They are made in the form of an English letter Z or Russian P. Stiffeners perform the following functions:

1. give elasticity and rigidity to the web without increasing the weight of the door. A certain emptiness is created in the box, which is filled with special materials to supplement with some necessary properties. That is, with solid metal over the entire thickness of the door, we would not have gained in strength, but would have lost in heat, sound insulation and excessive weight;
2. stiffeners in a metal door are used to secure the lock. He needs to have some foundation. The installation of additional stiffeners is often practiced. Since when installing the castle, they are cut and they lose their properties;
3. stiffeners create a certain thickness of the door. That allows you to calculate its size relative to the secretory of the castle. Everything is proportional here. The longer the secret, the thicker the door. And vice versa. The size of the castle’s secret determines how good and high-quality it is. It also has an effect on cost.

Pay attention to the details

No less important protective and sometimes aesthetic function is played by such details as platbands, vestibules and curtains (or hinges for doors), anti-removable pins.

Hinges - one of the most vulnerable elements of a metal or wooden door. They can be knocked down with a sledgehammer or neatly cut along the seam. To avoid penetration into the housing of third-party and unwanted persons, it is necessary to use anti-removable pins. Most manufacturers install them in quantities of 3 to 5 pieces, but there are more. With an increase in their number, the time of possible penetration into your home also increases. But here, too, do not bend - the more holes in the frame, the more it weakens. As they say - the best enemy of the good. Try to stay in the middle ground.

The number of hinges depends on the mass of the entrance doors and the number of its use. For example, open-close, an apartment or an office. It is advisable to put two hinges on the front doors with a weight of up to 70 kg. If the mass is greater, then loops need 3 or 4. It is best if the manufacturer himself determines the number of curtains.

Another protection option for breaking down or cutting curtains is hinges hidden for doors. They have many advantages along with their practicality no worse than ordinary, and even vice versa. They are inconspicuous when the door is closed, and their secrecy allows you to protect the damage of the hinges by intruders. Also a plus is an attractive appearance. More precisely, their absence outside the door makes it more attractive and neat, and adjusting the hidden hinges is even easier.

Platbands - this is part of the frame that hides the gap between it and the wall. They perform both protective and aesthetic functions. When using a steel door, platbands most often come with the frame. The wooden planks are beaten later, after installing the door. But there are times when they go with a loot. Why do we need platbands? Without them, the whole structure seems incomplete, that is, they are needed to betray a better appearance. Still platbands are an obstacle for attackers who are trying to tackle the gap between the frame and the wall. Next are the narthexes, they are somewhat reminiscent of platbands, with the difference that they represent a certain ledge on the door. The narthex performs slightly different functions than the clypeus. All kinds of seals are attached to it, which increase the heat and sound insulation. With the help of the narthex, in the modern doors, a certain vacuum is formed. They are also used to enhance protective functions. Using the narthex, the gap between the door and the frame is closed and makes it impossible to get to the hole.

Door Locks & Accessories

A castle is an obstacle for an attacker during an intellectual hack. When everyone wants to do it cleanly and without too much noise. But here you also need to consider that absolutely reliable locks do not exist.Any of them can be overcome in the presence of desire, perseverance, experience and the necessary tools. The main thing here is to buy time.

The most popular types of locks for the front door are:

1. Cylinder, thinner mechanism. It reliably protects your home from the so-called intellectual thieves. A distinctive feature, and one of the positive characteristics, is that when the key is lost, it is enough to replace only its secret part (cylinder). The whole mechanism does not need to be touched. Cylinder locks come in three types - with low, medium and high secrecy. This division is determined by its reliability and complexity of the autopsy. The latter type answers the question of which door is better to put - with a reliable lock. Here it is better to trust trusted companies, most of which are imported. When establishing it, it is worth considering that it is easily amenable to force influence (knocking out, drilling, etc.). Two- and three-cylinder locks with different keys are now available.
2. Suvaldny - a massive lock that protects the door from opening the door. Their main advantage is power and durability. Most often, the number of crossbars used in this castle is from 3 to 4. It can be more or less. There are options when the crossbars are put forward in different directions, which further enhances the effectiveness of using a level lock. He is subject to intellectual dissection.
3. Smartlock - a lock with computer encoding (digital or biometric). To open it, you need to enter a code or pass a fingerprint test (scan of the eye, fingerprints) or both. It practically does not undergo intellectual hacking. Its advantage is that it provides the highest degree of protection and does not need a key to open it, which is very convenient. Among the shortcomings, one can single out that for its operation a current source is needed. But even without electricity, it can work for about 2 more days. Further, it becomes an ordinary castle.

It is best and most reliable to use several locks, of various types, when installing doors. Best leverage with cylinder or leverage with smartlock. Regarding the peephole, take care to get armored with a full inspection of the landing (200⁰ radius of view).

Do not forget about the internal valve, it will protect you from unwanted guests when you are at home (mainly at night). Many of their types are now available. They are distinguished by convenience and appearance. Gate valves are divided into two types - overhead and mortise. In any case, they are relatively easy to physically influence.

Heat and sound insulation, door design

Since we said earlier that metal doors have a void that is filled with a variety of materials. It is this filler that provides us with heat and sound insulation. It could be:

1. mineral wool;
2. polypropylene;
3. Styrofoam;
4. foam rubber;
5. paper;
6. sawdust.

Filler is a very important element. It affects the heat and sound insulation and weight of the door, determines its fire resistance and toxicity. Always be interested in what's inside your door. It can cost you comfort and coziness, and sometimes even health.

An important element in the exterior design is the upholstery of the metal door. It determines aesthetics and affects insulation performance. The following materials are available:

• Soft materials. It is mainly leather vinyl (skin substitute). Foam is often placed between it and the door leaf. This upholstery has a good appearance, has increased heat and sound insulation, has a high degree of elasticity. It is characterized by a lower price compared to other upholstery options.
• MDF panels or wood paneling. It has very high levels of heat and sound insulation, has an excellent aesthetic appearance. This paneling will make your door irresistible and unique. The panels are varnished, which extends the life of the door and improves the protective characteristics.
• Vandal proof film.It can be applied by itself or superimposed on MDF panels or wooden lining. It has enhanced protective and flame retardant properties.
• Natural wood. One of the most expensive types of upholstery. It has high heat and sound insulation. On top of natural wood, varnish or anti-vandal film can be applied. It has all the advantages of a wooden door.
• Painting is the cheapest finish for a metal door. Not all types of steel are advised to betray painting. After it, the doors have increased aesthetics and anti-corrosion. The advantage is that you can apply any pattern.

Doors have not only protective functions. They are also a very important element of the interior, for which you should not neglect the aesthetic appearance.