The direction in which a door opens largely determines the functionality of its use. The door can open to the right or left, depending on its design features. In order to determine the direction in which the door opens, you need to turn to face it and look at the location of the hinges. If the hinges are on your right hand, then you have a right-hand door, on the contrary, a left-hand door. Today we will talk about the features of opening a door. Here we will describe several basic ways to determine the right or left entrance door.
Historically correct - out
The most important part of a house, apartment, office, from the point of view of Feng Shui, is the entrance door to the apartment
First, let's figure out where the front door to the apartment should open. Just a few generations ago, most of the population (for example, my grandmother) lived in hut houses, which were covered with snow during snowstorms in winter. Since in such situations the front door could only open inwards, this was the correct way.
In many southern areas, the front door of an apartment or house, also according to tradition, is installed so that it opens inward, but the explanation is warmer - it’s more hospitable.
Fact:
The appearance of the porch played an important role in the question of how the entrance doors should open - such snow drifts at doors with a porch no longer happen.
According to Feng Shui - inside.
A little magic: the most important part of a house, apartment, office, from the point of view of Feng Shui, is the entrance door to the apartment. It is through it that the energy of good luck penetrates into the house. In this case, where should the door to the apartment open? - Only inside, so as not to block this flow.
SNIP and the Ministry of Emergency Situations are unanimous - out
What does the primary source say about this issue - how the front door should open: SNiP “Fire Safety of Buildings and Structures”? — Doors at emergency exits and on escape routes must always open towards the exit from the building.
But we all know that in houses where there are four doors next to each other on a tiny staircase, they, of course, open inward.
And from the argument that “in the case of evacuation or carrying out a wounded person on a stretcher, a door opening outward does not pose a serious obstacle” they move on to another weighty argument: “It is important to coordinate the direction of opening the door with the closest neighbors, since open doors should not interfere with the emergency evacuation of people living nearby in case of fire or any other emergency.”
The Ministry of Emergency Situations recommends installing an entrance door that opens outward to prevent the door from being broken into (such a door cannot be knocked down, and if you pull it towards you from the outside, the handle may come off, and that will be the end of it).
Recommendations for caring for hinges
Since the hinges usually do not need periodic adjustments after installation, the entire procedure for caring for them comes down to regular lubrication. For this you can use:
- a special product in the form of oil or aerosol (for example, WD - 40);
- car oil;
- grease or lithol.
Lubricate your hinges regularly to help them last longer.
There are also folk remedies that are useful if you don’t have special ones at hand. True, their effect is very short-lived, but they are quite capable of removing squeaking:
- vegetable oil;
- powdered pencil lead;
- melted wax or paraffin.
Attention! Do not use scented candle wax.
Classic instructions for lubricating doors.
- Remove the door from its hinges.
- Apply lubricant to all elements of the product (on the box and on the canvas itself).
- Hang the door back and close and open it several times.
- Remove any remaining lubricant with a cloth.
If you are puzzled by the question of how to lubricate door hinges without removing the door, simply apply oil to the part, for example, using a medical syringe. It is also convenient to use sprays for these purposes. In any case, repeat the procedure regularly so that the hinges do not creak, do not rust, and last as long as possible.
Right or left doors
In addition to the “inside-out” direction, there is also a “right” and “left” opening.
In Russia and Europe they define differently whether a door is left or right. According to Russian rules, a door that you open toward yourself with your right hand is considered right. The hinges are also on the right side of the door. And the handle is on the left. If, when opening the door towards you, you hold the handle with your left hand, then the door is left-handed. Accordingly, the door hinges are on the left side of the door, and the handle is on the right. In Europe, the agreement was exactly the opposite. I am not telling you this now to improve the general level of literacy. If you go to order a door from a Russian company, you must understand: the “rightness” of a door is determined in one way. And in the Italian door showroom you should order the same door as “left”.
How to choose the right hinges depending on the type of door opening
All elements are marked at the factory by the manufacturer, so knowing the opening direction of the interior door, it is difficult to make a mistake with your choice. If you encounter any difficulties while purchasing, you can always contact a consultant who will accurately select what you need.
When choosing hinges, it is better to purchase options marked left and right
The store also sells universal hinges - they can be installed regardless of the type of door opening, but such elements have their own characteristics. When dismantling the canvas, you will also have to remove the hinges, which can cause additional difficulties.
Left or right - how to determine which door you have?
How to determine whether a door opens right or left?
- Right opening: if you stand facing the door opening towards you, and the door hinges are on the right, then the door has right opening. In this case, the door leaf moves to the right when opening. It is even more convenient to open such a door with your right hand.
- Left opening: if you stand facing the door opening towards you, and the hinges of the door are on the left, then the door has a left opening. In this case, the door leaf moves to the left when opening. It is even more convenient to open such a door with your left hand.
Left and right exist not only in politics. There are left and right doors and doors. The "slope" of the doors is important in deciding which way a particular door will open. This choice is based on ease of use and on the provisions of NPB (Fire Safety Standards) and SNiPe 21-01-97 on fire safety standards. Doors must be installed in such a way that when opened at the same time they do not block each other.
We’ll talk about fire safety standards and various options for installing doors later, but now let’s look at the orientation of the doors. Knowledge of whether the door is left or right will be useful not only when designing a new room, but also in case. if you intend to change doors or locks. Not all locks allow you to change the direction of movement of the latch tongue.
By the way, in Russia and Europe they define differently whether a door is left-handed or right-handed. According to Russian rules, the right door is the one you open towards yourself. right hand. The hinges are also on the right side of the door. And the handle is on the left side. If, however, you open the door towards yourself. hold the handle with your left hand. then the door is on the left. Accordingly, the door hinges are on the left side of the door, and the handle is on the right.
In European countries, opening is determined not by the hand with which the door is opened, but by the movement of the door itself. And when determining the right or left opening of the doors, they do not open the door towards themselves, but push it away from themselves. According to European rules, a right-hand opening door will be considered the door that you push away from you with your right hand, while the door remains on the right side of the passage. A door with left opening is considered to be a door that you open from yourself with your left hand, while the door remains on the left side of the passage.
Different ways to define
Opening doors left and right affects the functionality of the room, the location of furniture, switches, and sockets. The convenience of moving people from room to room and their safety depends on whether they open inward or outward.
Moving parts must not intersect or interfere with each other during use. Please note that according to safety rules, the bathroom door should only open outwards. Other interior units in the apartment most often open inward, towards the wall. The main condition is that the leaf completely opens the doorway.
When choosing where the front door should open, they are guided by the width of the staircase. Ideally, the entrance structure is installed in such a way that when entering a flight of stairs, the door opens outward, from right to left. If this is not possible, it can open inward, towards a blank wall.
The direction in which the moving part of the structure moves affects the installation of door locks or handles, hinges, and other fittings.
There are several simple ways to determine the left or right door in front of you while still in the store. Interior and entrance structures can open to the right or left, inward or outward; not only comfort, but also the safety of future users of the selected door depends on the side and orientation.
First
The method allows you to find out the direction of door opening when purchasing an already assembled structure, even if it has universal hinges installed. This method is recognized by all domestic manufacturers. It is suitable for determining the directionality of not only interior, but also entrance models.
You need to stand facing the door leaf, and then open it towards yourself. If the hinges are located on the right, the door is considered right-handed.
Second
When determining the sides according to fire safety rules, pay attention to the movement of the door leaf in accordance with the clockwise direction. In this case, the right-hand model opens clockwise, and the left-hand model opens counterclockwise.
Third
To figure out which model is in front of us, it’s worth paying attention to the hand with which you push the sash. A left-handed design always opens with the left hand, no matter in which direction, outward or inward, its movable part opens.
The hinges are visible on the left, and the handle is located on the right side of them. The right-hand sash is moved towards itself with the right hand, and the handle is on the left.
Fourth
This method is suitable for classifying not only interior doors, but also entrance doors. For models that open outward, the difference in opening direction lies in the location of the handle.
The right-hand door in this case is opened with the left hand, but the handle is located on the right. The left-sided blade is swung open with the right hand, and the handle is placed on the left.
Requirements for the direction of opening of the leaf
When determining the direction in which the door leaf will open, the location of its installation is taken into account. So, the front door is mounted in such a way that it can be easily opened outward. This procedure is dictated by fire safety requirements. In the event of an emergency, a properly installed structure does not prevent the evacuation of residents. Although some exceptions are possible. For example, in the case of installing an entrance system to an apartment. Sometimes this option is installed so that the sash opens inward.
With interior structures the situation is simpler. There are no strict requirements in terms of fire safety. As a consequence, the opening direction can be any. When choosing a direction, ensure that the installed doors:
- They did not interfere with each other at the moment of opening. Especially when installed in adjacent rooms, for example, a bathroom and toilet. The doors should not interfere with each other, and the handles should be the same;
- They did not complicate their operation and maintenance. All elements must be freely accessible;
- They could open freely. Especially if the sash is large.
More often, when installing an interior door in a bathroom or toilet, they make it so that it swings outward, and in the bedroom - inward. This allows you to succinctly manage space, since bathrooms have a relatively small area.
Types and classification of loops
Door hinges without mortise
. The simplest canopies, the installation of which does not require pre-preparing the door. They look like a rod equipped with a hinge and two plates (cards). One of the varieties is butterfly loops. One side in such details seems to be cut out from the other and, when folded, is completely embedded in it, forming a single plate.
This design ensures that the doors close tightly. When opened, the cards in this loop resemble the wings of a butterfly. The main advantage of door hinges without mortise is ease of installation. They can be installed using ordinary self-tapping screws.
Butterfly door hinge without mortise
Mortise canopies
. They are very similar to invoices in structure, but they differ radically in the principle of installation: they need to be deepened at the end of the door. To do this, it is necessary to remove a layer of a few millimeters from the interior structure in the shape of a loop, insert plates there and screw them in with self-tapping screws.
Corner hinges for rebated doors
(a small strip that is superimposed on the door frame and is a kind of continuation of the door). They differ from direct canopies in the design and shape of the sides. 2 corners are attached to the base rod. Such hinges are installed by cutting them into the end using screws or self-tapping screws. The shape of the plates ensures tight closing of the rebated door. Keep in mind: ordinary overhead hinges will not work here, since the axis of the awnings is slightly shifted due to the rebate. It is worth noting another feature of the corner hinges - they are quite noticeable against the background of the entire interior structure.
Hidden hinges for interior doors
. They are usually installed at the entrance, since there is no chance that the home could be broken into by cutting off such canopies. However, they are often used inside a house or apartment, as they have additional advantages:
- it is impossible to notice the fastenings from any side;
- the door retains its original attractive appearance.
Advice. Installing hidden hinges is a difficult task and beyond the capabilities of a non-professional. It’s better to invite a craftsman who will cut out niches of the required size and then strengthen the part in them.
Right or left
If you are interested in a specific door leaf model, you should first find out which door (left or right) you are talking about. It may not be possible to install such a canvas in a particular room due to the chosen opening direction. For example, it is possible to install only the right model.
When installing the left one, there is an obstacle in the form of furniture or other structure in the path of movement of the sash. In this case, it is important to immediately determine which canvas we are talking about.
In the most general case, when determining the type of interior door, you should proceed from:
- pushing directions;
- type of installed hinges;
- the hand with which the opening will be carried out.
The direction of pushing plays an important role in this case. If the interior door opens towards you, pay attention to the location of the handle.
If there is no characteristic discomfort when opening the door with your right hand, and the handle is secured to the left side of the door leaf, then the design is right-handed. If it is more convenient to open the door with your left hand, then the design is of the same type.
In the case of opening “from yourself”, pay attention to how the sash will open. If the handle on interior doors is attached to the left, then they are right-handed. If the door is opened with the right hand, then the left hand.
The location of the hinges on the installed structure can also tell what type it is. So, on the right ones, which open “towards you”, the loops are located on the right.
How to turn the tongue in a hafele lock. Possible causes of breakdowns
Among the list of reasons that may cause a door lock to break down, the following should be highlighted:
- mechanical damage to the lock;
- manufacturing defects;
- improper operation of the lock and door mechanism;
- skewed door leaf;
- incorrectly installed door block.
Each of the listed reasons can lead to jamming of the door lock. And it doesn’t matter whether your castle is expensive or not. No matter how high-quality and expensive the mechanism is, if used incorrectly it will fail.
In order to protect yourself from this trouble, you should be attentive to the signs of premature failure of the door and mechanisms. These signs are usually understood as jamming of the door, creaking, jamming of the lock mechanism, etc.
How to reverse the tongue in a lock
From time to time, each mechanism and door lock requires maintenance, which consists of periodically lubricating the moving parts with special machine oil. This procedure will help avoid some unpleasant consequences and extend the life of the lock.
To reduce or eliminate the likelihood of a malfunction with the door closing mechanism, try to follow a number of simple rules.
Firstly, it is necessary to protect the keyhole from foreign objects or dirt getting into it. Special linings, sometimes included with a particular lock, are ideal.
Secondly, use only the original keys included in the kit to open the lock. Poorly executed duplicates can lead to problems. Try not to subject the keys included with the lock to physical impact. For example, such as unscrewing screws or opening metal covers. These actions will lead to deformation of the original key, as a result of which it will jam when turning it in the lock.
Third, if the lock is slightly stuck, do not force it. By doing this you can only make it worse and completely break it. Like any mechanism, the lock has a strength limit.
External lock jammed: problem solution
Fourthly, after the door leaf has been installed in the apartment, inspect it yourself, checking the quality of the work performed along the way. A misalignment made at this stage will cause problems with the functioning of the door.
What is important when choosing the placement of the door direction
1. Adjacent doors should not touch each other when opened simultaneously
If the doors are very close and touch each other, then you will have to change the direction - make one of the doors open to another room, or shift the doorway (more details here).
By touching each other, the doors can not only be damaged when opened, but also hit someone leaving the next room. Tip:
Most importantly, do not allow overlap so that one door blocks the other.
2. If the entrance is in a corner, the door is to the nearest wall
The door should swing open to most of the room. When entering, for example, a bedroom, you should immediately see everything that is in it. This is possible in cases where the entrance is located in one of the corners of the room, and not in the middle of the wall. In this case, it is more convenient to open the door towards the nearest wall.
3. If the entrance is in the center, swing orientation is towards the window
If the entrance to the room is in the middle of one of the walls, then it is more correct to open it towards the window. So that when entering the room you immediately see a window, the light from which would fall into the corridor.
Detachable and universal hinges
Detachable hinge
A detachable hinge will allow you to remove the sash without unscrewing the hinge itself. Removable hinges are also commonly called awnings.
The figure shows a diagram of a detachable loop, illustrating the principle of detachability. The elements for fixing both parts of the loop are wittily called “father” and “mother” in everyday life. This terminology has been readily accepted by both users and manufacturers in many countries.
1. Door hinge wing (mother); 2. Fist; 3. Reinforced steel finger; 4. Frame wing (male).
Universal loop
The universal (or one-piece) hinge will have to be unscrewed first, only then will it be possible to remove the door from the frame. Universal hinges are suitable for any doors that open both inward and outward. But to this big plus is added an equally big minus - if necessary, the door can be removed only after unscrewing all the hinges from it.
1. Frame wing, has three hinges; 2. Bushing; 3. The door wing has two hinges; 4. Self-tapping screws for fastening.
Left and right loop: which one to choose, where and how to use
There are many companies offering professional door installation services, but you can do this procedure yourself. Before starting work, you should clarify the characteristics of the fittings and installation rules. Beginners often face the question of how to determine whether left or right hinges should be installed on a particular canvas. Our publication will help you figure it out.
Installation of the door leaf to the frame is carried out using special hinges. The fittings are divided into several types:
- the hinged one is fixed by means of special plates that have holes on the sides (wings), while one wing is screwed to the box, the second to the canvas;
- the screw-in one is secured with threaded pins on the frame and door, then one part of the hinge is inserted into the other.
Mounted ones are divided into detachable and one-piece (universal). The universal hinge fits any door, no matter which way they open, but the device must be unscrewed before removal.
Which side is better to place the loops on?
If you are purchasing a new door and are deciding whether a left or right hinge is needed in your particular case, we recommend using fire safety rules. Moreover, this applies not only to entrance doors, but also to interior doors.
Any of them should not prevent the rapid evacuation of people from the premises. It is worth remembering that in emergency situations, even a permanent resident of an apartment can “forget” which way to pull the sash (due to stress or under the influence of carbon monoxide).
Intuitively, the average person will push the door rather than pull it. However, when installing entrance doors, you need to make sure that the door opening inside the entrance will not block the exit of your neighbors. Inside a house or apartment, exits from rooms or bathrooms must also not be blocked.
From the point of view of ease of use, the door should not interfere with bringing in or taking out large objects into the room.
In any case, when choosing whether a door needs a right or left hinge, the main factor is the desire of the owner, who decides how the door will open. Wherein:
- If the door hinges are on the right side of the frame, then a right door hinge is purchased.
- If the hinges are intended to be on the left side, then you should buy left-handed hinges.
Door hinges. Door hinges for heavy doors: features of different types
Hinge on the front door
The weight and size of door leaves can vary greatly depending on the purpose of the door and the material from which they are made. While there are no problems with the choice of canopies for furniture and interior doors, the same cannot be said about door hinges for heavy doors or gates.
You need to select reinforced fittings for them, as they must withstand very serious loads.
What to consider when choosing
The operational characteristics of the doors themselves depend on the reliability and efficiency of door accessories: service life, noiselessness, ease and smoothness of opening. And if we are talking about products located at the entrance to a house or site, then additional requirements are imposed on the hinges.
This:
- Resistance to intense wear;
- Resistant to moisture and dust;
- High level of resistance to tampering attempts.
For reference. The most vulnerable point of steel entrance doors is the hinges, which are often cut off to gain entry into the house.
Therefore, when choosing canopies, we try to take into account all factors that may affect the safety, convenience and duration of their use.
Namely:
- Location of the door block;
- Conditions and intensity of its operation;
- Dimensions and weight of the sash;
- The direction of opening the door leaf;
- Appearance of fittings.
The maximum load is experienced by the gate hinges. The entrance door to a country house is subject to the influence of moisture and temperature changes. The door to the apartment operates in simpler climatic conditions. The intensity of use of interior doors is minimal
. If the door is very heavy, then in addition to the special design of the canopies, the optimal number of canopies is selected for each door. Quite often, instead of two, three or even four loops are used in order to more evenly distribute the mass of the fabric between them and eliminate possible deformations.
Advice. Calculating the number of loops is easy. The maximum load is determined for each product. If it is equal to, for example, 40 kg, then a cloth weighing no more than 80 kg can be hung on two loops.
Types of canopies for massive doors
Special fittings are selected only for really heavy doors. The instructions require installing it on canvases weighing from 80-100 kg. With a smaller mass, you can get by with regular loops, increasing their number if necessary.
By type of design
According to their design, hinges are divided into one-piece and detachable.
The first ones consist of two cards mounted on the rotation axis with holes for fastening. Standard loops are 10-12 cm long and are used primarily when installing lungs.
European requirements
In European countries, close attention is paid to safety requirements
In European countries, close attention is paid to safety requirements. Having decided to install an interior design at home that meets European safety requirements, you should turn your face to the doorway. You need to stand so that the wide part is opposite. In this case, the door opens in the “away” direction. If when you swing the door open with your right hand, the door moves to the right, then the design is the same. Models of this type are more popular.
Fire safety standards
The current fire safety regulations clearly define which door is left and which is right. How to determine, SNIP (Sanitary Norms and Rules) give another option, which sounds quite simple: a door structure that can be opened with the right hand is called right-handed. Accordingly, a door leaf that opens with the left hand will be called left-handed. However, this is provided that the door opens towards you.
When designing doorways, it is necessary to ensure that they open freely. An open door should not block the entrance to an adjacent room or impede free passage to stairs and elevators.
The relocation of a doorway, according to legal provisions, is considered a redevelopment and requires approval from the relevant departments.
Entrance doors in regulatory documents are defined as evacuation doors and, in case of emergency, should not interfere with the free movement of people outside.
Determining left and right doors
Choosing door hinges begins with determining which way the door opens: left or right. According to Russian rules, if the handle is located on the door on the right side and a person opens it towards himself with his left hand, it is considered left-handed. In this case, the left door hinge is installed.
Conversely, a door that opens towards itself with the right hand using a handle located on the left is called right-handed. To install such a structure, you need a right hinge.
In Europe, the location of the fittings is determined by the direction of movement, and not by the hand with which the door is opened. In this case, the structure is not attracted, but repelled. That is, European doors are considered right-handed if a person pushes it away from him with his right hand, and the structure remains on the right side of the passage. In this case, the hinges are bought on the right. And vice versa.
This factor is important to consider when purchasing foreign-made hinges, in particular if they are not marked in Russian.
In the terminology of the masters there are such designations as “mom” (“girl”) and “dad” (“boy”). “Male” is the part of a detachable loop with a pin attached to the canvas. The second part of the hinge, which is fixed on the door and fits onto the first, is called “mother”. The terms “work” in all countries and from different manufacturers.
Rules as defined in European countries
The European definition of door opening (right or left) differs radically from the Russian one. If the manufacturer of doors, fittings, door frames is Israel, Italy, Germany or Spain (the construction components of which have long proven themselves on the Russian market), it is worth choosing door accessories more carefully. Abroad, the type of door opening is determined by the movement of the door leaf. If the door open from itself remains to the right of the opening, the door is right. In the case when the canvas goes to your left and the open door is located to the left of the threshold, the door is left.
That is, what is right for a Russian is left for a German, something like that.
Pen
It is worth remembering that the right hinge opens the sash in a certain direction. If you purchase a handle designed for a right-hand door and try to install it on a different type of door, serious problems will arise. Firstly, the handle can only be installed upside down, which will not have the best effect on its performance characteristics. During operation, the handle will periodically begin to jam, and then stop opening.
It will be extremely difficult to open such an interior structure without a special tool. In addition, you will have to purchase a new pen.
When choosing a suitable pen, you should pay attention to designer products. They will become the main decoration of the model. It is important that the color of such a product matches the door system, as well as the interior of the room.
Door hinge colors and sizes
Canopies for interior doors can be glossy or matte, and most often imitate metal:
- copper;
- bronze;
- gold;
- chromium;
- nickel.
There are loops that are white or coffee-colored, and sometimes even mother-of-pearl. Keep in mind that matte finishes have gained a reputation for practicality. Various stains or defects on them are noticeable much less than on glossy ones, the main advantage of which is a spectacular shine.
In terms of height, loops with cards (sides) come in two main sizes:
- 4 inches or 10 cm;
- 5 inches or 12.5 cm.
Loop colors and sizes
