Interior doors not only give the interior space a finished look, but also perform certain functions. The standard door sizes depend on the latter. In this article we will talk about swinging single doors (single-floor), separating rooms for various purposes.
The door of this design consists of a door leaf (with or without a rebate), a frame (doors), additional elements and platbands.
To install such a kit, you need an appropriate passage in the walls dividing the room into rooms. Pay attention to the width of the box: 74 – 75 mm. If a modern home is divided into rooms by plasterboard partitions, their thickness should correspond to the size of the door block.
Opening
Before we talk directly about doors, let’s define general concepts. One of them, the size of the opening for interior doors, is used in cases where we are talking about a construction opening or a passage in the wall where this door will be inserted. In addition, there are three more dimensional characteristics (height and width) indicated in the figure.
An opening in the light, or door clearance, is the dimensions of free space for the passage or movement of objects. It is smaller than the size of the door leaf by the height of the door cavity where it fits. In the future, the concept of “opening” will refer specifically to the construction
Why should the opening be larger than the door with a frame (frame, jamb, door)
Three reasons:
- The opening is needed for strictly vertical installation of the box. Although GOST specifically prescribes the dimensions of doorways, not all passages are completely vertical and square, and the floors are even. With the extra space, the door can be installed or aligned perfectly.
- Not all doors are the same size. They may vary depending on the manufacturer. Usually it's not that much. But if the opening is left exactly to the size of the door with the frame, it will be impossible to position the door without room for adjustment.
- It is necessary to leave space for the expansion and contraction of the wall. Yes, the wall gets bigger and smaller as the seasons change. It absorbs moisture when it's humid outside and shrinks when the temperature and humidity levels drop. We are talking about small sizes: 1.5 – 2 mm. But this will be enough to prevent a perfectly fitted door one fine morning from starting to jam, rub the jamb, and the lock or latch not locking properly.
The junction of the box with the walls is decorated with platband, so there is no need to worry that an opening that is too large will be noticeable.
How to measure
The passage at the installation site of the door frame is measured in various places.
- Between the walls horizontally at the top, in the middle, at the bottom.
- Vertically in the upper right and left corners to the floor, in the middle.
The smaller ones are selected from the vertical and horizontal dimensions. The door block will be selected based on them. Very roughly, as an estimate, its size is determined as follows: the minimum width/height of the opening minus 10 cm.
Advice
If you doubt the measurements taken, invite specialist measurers to your home, whose contacts can be found in almost any hardware store or on the website of door manufacturers. An experienced specialist will measure the door portal within half an hour and tell you which leaf, frame and number of additional door elements are needed. A nice bonus is the ability to measure the opening without dismantling the old door.
We hope that the information in this article will help you correctly calculate the size of an existing doorway and choose a suitable door.
Standard sizes of interior doors
Established by GOST 6629-88. Their height was correlated with the height of the ceilings. Over the past time, living spaces have become taller, the European standard for door height - 2.1 m - is becoming more and more attractive, and there are more and more such offers on the market.
This nuance must be taken into account at the project stage, where these values are clearly defined.
The recommended sizes of interior doors with frames, the table below, gives a complete understanding of the door selection process.
The bottom four lines are the European standard.
In a modern home, as a rule, three door sizes in width are sufficient: 60, 70, 80 cm. They are selected depending on the purpose of the premises to which they are intended to enter.
This is not a dogma: in parallel, you will have to take into account several additional factors, and only after a comprehensive assessment make the most rational decision. Availability of free space for full opening, the need to install large objects in the room.
The good thing about a standard door is that, if necessary, it can be easily replaced. If it is made to an individual size, problems cannot be avoided.
When replacing a door frame in an existing room, the measurements of the opening and the selection of a new block should be approached especially carefully. Modern budget doors have not been made from solid wood for a long time: MDF, chipboard, and fiberboard are used.
Such doors cannot be hemmed: this opens the way to the core of the canvas. When exposed to moisture, they swell and collapse. If you purchase a canvas with elements of a box that needs to be assembled, the dimensions should be taken at the place of purchase, even if you need to open the cardboard packaging.
Tolerances in width and height can be up to 10 mm. If they are on the larger side, they may not fit into the existing opening. When the bathroom is already tiled, increasing the opening can result in significant costs.
What is an extension and how to install it
The standard addition is made of MDF or chipboard; it is also called an additional board or plank. A variety of shades and textures allows you to choose this type of element to match the color of the existing box. The fastening of the extensions should be done as tightly as possible. They are mounted on the box before or after its installation. On the back side of the box there are grooves into which you need to insert expandable elements. But before this, you should calculate the exact width of the bar, and, if necessary, adjust it to the required dimensions. The material can be easily cut with a jigsaw and a hand saw.
It is necessary to take into account the fact that when attaching the strip using self-tapping screws, the risk of mechanical damage to the frame increases, while placing the extension on an adhesive substance significantly reduces the likelihood of deformation of the door frame during operation.
If the thickness of the box is large, then it is better to use self-tapping screws.
Fill the gap formed between the wall and the extended frame with polyurethane foam, which will provide it with additional stability. At the same time, we recommend using foam with a minimum expansion coefficient, otherwise even a properly fixed box will simply become deformed. For this reason, only ½ or ¾ of the void volume needs to be filled with foam. We complete the work process by decorating the perimeter of the door with platbands.
Standard solutions
The opening is prepared long before a piano or an antique cabinet is brought in through the door installed in it. Therefore, for each type of premises, recommendations have been developed for the size of openings corresponding to the width of the selected type of door.
Swing ones are chosen due to ease of installation. The canvases for them can be matched to any design or architectural style; they can be solid, with simple or stained glass glazing. This also applies to platbands: they are made in the same style as the box and the canvas. The materials from which the door elements are made are also varied.
Products with specified height/width in mm are suitable for installation in standard openings. Interior doors - standard dimensions with frame, from the table, minus 43 mm in height and 65 mm in width. For access to the living room: 2000/800; kitchen: 2000/700; bathroom and toilet room: 1900, 2000/550, 600. In large living rooms, single-leaf doors with a width of 900 mm or double-leaf doors 2000/1200 are recommended.
You can independently calculate the opening depending on the size of the door leaf like this.
- Width. To the width of the canvas (60 cm), it is necessary to add the thickness of the block on both sides: 25 mm x 2 = 50 mm. Installation gap: 12 – 15 mm x 2 = 24 – 30 mm. Result: 67.4 – 68 cm.
- Height. To the height of the canvas (200 cm) we add one thickness of the box (25 mm) and an installation gap (20 mm). Result: 245 mm.
Calculating in reverse order for an existing opening will allow you to determine the required dimensions of the door block.
An online opening calculator will help you check the accuracy of the calculations.
How to determine what width the door leaf is installed
Next is a table that will help you determine which door will fit your doorway, whether additional work is needed or will be required.
| Passage width (cm) | Door leaf width (cm) | Necessary improvement |
| 45-48 | 40 | Extension |
| 48-50 | Add. no work needed | |
| 50-60 | Building up | |
| 60-62 | 55 | Extension |
| 62-65 | Add. no work needed | |
| 65-68 | Building up | |
| 68-70 | 60 | Add. no work needed |
| 70-75 | Building up | |
| 75-78 | 70 | Extension |
| 78-80 | Add. no work needed | |
| 80-85 | Building up | |
| 85-88 | 80 | Extension |
| 88-90 | Add. no work needed | |
| 90-95 | Building up | |
| 95-98 | 90 | Extension |
| 98-100 | Add. no work needed | |
| 100-105 | Building up |
If you do not want to do additional work, there is an option to order a non-standard door leaf according to your individual dimensions.
General recommendations for the design and finishing of openings
The general appearance of the future door largely depends on compliance with simple rules.
- The opening should not be adjacent to an adjacent wall. The minimum distance to it is 100 mm.
- It should always be a little wider: the rule of + 100 mm to the size of the box justifies itself. Narrowing an opening is always easier than widening it.
- The doors to the opening are installed last, after all finishing work is completed.
- The walls must be absolutely even: this must be checked at the openings. This is the only way to avoid voids after installing the platband.
- If wallpaper is glued, then it should cover the opening by 10 - 20 mm.
- The thickness of the platband is up to 8 mm. The distance from the floor covering to the wall should be less than this value.
The rules are simple, but they will help you avoid many problems when installing the door.
Attaching the handles
Handles and latches are installed in the center of the door, that is, at a distance of 1000 mm from any edge.
- Use a simple pencil to mark the end. Using a square, draw a line at the end and extend it to both sides of the canvas. Mark a hole for the handle square.
- The latch is applied for measurement to one of the sides of the door so that its central axis runs along the drawn line, and the strip is flush with the end.
- A mark is placed on the door leaf exactly in the middle of the square hole. Using this mark, make a hole for the square of the handle. Use a 16-24 mm feather drill. Start drilling on one side of the canvas at a right angle. As soon as the tip of the drill appears on the back side, drill a counter hole right through.
- A hole is drilled deep into the end in the center according to the depth of the latch. Use a feather drill, the diameter is selected according to the width of the latch.
- A latch is inserted into the resulting hole and the bar is traced. In order not to damage the veneer in adjacent areas of the canvas, cut along the intended border with a knife and remove a piece of veneer.
- Make a sample for the bar. Install the latch and secure it with self-tapping screws.
Then install the handles:
- The slot in the square should go under the locking screw of one of the handles.
- Hold the handle on the square using a hex wrench and tighten the locking screw.
- Place the square in the latch slot.
- Place a second handle on the opposite end of the square and tighten the locking screw.
- The handles are secured with self-tapping screws and decorative elements are put on.
The mating part of the latch is installed after installing the box, hanging and aligning the canvas. To do this, mark the middle of the latch on the false beam, and then make a recess. Insert and screw the mating part.
To install interior doors without a threshold, you will need certain skills. However, having studied the instructions and prepared, you can cope with the task yourself. If you need to install several doors, then with each new installation you will gain experience and skill, and the quality of work will increase.
Opening to living rooms
The size of the doorway for a door of 80 cm is 88.5 x 205.5 cm. These are the optimal values for a finished opening. Before installing it, you need to know the material of the frame and door leaf. If it is solid wood, the thickness of the frame can be much greater: the weight of the door must be supported.
It is necessary to take into account the presence of a threshold or mounting strip that covers the junction of different floor coverings just under the doors. This value should be added to the height of the opening.
The wall passage for a door of 800 mm, as well as the size of the doorway for a door of 90 cm, require rigid boundaries. A standard metal profile for drywall will not be like that: over time, due to the heavy load, the structure will begin to wobble.
A rack profile for openings is required. It can be strengthened by inserting a wooden block or connecting two profiles into a square. Additional jumpers will also not be superfluous.
The opening to the living room and bedrooms is usually located in the middle of the wall. Door frame size for 80 cm door: 86.5 x 204.3 cm. Installation gaps must be equal on both sides. This ensures the exact location of the entrance.
You should also think about the opening direction in advance: in a narrow corridor, a single-leaf door of 80 or 90 cm can create inconvenience. In this case, you will have to sacrifice the space of the living room or move the opening.
In narrow rooms, the size of the interior door frame 80 by 200 may be large. It is worth considering installing a smaller door.
An opening width for a door of 800 mm or more - taking into account the weight of the door - requires strong walls and lintels. If doubts arise, they should be strengthened.
Box installation
The assembled box is mounted in the opening strictly vertically, using a level and plumb line. At this stage, you will need pre-prepared triangular wedges. With their help, they level the box by hammering it deeper or replacing it with a more suitable wedge.
- On the hinge beam side, the wedges must be installed at the level of the hinges, where the box will be fixed to the wall. This is where the wedges will remain.
- On the opposite side, a wedge is placed in the upper part.
- A small amount of polyurethane foam is laid on the side of the room. The foam is placed behind the counter beam in sections so that the beam can be adjusted after the door is hung.
Opening for the kitchen
The door to the kitchen is a place where family members often meet. Its size should be sufficient for them to miss each other. The very presence of a door is not discussed: odors that are acceptable in the kitchen should not penetrate into other rooms.
In multi-storey buildings, its width is 10 cm greater than in the bathroom. Opening size for a 70 cm door: 785 x 2055 mm. In private homes, the kitchen door is made even wider, but at the same time the space occupied by the open door increases and the necessary usable area of the room decreases. In houses with a large area this is not significant.
However, a rationally sized house requires lower operating costs and a standard kitchen door size comes in handy. If the dimensions of the door frame of a 700mm interior door are 765 x 2043, then the light opening can be increased by selecting a thinner door leaf (standard thickness 35 - 50 mm). With the door open, this space will be very useful.
Recommendations for choosing a wide door for a kitchen are often justified by the fact that with a narrow door, the trim visually narrows the passage even more. Modern design solutions exclude the use of platbands from the kitchen side: the opening width for the 700 mm door remains the same, but the door becomes larger.
This requires a neat opening and high-quality plastering work. The finishing of the walls covers the end of the box. With this solution, the box (or the platband itself) must be “recessed” into the opening to the thickness of all finishing layers.
This option is especially justified when replacing old doors. The size of the doorway for a 70 cm door is very large, since the thickness of a modern frame is 2 times less than that of the one that was installed 20 - 30 years ago. Part of the opening will still have to be filled in.
Why are the standards developed?
At first glance, it may seem to an inexperienced person that the standard sizes of doorways are someone’s whim, because it is much easier to make your own exclusive doorway, the size of which was developed for your loved one.
Indeed, no one is stopping you from pushing aside the recommended standard size and doing what you like. But after such a decision you may have a number of troubles, here are just a few of them:
- When you come to the store, you will find a lot of standard doors that will not fit your exclusive opening. Both domestic and foreign manufacturers work in accordance with GOST, otherwise their goods simply will not be sold;
It is much easier to choose a standard model, because absolutely all companies involved in the production of doors produce products that comply with GOST
- Of course, you can go to the nearest carpentry shop, where they will make you any doors to fit any doorways, but the price of a custom-made product will be at least 30% higher than that of serial samples. Plus, someday these doors will have to be replaced and the problem will repeat;
- In addition to the frame and door leaf, the door block also contains a lot of special fittings, such as extensions, trims, locks, etc. So, all this fittings were also developed for a standard opening and it is far from a fact that without additional modification it will become an exclusive model.
Openings for bathrooms
The minimum requirements are met: the size of the doorway for a door of 60 cm is 68.5 x 195.5 (2055) cm. This is due to the fact that the internal space of such rooms tends to a minimum (due to which the size of the living quarters is increased).
At the same time, they need to accommodate a bathtub, sink, and washing machine. Of course, these elements should not protrude beyond the opening. Doors open outward and should not significantly overlap the width of the corridor.
Manufacturers of plumbing fixtures and electrical appliances take this narrow passage into account: they fit freely through small doors. The interior space is also increased, allowing for additional shelves to be placed.
If you plan to install a jacuzzi in the bathroom, then the width of the door opening of 600 mm may not allow it to be brought into this room. You should think about this in advance and install the doors last.
Even narrower doors – 55 cm – are installed when an additional passage from the bedroom is installed into the bathroom. The main entrance is standard - 60 mm, and the second entrance is narrower by 5 cm. This is convenient and allows you to use the bedroom space more efficiently.
The small size of the door frame for a 60 cm door – 665 x 2043 mm – allows you to meet the minimum toilet dimensions recommended by SNiP: 0.8 m in width and 1.2 m in length. The door with platbands completely covers the wall adjacent to the corridor.
It should also be taken into account that less moisture penetrates into other rooms through narrow bathroom doors.
How to reduce a doorway
If, as a result of measurements, you determine that your house has a non-standard passage, then you will have to reduce it. The required work depends on the depth of the atypical opening:
- Up to 6.2 cm. Installation of a door frame and a mirror-mounted trim.
- 6.2-14 cm. Installation of the door frame, platband and trim 9 cm. The opening parameters are adjusted by changing the width of the trim.
- 14-20 cm. Installation of the door frame, platband and trim 15 cm. To achieve the desired parameters, the trim is sawn and processed using a chisel.
- 20-23 cm. Installation of the door frame, platband, 9 cm extensions on the right and left sides of the opening.
- 23-29 cm. Installation of the door frame, platband, 9 cm extension + 15 cm extension. In this case, the extensions are installed symmetrically on each side of the frame.
- 29-34 cm. Installation of the door frame, platband and extension 15 cm on the right and left sides. The required parameters are achieved by changing the width of the extensions - they are also sawn to the required sizes.
