Features of laminated doors

Having taken care of the choice of doors, more and more buyers are paying attention to laminated products. Therefore, it is necessary to find out what it is, how they differ from other types and what are the features of laminated doors.

Imagine a door leaf in the manufacturing process. By itself, it doesn't look very attractive. To give a decent look to such a product, it must be painted or pasted over with a special film. Here it is called laminate, or laminate, and the gluing process is lamination or lamination.

Depending on their purpose, laminated doors are:

• input,
• balcony,
• interroom,
• for baths and saunas.

By the number of leaves, door blocks do:

• single leaf,
• bivalve,
• tricuspid,
• four-leafed.

By the principle of opening, they are divided into:

• swing,
• sliding,
• folding,
• "harmonic".

In appearance, there may be:

• deaf,
• with glass inserts,
• with a mirror.

According to the material used, they are:

• wooden,
• metal,
• plastic,
• from chipboard,
• from plywood,
• from MDF.

Laminated doors can be standard or non-standard in size. Door standards are fixed by GOST, including size.

Depending on the purpose, door leaves of standard sizes have the following dimensions:

1. Single-leaf entrance doors: 205 by 98 cm or 210 by 98 cm, 205 by 88 cm. Double-leaf door blocks have the following dimensions, determined by GOST: width - 191-195 cm, height - 237-245 cm.
2. Interior and balcony doors according to GOST are determined by the following dimensions: height - 210 cm, width - 70, 80, 90, 100 cm. Double-leaf blocks have the same height, but with a width of 130, 150, 170, 190 cm.

Other types of doors are non-standard. And the entrance and interior door blocks for private and country houses are also non-standard. When determining the size of your future novelty, remember that the size of the door is not the size of the canvas, but the size of the box. Even a standard doorway in an apartment requires careful measurements before buying, and not only the height and width of the opening, but also the thickness of the walls.

By color, laminate can also be divided into standard and non-standard. The standard includes white and what is called "wood grain". White laminated door leaves are a classic used on both entrance and balcony and interior furnishings. But manufacturers are trying to diversify their products. Therefore, films with natural colors have now become traditional: chestnut, black cherry, dark oak, walnut, bog oak, mountain pine, oregon, mahogany, wenge, etc.

And yet, all of the above criteria do not determine the main thing - whether any type of laminate is suitable for an entrance or balcony door or not. You should also find out which laminate is best for interior and bathroom doors. Before buying, you need to determine not only the type of laminated door, but also the type of laminate flooring itself.

Laminate flooring varies in composition and density. Its durability, reliability, and detergent characteristics depend on this. Manufacturers offer the following types of films:

• Paper - the cheapest and most short-lived.It can only be used indoors. It wears out quickly and is difficult to care for.
• Melamine - paper with a large number of layers, soaked in synthetic resin. Such a laminate withstands mechanical and chemical influences much better, due to which the duration of its service is increased.
• Fiberglass - connection of the finest glass fibers and melamine. Canvases are rarely laminated with this film due to the high cost of the film. In terms of cost, this door can be compared to natural wood or veneer.

• Two-sided. Externally, it is very similar to veneer, which is why it got the name "artificial veneer". At the moment, it is considered the highest quality type of laminate: it is durable, retains its aesthetic appearance for a long time, is resistant to moisture, temperature extremes, chemical attack, but also has a high price.
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Experts believe that the name "PVC doors" is incorrect, because PVC is the outer coating (the same film) of the door leaf. These are perhaps the most popular doors: lamination makes them reliable against mechanical and chemical damage, temperature extremes and water exposure. In addition, the popularity of these products is associated with their affordable price and a large variety of colors.
• CPL coated - this is a more technologically advanced modification of PVC, which made it possible to create a plastic laminated door. The continuous pressing film has a high wear resistance. Most often it is used on front doors.

Having understood the difference between different types of laminate, you need to think about the functions that will be assigned to the door block: protection against burglary at the entrance doors, the possibility of airing for balcony doors, convenience and aesthetic appeal for interroom, water-repellent properties and ease of closing for baths. The choice of a future purchase will depend on this.

At the time of inspection, you must pay attention to the following:

• Door frame and leaf material. No matter how beautiful the laminate is, a quality base is very important. For entrance structures, the most reliable is a metal door. For indoor use - thin MDF, for the balcony - plastic panels.
• The look of the laminate is very important. It is necessary to clarify which film the product is covered with: paper, melamine, fiberglass, two-chrome or PVC.
• It is imperative to check the quality of the pasting of the canvas and the box. Detachment and swelling are not permitted.
• The edge should not delaminate. High-quality edging looks like a uniform, smooth surface.

• The low price of the product will indicate that it is suitable only for indoor use. No matter how beautiful such a door is, it can freeze or get wet on the street and on the balcony.
• The production of door structures is very widespread, so unscrupulous manufacturers use an environmentally unsafe material for the manufacture of doors. Do not hesitate to ask for a quality certificate for products, so as not to pay with your health later.

The door leaf and frame can be made in any size and shape, there are practically no restrictions for any design idea.

The door block can be decorated as follows:

• By choosing a custom shape. Interior doors in a wide doorway can be "accordion". This will save space for the sashes and decorate the room. Another option is an arched design. It is suitable for both single and double doors. Atypical geometric door shapes will be a symbol of contemporary styles.
• A door for any purpose can be not only rectangular, but also radial (radius). Such a design will certainly be expensive and custom made.
• PVC film, which has a large selection of colors, will paint the canvas in high-tech or modern style. Moreover, such a laminate can be not only monochromatic, but also multicolored, with a pattern or photo printing.

• Manufacturers offer a huge variety of glass inserts of various configurations. The glass itself can be transparent, frosted or colored, smooth or corrugated.
• Mirror inserts in the form of different geometric shapes are made on the inside of the front door. Such a door is interesting, it visually enlarges the hallway, but it may turn out to be short-lived.
• The Provence style is characterized by small windows instead of a single glass sheet. This can be achieved with the help of special plastic or metallized tapes glued to the glass.
• Mirror reflective film, glued to the glass, will decorate the laminated door, made in gray or blue.
• Forging is the most beautiful decorative element. It can be used both over the entire door leaf and only over the glass insert.

Like every product, laminated doors have their pros and cons.

Positive qualities are:

• Aesthetic appearance.
• A wide variety of colors for the laminating material.
• A large number of options for the design of the door leaf.
• High resistance of the material to the negative effects of moisture, high and low temperatures (in contrast to natural wood).
• High level of sound insulation.

• High quality thermal insulation.
• Good tolerance to mechanical damage (high quality film).
• Ease of maintenance (non-paper laminate is easy to clean with conventional detergents.)
• Low cost of economy class laminated doors.
• Plastic products are lightweight, which means they are easier to install.
• The use of laminate allows you to save trees, since door leaves are very often made from wood waste.

The disadvantages of such products include:

• Sustainability depends on the good faith of the manufacturer. But in any case, such doors are inferior to wooden ones.
• Cheap doors will lose in appearance, shock resistance. It is full of chipboard, plywood covered with paper film cannot withstand mechanical shock, a dent cannot be repaired.
• Economy versions of laminated doors fade in the sun, and the film may come off over time.
• A door frame made of MDF can be thin and deformed from moisture and temperature extremes. To prevent this from happening, the structure is reinforced with metal corners.

• Due to the small amount of filler in budget canvases, they poorly suppress noise.
• In houses that claim the title of "palace", such a door will not be in status, although it may have a very attractive appearance.
• Wooden interior doors coated with varnish will give off the smell of natural wood and varnish. Any doors covered with laminate will emit a chemical odor in varying amounts.
• Door blocks made of MDF, chipboard are easier to replace than to repair.
• Over time, at the joints, the film may disperse, and air bubbles appear on the canvas.

Smooth laminated film is easy to clean from common dirt and dust. Wash off stains easily with a regular soft cloth and soapy water. More complex contaminants are washed off with a water-alcohol composition (ratio 9: 1) or dishwashing liquid.To remove greasy, oily stains, traces of coffee, etc., you can use laundry soap or a stronger product - ethyl or ammonia.

A large amount of water is not required for this, which means that the laminate will not suffer. But in an emergency, when boiling water gets into the joints of the film and between the elements, the laminate can go in bubbles.

For long-term preservation of doors, they are regularly treated with furniture polish. Such a product must contain wax in its composition. Polishing once or twice a year will make the door glossy and hide micro-scratches. It is better to process door leaves in wet rooms (bathroom, shower, sauna, steam bath, kitchen) three to four times a year. You can try to hide deep scratches with a wax pencil, which is preheated, wax is applied to the flaws and polished with a soft thread napkin.

Ideally, the door leaf should be removed once a year to clean, lubricate and adjust all hardware. If necessary, at the same time, the lower end part of the door is glued, which suffers most of all due to wet cleaning and mechanical stress.

To paint a laminated door, you will need to use a rag, sandpaper with various grains, a spatula, wood putty, white spirit, PF-115 or PF-226 enamel, and a brush.

• The first stage is surface preparation... Thoroughly wash and dry the door. Smooth the surface with an emery cloth or grinder. Remove dust with a clean cloth.
• The second stage is the application of the putty. Spread the mixture over the entire canvas in one or several layers. To prevent the putty from cracking, wait until each layer is completely dry. After complete drying, sand the surface with medium-grained emery paper.

• The third stage is matting. Wipe the canvas with a clean dry cloth. Mat the door with fine-grained sandpaper. It should become slightly rough, which will improve the adhesion of the putty and paint.
• Fourth stage - wipe the entire surface of the cloth with a soft cotton light plain cloth moistened with white spirit.
• The fifth stage - painting with a paint brush in several layers. Enamel of the PF brand shines very beautifully, just do not rush to apply a second layer - the enamel should dry well.

Stunningly beautiful laminated door of irregular shape with stained glass inserts. Such an interior door itself is an element of decor, and when the light is on, pleasant diffused light will penetrate through the stained glass.

The door - "accordion" is not often used in the interior. But in vain. It is very suitable for small rooms, since it requires little space. The canvas can be either deaf or with inserts. Depending on the functionality of the door, glass is installed transparent, frosted or colored.

Bright, attractive, unusual, beautiful - these are the emotions such a beautiful door evokes.

For information on how to determine the quality of door lamination, see the following video.