Which door is better, a plastic or metal entrance door?

A PVC balcony door is a larger ordinary window .

In our Company, Leningrad Windows and Ceilings, the fittings already include a balcony latch + petal handle. When exiting the balcony, there is a petal handle on the outside of the door. If you close the door using it, the door will not dangle, but will snap into place with a spring in the balcony latch. If you need to get back into the room, you just need to push the door.

In many companies, this balcony latch is NOT installed by default, but is added for an additional fee of around 300-500 rubles. and only if the customer himself asked for it.

For balcony doors, Roto NT window fittings with two window hinges are used.

Do you want to choose the iron version?

The source provides several practical tips for those who choose an iron door, which will help them make the most correct decision regarding the price-quality ratio of the product. We recommend that you buy aluminum doors in Minsk at a good price of the highest quality. One of the most important issues that determine both the cost and reliability of an iron door is the material from which it is made. And here, without a doubt, it makes sense to purchase only an aluminum door. Only she can fully resist burglars. However, questions remain about the door's reliability.

Typically, a metal door is a structure made of pipes, on which aluminum sheets are placed on both sides. Depending on the thickness of these same sheets, the door’s defense capability and its resistance to direct impact depend. Of course, the thicker the sheets, the more expensive the door, but this investment is very important - it guarantees the safety of your home and loved ones.

Well, now let’s look at the plastic doors.

Burglar resistance level

A plastic door product intended for outdoor use must have high reliability characteristics, which is achieved by equipping it with additional structural elements:

• The use of metal liners having a monolithic cross-section, providing reinforcement to the structure of the sash and frame;
• Equipped with typical mechanisms that ensure reliable fit of the structure to the folds and locking mechanisms;
• The presence of fittings with high resistance to vandal-proof and burglary-proof characteristics is mandatory. The use of elements such as latches and shulps leads to an increase in the price of the door product;
• It is mandatory that the design of the PVC entrance block contains a profile of an electric drive closer.

How to choose an entrance door to a private house?

Choosing an entrance door is not an easy task; if you make a mistake, you will have to change the design in a few years. Plastic, metal, aluminum, wood - how to choose a door among the variety of types and models? Find out about the advantages and disadvantages of the material and compare them.

What should you be wary of when installing entrance doors?

The main destructive factor for entrance doors is precipitation and sudden temperature changes. Rain, snow, sun, and other atmospheric phenomena become a serious test. Now you understand why it is so important to choose the right material and carry out high-quality installation of the structure. It’s definitely not worth saving on entrance doors; in the long term, this is fraught with big losses.

Types of entrance doors: plastic, aluminum, metal, wood

Plastic doors

Plastic

, as the basis for the front door -
a practical and inexpensive option
.

• The material holds heat well and does not freeze
• Decoration in the style of the facade is possible thanks to lamination, painting or tinting

There are also nuances:

• It is advisable to choose sashes with closed reinforcement inside the profile
• Reliable fittings are required (lock, hinges, handles)
• the manufacturer must have a certificate

You can get acquainted with the models of plastic doors on our website

Aluminum doors

Entrance doors made of “warm” aluminum profile

with a thermal break will cost
more than plastic ones
, but
cheaper than high-quality wooden and metal ones
. In terms of price-quality ratio, this is an excellent option.

• aluminum does not rust
• does not change structure when temperature changes
• not subject to mechanical damage and deformation.

When choosing aluminum entrance doors, it is important to choose a reliable contractor. Look for examples of such doors in our catalog.

Metal doors

Budget entry models

We do not recommend
purchasing them , they quickly rust, the hinges are deformed due to the heavy weight of the blades, and the thin steel sheet is easily damaged. In winter, such structures freeze and require high-quality thermal insulation. It often comes to the point where ice and frost form on the door. Don't forget that metal doors make a lot of noise when they are closed and opened.

Steel door

It can be durable and
of high quality
, but
you will have to pay a lot for it
.

Wooden doors

Entrance doors made of natural material have excellent heat and sound insulation. But with budget wooden panels

there is a significant
drawback
- changes in structure under the influence of moisture. It is difficult to predict how the door will behave after installation. There may be troubles due to intense sun; evaporation of moisture will lead to the formation of cracks. It only makes sense to buy such a product from a manufacturer whose products you are 100% confident in.

entrance doors are not cheap

, but there are significantly fewer problems with them than with budget ones.

PVC outdoor door blocks

If we look at history, several decades ago the most common material used for making door products was wood. But gradually, natural solid wood began to lose its popularity due to the appearance on the market of more durable steel door blocks, which became more in demand. And some time later, armored models became available to domestic consumers.

Over time, when production began to increase the scale of production and technology began to improve, plastic profiles began to be used as a material for creating door products. It was on its basis that the first balcony ceilings began to be produced. After some time, the first samples of balcony doors made of this material began to arrive on the market. And pretty soon new products in the form of metal-plastic door structures appeared on sale.

Having become acquainted with the new products, most consumers realized that the use of the latest modern materials in the construction of objects does not have a negative impact on their operational characteristics. Moreover, such a solution benefits them, as it allows them to increase the level of security at the entrance to a private home. Against this background, designers and constructors decided to turn their attention to them, and soon projects of suburban buildings became available to consumers, for which these new items were the main material.

Types of doors by material

Let's focus on three main types: wooden, plastic, metal. Each of them suits its own functions. What tasks can an entrance door perform: protection from intruders, insulation from cold and noise, decoration of the interior and exterior.

Plastic entrance door

Plastic doors are usually installed in commercial premises or as a second door in the vestibule of a private home.

In stores, pharmacies, and shopping centers, a plastic door only performs the “open-close” function. The plastic door is lightweight, so it is convenient to open it even for children and the elderly. Another plus is that such doors are inexpensive. And since they are installed in places with a large flow of people, they can be changed frequently without serious financial costs.

Double-glazed windows

As in plastic windows, the design of the PVC entrance door uses double-glazed windows with a different number of chambers:

• single-chamber - made of two glasses;
• two-chamber - made of three glasses;
• three-chamber - made of four glasses.

The more cameras in the package, the higher the heat and noise protection qualities, but the cost of a multi-chamber double-glazed window is higher than a single-chamber one. The difference from window packages is the variety of shapes and sizes of glass inserts. They can occupy the entire area of ​​the canvas or part of it, be rectangular, rhombic, triangular, curvilinear, round, oval, etc.

As a rule, triplex or armored glass, consisting of several layers of glass and a reinforcing transparent film, is installed as the outer glass in the package. To break through it, human physical strength is not enough; you will have to use technical means. The most durable glasses have bullet-explosion-proof properties. In addition, the glass unit may include the following glass:

• energy saving;
• relief, with a cast or engraved pattern;
• stained glass, with a color image;
• matte;
• mirror;
• tinted with film or colored.

The use of these glasses improves the performance and aesthetic qualities of the front door.

Correct selection parameters

For any door product made of plastic, it is important to have advantages that correlate with its price. Similar designs offered today, which are available to every consumer, can provide a high level of protection against unauthorized entry into private property, as well as protect against external noise and negative impacts from external factors, including temperature fluctuations.
Such advantages can be achieved due to the quality characteristics inherent in the profile used in the design of these products and the combination of sealing materials placed along the contour of the block.

Key elements

Particularly noteworthy are the components of the design , which determine the correctness of the decision to purchase a plastic outdoor door to protect the house:

• Frame. It must have a steel frame fixed around the entire perimeter. At the same time, its walls should be thicker, unlike the window frame, and be at least 3 millimeters.
• Door leaf profile. Must have a design based on a five-chamber design. The door itself must include a frame that has the appropriate structure and configuration. The highest performance characteristics are demonstrated by the frame, which contains longitudinal and transverse ribs that give the entire block the necessary rigidity.
• Locking systems for plastic doors. They require the presence of locking devices located in all areas of the perimeter of the canvas.
• Loops. An important element of a plastic door structure, for which an anti-removal design is required, which is implemented through a multilayer structure.
• Double-glazed windows. If you pay attention to most modern stores, the plastic entrance blocks installed in them must have double-glazed windows. Moreover, their characteristics should have higher performance, in contrast to window glazing.
• Door leaf insulation. The question of its availability is decided individually by the consumer, which is associated with the ability of the PVC material to successfully withstand low temperatures.
• The sealing of the street entrance block is made of plastic. To impart this property to the structure, it contains seals based on rubber, silicone and other materials, which are located on the outside of the sash, as well as along the inner perimeter of the box.

Advantages

The decision to buy office doors is based on a rational approach, justified by the presence of competitive advantages both in the materials used and in the profile system itself. The advantages of plastic structures are as follows:

• mechanical strength provided by the physical structure of PVC, the width of the profile and frame, metal reinforcement;
• exact style match. Plastic office doors fit perfectly into the interior of modern public and administrative buildings;
• burglary resistance, which is regulated by the use of reliable fittings, locking systems from trusted manufacturers, and additional means;
• long service life. Plastic office interior doors, the price of which is justified after 3-5 years of use, can serve regularly for at least 40 years;
• the ability to provide the required indoor microclimate through the use of different types of profiles and double-glazed windows.

Purchasing plastic office entrance doors is an opportunity to solve everyday, economic and stylistic problems in a complex.

The desire to buy plastic office doors is accompanied by a choice of construction and design, of which there are several today. PVC office doors are available in the following versions:

• single-leaf and double-leaf (shtulpovy);
• solid office doors filled with sandwich panels, glass and combined – sandwich panels + glass;
• swing, sliding, accordion.

Depending on the installation location, individual office fittings for plastic doors are selected - these are reinforced or ordinary hinges, locks, latches, handles, etc.

How to buy

Any REHAU plastic office door, which you can buy in the Primorsky Territory or in Moscow, can be ordered directly from the website, by phone or by visiting the manufacturer’s office in person. In any case, wishes regarding design and construction will be listened to, an opening pattern and fittings will be selected.

Filling a plastic door leaf: details

The surface of a plastic entrance door for a private house (the photo illustrates this perfectly) comes in two different types: solid and transparent. As already mentioned, blind filling can be done using thick steel sheets, but more often sandwich panels are used for this purpose. They are made in three layers: polystyrene foam insulation is laid between two plastic or steel sheets.

Entrance door with glass inserts

The transparent glass filling of the door is usually combined. This means that its upper part is equipped with a double-glazed window, similar to a window, and the lower part is made blank. However, sometimes there are options made purely from plastic or glass. As for the glass itself, it can be not only transparent, but also matte, corrugated, colored, and sometimes even stained glass. The door does not have to be white. Today, laminated canvases imitating wood or other textures are more common. The color can also be completely different.

Bright orange plastic door

By design, doors can be ordinary single-leaf, double-leaf or equipped with a transom. Double doors are sometimes made with hinged doors. This design involves fixing one half of the door, often the smaller one. Metal-plastic doors are not only hinged, but also sliding. There are usually only two types of locks installed on plastic door structures: under the arc handle and under the push handle. It is safer to purchase a door with a lock of the first type. Sometimes doors are equipped with closers.

The decorative side of the issue

Plastic doors perfectly provide completely reliable heat and sound insulation. At the same time, they are undoubtedly inferior in terms of safety to high-quality metal doors. In terms of aesthetics and design, plastic structures go well with brick, stone or concrete walls. They will also look good on facades covered with siding.

Door made of plastic with lamination

Helpful advice! For wooden walls, the choice should be taken more carefully. Only a door that imitates wood would be appropriate here. It is also necessary that it matches well with the facade in color and texture.

An undoubted advantage of plastic entrance doors for a private house (photo to confirm this) is the ability to create curved structures. This allows the use of arched doors in combination with similar windows. Sometimes the arched appearance of a door can be given by a matching transom. Its configuration can be very different, and glazing with stained glass will add additional unusualness and uniqueness.

Entrance doors to the bathhouse: what are they? Which entrance door should I put in the bathhouse?

Well, here are the actual options:

• plastic entrance doors to the bathhouse, with a reinforced profile;
• entrance door to the bathhouse made of wood;
• metal.

Of course, a country house usually has metal ones at the entrance. to find out how cost-effective this is in a bathhouse .

Plastic entrance doors to the bathhouse

The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to plastic is that it is easy to break. Yes, this is a fair concern when it comes to, say, interior models made from it. But street ones are made with a reinforced profile , so there will be nothing easy in such a hack.

A little more detail: a steel closed loop, the thickness of which is 2 mm, is inserted into the body of this model. In addition to protection, it provides greater rigidity and prevents the structure from sagging during thermal expansion.

Advantages and disadvantages of entrance doors to the bathhouse from the street, made of plastic

This is what a plastic outdoor door for a bathhouse might look like (with mirrored glass)

We list the main advantages of this type:

• Resistant to temperature changes - this plastic is designed to be frosty outside and warm inside. The windows can withstand it.
• Moisture resistance - plastic is not afraid of water, does not rot, does not rust.
• Tightness is an excellent property when it is necessary to protect a bathhouse from “unauthorized” drafts that blow out heat.
• Thermal protection - due to the air chambers inside, the heat transfer of plastic doors is very low.
• Color variety - there are some good-looking wood imitations.

Flaws:

• Relatively high price. A wooden door will cost much less, but there are different metal ones, there are some that are several times cheaper.
• Linear expansion of PVC is when the plastic warps under the influence of high temperature. In the cold, compression occurs, which increases fragility. There is also a seasonal change in linear dimensions during expansion or contraction. All this is “treated” by reinforcing the structure, in particular, with a closed profile.

Useful video:

Despite the fact that the video is about a plastic door to a house, and even with glass, and also a double-leaf one, the advice given on choosing is practical and worth listening to.

Entrance door to a wooden bathhouse

Wooden entrance doors for saunas and baths are much more common than those made of other materials. Both tradition and cost play a role here. This variety is the cheapest.

The design could be as follows:

• panel room with solid filling;
• combined (with metal reinforcement).

hollow frames as options - they are only suitable as interior ones. And variations of panel boards with continuous filling include thick tongue-and -groove boards (40-50 mm) and furniture boards.

For doors that are exposed to precipitation, experts recommend not using veneers (not dowels!) on the surface. Waterproof (not to be confused with moisture resistant) plywood is better than veneer as a covering.

Tightness and seals

A warm door with good insulation and a thermal break can still let cold air into the house, but it will not penetrate through the leaf itself, but through the cracks between it and the door frame. It doesn't take a genius to understand the importance of having seals along the contour of the door leaf. However, this factor is often overlooked.

The seal must be glued around the perimeter of the door, frame and under the threshold so that there is simply nowhere for a draft to penetrate. Usually they use rubber seals, which have proven themselves to be the best: they are not afraid of moisture and temperature changes, and are durable. You can also use sealants made of silicone and polyurethane foam. But what you should not use are foam rubber and plastic seals. They are afraid of exposure to moisture and temperature, and quickly become unusable.

How many seal circuits should be used? Oddly enough, one, but well-executed one will be enough. You will, of course, be offered both two and three sealing circuits. This definitely won’t make things worse, but there is also no noticeable difference in the effect with one circuit, but such a solution will cost a little more.

Which entrance door to choose: comparison

Choosing an entry door material: wood, metal or PVC is an important step because the door will be exposed over the years to changes in temperature, sunlight, rain, snow, wind, and repeated opening/closing.

The table below will help you decide which entry door to choose for any situation and any need.

As for security, doors should be equipped with multi-point locks, durable hidden hinges, and burglary-resistant glazing.

Glass

Glass is usually used as an insert, but there are also doors made entirely of tempered glass, tinted or frosted, with patterns. They are resistant to moisture, so you can place them in the bathroom and toilet, choosing opaque options. Glass doors are appropriate in modern high-tech or minimalist interiors; they are hung on metal fasteners

What should you pay attention to when buying, besides appearance?

Quality of materials. The quality of products must be confirmed by manufacturer certificates (product warranty).

Thermal insulation is effective if:

• thermal insulation thickness is not less than 5 cm;
• the total thickness of the frame and canvas is not less than 8 cm;
• the design contains thermal bridges and a perimeter seal.

Security and external control elements. The burglary resistance of the structure is determined by 13 classes. The street entrance door for a country house, like all analogues for residential premises, belongs to the first 4 (preferably 3 or 4). It is equipped with a drill-resistant lock and a pull-resistant handle.

If you choose a model with glass , use a multilayer (shock-resistant) option. The peephole is selected according to the thickness of the structure, the optimal viewing angle is 180°.

Hinges for outdoor doors. The most reliable (and expensive) are cut-resistant, adjustable, hidden hinges. They are made of steel and can be adjusted (if skewed). If the weight of the product is relatively small, bearings are used for hinges. For massive structures, the option with hardened balls is suitable.

Adjustable hidden hinges Source wareneinkaufen.me

Locks. The place where the locks are attached is ideally reinforced with an armor plate (protection against knocking out and drilling). It is more useful to install two mechanisms - lever and cylinder; they should be comfortable for all family members.

Narthexes and platbands:

• Platband. The purpose of this element is to mask the gap between the door frame and the wall opening, plus, to protect the door from breaking in with a crowbar.
• The narthex The protruding part of the outer sheet that protects the gap between the closed structure and the frame.

Fastening the door frame to the wall. The door frame is the frame on which the door hinges and the structure itself are mounted. It experiences a large load, so the steel in its profile must be thicker than in the door leaf.

The planes of the box and the opening must coincide. During installation, this parameter is regulated by the building level.

Which is better: wood or plastic?

To decide on the choice of doors, it is worth comparing them according to the main indicators:

1. Appearance. Natural wood looks very beautiful, but modern versions of plastic convey its color, pattern and texture so accurately that they are practically no different from wood. Wood-look plastic doors are especially popular today.
2. Environmental friendliness. For many buyers this is an important factor. In this parameter, wood wins, but you need to take into account that it will require mandatory varnish treatment. Fortunately, there are now many types of coatings that are water-based, rather than using toxic solvents.
3. Moisture resistant. Plastic definitely wins here. If you need a door to the bathroom, to the balcony, to the technical room, then wood is definitely not the best option. It will begin to crack and become covered with fungus.
4. Easy to care for. Natural wood practically does not attract dust, which cannot be said about plastic. But PVC can be safely washed without fear of swelling. In any case, it is worth choosing canvases with a pattern so that small scratches, dust and dirt are not so noticeable on the surface.
5. Insulating properties. There is no “winner” according to this indicator. If multi-chamber double-glazed windows are installed in plastic doors, then this design will protect against noise and cold just as well as wood. Wooden systems, in turn, can be insulated.
6. Strength. For this characteristic, it is of great importance whether the structure is made of wood inside (frame type) or whether it is a solid mass. If the sash is made entirely of wood and has no voids inside, then it is stronger than plastic.

An important parameter is price. Structures made from valuable wood, with beautiful finishing in the form of stained glass or carvings, are very expensive. If the canvas has only a frame made of beams and is covered with veneer on top, the price is more affordable. When you need to install many doors in one room, a more profitable solution is to purchase plastic structures.

Video description

About the choice of doors from various materials in the video:
And a few examples in the photo:

Few people use door knockers, but they look very nice Source timgori.pw

Although half of the door area is occupied by glass inserts, it is quite difficult to break into. Source stroy-masterden.ru

Forged elements will never go out of fashion Source formywife.info

The door design is ideal for a home with a second light Source deavita.fr

The door design looks very “powerful”, despite the transparent wall Source masterlad.prom.ua