The entrance door to the apartment which one to choose

The entrance door to the apartment which one to choose - this is by no means an idle question without fail stands in front of the owners of apartments of multi-storey houses, which started overhauling. The problem is certainly extremely important, therefore , when choosing this attribute of housing, it is necessary to provide all the requirements to which it must respond. Today in building stores a very wide assortment of nt two is presented by domestic and foreign manufacturers. They are made of different materials, have a variety of design and exterior decoration, and therefore it is very difficult to make the only right choice.

In order for not to make a mistake and not provide opportunities for intruders to freely enter the apartment, it is necessary to consider all aspects related to providing security. In addition, the front door should become a reliable barrier to the masses of cold air, which easily enter the rooms if the door is not sufficiently insulated.

Criteria for choosing an entrance door

It is very important to know what to look for when choosing a variant of nt two , so that it creates comfort and provides security for the tenants of the apartment and their property during operation:

• If a metal variant is selected for two , then the metal must be solid, without welds and have a thickness of at least 1.5-2 mm. Such a coating should be able to withstand the blows of the fist and legs.
• The door must have reliable heat - and soundproofing. Usually, basalt wool for internal filling and elastic seals around the perimeter are used for this.
• When buying a door, you should never save on locks. It is necessary to choose locking mechanisms with a complex system of closing and spreading vertical and horizontal elements. It is better, if locks will be, at least , two - cylinder and aft .They should be located at a distance from each other not less than 300 ÷ 350 mm.

• The door frame and of its box must have sufficient strength and high resistance to physical attack. In the metal box must be provided for fixing to the wall U-shaped grips or anchor bolts.
• It is recommended to choose a canvas, which makes it possible to survey the area in front of the entrance to the apartment, therefore, a panoramic eye should be mounted in it. In addition, it is recommended to provide for the installation of a web camera( this is now not so expensive) and electronic security systems.
• A high-quality metal door should be heavy . Its weight indicates the presence of diagonal and transverse ribs inside the structure and about the optimum thickness used for metal production.
• According to , the design water needs to be said separately. It is best to choose a discreet, color-coded, extra-exposed external door panel, since crackers usually first of all pay attention to the of it , determining the well-being of the apartment owners.
• The interior finish can be chosen for every taste, the main thing is that it is made of environmentally friendly material.
• The door must be accompanied by a warranty from from the manufacturer , which has many years of experience in the manufacture of such structures.

Classification of entrance doors

Entrance doors for apartments are mainly made of metal or metal-plastic. Rarely produced combined versions of metal and wood.

1. According to the structural design, the entrance doors are classified as follows:

• The door frame is divided into a U-shaped with additional threshold, and a closed one consisting of a one-piece frame.
• According to the type of opening, the number of sheets and the number of insulation circuits. So, the door can open outward or inward, there should be one - and two-field , have a blanket or with an insert.

For finishing the door leaf, the doors are divided into painted paint, sprayed, coated with laminate, natural wood, imitation leather and etc .

According to its mechanical characteristics, the entrance door is divided into 3 strength classes - from M1 to M3.

According to the protective properties, the entrance doors are of ordinary and reinforced execution, that is, they have weak, moderate and increased protection qualities.

2. According to , the security door is divided into seven stability classes:

• The first class - is a product with low resistance to burglary. They can easily be opened with simple with tools, without using physical strength. Such models are rarely used as an entrance door to an apartment, they are usually used for entrances, tambours or utility rooms.
• Second class. Doors more difficult to break, but with the help of special tools and physical strength to open them is quite possible.
• Third class. Similar models are equipped with complex locks, and their door frame is fixed in a special way, so unlock them with the help of skeleton keys and physical strength is unlikely to work. They are amenable only to electric tools having a power of 450 ÷ 500 W.
• Fourth kla ss dv The yard is designed for high-quality protection of the entrance to apartments and private houses. It is the most optimal of all classes of designs for residential use, since it features a high reliability , however , has a rather high cost. The door leaf in this structure is armored , and the box is reinforced.
• The fifth, sixth and seventh classes of doors have increased security, as they are designed for installation in banks or specialized premises. Most often they are equipped with electronic control, with which they operate the code locks installed on them.

3. In addition, the doors have different decorations, which are usually selected for the degree of reliability and the cost of construction, since it is made with by calculation of to the buyer with different financial possibilities:

• Economy class .In the manufacture of this type of door, inexpensive door blocks are used, often a U-shaped structure. This variation nt pr is designed for consumers who have medium income. Such doors are produced using technology that does not have special protective properties, and cheap decorative materials are used for finishing, such as to for cutting or imitation leather.

If this rope is made of metal, then a thin steel sheet, no more than 1.5 mm thick, is used to protect it, and their insulation and sound insulation are often carried out with corrugated cardboard. These doors very often belong to the first class of the breaking resistance .

• The prestige class. Such doors belong to the second class reliability and are manufactured using standard technology. For their manufacture, metal profiles with ribs rigidity are used.

Finishing material for doors of prestige class uses PVC panels, laminate or powder coating of different shades. For metal doors of this class, metal thickness of 1.5 mm is used.

• Elite class .In the this door type uses closed-structure profiles with additional ribs .The products are equipped with expensive locks of increased reliability .

For finishing doors of elite class use natural wood or veneered panels MDF .Also, it can be forged doors, the paintings of which are equipped with windows with stained-glass windows or decorated with wrought-iron. Models with such designs and finishes can be attributed to the third class reliability .

• VIP-class - this is the most expensive doors, having increased protection. The frame is made of rigid profiles, the design provides fasteners that are deeply installed in the walls.

Finish for such doors is usually wood of oak or other valuable species, which is able to provide the thermal and sound protection of the apartment. VIP - models have a respectable appearance, and are most often installed in fairly rich private homes. As a rule, they are referred to the as the fourth , the highest class of security against hacking for residential buildings.

Basic design of the entrance doors

There are many different designs of the entrance doors. In order to roughly determine to which class they can be attributed, you need to consider several options.

1. A simple scheme of the metal structure of the front door can look like . this way, or even be more simplified .

• Econom class in this design issues primarily its exterior finish, made by spraying. The door leaf does not have ribs , and inside the , this indicates that the protection is not too is reliable .
• Rescue the position in this case can only a large thickness of the outer metal sheet, which must be at least 3 mm - only it can compensate for the lack of an internal metal frame.
• This model can please the closing mechanisms, since they are installed at an optimal distance from each other and have a different design - is a cylinder and toggle lock. Each of them has three bolts. This combination of closing elements gives the a relatively high reliability to the door lock.
• Door hinges are equipped with bearings that provides light ho for believe with its normal opening by tenants of the apartment.
• The door leaf has anti-detachable crossbars, which will not allow attackers to quietly remove it by pressing up.
• Inside the door leaf has a finish of laminated MDF plate with a thickness of 32 mm - it is a kind of additional protection.
• A heater in the given by the case is polystyrene, and if it is installed correctly, according to the technology, it will provide good heat and noise insulation.
• The main disadvantage of a simple design is the lack of spacer elements, which can several times strengthen protective functions.

2. Another is a single door model with a more complex design, but its can also be attributed to the economy class .

This door system consists of the following elements:

1 - Steel fox tt with a thickness of 2 mm, installed behind the external laminated panel MDF.

2 - U-shaped steel ribs , installed inside the structure, make its more reliable and allow to fasten between the outer and inner lining.

3 - MDF paneling with protective film PVC coating .

4 - Metal casing covering the gap between the door leaf and the door frame.

5 - In this case for thermal insulation manufacturer used mineral wool.

6 - The design is equipped with two sealing circuits, which will become reliable draft protection and noise penetration.

7 - The anti-detachable crossbars entering the holes intended for them when closing the door will not allow an attacker to open the apartment by removing the door leaf .

8 - Metal trim is coated with powder coating.

9 - Interior decorative panel door leaf is also made of MDF.

This design also lacks spacers, which makes the door more vulnerable to opening. Much of the reliability of the complex canvas-box will depend on the choice of locks, their number and the correctness of the installation.

3. This door model can be attributed both to the prestige class and to the to the elite class , as it has additional locking elements. Much of the exact classification will depend on the material of the finish and on the thickness of the metal used.

1 - The door frame. In this model, a closed version of this critical for security feature is selected.

2 - Installation pin. These fastening parts are provided with 6 pieces, three on each side, which indicates reliability fastening the box in the door opening .

3 - The frame structure is strengthened by with ribs .

4 - Interior decorative finish can be made from any material - it is PVC, natural wood or MDF panel.

5 - The anti-detachable design has three pcs.

6 - Seal, which creates tightness between the canvas and the vestibule, closing gaps and not allowing drafts to be created.

7 - Inspection eye - this element must be equipped with any door that is installed at the entrance to the apartment.

8 - Finishing corner, which closes the gap between the sheet and the box, gives trim for believe on the part of the hallway.

9 - Hinged hinges.

10 - The frame of the door leaf, trimmed from the outside with a steel sheet.

11 - Vertical constipation crossbars. They are in this design two, these elements are installed closer to the edge of the door leaf. When closing, they extend and lock the door to the top and bottom of the of the opening.

12 - The gate valve.

13 - Lock with door handle.

14 - Heater - this can be foam or mineral wool.

15 - Internal metal sheet under the decorative door skin.

Since the door is equipped with vertical locking elements, one lock for this design would seem to be enough, but still for reliability it is better to choose a similar model with two locks.

The main elements of the door structure

Since the door structure consists of different elements, each of which depends its quality, when choosing a model, it should be asked which material they are made of.

Metal profiles

Metal profiles are used to make both the door frame and the frame of the fabric, but they can differ in their design. The most commonly used profiles are:

• Corner ;
• Bended profile ;Profile square tube.

1. One of the most common and available profiles that is used for door construction is the corner. The frame of the door leaf and the box is welded from it. Doors made of it are usually of standard size and equipped with the binding ribs .The door box from the corner is considered insufficient reliable , therefore its can be selected in the event that the access door is well strengthened and equipped with an intercom or the installed construction will be located behind the tambour door.

2. The bent profile box can have a width of 50 ÷ 80 mm - this allows you to install the lock far enough from the external panel, which provides good protection against burglary.

The frame of the door frame is made of the curved profile. Two s of different profiles used for the box and for the door are adjusted to each other along the terrain, so they fit tightly to each other.

The constructions from the bent profile are resistant to burglary. Particularly strong is the double profile, which also increases the quality of the heat - and sound insulation in the apartment.

3. A profile square tube produces both a door frame and a frame of a web. This type of profile can be of different sizes, so it is selected so that the strength characteristics of the boxes correspond to the mass of the door leaf. So, for the door leaf is usually taken pipe, which has a section of 40 × 25 mm, and if a powerful lock is installed in the door, then the profile section is 50 × 25 mm.

This material produces excellent ribs of rigidity , which provide the frame with high reliability and resistance to burglary.

The door frame is made of the same section profile as the web, but is additionally reinforced from the inside by a square tube by turning the its across the relative to the door frame profile.

With the changing the profile pipe or the bent profile, the hollow inner part must be filled with mineral wool or foam. To check whether this condition is fulfilled by the manufacturer or not, you can very simply - need to knock on the door frame door with a small metal object, and if the sound is deaf, then means , profile is insulated. and are soundproofed by .

It is best to choose a door structure made from a bent profile that will give the maximum rigidity of the and the high reliability of the door leaf and box. However, it should be noted that such a door is quite expensive, and not every owner of can its afford.

The profile pipe door is cheaper, and has a slightly smaller reliability , but not such a respectable look. Therefore, if you want to get reliable for a little money, will have to sacrifice with external aesthetics. However, if you approach the choice from the point of view of practicality, then in the door design the appearance should stand on one of the last places of the - enough to make it just neat.

Detachable crossbars

These structural elements are necessary in the event that the door is equipped with overhead loops that are freely accessible and facilitate the work of the burglars. The crossbars are mounted on the door leaf from the hinge side and provide protection against of its removal of the in case the attackers attempt to open the of its using a shed of canopies.

Therefore choosing a door with loops of such type , you need to pay attention to on the lichya anti-detachable crossbars.

Hinges Several types of - hinges can be applied overhead, open, secured from the outside and hidden inside the frame. In the second version of the , the anti-detachable crossbars are not required for the as an optional .Here it is worth noting that the door with internal hinges should not be chosen. Although they will become a good protection against hacking, but is often unreliable in operation, as they can jam.

It is very important to pay attention to the diameter of the canopies, since they must correspond to the massive structure.

bearing If the frame and door trim is sufficient for the heavy , reinforced hinges with a diameter of 22 mm on the supporting bearings must be installed on it. For more light door designs, enough loops are 20 mm in size. There is also a height-adjustable version of loops with integrated oiler , but they are often mounted on VIP-class constructions.

Sealing and insulation

To ensure the integrity of the door closing, rubber seals are used in the structure. They can be installed on one side of the box or both - inside and out. If doors with fire protection are selected, then an thermoactive tape should be installed on the internal porch.

As insulation materials that fill the cavity between two metal sheets, the following are used:

• Mineral wool( it is desirable that it be made on basalt base,the best characteristics for residential use).
• Styrofoam
• Polyurethane foam mounting.
• Sound reflecting materials.

Door locks

As already noted, experts recommend choosing a door with two locks having a different design of the - cylinder and asphalt .Such protection will be hampered by unauthorized opening.

design. In addition, one of the locks can jam and then the will have to it urgently to change, and having two locks, this process can be postponed for a while.

One should always remember - whatever reliable door structure or was chosen, it will not be able to protect the apartment if the intruder will easily open the locks. Therefore, , on these elements in no case should not be saved, and when buying a door, you need to choose its and the lock systems installed on it.

The set of "crab" type locks have proved to be very useful in operation .When this mechanism is closed, the crossbars on all sides of the door diverge, which hold the door from different sides - the design becomes stiffer than the , and finding and sawing all the pins is quite a difficult task even for "professionals".Many manufacturers of locks also place bolts inside the door leaf in special metal tubes made of durable material.

The cylinder lock system is usually reinforced by the armored by the , which makes it difficult to drill or cut out the closing element.

It's good if the lock has a latch( it can be installed by a separate element) - this part will increase the protection of the apartment with the inside of the tenants.

It is recommended not to select doors with closely located locks - they must be spaced apart from each other on the by a certain distance, otherwise it will be easy enough to open them simultaneously by mounting or cutting off the bulgarian.

If you need the lock to last a long time without replacement or repair, do not choose a door with inexpensive mechanisms made in China. Of course, it will cost much cheaper, but you do not need to rely on for the long-term operation of such a lock. But to later replace it with a new one, not only time will be spent, but also a decent enough amount.

It is desirable to initially choose the reliable model of a trusted manufacturer that will allow you to leave the apartment without worrying about its hacking without worrying that the lock can suddenly just jam when it is opened with a key.

It should be noted that locks imported production( if you do not consider cheap Chinese variants) - more reliable and quality than domestic ones. They have an incredibly large number of key combinations, and in many of them anti-burglary elements are provided.

Imported or domestic, which doors are better?

In the assortment of construction and specialized stores you can meet both imported and domestic models of doors.

Of the most expensive at a price and not outstanding in terms of quality, it's safe to call the variants again of Chinese production. This door is unlikely to protect the apartment from hacking. Metal surfaces, which should play the role of the main protection of the canvas, in some of the models opens up literally with an ordinary can opener. Well and as warming materials the corrugated cardboard - about normal thermal protection and noise absorption with such approach can not be and speech is more often used. Such doors can be installed only in those rooms where valuable things will never be stored.

Quality doors from leading European manufacturers have walls made of thick steel, powerful mounts and modern reliable locks installed in accordance with all existing safety standards. Such designs show very high resistance to various attempts at hacking. But when choosing an import door, it is worthwhile to recheck its linear parameters, as they do not always approach the Russian door standards in multi-storey buildings.

Models of foreign manufacturers usually cost significantly more than domestic doors. This is quite understandable - along with undeniable quality, it also adds considerable costs for transporting the goods.

Domestic doors made by bona fide manufacturers are no worse than import options, and sometimes even surpass them in some parameters. For example, the insulation of Russian door constructions is performed at a higher level, as the peculiarities of our climatic conditions are taken into account. In addition, , very often Russian manufacturers supply their products with high-quality imported locks, that gives them high reliability in protection against break-ins.

To such domestic companies that produce high-quality doors, you can include "Senator" and " Protek ", which produce products with anti-vandal coatings.

Some companies specialize in the manufacture of completely "democratic" for models of entrance doors, which is available to Russian consumers with medium incomes. Their products meet the requirements of GOST and are ideally suited for the characteristics and linear parameters for door openings of the main series of apartment buildings. Thus, the doors of companies "Strazh", " Torex ", "Le Grand", "Condor", " Forporest ", " Guardian " are widely used by consumers. There are other noteworthy firms that produce metal doors "for every taste and purse ".

Manufacturer name	Illustration	Short product description
"TOREX"( TOREX)		Doors of this manufacturer are manufactured on imported equipment, which prevents surface defects and inaccuracies in size. The products are equipped with two locks, which have high anti-burglary characteristics, the lower one is equipped with a latch. Doors are hung on the outer hinges on the bearings, which increases the angle and facilitates the opening of the door leaf. The construction is equipped with anti-detachable bolts, which increases the level of protection against burglary.
Protek( PROTEC)		This company produces doors of different modifications with different types of finishes. For production use is made of materials safe for health and import accessories. The design uses a curved profile, which makes it more reliable and secure.
Outpost		Forpost produces models of "left" and "right" type, with internal and external loops installed according to safety technology. Doors can have a variety of finishes that mimic a wood texture or a "chocolate tile".
"Guardian"( GUARDIAN)		Door leafs manufactured by this company have four longitudinal stiffeners installed between metal sheets of different thicknesses. For the installation of canvases, a closed box is used. Mineral wool is used as a thermal insulation material, and porous rubber seals are installed around the perimeter. Doors are equipped with external hinges and anti-locks, as well as two locks, which are manufactured, as well as accessories, in the same enterprise. Therefore, the manufacturer gives a guarantee for each of the elements installed in the structure.
"Condor"		"Condor" - this company, as well as the previous one, makes locks and fittings for its doors independently. The thickness of the doors of this manufacturer can be from 60 to 100 mm, and thin 60 millimeter variants are not inferior in reliability more thick. For exterior decoration of doors different materials are used from polymer-powder coating to MDF.The interior decoration consists of MDF panel, and in some versions of the doors a mirror is installed almost in the entire finishing panel. The role of insulation and soundproofing is made by mineral wool, and for sealants a porous rubber cloth is used, which not only protects the apartment from cold and penetration of external sounds, but also contributes to the silent closing of the door. The metal used for door lining has a thickness of 1 to 2 mm, but the outer side is sheathed in two layers.

There is an opportunity to make a door and to order, having chosen independently each of the elements of the door structure, fittings and locks to it. However, this seemingly unbeatable option has its own negative aspects. So, if in professionally manufactured constructions all elements are manufactured and selected on the basis of produced by accurate calculations of , then an independent choice can seriously to damage protective functions. The manufacturer may well be relieved of responsibility for the operation of the mechanisms selected by the customer in the finished door, which differ from the basic design, and do not give a general guarantee for such a product.

Choosing the front door for your apartment, before going to the store, it will be best to make a list of all the elements that you first need to pay attention to: linear dimensions, metal thickness, profile of the frame, locks, insulation, loop design, and only to the lastturn - decorative surface finish. If all the criteria satisfy and requirements and match in one model - , then its can be acquired safely.

Finally - a small video with useful tips for choosing the front doors for the apartment:

Video: how to approach the choice of input doors