According to popular opinion, the entrance door is not a decorative, but a protective function. For this reason, many owners of country houses and city apartments are convinced that the design should be massive and heavy. However, an attractive entrance door with glass can completely flip the established understanding of these products. This article discusses the most common types of designs and examples of their decorative design.
Front door with glass and its role in home improvement
Of course, the main function of the entrance door is to restrict access to the home from the outside. And this applies not only to the invasion of an apartment or the house of animals and people. The entrance group protects the home from natural elements such as rain and wind. For this reason, when choosing a design it is very important to pay special attention to the materials of manufacture.
Taking into account their purpose for the production of entrance doors, durable materials are used that are resistant to chemical and thermal effects and mechanical loads. Thanks to modern production technologies, exterior doors are made using glass inserts, which not only improve the appearance of products, but also give them additional properties.
The advantages of installing outdoor doors with glass:
- In the hallway will receive natural sunlight, so that the room will become more comfortable.
- Due to the presence of glass, the owner can see the guest without opening the door.
- The door with glass will not be the only source of light in the hallway, but it will save on electricity.
- Insert glass improves visibility of the courtyard and the track.
- The presence of natural light makes it possible to put live plants in the hallway.
- The door with a glass insert can be a spectacular decoration of the facade of the building.
However, like any other type of door, glass constructions are characterized not only by advantages, but also by disadvantages. The price of the finished plastic entrance door with glass due to the complex configuration is much higher than the cost of similar products with blind leaf. Metal and wooden structures are even more expensive, as are doors that are made to order according to individual measurements. In addition, the level of thermal insulation of doors with glazing is lower than that of products with blind canvases.
Note! The larger the glazing area, the lower the resistance of the web to cracking.
The front door with standard equipment consists of several components. These include:
- door frame;
- canvas;
- component parts or fittings.
Glass can be used as a decorative element, a zone to be viewed, or the base material from which the entire fabric is made. Parameters and area of glazing depend on the type of door construction, as well as on the selected design of the sash.
According to regulatory documents containing requirements for the production of fire and metal entrance doors with glass, all structures of this type are conventionally divided into two categories:
- products with a glass glazing area of less than 25%;
- structures in which glass occupies more than 25% of the total area of the sash.
Each of these groups has specific technical and operational requirements. It is believed that 25% of the glazed area is a marginal figure. For a canvas with a size of 2×2 m, a quarter of the area will be 0.5×2 m. Exceeding this parameter will entail a change in the surface properties of the sash. For this reason, in constructions where glass occupies more than 25% of the total area, the inserts are equipped with additional stiffening ribs.
Doors with fire-fighting properties are checked not only for strength, but also for resistance to thermal effects, as well as the possibility of its transfer.
Fittings and components must meet the requirements of durability and reliability. The most important design element are the hinges. The higher the quality of these parts, the longer the service life of the entire product, since the total weight of the entrance door is large enough, and with glazing its weight increases.
Most often, the entrance doors are completed with hinges of a hidden type with a complex configuration and possibility of regulation. They are placed in the canvas or frame. The number of loops can vary within 2-3 pieces. It depends on the size of the door leaf, as well as its weight.
The locking mechanism on the door should not only be reliable, but also be resistant to forced opening. The most high-quality to date are considered locks of suvaldny type, equipped with euro cylinders. The price of the front door with glass and such a mechanism is above average, but the ability to secure the house justifies such costs.
Despite its simplicity, the door handle is one of the most necessary elements of the design. It should be not only durable, reliable, practical and convenient, but also have decorative properties. It is desirable for the front door to select this item, made of high quality metal.
Helpful advice! It is not recommended to buy a handle in the mechanism of which there are plastic elements. Such fittings quickly wear out and become unusable.
The closer can increase the service life of the door by 5-6 times. The principle of operation of this device lies in the fact that the powerful spring mechanism gently and slowly returns the door leaf after opening to its original position. Thanks to the system for setting and adjusting the stroke with which the drive lever is equipped, it is possible to eliminate the slamming of the door. The canvas in this case will be softly and smoothly closed.
When choosing a door closer, consider the size of the door leaf and its weight. Installation of this device can be done independently, using the instructions that are attached to each box. Such an acquisition will pay off in about six months.
In the door configuration may be present latch. This device is designed to fix the web in a certain position. Most often it is used on doors with two doors. The latch is selected taking into account the material from which the frame and canvas are made. Mortise parts are installed on wooden and plastic entrance doors with glass, overhead fittings for glass and metal structures. The range of latches is quite extensive and includes devices of semi-automatic and automatic types, with different length of the locking pin, models that can be locked to the left or to the right.
For the manufacture of entrance doors, three types of glass are used: tempered, reinforced and triplex.
Hardened material is obtained from ordinary glass. For this sheet passes through the heat treatment procedure. In the process, the material is heated to 650-700 ° C. Then the glass is rapidly cooled to normal temperature. As a result, the strength of its amorphous structure increases 5-7 times. At the same time inside the glass remains a mechanical compressive stress. Due to this, when breaking it falls into a large number of small fragments with blunt edges, so there is no chance of injury or cuts.
Tempered glass has a high heat resistance, which allows the use of doors made with its use in regions with any climatic conditions. This material has drawbacks. The end zones of tempered glass are extremely vulnerable to mechanical impact. If the blow falls on the site with residual voltage, then the entire sheet will collapse.
Important! Hardened glass cannot be mechanically treated. Such products can not be drilled or cut.
Glass entrance doors for a country house from triplex is produced by gluing together several layers of ordinary material. A polymeric film or composite is used as a fixative. Organic or silicate glasses are used for the production of such products, which undergo such processes as heating and pressing.
With a strong mechanical impact, for example, bending or impact, triplex is covered with a fine web of cracks. At the same time, the material retains its integrity and transparency. Thanks to this property, triplex is widely used in the automotive industry.
The range of glass triplex is quite extensive and includes products with different properties and characteristics:
- noise absorption;
- possibility of electric heating;
- mirror surface;
- electrochromicity;
- chromaticity.
Reinforced glass is a material inside which contains a woven mesh, reinforcing its strength characteristics. If you break such a sheet, it will keep the fragments in place, which eliminates the possibility of injury. Reinforcing mesh is placed in the glass at the production stage.
For the arrangement of the entrance group in cottages and country houses most often used designs of swing type, made of metal or wood. Often in the photo of such objects you can see the entrance door with glass and forging. Such products are distinguished by high safety, excellent decorative properties, although their cost is quite high. For residential buildings, predominantly used glass with tinted or mirror coating.
Entrance doors with glass inserts are installed at the entrances of town houses. Most often, these structures are hinged, and the material for their manufacture is steel.
Public places with high traffic are equipped with sliding type entrance groups. Such products must be transparent to provide a good overview. Entrance glass doors for shops, airports and railway stations are equipped with an automatic opening system, so that they do not have a queue. Since public facilities do not need heat saving, a structure with a frame made of aluminum or steel can be installed at the entrance.
With these materials, the internal cavities in the door leaf are blocked. To increase the reliability of the metal door, it is advisable to install a cylinder locking mechanism or lever-type lock used for safes. If such devices are combined with an armored plate, it is almost impossible to crack them.
The modern selection of door designs is huge. In stores you can pick up stylish, practical, convenient and reliable products with different characteristics, such as frost resistance, fire resistance, increased strength or sound insulation. If you want to get something original and unique, the buyer can purchase a product made according to an individually designed project.
