Double-leaf hinged interior doors - pros and cons

Doors are not only an interior detail, they are also a functional thing. So when choosing, we take into account not only aesthetics, but also convenience. Let's look at double-leaf interior doors from all points of view. How convenient they are, where and when to install them.

When to install

Double-leaf doors are called doors with a door leaf, consisting of two parts, united by a common door frame. In general, it is correct to speak and write - bivalves, but often they say bivalves. There is also such a name as bipartite or bipartite. This name comes from the fact that they consist of two halves. They also call them double - the reason is also clear. There is another version of the name - one and a half doors. These are double-leaf doors with different leaf widths.

Double-leaf interior doors

When are double-leaf interior doors good? After all, they are not always and not everywhere they are appropriate or convenient.

• Large doorways are great in spacious spaces. An ordinary door will look scanty, even if it is 90 cm wide. Double-leaf doors look more "grand", so that they fit perfectly into the interior of living rooms.
• If the doors go into a narrow corridor, or in the open, they will interfere. This is a common misfortune of our Khrushchev houses, and modern layouts are not always successful in this sense.
• If a single door leaf has nowhere to "attach", and the door must be constantly or often open.

Option for the possible installation of a double-leaf interior door

In general, double-leaf interior doors in a narrow opening are not a very good option. There is no sense in two narrow sash, because no one will squeeze through the 40 cm passage. That is, functionally narrow halves are simply unjustified. You will still have to constantly open both doors. And they cost more than one sheet of the same width, and the installation is more complicated, the sound insulation is worse, since there is an additional gap between the doors. Although it is covered with a bar, it will not give perfect silence.

It is worth installing a double-leaf door with an opening width of more than a meter. Then at least the opening sash can be made 60 cm, which allows you to walk normally. The second part can be fixed and used on special occasions. That is, this option is functional and justified. It is better in terms of execution: too wide a door leaf is inconvenient and takes up a lot of space.

Swing and sliding doors

But sometimes there is simply nowhere to go - an ordinary swing door does not become in any way. Then you have to make narrow halves in a double door. The plus is that they can be kept open and they will not block the passage; you can put interior items on the side of the door at a short distance.

Sizes of double-leaf doors

Let us repeat that double doors can be of the same and different widths. Variants with the same are called symmetrical, with different ones - asymmetric (asymmetric). You can often still find the term double and one-and-a-half doors, as well as equal and unequal. They also show the ratio of the leaf widths.

Door blocks can be symmetrical and asymmetrical

The minimum width of a double-leaf door is 80 cm. These are two wings of 40 cm each. Just keep in mind that the opening should be 10 cm larger.That is, the minimum size of the doorway for a double-leaf door is 90 cm.In extreme cases, it can be 88 cm The maximum standard size is 180 cm (190 cm doorway).

Double-leaf interior doors - standard sizes

Keep in mind that the standard door frame sizes come in 20 cm increments. The standard sash width changes by 10 cm: 60 cm, 70 cm, 80 cm and 90 cm.If you want the same sash, there are only five opening options:

• 90 cm;
• 130 cm;
• 150 cm;
• 170 cm;
• 190 cm.

The doorway may be slightly wider than the specified values. A decrease of 1-2 cm is also allowed, but no more. If the existing passage does not fit into these frames in any way, you can either use sash of different widths, or order according to your size. The height of the opening is also negotiated: as a standard it should be 2.06 - 2.10 m.

Dimensions of openings under the doors

By the way, finding narrow double-leaf interior doors can be problematic. Not all factories make versions of two leaves under a doorway of 90 cm. A standard swing door becomes quite normal here. In this case, you can try to find narrow halves from unequal sets (with two shutters of different widths). But you will most likely have to cut the hinges and put the box on your own.

Large doorways

If the gap is larger, it will need to be filled with something. You can before installing the door, you can after. The gap is laid with a light material, then plastered, leveling with the rest of the wall.

You don't always want to reduce the height of the opening. Then you can order a vertical decorative strip (upper transom) in style and color similar to the door. This is definitely an individual project and the door frame is more complex.

With a high doorway, an upper transom can be installed above the door

What if the doorway is wider? If, for example, it is wider than two meters? In modern layouts, this is rare, but you never know. Maybe you got a house with such wide passages. You can, of course, lay extra space, but there are other ways. One of the possible options is to make inserts of the same design on the sides. They are called side transoms. They are separated from the functional door by strong struts and cannot be opened.

Stationary parts of the same design can be added in wide openings

Side and top transoms are often used together. Since the doorway is usually wide and high. But they can also be used separately. For example, in stalinkas there are very high and narrow openings. That's where they either lay the extra height, or put the upper transoms. Someone goes the other way - expands the opening so that it looks more proportional. In general, there are different design methods.

Types and varieties

Let's talk about opening methods. Double-leaf interior doors can be:

• swing:
  • ordinary one-way opening;
  • pendulum - with the ability to open in any direction (two-way opening);
    

    Swing doors and accordion doors - two possible opening options

• sliding:
  • harmonic;
  • book;
  • sliding (sliding or sliding doors);
• folding hinged.

Most often they put swinging ones. First, the doors themselves are cheaper, easier and cheaper to install. Secondly, they provide good sound insulation. The downside of swing models is known to everyone - they take up space in the open. It is not always possible to arrange even 60 cm sashes. The possibility of opening in one or two directions depends on the selected hinges. If you buy a block without a tie-in, you can choose to your taste.

Sliding double doors are great for saving space. Keep in mind that they can move to one side as well. With a wide enough opening, this is convenient. Despite these advantages, they are not overly popular. First, there can be problems with sound insulation. There are, of course, tight-fitting, with seals and excellent insulation, but they do not belong to the budget. The second drawback of sliding models is that they make a lot of noise when moving. Quiet only expensive (again). So if you need a budget option, you better put swing ones.

Different types of 2-leaf doors

There is also a combined option - folding hinged. It is a combination of a swing door and a folded door. They are good for very wide openings. Each sash consists of two or more sections, which are movably interconnected. When you open the doors, you push them like swing doors, using only part of the passage. But, if necessary, they can be easily opened completely, just push slightly to the side. Doors like this are good at kitchen-living roomif the room needs to be periodically delimited.

What materials

If we talk about materials, then swing interior doors are made from:

• wood;
• MDF;
• frame made of fiberboard;
• plastic.

The most solid and reliable are wood doors. How expensive they are depends on the type of wood, but good oak woods cost a lot. Interior doors made of wood are good for everyone. And especially the fact that in most cases they are made individually and can be strictly tailored to the size of the doorway. Without any "standards". Naturally, an arched door can also be ordered.

Arched wooden interior door

More budget options - MDF. Their prices are not so high, but they may look no worse than wooden ones. The good thing about MDF is that it is even possible to reproduce the carving, if necessary. In terms of operational characteristics, they are no worse than wooden ones - sound insulation is at a height, durability too.

Double leaf MDF doors

The cheapest are frame. A frame is assembled from pine blocks, which is sheathed on both sides of fiberboard. To increase the sound insulation properties, the frame is filled with some kind of loose material. In principle, with normal execution, they can serve well. You just need to be careful - they do not tolerate shock loads. And there is a problem - finding a "normal" performance is not easy.

Double-leaf interior doors made of MDF and frame doors can be laminated with veneer or a special film imitating wood. Veneered are very similar to array. You can't tell right away that they are not from an array. This type belongs to the average in price. When choosing, pay attention to the quality of veneering. There should be no hint of protruding glue, crevices or other defects anywhere. Even the slightest flaws will cause delamination and loss of appearance.

The cheapest are with film. The service life depends on the quality of the film. Sometimes after a year and a half, it begins to wear off. So it's not worth taking them even with a limited budget. Or buy only those that someone from your acquaintances has recommended to you, who use them, and you yourself have seen in what condition they are. Because "normal" is different.

Glass and other inserts

Interior 2-leaf doors can be either solid or with glass inserts. You can find sash completely glass, maybe a whole glass with a frame. In models with sashes of different sizes, the smaller one can be with or without glass (blind).

Do not be afraid that glass / glass is dangerous. Tempered glass is used, which takes a lot of effort to break. And even if it breaks, it falls in a bunch of fragments with non-sharp edges or remains hanging on the film. It depends on the type of glass.

They came up with glass for a long time

Glass doors and inserts are good, as when the doors are closed, they can illuminate the corridor. Of course, you can put there motion sensor to turn on the lightso as not to walk in the dark. But daylight is often much more pleasant than artificial light. They also diversify the design remarkably. And do not think that double doors with glass are only in the classic style. There are enough models that are more suitable for modern interiors than for classics.