Metal entrance doors: how to choose?

A reliable entrance door is a pledge of security in the house and the safety of property. The undisputed leader among all the options available on the market are metal entrance doors. This is a combination of steel and style, which guarantees protection of the house and testifies to the good taste of its owners.

Optimal in all parameters entrance metal doors characterize the following features:

• Closed production cycle. If all elements for assembly are made in one factory using high-tech equipment, they are ideally suited to each other, and the design has no flaws. In addition, the closed production is present only in reliable firms that pay maximum attention to the quality of the goods produced and it is almost impossible to fake them. An exception is the use in the configuration of door locks from companies specializing only in their production.
• Availability of all necessary certificates on products.
• High level of noise insulation. Metal doors cope with this task many times better than others, since the thickness of the door leaf is larger, and the hollow space inside allows you to use a quality layer that muffles unnecessary sounds. It is also good to deal with sound insulation only multi-chamber windows.

• High-quality thermal insulation. Doors with good insulation are an insurmountable barrier to freezing temperatures and do not allow heat to go outside.
• High quality seal not only contributes to maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature and absorbing sounds, but also prevents it from entering the house
• foreign odors.
• Metal blades are more resistant to fire.than wood or pastikovye.
• Banking security. Metal canvas protects the house, like a safe with jewelry, which is impossible to find the key. A specially designed design increases the level of burglar resistance.
• Inside the door leaf are stiffeners, a special form of which provides additional protection against cutting and drilling.

• Product availability for any wallet. Of course, for any manufacturer, the price range varies from economy to premium class, but a reliable door without designer frills will cost less than 15,000 rubles.
• As for the design possibilities, all typical models are distinguished by laconic elegance., and the model for individual developments is limited only by the financial capabilities and imagination of the customer, since the production uses a huge amount of various materials and their combinations. Exterior door trim can remain metallic, have forged parts, glass and mirror inserts, bright color, airbrushing, can be finished with plastic or wood. Wood veneer, in turn, is laminated, painted, subjected to various processing technologies, including brushing (aging). Milling, laser cutting, forging, hand painting, color film and even stained glass are available. Whether the dominant is historical, modern or eclectic, the metal entrance door integrates well into it.
• The warranty period of the product is at least 5 years. The actual service life exceeds this figure by 3-5 times.
• The “correct” filling is equipped with good fittings.: locks, hinges, door peepholes, latch, and other important trifles help increase the crack resistance of the product to give it a more presentable appearance.

• Metal entrance doors are suitable for non-standard openings, whether it be single-leaf, one-and-a-half or double door, arched rectangular or square in shape.
• The door from the street in a private house must undergo processing with a special solution. This coating protects it from moisture, changes in atmospheric pressure, corrosion, direct sunlight, fading.
• Good metal door with solid frame and wide frames that protect the anchor from trying to cut them.
• If necessary, you can choose an armored front door.
• GOST by production of entrance metal doors it is strictly observed.

The state standard regulates the norms of production and guarantees the right of everyone to purchase quality goods.The construction of a metal door (steel, iron or aluminum) consists of a door frame, metal and decorative platbands, a frame, stiffeners, an iron sheet 3 mm thick, a filler (mineral wool, fiberboard, foam plastic, wooden bar), a compactor, an additional steel sheet or iron in the field of the lock (only 6 mm), the external panel, protection for loops and crossbars, accessories.

Door leaves are made of steel or aluminum profiles, it is possible to connect the welding method with the obligatory indication of the welding points in the accompanying documents. Between the sheets, stiffeners or profiles and insulation from environmentally friendly, non-toxic materials are necessary.

Locks and fittings regulate individual standards. They prescribe the installation of a “window” on the inside for easy replacement of the mechanism and prohibit welding of the lock in order to avoid damage to small parts by high temperatures.The bolt lock must be located at a depth of at least 22 mm inside the door frame. According to GOST, all doors are divided into classes 1,2,3 in terms of air, water, sound, heat insulation and burglary resistance, where M1 is the highest class of protection. The standard also regulates the size of doors in accordance with the openings in typical residential buildings, methods of strength testing and requirements for proper installation.

The entrance door not only protects against uninvited guests, but also performs other functions that provide the inhabitants of the house peace, quiet and comfort. At the same time, it is an integral part of the interior from the inside, and “clothing”, which is used to judge the owners of the house from the outside, so the materials of manufacture play a huge role, regardless of whether they are visible to the eye or not. It is conditionally possible to divide the door into four layers, each of which is responsible for a practical or aesthetic function: the door frame, the inner filling, the finishing of the inner side and the finishing of the outer side.

Metal doors are a generalized concept, since they are made using a different type of metal: aluminum, iron, steel, and various alloys.The door of the aluminum profile serves well as the outer because of the resistance of aluminum to corrosion. It provides effective thermal insulation without freezing, well protects from extraneous noise, does not require staining or updating the protective layer. But aluminum itself is rather soft, and without additional reinforcement such a profile does not have a high level of burglar resistance, but this metal is more expensive than iron or steel.

The iron door was at the peak of popularity when there was a tendency to replace standard wooden doors with more reliable ones. Over time, there were various alternatives, and iron moved into the class of the most economical options. In addition to cheapness, such canvases have almost no advantages. The metal is easily deformed, has no ribs, is susceptible to corrosion, and the sheet thickness does not exceed two millimeters. There is no additional protection around the locking device either, so it’s pointless to try to reanimate such a door by installing several safe locks on it.

The most effective of the known alloys is the combination of iron with carbon (it deprives iron of viscosity, making it durable and hard) and alloying elements (optimize the properties of the metal in accordance with the conditions of operation). The more common name is steel. Steel entrance doors come from hot rolled (less durable) and cold rolled (more durable) steel. The second type is more often used in the production of door panels, since it makes it possible to manufacture thin but reliable protection.

Advantages of steel metal entrance doors:

• Strength. You can cut it unless the grinder, and knock out altogether impossible;
• Long service life. Steel canvas retains its original appearance for decades;
• Resistance to mechanical damage, which can not be said about the aluminum profile;
• Additional protection in the form of crossbars and linings;
• High-quality heat and sound insulation;
• A large number of finishing options.

The disadvantages of these doors too. In the presence of a complex design or a beautiful finish, the price is much higher than the standard. The thickness and density of the materials add up to a large weight of the product, which not every brickwork can withstand. In some types of materials steel doors simply can not be mounted. To carry out installation alone, too, will not work, you need the help of professionals.

Internal filling of a metal profile does not affect its burglar resistance, but it is responsible for such important functions as heat preservation, frost protection, a barrier against extraneous sounds, fire safety.

Economy includes:

• Cellular corrugated board. The easy multilayered cellular filling differing in rigidity and good noise-insulating properties. It also helps to keep the heat in the room, but does not cope with moisture resistance;
• Sintepon fiber. Soft and light material for filling, which has poor heat transfer, but does not protect against noise and moisture;
• Foam rubber. It has unique insulating properties at low cost, but may shrink, so stiffening ribs must be provided in the door construction. Foam rubber may be affected by condensation (moisture) between door panels.

The middle category consists of:

• Isolona. Self-adhesive roll material that needs to be combined with other materials;
• Penopolistrol. It is not suitable for external doors in a private house, but in the vestibule and on the landing we can safely use doors with such a layer for high-quality insulation of noise, moisture and heat;
• Polyurethane foam plates. It is distinguished by high performance, durability, ease of installation, ease. Best in its segment.

Premium class includes:

• Hard polyurethane foam. It has a porous texture, due to which it copes with the tasks, but requires a frame of stiffeners because of the tendency to shrink;
• Mineral wool. Better than any other material retains heat, silence and provides comfort to residents. One of the few is environmentally friendly, does not emit toxins.

The appearance of the door is the status of the home. Much depends on whether it is external (at the entrance to a private room, on the border “street-house”) or internal (installed at the entrance to the apartment), since the outside doors have a large atmospheric load.

Exterior finish options:

• Powder coating. This is a universal coating that provides an aesthetic appearance of the door, protecting the web from mechanical damage, resistance to alkaline solutions, temperature drops (from -60 to +130), aggressive effects of the atmosphere, humidity, corrosion, fire;

• Laminate. This material is used both as exterior cladding and as interior decoration. It gives a smooth, beautiful, original coating that improves the insulating properties of the door, is impact-resistant and wear-resistant, poorly exposed to dirt, does not fade. However, the laminate is only suitable for doors to the apartment, since it is afraid of moisture and does not tolerate wet cleaning with the use of aggressive household chemicals;

• Veneer. A completely wooden front door certainly looks expensive and beautiful, but its cost is adequate with a relatively worse resistance to burglary.The use of natural veneer (thin sheets of wood), which preserves the design and texture of wood, allows you to combine the aesthetics of natural materials and the reliability of steel doors. Such a finish will add elegance to the door and reliably mask its steel “filling”. The wood layer plays an important role in ensuring the comfort of the inhabitants of the house and increasing the wear resistance of the metal structure.

• MDF panels. Modern production technologies have made great strides forward, therefore not everyone can distinguish veneer from pressed wood chips, and this material costs several times less, and the effect is the same. The only condition that must be observed when working with MDF linings is to protect the panels from water;

• Lining. Clapboard is often called a type of MDF, but their main difference is that these narrow, carefully processed and ideally fitted to each other boards are cut from solid wood, and not compressed from the product of its processing - sawdust. It can be smooth or textured, light or dark, with special impregnation from putrefactive fungi and a protective coating, which makes clapboard a versatile material for the exterior of the entrance metal door;

• Lining. The main difference from conventional lining is in the method of drying - artificially in chambers, and not naturally. Additionally, the eurolining is impregnated with compounds from fungus, mold, insects, high humidity, burnout under the sun;

• PVC film. This two-layer material (adhesive backing and decorative coating) is very easy to use, protects the metal door from moisture and corrosion, is easy to maintain, is affordable, has durability and does not emit odor. At first glance, we are practically indistinguishable from veneer due to the realistic pattern on the surface. The film is easy to clean, does not fade, and the polyester coating protects it from damage;

• Painting. The most cost-effective material, which does not increase the insulating properties, but works on the aesthetics of the appearance, protects the metal from moisture, chemical effects, corrosion and allows you to create a unique door design. Using paint, you can give the canvas any shade, and a uniform distribution of the substance when using cans or airbrush gives a perfectly smooth surface without stripes and traces of a brush.You can also use stencils for applying an interesting pattern, and people with great artistic talent can even embody complex airbrushing. So the most budgetary steel door without decor will turn into a home decoration;

• Decorative materials. Glass with forging, mirrors, mosaic, stained glass - all this can be used for the exterior finish of the door without compromising its performance characteristics.

An integral part of the finish is the accessories. It should be reliable and suitable in style to the entire structure as a whole. This mainly refers to the door handles, which today can be found in any convenient variant, from wood and plastic to metal in various colors, with or without decor. Interior decoration is an integral element of the interior indoors, so it must match the design in color, material and style. Strictly speaking, the inside of the door can do without finishing,since the solid sheet of steel is quite consistent with some industrial areas in which raw and coarse materials are welcome. For example, for a loft or grunge with their brick, concrete and plaster walls, it can be left undone.

However, not all styles are so unpretentious. The arsenal of materials for interior decoration of a metal entrance door includes:

• Solid wood It is the most expensive, durable and environmentally friendly material. It is necessary in luxurious interiors and in a setting with emphasized harmony with nature. The wood is very malleable. When using it, carving, dyeing, lacquer coating, inlay, and various methods of treatment with solutions are available. The most popular way is brushing (artificial aging), which makes it possible to turn economically costly furniture wood (birch, pine, oak) into an aged tree of precious species (mahogany, wenge, mahogany);

• Finishing materials based on natural wood: veneer, laminate, MDF and chipboard. As with the exterior, these materials are suitable for indoor use.At the same time, veneer and laminate can be attributed to premium materials, and MDF and chipboard to budget solutions;

• Natural and artificial stone. This is an expensive and sometimes inappropriate pleasure. Finishing with thin plates or plates of stone (more often artificial) is necessary to maintain the interior, in which similar elements are already present. When choosing this material, it is important to bear in mind that it will increase the weight of an already heavy metal door, so the hinges, the box and the walls should be designed for such a load. In most cases, it is wiser to do with high-quality plastic panels or self-adhesive film imitating the texture of the stone according to the pattern;

• Mirror and glass surfaces. Mirror, glass and other reflective surfaces are used in the design of the room in order to give it airiness and visually increase the space. Modern technologies allow you to choose safe mirrors and glass, which are made on the principle of glass-triplex. Triplexes are difficult to break, and if this happens, they do not fall apart - all the fragments remain inside a strong film that covers the glass outside.It is possible to decorate a mirror with a sandblasted pattern or a film under a stained-glass window;

• Powder coating. Low cost and durable coating that allows you to experiment with color;

• Artificial leather: eco-leather, leatherette, dermantin, vinyl artificial leather. Inexpensive and widespread type of coverage, which in a modest gray, brown, green color is appropriate in the "grandmother's" interior, and in a bright shade of pomegranate, fuchsia or azure will ideally complement fusion, kitsch, pop art, and contemporary, and many others. styles. It is important to use a carriage stitch on dermantine, as on leather furniture;

• Plastic. This material is used either in order to save or to beat the interior if necessary, or as a replacement for more expensive materials. Plastic panels are easy to use and unpretentious, but are easily scratched and do not belong to environmentally friendly materials;

• Wall mural. A rare type of finish needed to create an optical illusion that stretches into the distance of the background, drawings with perspective, visually expanding the space. Also, they can be replaced, for example, stone, fabric and airbrushing.

The classification is made according to several criteria:

External (street), internal (apartment), tambourny, ceremonial, office, technical, specialized. External doors are installed at the entrance to a private house and are distinguished by the presence of protective and anti-vandal coatings. It is better to choose those materials that do not darken, do not fade, are resistant to high humidity and low temperatures.

Internal or apartment doors are mounted at the entrance to the premises from the staircase. Since they are not exposed to the negative effects of the environment, they do not need a high degree of protection, as for the street, but anti-vandal protection does not hurt. For greater comfort and tranquility install double doors. At the same time, the second one does not have to be made of several layers of steel and with a complex system of protection against break-ins. Enough aluminum profile, iron door or even wood. This will allow not to weigh down the structure and to give the inside of the doors a more aesthetic look.

For additional protection of the common with the neighbors of the platform are installed chain doors. This is an additional security measure, but not too reliable, as in order to save doors, as a rule, iron doors are chosen with a low level of burglar resistance. Tambour doors can be replaced by technical, and vice versa.Office and front doors differ from usual entrance only in appearance. They belong to the entrance groups to administrative buildings or offices of private companies, and the main requirement for them is a reflection of the prestige and status of the institution. They often have non-standard elements, sophisticated décor and individual design, several shutters.

Specialized doors include all the advantages of ordinary (warm, soundproofed, moisture-resistant), as well as their design involves modifications that take into account the characteristics of operation. They can be fireproof, bulletproof, with a thermal break (for very low temperatures), with a ventilation grille with a bulletproof eye, and others. Some of them are made not in series, but in single copies. Changes include doors with a window, with a window and forging.

The basic equipment includes all the elements recommended by GOST, but the doors often undergo various kinds of improvements for different operating conditions: additional layers of sealant, profile reinforcement, hinge protection, reinforcement of the locking mechanism,special coatings for exterior and interior decoration (from moisture, dust, animal claws, UV rays and other threats to appearance quality). Changes may also affect the shape of the door. In addition to the rectangular, there are still square and arched models.

Also the technical characteristics include the number of door leaves. Common options are single-leaf (one door leaf) and double-leaf (two blades). Duplex, in turn, is of different types - with different widths and with equal-sized doors. A rare phenomenon is the door "accordion". It looks beautiful, but is not very comfortable in metallic design, since there are few objects in which it would be relevant and necessary. Consists of "accordion" of three or more parts of the valves connected by loops.

Design features determine the type of door opening. There are four options: right-sided inward, right-sided out, left-sided inward, left-sided out. At the double doors can open both doors or only one, then the second should be fixed in place. Doors-accordions - sliding.Due to the design features for metal entrance doors, it is recommended to choose external opening. According to the class of resistance to attempts of penetration and hacking, there is a standard of state standards and individual standards of the manufacturer. The highest class is the fourth.

Standards for the size of door leafs are set by the size of typical apartment buildings. The most common metal entrance doors in all price segments of the types are models 980x2050, 980x2100 and 880x2050 mm. However, single-door doors do not always correspond to the size of the doorway. In this case, one and a half models will help out, the dimensions of which are in the range of 1010-1550 mm in width and 2050-2370 mm in height.

For the largest openings, double doors are required. They have impressive overall parameters: 1910-1950 for 2370-2450 mm. The thickness of the door depends on its “filling” and has no strict regulation. This is the thickness of the metal plus the frame, sealant, lining and decor. Metal "layer" in the entrance door is single-layer, two-layer or in exceptional cases, three-layer. The average thickness of a single sheet is at least 2 mm.

A common and common phenomenon is metal doors in brown, chocolate and graphite colors. These practical shades are usually obtained with the help of powder spraying, which makes it possible to choose a more colorful option: red, silver, burgundy, garnet, emerald, blue. Even rare colors like mustard and Prussian blue are available. Not for any type of wall decoration such simple doors are suitable. Some options for lining metal doors have their own characteristics, including the color palette. This applies to wood trim and its products.

“Pure” wood can give white shades from warm to cold (bleached oak, palladium oak, birch, pine), light palette (all grades are walnut, beech, Karelian birch, teak), noble dark tones (mahogany, ebony, brushed oak, cherry, wenge, mahogany, makhon). The use of plastic panels for cladding and color film, dyeing (including the application of airbrush images) opens up great opportunities for design.

The choice of a metal door is a matter of responsibility and requires some knowledge of the design features. Those who want to choose a reliable and high-quality door, it is recommended to adopt the advice of professionals in the field of repair and design:

• It is important to properly evaluate the operating conditions. Of course, mahogany trim looks elegant, expensive and beautiful, but for how many years she will be able to maintain a flawless appearance in the conditions of constant dampness and atmospheric influences is a big question. Even the best impregnation does not guarantee protection from darkening, cracking and rotting, but the powder coating, glass and forging perfectly withstand temperature changes and severe weather conditions.

• Take into account the weight of the product and the thickness of the walls in which the door frame will be mounted. Not all materials are able to withstand heavy loads. They can begin to crumble, crack, and “land” the door sitting in such an opening is not difficult. The maximum allowable weight of a metal entrance door is a quarter of a ton, and this must be taken into account when choosing a product by weight.

• Before buying a door, it is necessary to make measurements of the door opening at at least two points in height and width.

Directly when choosing to pay attention to:

• The quality of the door frame (frame). The opinion that the reliability of the design depends only on the thickness of the door leaf is wrong. With poor quality and weak box, the degree of protection is significantly reduced;
• Metal typeof which sheets, frame and platbands are made. In terms of reliability, aluminum is better than iron, and steel is better than aluminum. It is also important that steel sheets have a thickness of at least 2 mm and are made of cold rolled steel;
• Type of filler. The best, although the most expensive option is a mineral plate or mineral wool. In the segment is cheaper - polyurethane foam;

• Type of exterior and interior decoration. The external must be protected from damage and environmental influences, and for the internal it is better to choose natural and eco-friendly materials;
• The thickness of the door. This is a fundamentally important factor, since several layers of steel, stiffeners and a good filler, on which safety and insulation depend, cannot combine to produce a thin door leaf. The thicker the door, the better its performance;
• Way to open the door;
• The quality of fittings and how it is fixed.Sharp corners, shakiness, cheap appearance are signs of poor quality products;
• Type of locking device. The best option is a combination of two locks of different types and additional strengthening of the construction with bolts;
• Availability of quality certificates. The study of the technical passport of the product will save financial and time costs for repairs in the future.

• The best doors are time tested. If there is no confidence in the choice, it is worth referring to the products of manufacturers that have proven themselves on the market and have been tested by many buyers.

Among the leaders producing affordable and durable metal entrance doors are Chinese, German, Italian manufacturers. There are several representatives of the CIS countries, among them Belarusian and Russian firms. China in recent years has begun to break stereotypes about illiquid consumer goods. According to user reviews, you should pay attention to the brand LS and other companies that do not use corrugated cardboard as a heater.

Metal entrance doors are a universal solution for apartments and houses. Thanks to a large assortment of materials, the exterior finish will correspond to the finish of the whole house and the design from the outside and from the inside, whether it be an economy class product or elite doors. Veneered doors are beautifully integrated into the interiors with the presence of wood, plastic and paint - in the interiors with siding panels, glass, forging, metal decor and stained glass - a great addition to the stone and brickwork.

How to choose the entrance metal door, see the next video.