Doors are one of the most important components of a house or apartment. It is they, high-quality and reliable, that can create a feeling of comfort and security. During a major renovation or when purchasing a new apartment, the owners most often carefully approach the choice of the entrance door and quickly decide on the necessary options for interior openings. But as soon as it comes to arranging a balcony, many factors and selection criteria appear, which not everyone can quickly figure out. Let’s try to understand how to choose the right balcony door for your apartment.
No. 1. Balcony door profile material
An indecently high supply of plastic doors may give the buyer the erroneous opinion that there is nothing else on the market. Undoubtedly, PVC doors have a number of advantages and today are the best in terms of price-quality ratio, they are universal, but the market also offers alternative options. These include wooden, aluminum and glass doors. When choosing, you should base your choice not only on price and appearance, but also on how well this or that option will fit into the apartment and whether it will be combined with already installed windows.
Plastic balcony doors
Let's start with the most popular option. In design and properties, a plastic balcony profile is not much different from a similar window profile, with which absolutely everyone is familiar. Such structures are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and reinforced with steel , so the profile is light and at the same time durable. The plastic profile is not a monolith; inside it is divided into several chambers , and the more of them, the better performance it will have in terms of heat and noise insulation. Durability and strength are determined by the thickness of the plastic walls : it is better to take class A structures with a thickness of external walls of 2.8 mm and internal walls of 2.5 mm.
The advantages of plastic balcony doors include:
- durability;
- high level of tightness, heat and sound insulation;
- fire safety;
- ease of care;
- appearance. The traditional and most popular profile color is white, but if such a design does not fit into the interior, you can use laminating films to give it any desired shade or texture. Often the plastic profile imitates the pattern of wood;
- resistance to temperature fluctuations and humidity;
- low price.
Minuses:
- plastic does not allow air to pass through. This is good in terms of retaining heat in the room, but bad in the sense that exhaust air from the apartment will not pass through the structure, so you will need a well-functioning ventilation system;
- Scratches that form on plastic are almost impossible to remove.
Experimental data indicate that plastic multi-chamber profiles are practically not inferior in terms of thermal insulation to a wooden analogue of the same thickness.
Wooden balcony doors
If the apartment has wooden windows or the residents value everything natural and environmentally friendly, then wooden doors are your option. Modern production has managed to get rid of many of the problems typical of old wooden windows and doors. Today, solid wood is almost never used to make profiles - it has been replaced by laminated veneer lumber , which practically does not respond to changes in humidity and temperature, which was achieved by using the opposite direction of wood fibers in different layers. Pine and larch are usually used for production; the elements are joined with environmentally friendly water-repellent adhesives.
Advantages:
- environmental friendliness and naturalness;
- excellent appearance;
- durability;
- tightness;
- excellent thermal insulation properties.
Minuses:
- the need for more careful care;
- high price;
- It is better not to use wooden doors on unglazed balconies.
Aluminum balcony doors
Doors with aluminum profiles on balconies today are not installed as often as wooden and plastic ones. The structures are made from an aluminum-based alloy; a layer of insulation is placed in a warm profile between two metal parts. For residential premises it is better to use it, but if the loggia is sufficiently well insulated, then you can opt for the lightest possible cold profile .
Advantages:
- low cost;
- light weight;
- durability;
- fire safety;
- You can create a door of any shape from metal;
- resistance to negative environmental factors.
Minuses:
- high risk of scratches;
- the level of noise and heat insulation is lower than that of competitors.
Glass balcony doors
This refers to those doors that do without visible partitions and frames. They are made of thick tempered glass or double glazing, so it will be difficult to break the door.
Advantages:
- spectacular appearance;
- the ability to let maximum light into the apartment;
- environmental friendliness.
cons :
- high weight;
- insufficient tightness and thermal insulation;
- the need for constant maintenance, since the presence of stains will negate the effectiveness of the design;
- complexity of installation;
- high price.
Adjustment
After some time, an imbalance may occur in the balcony door mechanisms, which will require adjustment. If this trouble occurred during the warranty period, then the repair issue can be entrusted to the company that installs the doors. If you do not have such an opportunity or defects in the work appeared much later, you can deal with the problem yourself. We recommend reading : How to adjust a plastic balcony door .
There are several reasons why a balcony door ceases to meet its functional objectives:
- purchase and installation of a low-quality unit;
- low performance of fittings material;
- improper installation carried out in violation of the required technical conditions;
- incorrect operation.
In order to identify possible defects in time, you need to promptly check the condition of the door.
This is very simple to do: take a regular sheet of paper, insert it between the sash and the frame and close the balcony door tightly. Now try to pull out the leaf. If the paper gives in easily and without effort, then a gap begins to form in this place. A well-installed door should tightly hold the sheet. Repeat the check in several places around the perimeter of the frame and you will find out whether preventive adjustments are necessary.
No. 2. Double-glazed window for balcony door
Whatever the door profile, all designs are equipped with modern double-glazed windows: their performance is superior to the single glass that was used before.
The main characteristics of a double-glazed window that are important to pay attention to:
- number of cameras. The chamber is the space between the glass panes of a double glazing unit. The simplest option is a single-chamber double-glazed window, i.e. consisting of two glasses and the space between them. If the balcony is well insulated, then this option will be sufficient. If the insulation is not very good or it, together with the glazing, is completely absent, then it is better to choose a two-chamber (for warm regions) or three-chamber double-glazed window. The more cameras, the higher the isolation from the external environment. For better noise protection, manufacturers make different distances between the glasses;
- glass type. The simplest and most justified option is float glass. If the balcony is not glazed, then it makes sense to install low-emissivity glass, which will better retain heat in winter and coolness in summer. On open balconies it also makes sense to install double-glazed windows with tempered glass or triplex to increase the security of the apartment;
- chamber filler . In most cases this is dried air, sometimes inert gas or other substances are used, which should increase thermal insulation and cost at the same time. It is impossible to check what is inside, so it is better to buy such double-glazed windows from reputable sellers.
No. 3. Design and dimensions of the balcony door
By design, balcony doors can be:
- single. Such doors are often installed in kitchens and in cases where the entrance to a loggia or balcony is located on its narrow side. Such doors are completely filled with double-glazed windows or have an opaque plastic/wooden insert. May have a different number of valves;
- combined, or door block, a structure consisting of a balcony door and adjacent windows, and the door can be located in the center or on the side.
Depending on the number of leaves, balcony doors can be:
- with one leaf - the simplest and most common option;
- with two full doors - the maximum that can be squeezed out of ordinary swing doors, but for this you will have to dismantle the adjacent window and partition, if this does not violate the integrity and strength of the wall. Such doors look good and allow a lot of light to penetrate;
- with one active leaf and a second passive one (fixed or opening if necessary). Such doors are called sliding doors;
- three or more leaves are an option found in sliding doors. Such systems can fill openings of any size, but the structures also weigh accordingly.
Balcony doors can be anything in size , but it is better if they are at least 190 cm in height and at least 60 cm in width. If the opening width is more than 90 cm, then one leaf is no longer enough.
No. 4. Glazing type
Depending on the requirements for the door structure and your own aesthetic preferences, glazing of the balcony door leaf can be done in one of the following ways:
- full glazingwhen the entire door is filled with glass. Most companies do not provide a guarantee for such structures, since the weight of the glass unit exceeds all standards, and deformation of the structure may occur;
- full glazing with spandrel (impost) in the middle of the door is an option that, with a high level of transparency, maintains proper security. When installing a door block, the impost is placed at the level of the window sill to achieve the best visual effect;
- partial glazing , when the lower half or third remains blank;
- Completely blind balcony doors are used extremely rarely, but if necessary they can be made class=”aligncenter” width=”340″ height=”439″[/img]
No. 5. Scheme for opening balcony doors
The choice of door opening pattern is based on the design of the door leaf, its size, features and characteristics of the adjacent premises. The available options are:
- swing doors (pivot) - the most popular option. The door leaf opens into the room to one side. This is the cheapest and easiest to install design. If the door consists from several paintings, then two can open at once or only one when the second is deaf. There are swing doors with an impost, a rigid partition, thanks to which the doors are fixed in a stationary state, but this design is not very convenient, since the bar will interfere with free movement when the door is fully opened. For wide openings it is better to choose panel doors. In them, one leaf is active and serves for constant movement, and the second is closed with a latch and, if necessary, can also be opened;
- tilt and turn doors - doors that can swing not only to the side, but also tilt towards the room, allowing for ventilation. The mechanism is the same as in windows;
- sliding doors They work on the principle of doors in wardrobes. The movable sashes simply move parallel to the window without taking up space in the room. After turning the handle, the sash extends beyond the frame and then moves to the side. This is a functional solution that allows you to design balcony doors of any size. In terms of tightness, contrary to popular belief, such doors are no different from swing doors. Typically, hinged doors can be tilted;
- accordion doors - a rather extravagant design option for a balcony door. The canvas consists of several sashes connected to each other and mounted on guides. When opened, the doors gather like a fan. The design is used to organize large doorways, but is not very airtight.
Door mats
Door stain-resistant mats can most often be seen in the hallway, in front of the front door to the house. However, if, for some reason, you need to place a rug in front of the balcony door, you need to know the nuances of choosing this product.
- Shaggy rugs. Due to the soft pile they have a more attractive appearance. They have low dirt-repellent qualities, do not absorb moisture well, and are intended mainly for knocking down dust and small dirt.
- Made from foamed PVC. They do not get wet or rot, but may break or crack during prolonged use.
- Rubber mats are the most functional models. Wear-resistant, non-slip, absorb dirt and moisture well, and easy to clean.
The more synthetic components a rug contains, the stronger the material, the more color-resistant it is and the more antistatic it has. But, taking into account that the rug will be used indoors, you can choose a product with a natural texture. The main thing is to select a rug of such density that its dimensions do not interfere with the free opening of the sash. Take a closer look at woven rugs made from bamboo, straw or sisal. Such mats hold dirt well and serve as an additional decorative element, and they are also quite thin, which means they will not interfere with the proper operation of the balcony door.
No. 6. Balcony door fittings
The fittings include all those elements that ensure the functioning of the door: the movement of the door leaf, locking, ventilation, sealing, protection from insects and children. High-quality fittings are designed for 20 thousand openings and closings. Experts recommend paying attention to fittings made in Germany and Switzerland, which are superior in quality to their Chinese and Turkish counterparts.
The door can be supplied with either an ordinary one-sided handle or a double-sided one . The latter is more convenient, as it allows you to tightly close the door from the balcony side. Instead of a double-sided handle, you can use a regular one complete with a latch or a stationary handle, which allows you to simply pull the door leaf towards you. The door handle can be protected against accidental opening by a child, equipped with a lock, or even have protection against burglary, which is important for balcony doors facing the street, i.e. onto an unglazed balcony.
Owners of open balconies or loggias should definitely take care of a mosquito net. Regardless of the type of construction, it reliably protects against the penetration of dust, dirt and fluff from the street.
Features of operation
In order for balcony doors to function normally over a long period, they must be used correctly and maintained on time:
- periodically lubricate the moving parts of the fittings with technical petroleum jelly and inspect them;
- clean drainage holes;
- inspect the condition of the seals and lubricate them with grease.
Profile care involves periodically cleaning it from dirt, using special products or soapy water. The fittings must be protected from dirt and staining. Rubber seals must be cleaned of dirt and wiped with a special product twice a year. This will preserve their elasticity and water-repellent characteristics.
