Interior doors perform practical and aesthetic functions indoors. The practical purpose of the design is to protect against noise, provide coziness and comfort in the room. In addition, it emphasizes the advantages of the interior, hides flaws, and zones the space. And the doors also bear a serious load - just count how many times a day you have to open or close them.
It is not easy to choose a design on your own, since an ignorant person gets lost in the variety of designs, shapes and materials. What to do if you need interior doors: which ones are better to choose, reviews from professionals, design features of products, all this is in our article.
What types of interior doors are there?
Interior doors are selected according to a number of criteria, including design characteristics, its purpose, material of manufacture, external appearance (design). A secondary but important role is played by the quality of the fittings, as well as the cost of the product - too cheap products can quickly lose their original qualities.
Canvas design
Masters distinguish four types of door leaf design. Externally, they are the same, but are manufactured using different technologies, so the differences between them are significant.
Panel (frame)
The basis of the structure is a wooden frame (made of timber or solid wood), which is sheathed with MDF boards on both sides, and the space between them is filled with insulation or special honeycomb material. The top of the product is covered with laminate, veneer or PVC film; decorative materials, ornaments, surface corrugations, etc. are used for finishing. Structures made of laminated veneer or laminated profiled timber are considered the most durable. Solid timber is less resistant to humidity, negative factors, and dries out over time.
Panel doors consist of a frame, stiffeners, filler and cladding
A budget option is smooth hollow structures made from inexpensive MDF panels, but cost is the only advantage. They do not protect against noise, warp, lose their aesthetic appearance, warp or stop closing.
For reference! Most often, coniferous trees (pine, spruce, larch) are used to make frame doors. They are easy to process, have reasonable cost, and high performance.
Paneled
The design of paneled prefabricated products is based on solid wood, but differs from panel ones. The frame contains horizontal and vertical internal parts, and the space between them is filled with panels - decorative elements made of wood, glass or other materials. The products use from 2 to 10 panels of any configuration.
Experts consider paneled structures to be a reliable option - they are resistant to negative factors, do not shrink, and look presentable. With proper quality materials and assembly, such products can last for decades.
Paneled doors are resistant to negative factors and are suitable for living rooms, bathrooms, kitchens or bathrooms
Simplified paneled structures are called molded - they consist of wooden or metal slats, which are filled inside with glass or opaque paneling, with an additional stand in the center. Sometimes such products are classified into a separate category.
Tsargovye
In drawer products, the base (wooden frame) is filled with bars, called drawers, connected using special fasteners. A special production technology gives them additional strength and rigidity , and all parts are covered with protective materials - PVC film, laminate, enamel.
Tsar doors are durable, but at the same time bulky structures
The disadvantages of side doors include their increased weight - in small rooms they look too bulky and can deform the opening.
Combined
Combined structures combine the characteristics of prefabricated and panel structures. They combine the advantages of both options - the strength of the canvas, the rigidity of the frame, and the protection of the room from extraneous sounds. The canvases are made from solid wood, and the voids are filled with “honeycomb” material, which improves the quality of the products. In terms of aesthetics, combined doors are not inferior to paneled doors.
If the manufacturing rules are followed, combined doors last for years
In some stores, interior doors are divided into two categories - prefabricated or panel doors. The first category includes drawer, paneled, and sometimes combined structures, and the second category includes frame structures.
Important! When choosing interior doors, you need to check the quality of materials and their connections. Even a reliable, well-thought-out design will lose its positive qualities if production standards are not met.
Prices for popular models of interior doors
Interior door
Video - Criteria for choosing interior doors
Problems when installing a door in a country house
The main function of interior doors is to create a comfortable environment, i.e. protection from drafts, noise and sound insulation. They also often play a decorative role. During installation you may encounter the following problems:
- possible changes in air temperature;
- increased humidity or excessive dry air;
- soil movement or shrinkage of the house.
The door must be made of wear-resistant materials and supplemented with protective elements. It is very important to pay attention to the quality of raw materials and accessories. Don't forget about design.
Methods for opening interior doors
The ease of use of the doors depends on the method of opening the doors - the leaves open in the traditional way, turn, move away or fold.
Sliding doors look aesthetically pleasing, but they break at the movable fasteners.
This criterion determines not only the ease of use or appearance of the structure, but also the mechanism for fastening the canvas.
- Swing . Classic type - the canvas is fixed on hinges, and during operation it moves in one or both directions. Hinged interior doors retain heat, protect from extraneous sounds, are inexpensive , and can be easily repaired or removed if necessary. The only drawback is that installation requires free space.
- Sliding . The category of sliding doors includes compartments, radius, cascade designs, “accordions”, “books”. They open not forward or backward, but to the side, and each type is mounted in its own way. Such designs fit well into small rooms, but do not protect well from the cold and last no more than 5 years . Their weak point is the hinges on which the door leaf is attached. If the door is fixed on several hinges (no more than 2-3), the elements quickly fail even under reduced loads, and with an increased number of fasteners, the structure becomes difficult to operate.
- Rocking . Swinging structures are less common than others and open in both directions at once. They have great inertia, which is why they require caution when opening, otherwise you can injure someone standing on the other side. The canvases are fixed on rollers, rotate in both directions and do not “eat up” the space in the room. When closed, they look like traditional swing doors, but have a different operating principle. It is not practical to install such products in residential premises, so they are used in public places or corridors.
Traditional swing doors fit into any interior
Advice! When choosing a door opening method, designers recommend taking into account the size of the room so that it does not “steal” free space. For small apartments, it is better to choose sliding doors that move on rollers along the opening.
Prices for popular sliding door models
Sliding doors
In stock or to order
You plan the installation of doors in advance for specific dates. In your case, the best option is to buy doors that are in stock. Why is that?
- Manufacturing dates may be delayed and door delivery may be delayed. If deadlines are important to you, then choose doors from stock.
- Errors. A common situation is when they didn’t deliver what they ordered: They mixed up the size,
- Of the entire set, did anything turn out to be the wrong color, for example boxes or trims,
- They sent the wrong model
- Some of the ordered materials are simply missing (forgotten, lost, etc.)
The error can occur at any stage:
- During checkout,
- When transferring an order for production,
- When completing production,
- In stock
- During delivery
All these issues are resolved on the same day or in the coming days if the doors are in stock in a warehouse in your city.
If all items are made to order, the purchase or replacement may take a month or longer. A common misconception is that everything is available in Moscow
in warehouses. It may come as a surprise to you that for many models there are not even a pair of trims or a box stick available. Not to mention the doors. This is especially true for doors in the above-average price category.
Which manufacturing material to choose
The material from which the structure is made is a criterion that determines the service life, cost of the product and other characteristics.
Solid wood
Wood is a common material used to make interior doors. Wooden structures provide reliable sound insulation, are strong and durable. The array looks aesthetically pleasing and gives scope for design imagination and the use of additional finishing materials.
Solid wood is a natural, non-toxic and reliable material for the manufacture of interior doors.
The disadvantages of solid wood structures include:
- sensitivity to high humidity;
- impressive weight, which requires strengthening of the locking mechanisms;
- tendency to dry out;
- significant time costs for processing and finishing.
Pine requires minimal additional processing, as it contains natural antiseptics
To increase the service life and improve the performance of wooden doors, special impregnations and agents are used that increase their resistance to negative factors. Most often, coniferous wood is used to make doors - they are affordable and require almost no additional processing, since the wood contains resins that resist rotting, mildew and mold.
Beech and oak are durable materials, but are prone to drying out and cracking after several years of use. Doors made of mahogany are considered elite - they are used for the manufacture of custom-made pieces.
Attention! Wood is an environmentally friendly, non-toxic material, but the use of harmful substances during processing poses a health hazard.
Artificial materials
Inexpensive structures are made from artificial materials, and the low cost does not affect their reliability. For the manufacture of interior doors, MDF and chipboard boards are most often used. Experts recommend buying products made from MDF, a wood-fiber material with the addition of natural resins. They are durable, non-toxic, insensitive to high humidity, easy to process and allow you to create structures of any complexity.
MDF boards are safe for health, while chipboard can emit harmful substances
Chipboards are made from synthetic binders, which over time can emit harmful fumes . In addition, they weigh a lot, which requires strengthening of the fixing elements - hinges and frame.
Standard sizes of interior doors
As a filler for interior doors made of artificial materials, wooden blocks or cellular materials, often cardboard, are used. Products with cardboard filling have minimal strength - a thin outer covering with unreliable material inside can easily be pierced through by catching it with a heavy object.
Prices for chipboards
Chipboards
Basic installation steps
If well-dried wood was used to build a house, the erected frame will still shrink by up to 1.5%. In this case, the installation of windows and doors is carried out a year after the completion of the walls. When raw wood is used, the log will shrink even more and will take much longer to complete. Experts advise starting to install doors no earlier than after 3 years.
Whatever material the panels are made of (metal, plastic or wood), the installation of interior doors in a wooden house must be done using a casing. Only this operation will help to avoid future misalignment of the opening and, as a consequence, deformation and jamming of the canvas.
The necessary tools and materials are prepared in advance. A home handyman will need skills in using a chainsaw or router. If you have no experience, it is better to invite a professional to do this work in order to avoid injuries. And the openings will be made perfectly straight, which will reduce their finishing.
A step-by-step process for correctly installing an interior door in a wooden house:
- An opening is cut out with a chainsaw. It should be 50-70 mm wider than the door block on the sides, and the top gap should be 150 mm;
- Next, the ends of the opening are processed with a milling cutter. A groove is selected along the entire length of the sidewalls with a width and depth of 50 mm;
- A beam with a cross section of 50×50 mm is hammered into these grooves. It is necessary to ensure that its length is 20 mm less for a well sagging house. And for damp walls this size increases to 50 mm;
- First, a board is placed on the installed lower beam, which will form a threshold. Then the boards are nailed to the sides and top;
- Insulation is placed in the gaps on the sides and top, between the casing and the opening;
- The opening is now ready for the door hatch to be installed. It is attached to the casing with self-tapping screws, and the gaps are filled with foam;
- Places for loops are pre-marked. First on canvas. Then it is installed in a box and the location of the response canopies is marked on it;
- Select grooves for hinges to a depth of no more than three millimeters;
- The hinges are attached to self-tapping screws and the canvas is hung on the box.
This completes the installation of the interior door. When the log house continues to shrink, the casing will prevent it from deforming the installed doors. Their functionality will not be affected and they will last a long time.
For inexperienced craftsmen who decide to do such work on their own, experts give a number of recommendations that will help with installation:
- To ensure that the casing and door frame posts are positioned strictly vertically, it is necessary to use a plumb line;
- The voids between the opening and the casing box must be filled with polyurethane foam. Or you can hammer any insulator into the cracks. This will rid the room of drafts;
- When installing the door, a seal is laid around the perimeter of the frame;
- If you need good sound insulation, then, in addition to sealing the cracks, you need to select a door with a sufficiently thick leaf;
- To prevent the door from warping and jamming over time, it is best to mount it on three canopies. It is also necessary to check the quality of all accessories in advance;
- If a lock is needed on the structure, it cuts into the canvas at a distance of 700 to 1200 mm from the floor.
Although independent installation of interior doors in wooden houses is difficult, with due patience and care you can always achieve an excellent result. Knowing the building codes and having the skills to work with hand and power tools, they can handle the installation without hiring third-party craftsmen. And this is a tangible saving on the family budget.
Which external covering to choose a door with?
Their appearance and performance properties depend on the characteristics of the materials used for the external decoration of door panels.
- Laminate . The most common option for covering interior doors, which protects them from negative influences. Products finished with laminate look presentable and allow you to implement any design solutions.
- PVC film . Resistant to mechanical and chemical stress, high humidity, and fading. PVC film is made in different colors and can imitate natural wood, brick or other surfaces. In addition, photo printing can be applied , which is important for non-standard interiors.
- Natural veneer . Veneer is a thin section of wood (thickness 0.1-10 mm ), insensitive to temperature changes, humidity, and ultraviolet rays . In appearance, natural veneer is practically no different from natural solid wood.
- Eco-veneer . A budget coating option that consists of natural wood fibers bound with synthetic resins. Its performance characteristics are not inferior to those of other materials, but eco-veneer can be toxic , since formaldehyde or other harmful substances are used to bind the fibers.
To improve the appearance of products, decorative materials are used, most often special door glass (sometimes solid door panels are made from it). Unlike ordinary glass, the material is safe - it does not form sharp parts even with strong impacts.
Doors with PVC coating do not fade and allow you to implement any design solutions
Glass can be painted in any shade, trimmed with metal or wood, and stained glass and mirrors are made. The only disadvantage of the material is that it does not provide such a high level of sound insulation as wooden ones .
Natural veneer is almost indistinguishable from natural wood
Advice! The best solution for residential premises is considered to be doors made of MDF with natural veneer. A cheaper, but no less high-quality option is structures made from artificial slabs finished with eco-veneer or laminate.
Laminated doors
Laminated doors are an excellent and economical option for interior doors. They are much cheaper than analogues made from solid wood or products covered with natural veneer. At the same time, this is a product at an affordable price with high quality workmanship.
One of the main advantages of such doors is their price and quick installation, as well as a fairly large selection of design solutions.
Laminated doors will be durable and functional if the rules of their operation are observed. In particular, careful treatment of the surface, because such a coating does not forgive impacts and other physical influences. It is also advisable to regularly wipe the surface of such a door leaf with a damp cloth or rags so that dust does not settle on it.
Laminated door leaves are perfect for offices, offices, non-residential premises and rooms, due to their low cost.
Manufacturers and prices
The interior door market is conventionally divided into three segments, each of which includes products with different prices and quality:
- elite structures are made of natural solid wood (alder, oak, mahogany) finished with natural veneer and other materials, the initial cost is 35-40 thousand rubles ;
European products belong to the elite category (Spain, Italy)
- the middle segment is represented mainly by products made from coniferous timber and MDF boards covered with veneer, the price is about 10 thousand per sheet;
- for budget doors , coniferous wood is most often used, finished with laminate, eco-veneer or varnish, the average cost is 1.5-4 thousand rubles .
The most popular in the interior door market are budget designs and products in the mid-price segment. Most products are produced in Russia, Belarus and China; products from Israeli and European manufacturers are less common.
Finnish doors are of high quality, but have a minimalist design
Table 1. Countries producing interior doors.
| Country/Region | Product Features |
| Israel | Products that combine reasonable prices with reliable materials. Lack of products - limited assortment (stores stock mainly Israeli-made entrance doors) |
| Europe (Spain, Italy, Finland) | Products with high performance and decorative characteristics, minus – cost from 30-40 thousand rubles. Finnish-made doors belong to the middle price segment, but they usually have a minimalist design without any frills |
| Belarus | Inexpensive but reliable designs that are popular among Russian consumers. There are practically no disadvantages to doors manufactured in compliance with standards and technologies. |
| Russia | Russian interior doors are inexpensive, affordable for the average buyer, but not always durable |
| China | Cheap products that require a careful approach when choosing, since the reliability, strength and performance properties of many of them are lower than those of products from European and Russian manufacturers |
For reference! Due to international sanctions, it is difficult to find original goods from Europe on the Russian market. Most often, joint ventures present their products, but their quality is not inferior to European ones.
Veneer, eco-veneer, laminate
What is veneer?
Thin layer of wood
. Typically, valuable wood veneers are used: walnut, oak, ash, mahogany, and others. Thickness 1mm. After grinding, processing, applying paintwork, thickness 0.5 - 0.7 mm.
What is eco-veneer?
Ecoveneer is a marketing name. It was invented by savvy salesmen. This is the name given to the paper and film coating
that the manufacturer applies to the doors. Eco-veneer imitates valuable types of wood, enamel, whatever.
When facing with eco-veneer there are no gaps at the ends. The side of the door is completely wrapped with film. The risk of the ends coming off is significantly reduced.
What are laminated doors?
Laminated doors are lined with paper
on which a pattern imitating wood is applied. The ends are covered with furniture edges.
The furniture edge at the ends is separate from the front part. This is the weakest point of laminated doors. The ends peel off, come off, and become damaged.
Today, laminated doors with peel-off ends are found only in the extremely economical segment. All decent factories are trying to switch to eco-veneer.
Practical advice - step-by-step instructions for choosing an interior door
Step 1. To avoid problems with the operation of interior doors, you need to take measurements .
Be careful when taking measurements
Note! When purchasing doors, knock on the door leaf - a ringing sound indicates that it is hollow or filled with cellular cardboard.
Step 2. An important role in choosing doors is played by the quality of the fittings - quiet clicks of locks and smooth closing indicate reliable locks, and ringing, loud mechanisms that operate with force signal the low quality of the locking elements.
Find out how to repair the door handle of a metal door with your own hands in a special article on our portal.
Types of accessories
Step 3. You can check the reliability of the canvas as follows: put your foot in the opening and gently pull the door towards you - if the frame is bent, it is better to refuse the purchase.
A weak structure can quickly be “led”
Step 4. Designs for bathrooms and kitchens require special attention - difficult operating conditions require increased resistance to humidity, high temperatures, and chemical attack.
Types of interior doors
Step 5. Additional finishing (glass, metal) increases the weight of the structure, which is why it requires reinforcement of the hinges and opening.
Pay attention to the hinges too
Step 6. When buying doors, you should not chase price at the expense of quality - replacing interior doors costs more than installing them.
Low quality doors are susceptible to mechanical damage and negative factors
Video - Selecting interior doors
Please note, you can also consider this option: Hidden interior doors for painting. In this article, we took a closer look at the main differences and features of the installation.
Correctly selected and installed interior doors will serve the owner uninterruptedly for a long time, complement and decorate the interior of the room. If it is too difficult to choose a suitable design on your own, it is better to seek advice from experts, otherwise serious problems may occur in the future.
Solid wood doors
This is the most expensive and high-quality type of interior doors. The word "solid" means solid wood. Today, wood in door production is an elite material that is highly valued by designers and cabinetmakers. Such door leaves are considered premium products and emphasize the high status of their owner.
A distinctive feature of solid wood door products is their classic design. Such canvases are coated with high quality wood, which undergo careful quality control at all stages of production. Solid wood products are produced using modern technology, which provides protection against drying out and deformation. This ensures their high durability and reliability.
The classic style of home interior is ideal for solid wood door panels. Their designs are based on the sketches of modern Italian designers, who are considered recognized masters of their craft throughout the world. This is a unique combination of classic and modern.
Another distinctive feature of solid wood doors is their unique appearance. A wide range of wood colors are used for their production, ranging from light, which is perfect for a child’s room or kitchen, to dark wood, the doors of which will perfectly decorate the entrance to your office or living rooms.
Doors made of natural wood do not have to be solid. You can add glazing to them, thus adding light to the rooms they cover.
To do this, a glass sheet is cut into them, which can be decorated with various geometric patterns and interlacing lines. However, it is necessary to remember a sense of style, because an abundance of patterns can spoil the appearance of the door itself.
Choosing the right entrance door locks
Choosing the right door for your dacha is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Despite the strict price restrictions, the owner of the building may well receive high-quality, reliable and durable products that provide both protection and living comfort. To do this, you need to pay attention to several basic factors.
The first of them is the burglary resistance of locking devices. Today there are four classes of locks on the market:
- The first is characterized by the fact that opening it with a master key requires practically no time and effort;
- The second one is opened within 5 minutes;
- Class 3 locking mechanisms can withstand 5 to 10 minutes of attack from a burglar;
- The 4th can be opened without a key no earlier than after 20-30 minutes.
In such a situation, it is extremely important to understand how strong the remaining structures of the country house are. There is no point in installing locks of the 4th class of burglary resistance if you can easily get into the building through a window or roof.
Another important factor is the presence of security in the holiday village and the proximity of other buildings in which residents are constantly located. In this case, the burglar will not have the opportunity to use a tool that makes loud sounds during operation, which makes breaking into a steel door with two locks of the 2nd class and different types, for example, lever and cylindrical, almost impossible. As a result, a fairly high level of security will be ensured with a completely budget-friendly configuration.
How to choose doors according to apartment design in 2021
When choosing doors depending on the design, you must remember the following:
- Smooth, plain doors are a universal solution that is suitable for different interiors. It all depends on the color and texture. Smooth surfaces look completely different from options with wood texture.
- For classic and other trends with a touch of luxury, stylish paneled canvases are suitable. They can be decorated and painted. In this case, luxurious fittings with an antique finish would be appropriate.
- For high-tech style and other similar ones, ultra-modern models are suitable. They can be with glazing or other inserts made of different materials.
- In minimalism, Scandinavian style and other modern trends, preference is given to discreet design without a distinct structure.
By the way!
To understand even better how to choose a good interior door in an apartment, it is worth looking at examples of finished interiors from professional designers. You can find many interesting ideas there.
