Are All Doors Created Equal – Most Certainly Not!

Queensland is blessed with some of the best weather in the world, we are seeing building trends change to take advantage of this fabulous outdoor lifestyle. Home designs now commonly include alfresco areas and large opening doors, bringing the outside in.

So what options do you have?

From hinged to sliding, stacking to folding, there is a door for every occasion and of course budget. Building a new home provides a blank canvas, exploring the design books, display homes and the assistance of an Architect is invaluable in the quest for your new purpose built home.

Renovations can also provide an ideal opportunity to look to make a change. Perhaps you are considering upgrading that old tired single sliding door, so let’s take a look at the various options:-

Hinged, swing or French doors

Often referred to as the French door, this door allows us to connect our inside space to the outside. These doors are hinged doors, or sometimes referred to as swing doors. They can be timber, aluminium or even PVC.

Because it is a hinged or swinging door, it does take up floor space, so impact on your furniture layout may need to be considered with this functional door.

Screening options: The hinged door can easily have a security door or flyscreen added without too much fuss, either at the time of installation or afterwards.

An alternative solution to the loss of internal floor space is to hinge the doors to open externally, but this requires planning and discussions with your installer.

Screening options:  The screens are required to be fitted internally, which may not suit everyone. A solution is to select a far from average looking security screen
door, like the Crimsafe Ultimate Security Door screen.

This image shows a recent installation with hinged out swinging French doors and the Crimsafe Ultimate security door fitted internally, looks great. A benefit not often
considered is how much easier it is to keep the screens clean, when fitted internally.

Another option to consider is a Pivot door

A pivot door is not unlike a hinged door, working with an in or an out type swinging action, or sometimes even in both direction (referred to as a double action door). This type of door is often used in offices and workspaces, but more and more we are seeing them used in residential homes – as the lines blurred between using residential or domestic frames and commercial framing in our homes.

A quick digression: a commercial framing system allows you larger heights and widths than a typical residential or domestic frame. The cost is higher to you for the production of this type of frame, however the benefits can far out way this, if you used as your point of difference in your home. If you have queries around this, pick up the find or send a quick email we will be happy to explain further.

Now back to doors, pivot doors are not hinged, they instead are supported on pivots and pivot boxes in the top and in the floor. They generally do not have a threshold and as such location needs to be considered to ensure water and dust penetration will not be an issue.

Screening options: Because of the door’s operation (in and out) it is only suitable for screening, if the door has a single action. This means the door opens in with the
screen is fitted externally and opens outwards or it is reversed.

Sliding Glass Doors

The humble sliding glass door is the most common of all door types, I think every home or unit has one.

Generally consisting of two framed glass panels that slide past each other, a sliding door can have additional panels.

To determine how large each panel and entire door can be is dependent on whether you choose a residential or a commercial frame. A commercial sliding door can have panels as wide as 2100, so if you are looking to have a door in a very large opening, a commercial sliding door is the way to go.

Screening options: An easy door option to screen, either at the time of installation or added after the installation. If you are considering a commercial door, then the
screen may require a midrail to ensure the integrity of the screen function is maintained and it does not bow.

Multiple panel stackers or sliding stacking doors

This multiple panelled door consists of several — three or more — panels that slide past each other.

The multiple panels of a stacking door allow vast expanses of wall area to be opened up in your home. A recent Architectural feature to many homes is the corner stacking door, allowing either side to be opened to create an open corner to the home, eliminating barriers all together.

Whether it’s the standard sliding glass door or a stacking door, an important design consideration is the track system, each panel requires its own track to run on. A four-panel door will have four separate parallel tracks that can encroach into the home a bit , especially if a screen system is added.

Screening options: Easy to be screened, either at the time of installation or added after the installation – just remember the track widths and that a midrail may be
required to maintain the strength of the screen. A security screen door like Crimsafe, is far stronger to hold up to a larger expanse than a regular flyscreen door.

There are also retractable screens available for this type of large expanse.

Folding or bi-fold doors

The folding glass door is another option to create a large opening that allows the distinction between inside and outside to disappear. The advantage that the folding glass door has over, say, the sliding stacking door is that it allows for a big opening from corner to corner when there isn’t an opportunity to create pockets in the wall for the panels to slide into.

Folding glass doors can be set up so that one of the panels is hinged, acting like a standard door. This way, when you want to go in or out, you don’t have to open the entire door. This door is referred to as an active door.

Screening options:  Crimsafe has recently developed a folding or bi-folding security screen door, so there is a security screen option now for bi-fold doors.
Alternatively the other options are retractable flyscreens, but remember these are only fly screens and not a security product.

These doors are just some of what can be manufactured, there are many more options to be explored like, top hung sliding doors, cavity sliding doors (yes these can even be glass – no need for a boring timber door here, see below), and so many more.

No matter what you desire there is a door for you!

You dream it – We make it at Central Glass and Aluminium!

Contact us to find out how we can solve your needs!