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Doors are not only an interior detail, they are also a functional thing. So when choosing, we take into account not only aesthetics, but also convenience. Let’s look at bi-fold interior doors from all points of view. How convenient are they, where and when should they be installed.
In what cases should you install
Double doors are called doors with a door leaf, consisting of two parts, united by a common door frame. In general, it is correct to speak and write – bivalves, but often they say bivalves. There is also such a name as two-field or two-field. This name comes from the fact that they consist of two halves. They are also called double – the reason is also clear. There is another version of the name – one and a half doors. These are double-leaf doors with leafs of different widths.
When are bi-fold interior doors good? After all, they are not always and not everywhere appropriate or convenient.
- Large doorways are good in spacious rooms. An ordinary door will look stubby, even if it is 90 cm wide. Double doors look more “front”, so they fit perfectly into the living room interior.
- If the doors open into a narrow corridor, or if open they will interfere. This is a frequent misfortune of our Khrushchevs, and modern layouts are not always successful in this sense.
- If there is nowhere to “attach” a single door leaf, and the door must be constantly or often open.
In general, double-leaf interior doors in a narrow opening are not a good option. There is no point in two narrow sashes, because no one will squeeze through a 40 cm passage. That is, functionally narrow halves are simply unjustified. You still have to constantly open both doors. And they cost more than one canvas of the same width, and the installation is more complicated, the sound insulation is worse, since there is an additional gap between the wings. Although it is covered with a bar, it will not give perfect silence.
It is worth installing a double-leaf door with an opening width of more than a meter. Then at least the opening sash can be made 60 cm, which allows you to walk normally. The second part can be fixed and used on special occasions. That is, this option is functional and justified. It is also better in terms of execution: a too wide door leaf is inconvenient and takes up a lot of space.
But sometimes there is simply nowhere to go – the usual swing door does not get there. Then you have to make narrow halves in a double-leaf door. The advantage is that they can be kept open and they will not block the passage; on the side of the door, you can put interior items at a short distance.
Double door dimensions
We repeat that double-leaf doors can be with leaves of the same and different widths. Options with the same are called symmetrical, with different – asymmetric (asymmetric). Often you can still find the term double and one and a half doors, as well as equal and unequal doors. They also display the width ratio of the sashes.
The minimum width of a double door is 80 cm. These are two leaves of 40 cm each. Just keep in mind that the opening should be 10 cm larger. That is, the minimum size of the doorway for a double door is 90 cm. In extreme cases, it can be 88 cm .Maximum standard size is 180cm (190cm doorway).
Keep in mind that the standard frame sizes for interior doors come in 20 cm increments. The standard sash width varies by 10 cm: 60 cm, 70 cm, 80 cm and 90 cm. If you need identical sashes, there are only five opening options:
- 90 cm;
- 130 cm;
- 150 cm;
- 170 cm;
- 190 see.
The doorway may be slightly wider than the indicated values. A reduction of 1-2 cm is also allowed, but no more. If the existing passage does not fit into this framework, you can either use sashes of different widths, or order according to your size. The height of the opening is also specified: as a standard, it should be 2,06 – 2,10 m.
By the way, finding narrow double-leaf interior doors can be problematic. Not all factories make options from two wings under a 90 cm doorway. A standard swing door becomes quite normal here. In this case, you can try to find narrow halves from unequal sets (with two wings of different widths). But you will most likely have to embed the hinges and put the box on your own.
Large doorways
If the gap is larger, it will need to be sealed with something. It can be before installing the door, it can be after. The gap is laid with a light material, then plastered, leveling with the rest of the wall.
It is not always desirable to reduce the height of the opening. Then you can order a vertical decorative strip (upper transom) similar in style and color to the door. This is definitely an individual project, and the door frame is more complex.
What if the doorway is wider? If it, for example, is wider than two meters? In modern layouts, this is rare, but you never know. Maybe you got a house with such wide aisles. You can, of course, lay the extra space, but there are other ways. One of the possible options is to make inserts of the same design on the sides. They are called side windows. They are separated from the functional door by powerful racks and do not open.
Side and top transoms are often used together. Since the doorway is usually both wide and high. But they can also be used separately. For example, in stalinkas there are very high and narrow openings. Here they either lay an extra height, or put the upper transoms. Someone goes the other way – expands the opening to look more proportional. In general, there are different ways of designing.
Types and varieties
Let’s talk about ways to open. Double-leaf interior doors can be:
- hinged:
- conventional with opening in one direction;
- pendulum – with the possibility of opening in any direction (two-way opening);
Swing and accordion doors – two options for opening from the possible
- sliding:
- accordion;
- book;
- sliding (retractable or compartment doors);
- swing folding.
Most often put swing. Firstly, the doors themselves are cheaper, easier and cheaper to install. Secondly, they provide good sound insulation. Everyone knows the minus of swing models – they take up space in the open. Not everywhere it is possible to arrange even sashes of 60 cm each. The possibility of opening in one or two directions depends on the selected hinges. If you buy a block without a tie-in, you can choose to your taste.
Sliding double doors are great for saving space. Keep in mind that they can move to one side as well. With a fairly wide opening, this is convenient. Despite these advantages, they are not very popular. First, soundproofing can be a problem. There are, of course, tight-fitting ones, with seals and excellent insulation, but they do not belong to the budget ones. The second drawback of sliding models is that they are quite noisy when moving. Silent only expensive (again). So if you need a budget option, it’s better to put swing ones.
There is also a combined version – swing folding. This is a combination of a swing door and a book door. They are good for very wide openings. Each leaf consists of two or more sections, which are movably connected to each other. When opening the doors, you push them like swing doors, using only part of the passage. But, if necessary, they are easy to fully open, just a little push to the side. Such doors are good in the kitchen-living room, if the room needs to be periodically demarcated.
What materials
If we talk about materials, then swing interior doors are made from:
- wood;
- MDF;
- frame made of fiberboard;
- plastic.
The most solid and reliable are wooden doors. How expensive they will be depends on the type of wood, but good oak ones cost a lot. Interior doors made of wood are good for everyone. And especially the fact that in most cases they are made individually and can be strictly according to the dimensions of the doorway. Without any “standards”. Naturally, you can order an arched door.
More budget options – MDF. Their prices are not so high, but they can look no worse than wooden ones. MDF is good because it is even possible to reproduce the carving, if necessary. In terms of performance, they are no worse than wooden ones – sound insulation is up to par, durability too.
The cheapest ones are frame. A frame is assembled from pine bars, which is sheathed on both sides of the fiberboard. To improve the soundproofing properties, the frame is filled with some kind of loose material. In principle, with normal performance, they can serve well. You just have to be careful – they do not tolerate shock loads. And there is a problem – it is not easy to find a “normal” performance.
Double-leaf interior doors made of MDF and frame doors can be laminated with veneer or a special film that imitates wood. Veneered are very similar to the array. You can’t immediately determine that they are not from an array. This type belongs to the average price. When choosing, pay attention to the quality of pasting with veneer. Nowhere should there be a hint of protruding glue, cracks or other defects. Even the slightest flaws will cause delamination and loss of appearance.
The cheapest ones are with film. The service life depends on the quality of the film. Sometimes after a year and a half, it begins to wear off. So it’s not worth taking them even with a limited budget. Or buy only those that were recommended to you by someone you know who uses them, and you yourself have seen what condition they are in. Because “normal” is different.
Glass and other inserts
Interroom 2-leaf doors can be either solid or with glass inserts. You can find full glass sashes, there can be solid glass with a frame. In models with doors of different sizes, the smaller one can be with or without glass (deaf).
Do not be afraid that with glass / glass is dangerous. Tempered glass is used, which takes a lot of effort to break. And even if it breaks, it pours in a bunch of fragments with non-sharp edges or remains hanging on the film. It depends on the type of glass.
Glass doors and inserts are good, as they allow you to illuminate the corridor when the doors are closed. Of course, you can put a motion sensor there to turn on the light so as not to walk in the dark. But the presence of daylight is often much more pleasant than artificial lighting. They also add a great variety of designs. And do not think that double doors with glass are only in the classical style. There are a sufficient number of models that are more suitable for modern interiors than for classics.