Plastic entrance doors

Many houses have long ago acquired plastic windows, because it is convenient, reliable, warm, beautiful. Plastic doors are often installed in office and public buildings. Manufacturers are confident that PVC entrance door blocks can also be used for residential premises. Let's try to figure out if a plastic entrance door is suitable for a house and apartment.

Before trying to install a new door to the house, it is worth deciding what the old one does not like: if the product is wooden, then the lower the building, the more the door swells from moisture in the autumn-spring period. It needs to be varnished or painted regularly. In the northern latitudes in winter, it can easily freeze through. Soviet apartment doors do not stand up to criticism at all: if you do not insulate the door along the contour, then drafts from the entrance will constantly walk around the apartment, and the reliability of fiberboard and chipboard is not great. The city dwellers liked the metal doors as reliable, albeit expensive. However, in country houses, such a door freezes, and one morning you may just find yourself imprisoned in your own house.

Those who used a plastic door can note the following points as advantages:

• Aesthetic appeal due to different designs and colors.
• Excellent sound insulation: air chambers trap most of the extraneous sounds.
• Quality products are made from high strength materials. Reinforced plastic, stiffening ribs in the door leaf, increased door thickness makes you feel safe. The additional supply of anti-burglary fittings and anti-shock bags indicates a high level of burglary resistance.
• PVC door blocks are much lighter than metal or wood, that is, they are easier to install.
• High-quality products keep warm well. The more layers with insulation in the structure, the more likely the door will not freeze.
• Tightness is achieved using a seal and special clamps.
• PVC perfectly repels water, which does not allow the door to grow in size.

• The material easily tolerates temperature extremes.
• The door can be easily opened by pressing the handle.
• It is easy to care for PVC with common detergents. Enough to wipe off even stubborn dirt.
• Acid and alkali will not damage the material.
• Such a canvas is difficult to scratch with the claws of an animal or make a dent with a blow.
• Products of bona fide manufacturers are fire resistant. Due to the air gap inside the sandwich panel and seals, smoke and carbon monoxide cannot easily pass through such a door.
• Since the door block consists of separate elements, it is easy to replace them if necessary.
• If the door sags, you can adjust it yourself.
• Doors of proper quality will last up to 20 years.
• Manufacturers offer doors for every wallet, and even an expensive door will cost less than metal or wood.
• Plastic doors are regulated in accordance with GOST, which makes it possible to determine the quality of goods and to protect them legally.

PVC doors also have disadvantages:

• The quality of products depends on the conscientiousness of the manufacturer, therefore, unfortunately, it is possible to find out how high-quality the product has got only during its operation.
• Low-quality doors made of window profiles freeze in winter.
• Not every manufacturer can adequately decorate the door leaf, because of this, the door sometimes does not fit well into the existing interior.
• If a high level of burglary protection is required, such a door will definitely lose to a metal one.

• GOST admits that the door will not have an additional profile, but then it becomes unstable to mechanical damage.
• Installing a door block is a rather complicated process. You should not install it yourself, it is better to entrust it to professionals. In the absence of experience during installation, the glass unit can be damaged, which will lead to glass cracking.
• Since PVC is a chemical compound, its environmental friendliness loses to wood. The presence of chlorine, phenol and aldehyde in the components provides harmful fumes.
• GOST does not allow the addition of lead to the PVC composition, but making sure that the standard is not violated will be problematic for an ordinary buyer, and the producers' sense of responsibility is far from always up to par.

There are several types of plastic exterior doors. The division is due to the following criteria.

• Number of flaps. As a rule, the entrance to the apartment is provided with a single-leaf door. The entrance to the house can have a single or double door, while the doors can be of different sizes or the same. The exit points to the veranda or to the pool can have a three- or four-winged PVC profile structure.

• Opening method can be swing, sliding, folding, accordion. Swing doors are more often used at the entrance to the house. They can open both inward and outward. In addition, the entrance doors can be pendulum, although this method is rarely used in private houses. As a variation of swing doors, shtulp doors can be installed (when the leaves are open, a space is formed without obstacles to exit).

To preserve heat in the house, a double door with a vestibule is installed. The distance between the two door blocks is small, but the doors themselves can radically differ from each other not only in design, but also in material. Door leaves can also be hinged for ventilation. Such structures are not suitable for apartments, but they can be installed as entrance to the house if there are additional means of protection (veranda, porch, fenced area).

Sliding doors will save space on the facade of the house and inside it. They will look harmonious both on a straight wall and on a radial one. The four-leaf sliding design with telescopic fittings allows the sashes to be stacked on top of each other when opening. This option of the front door is not suitable for cold climates. The accordion is suitable for going out to the veranda or garden, that is, as a non-main door.

• Glass use: the door can be either blind or fiberglass. The glass block is made of impact resistant material. It is as safe to use as a blind door. It is possible to install a door block with solid glass: when the house overlooks a beautiful garden or the sea, then such a door will come in handy. Glass can be transparent, frosted, corrugated, with or without a pattern.
• The form. Usually the doorway is rectangular or square, but the entrance to the house can be arched. At the same time, the arch is made in the form of a separate decorative glass element, or the upper part of the door leaves is made rounded.
• Thickness depends on the number of layers of the sandwich panel. The number of layers also depends on the desired level of security and warmth. GOST does not define this value. Each manufacturer himself determines the thickness of the aluminum profile, the number of air chambers, and the presence of glass inserts. The thickness of the product depends on these parameters: on average, 2-3 layers account for 3-5 chambers in sandwich panels, which forms a structure with a thickness of 90-120 mm.
• Insulation is standardized by GOST. Its thickness can be 16, 20 or 24 mm for panels with a different number of chambers. The warmest door structures will consist of 3 layers, insulated with a special material of 24 mm. In a panel with a double-glazed window, a special gas is pumped between the glasses, which retains heat.

There is a fundamental difference in door structures with or without glass, otherwise any door block consists of the following parts.

• Door frame (frame)made of a multi-chamber profile. So that reliable locks and heavy hinges can be put on the door, a reinforcing metal profile is used to create a stiffening rod, which is decorated with platbands.
• Door leaves. They can only be made of a multi-chamber insulated sandwich cloth or in combination with glass.

• Locking system. The most commonly used mortise locks are:

1. Lever mechanism. When turning a sufficiently long key, several bolts are extended. One of the most reliable locks.
2. Cylinder or "English". Lock with a larva. It is inferior in terms of safety, but it is much easier to replace it in the event of a breakdown.
3. An electric lock is rare but used in a home door. The reason is the inability to open the door in the absence of electricity. The key to such a lock is a key fob or card.
4. The electromagnetic lock is reliable, easy to use, but also depends on electricity: in the absence of other locks, when the power supply is cut off, the door will be open.
5. The multi-locking mechanism at the moment of closing the door with one key releases 2 - 4 locking elements at different heights. It is difficult to guess how many such points and where they are located. This is the guarantee of safety.

• Fittings, that is, hinges, handles, door closers. For young children, a door closer will help to cope with the door handle, and at the same time, it will protect the house from the cold outside (if the children do not close the door well). Hinges need to choose special door hinges, their number will depend on the number of leaves, as well as weight. The handles should be comfortable, reliable (it will be a shame if a cheap handle breaks on an expensive door structure in six months), correspond to the chosen style. The shutters will need latches, and the slopes will need sandwich or PVC panels.
• Seal for door tightness. Good quality seals have to withstand 500,000 door closings. They protect against drafts, reduce sound permeability, and prevent the appearance of street odors. When closing the sash, they should not hit the frame, due to which the quality of the door block will be preserved for a long time.
• Threshold. Experts recommend not to make it of PVC, such an entrance threshold will not withstand the load. It is much better if it is made of steel or aluminum. If moisture (rain, snow) gets on the threshold, then the screw caps must be covered with a special bar, otherwise water will penetrate under the threshold. The threshold must be insulated with a special filler with a thermal break, which does not allow it to freeze.

GOST establishes technical requirements for the manufacture of plastic door blocks. They include the concepts of "standard height and width", define the components of the internal filling, fittings, and also spell out possible deviations from the standards. In addition, there is a clear description of quality control and packaging technologies, rules for transportation and storage of products.

Height and width standards are determined by the dimensions of the door block opening in a typical housing. Single-leaf doors are 205 cm high and 98 cm wide, 210 cm high and 98 cm wide, or 205 cm high and 88 cm wide. In a private house or cottage, all dimensions depend on the wishes of the owner and often have non-standard dimensions. Blocks with one-and-a-half sashes of different sizes and full-fledged multi-sash entrance groups can be installed here. One-and-a-half doors are 101-155 cm wide and 205-237 cm high.Entrance blocks with two leaves are made 191-195 cm wide and 237-245 cm high. Wider and taller three-leaf and four-leaf structures have a purely individual size.

The thickness of the door was mentioned above, it is only worth adding that a special profile is used for the manufacture of street doors, and not a window or balcony one. Plastic doors have a durable plastic contour, metal-plastic doors have an aluminum reinforcing contour. The standard defines the use of a class A profile with a thickness of 70-118 mm, an outer wall thickness of 3 mm or more. Such a profile is equipped with a large number of chambers, it is reinforced with more durable aluminum.

The production of plastic door structures is carried out in every region of Russia. The main thing is to choose quality products so as not to waste your money. Since the companies most often specialize in the production of PVC windows and doors, the names are appropriate: the corporation "Windows of the XXI century", "European windows", Oknastreet. Also, Russia is supplied with ready-made plastic entrance groups from well-known foreign manufacturers (Germany, England, Turkey and others). The quality profile is supplied by Lg Chem South Koreans and Reynaers Belgians.

• Young Ukrainian company Wds are already known in the CIS countries as a responsible manufacturer capable of creating high-quality windows and doors for our climate. For this, the buyer appreciates her. However, the highest quality German products are Salamander, Kbe, Veka, Rehau. These world brands have their branches in Russia. They produce both finished products and supply the profile to other enterprises. They practically do not differ in quality, but they differ in price. According to buyers, unreasonably expensive Salamander products are losing their consumers precisely because of the price.

The remaining three manufacturers are the undisputed leaders. It is worth understanding how their products differ from each other, and which doors to prefer when buying. Remember that the choice in favor of this or that manufacturer is made solely on the basis of their own requirements.

• Kbe. The profiles of this brand produced in Russia are one of the best. The reason is the constant implementation of innovations. The firm works on new technologies without stopping in its development.

Pros:

• Good protection against extraneous sounds;
• Effective heat conservation;
• Minimization of the amount of harmful substances;
• European quality;
• Durability.

Minuses:

• High cost;
• Lack of color variety.

• Veka. Russian subsidiary of the German concern Veka Ag. For more than 10 years the company occupied a leading position in the production of PVC products, but now it is gradually losing its leading position.

Pros:

• Good protection against extraneous sounds;
• Effective heat conservation;
• European quality;
• Aesthetics;
• Price variety.

Minuses:

• PVC contains a large percentage of lead oxide, and buyers do not want to risk their health;
• The question of matching the door leaf and fittings has not been thought out.

• Rehau. The company is gaining momentum in its development. The buyer appreciates the product for the conformity of the value of the product and its quality.

Pros:

• Excellent noise protection;
• Absence of lead oxide in the composition of the material;
• Burglar-proof locks;
• Aesthetically attractive appearance;
• Rich colors.

Minuses:

• Careful selection of fittings is required

An important criterion for choosing a door is its appearance, color scheme. White has long ceased to be the only color. Now the choice of color depends on the buyer. The door can be of the same color on both sides, or it can be of different colors from the outside and from the inside.

Colored canvases are made in three ways: dyeing, coextrusion and lamination.In any case, the price for such work will increase by about 15%, and this is the case if panels of already existing colors are used. With an individual order, production time and price will be even higher.

• Dyeing - The easiest way. Here the colors can be very varied. They are applied with acrylic paints on the finished canvas in accordance with the RAL color scale. Knowing the color number according to the RAL palette, the buyer can make any order. It is in this way that non-standard colored doors are made.
• Adding paint during the production of panels is co-extrusion... Here, the variety of colors is not so great and is limited to shades of brown.
• Lamination - this is the gluing of a thin durable film on the surface of the canvas. It can be laminated on one side or both. Double gluing additionally makes the door stronger. Most often, wood-like colors are used, but laminating film can be completely different patterns, including futuristic ones.

There are several ways to decorate a plastic entrance door:

• Using the form. Ordinary rectangular entrance structures are a common option, but a door with an arch will look much more interesting in a tall house. As a rule, it is made double-leafed. The arched entrance group is either deaf or with glass inserts. Three-, four-leaf door blocks can be concave or curved radial building exteriors, such curvilinear compositions will decorate any home. On a straight wall, the door frame can be not only arched, but also any other figure: combined with windows, beveled, and so on.
• The entrance group can be decorated with color. In this case, the door will draw attention to the entrance. Even without the addition of other delights, she will attract the eye. Good idea for a minimalist style.
• Modern doors are made laminated. The film can be any three-dimensional pattern, and not just the traditional "woodgrain" version.
• Door leaves can be decorated with drawings using acrylic paints. In this way, you can design a door in any style.

• Sandwich panels can be combined with glass inserts. There are a great many options:

1. Double-glazed window;
2. Single-layer armored darkened glass;
3. Stained glass;
4. Glass with photo printing;
5. Glass with reflective mirror film.

• The glass insert or the entire canvas can be decorated with openwork forging. This looks extraordinarily beautiful and increases the reliability of the door.
• From the inside, special plastic or metal tapes can be glued to the double-glazed window using double-sided tape. Thus, you will create the illusion of dividing the glass into small compartments. This is usually how Provence-style windows are decorated. In combination with a light canvas and an unpretentious handle, such a door will invite you to a simple rustic European home.

Taking into account the fact that the door block must be installed by professionals, it is worthwhile to clearly define your financial capabilities and other criteria when buying a door plastic block.

Of all that has been said above, such criteria should be:

• Warranty obligations of the manufacturer and the seller;
• The quality of the frame, canvas, fittings;
• Environmental Safety;
• Noise proof;
• Heat saving.
• Compliance with the finished structure and the doorway (it is safer to call the measurer before buying);
• Complete set (pay attention to whether the necessary accessories are included in the kit of parts);
• The reliability of the lock;
• Decoration (color, glass, pattern);
• Color matching of finishing materials and canvas;
• Stylish "hit" in the exterior or interior of the house.

High-quality door blocks from foreign manufacturers are obviously more expensive than domestic models, but you should not save on safety and health.

• Any non-standard door attracts the eye, and the dissimilarity can be very different. For example, a door with hemispherical glass inserts is so unusual that it bewitches and as if invites you to plunge into a fairy tale just by its appearance.
• Just like the whole house, the entrance structure is very often limited only by imagination. Using the unusual configuration of the door, you can draw attention not only to it, but also to the house as a whole.
• A strikingly beautiful technique of photo printing on glass inserts of plastic doors. Space, light, flight. Such a door beckons to touch it and join the beauty.

• The use of horizontal reinforced inlays in sandwich panels and small glass inserts is just what suits modern style. A bright accent color will draw attention to itself with its unusualness.
• An entrance door with a mirror is a new trend in the design of hallways. It's beautiful. Such a technically complex design is used to visually increase the space. The mirror will be difficult to replace if necessary.

• Mirror door construction is a combination of plastic and glass covered with a reflective mirror film. From the inside you can see what is happening behind the door. From the street, the privacy of the residents of the house is not visible, remaining private.
• Quite unusual options for mirrored doors are made using the toning technique. Several reflective layers are sprayed to form mesmerizing patterns.

You can find out how to choose plastic entrance doors from the video below.