Choosing an entrance metal door to an apartment, to a house

To ensure the safety of housing, doors must be reliable, burglary-resistant. But they must also be comfortable and beautiful. All these requirements are met by metal doors. But choosing a metal door is not so easy - there are many nuances and features that you need to know.

Burglary resistance and reliability

The main function that the front door must perform is to protect against entry into a house or apartment. When choosing doors, it is this factor that should be paid attention first of all. The most important thing is reliability, everything else is secondary. And it consists of the reliability of all elements of the door structure. Exactly. After all, what's the use of thick metal, if the locks can be opened in a couple of seconds, or removed from the hinges or squeezed out of the frame. In general, to choose the right metal door, pay attention to:

• Door leaf.
• The thickness of the metal in the frame.
• The number, reliability and type of locks.
• Reliability of hinges.
  

  Metal door construction

But that's not all. The method must be correctly chosen metal door installation - pins are usually driven into the frame, connecting it to the wall. The diameter of these pins, their length and number - and there is a choice of installation method. What's the use of a super good door if you can kick it out. In general, only an integrated approach will give you confidence in the safety of your home. So in order to choose the right metal door, you will have to understand the intricacies.

Door leaf of iron door

The door leaf of a metal door is not just a sheet of metal. This is a three-dimensional structure, which consists of a steel sheet and stiffeners, as well as reinforcements and linings in the most loaded (door hinges) or problem areas (where the locks are installed). Anti-removable pins or labyrinths may also be present.

Sectional metal door

All this ensures the safety of the room, but not comfort. Everyone knows that metal is an excellent conductor of heat, and besides, it is bad at dampening sounds. These disadvantages are compensated by the installation of a heater, as well as rubber seals. They are also different and give different effects. Before choosing a metal door, we understand the nuances.

Metal thickness

Most often, they start with the choice of the thickness of the door metal. There are "steel" doors on sale that can be opened almost with a can opener. They use metal with a thickness of 0.3-0.6 mm. This is clearly not enough.

To ensure a sufficient level of reliability, the thickness of the steel must be at least 1 mm. It is no longer easy to damage such a sheet. But more often they are inclined to believe that the optimal choice is 1.5 - 2 mm, those who like to play it safe choose 3 mm. These metal doors will not be too heavy, but they will become an obstacle for burglars.

There are, of course, sheets of 4-6 mm or even more, but they are very heavy and expensive. Perhaps, as external doors in cottages and private houses, they are justified, but in high-rise buildings they are hardly advisable. What is very important - the sheet of metal must be solid, without welds. Welding significantly reduces the reliability of the door.

Can choose metal door with two steel sheets

There are doors with two steel sheets - the outer one is thicker, the inner one is slightly thinner. There is an ongoing debate over the need for a second sheet of metal. Whether he needs it or not, everyone decides for himself.The second sheet, on the one hand, increases its reliability. On the other hand, it makes the structure heavier and more expensive. It's not just the extra sheet of metal, but also the hinges and the frame. They have to withstand quite a lot of weight, be more massive and, therefore, more expensive. Whether it is worth choosing a metal door with one or two sheets of metal is up to you.

Technological nuances: manufacturing method, stiffeners, steel grade

The door leaf and frame of the steel door can be welded or bent. To bend steel with a thickness of 2 mm or more, special expensive equipment is required. Therefore, solid-bent metal doors are produced by serious enterprises. Welding is a simpler and more accessible process. This method is used by both small workshops and single foremen. With good quality of the welded seam, the reliability of the structure will be no worse than bent, but how to check? So they prefer to buy bent structures. So on this point it is difficult to say which is better to choose a metal door - welded or bent.

Stiffeners are welded to the steel plate of the door leaf. They are needed to strengthen the structure, there are vertical and horizontal. The total number is from 2 to 10. They are made of a shaped pipe or special one-piece U-shaped profiles. Vertical stiffeners should be solid and go from the very top to the bottom of the canvas.

Stiffeners increase rigidity

Not only the thickness of the steel is important, but also its grade, additives that give it increased strength. Manganese steel is strong, but expensive. In relatively inexpensive models, it is used only for linings in the area of ​​the lock. The presence of such overlays is a sign that the doors have good burglary resistance.

Anti-removable labyrinths and pins

To prevent the door leaf from being removed in the event of cutting down the door hinges, anti-removable elements are added to the structure. It could be a maze or pins. A labyrinth is a curved edge of a door leaf and a jamb in a certain way. When closed, they form a permanent connection.

Anti-detachable devices: labyrinth and pins

Anti-removable pins are welded to the frame from the hinge side. Mating holes are made in the door frame. When the doors are closed, the pins enter the holes, blocking its removal. This option is simpler (and cheaper).

Door frame

To choose the right metal door, pay attention to how the frame is made. There are two designs: with welded steel ears and holes for fasteners right in the frame itself. The first option is used in those houses where the thickness of the walls allows them to be installed. The second one with holes in the frame is also suitable for panel houses with their thin walls.

Frame constructions for metal door

In addition to the construction, look at the thickness of the metal from which it is made. At a minimum, the thickness should be no less than the door leaf sheet. Otherwise, it can be knocked out or squeezed out.

To keep your house warm and quiet, pay attention to seals and insulation. Seals (rubber rollers around the perimeter) can only stand on the door leaf or only on the frame, but it is better that they are there and there. Also, to keep warm and so that sounds do not get into your apartment or house, the frame itself must be insulated. It is hollow, and insulation is installed in these cavities. This is very important not in terms of reliability, but in terms of comfort.

Hinges

Iron door hinges should be designed for heavy weight and long-term use. The weight will have to withstand at least 100 kg, therefore ball loops are usually used. The movement at the door will be easier if they are on bearings.

The optimal number of loops is two. With a larger number, it is difficult to center them, which will affect the service life. Two loops of normal "carrying capacity" are sufficient.If it costs more, most likely, the factory did not have normal hinges and put those that are.

Hidden (right) and outdoor sang

By design, door hinges can be open and hidden. Hidden ones are considered more reliable, since they are invisible from the outside and cannot be cut off. But they have several disadvantages:

• They are more expensive.
• The limited opening angle of the door is about 90 °, while for the outer hinges it can be 180 °, therefore, problems with the skidding of large items may arise.
• When the door is opened, a force shoulder of significant magnitude is formed. Attempting to open the doors wider may cause the hinge to skew.
• When installing such hinges, the door frame is trimmed, which reduces its strength.
• In the place where the hidden loop is installed, it is difficult to properly position the insulation.

In general, a rather controversial choice. With a limited budget, it is better to choose external hinges, but with the obligatory presence of anti-removable elements (labyrinth or pins).

Locks and locking devices

The locks themselves, their structure and reliability can be studied for a long time. But it is worth remembering that a reinforcement plate must be installed in the door structure in the area of ​​the locks installation. The thickness of the steel should be at least twice that of other places. If the additional plate is made of a super-strong grade of steel (manganese), this is an additional plus to choosing this particular metal door.

Not only the lock is important, but also the presence of reinforcement

What to put locks

Those who do not want to delve into the study of the types of locks, you just need to know that for a sufficient level of reliability, it is desirable to have two locking devices of different systems. Most often they put cylinder and lever. On the door, they should not stand next to each other, but at a distance from each other. The greater this distance, the better - this reduces the possibility of the door being squeezed out, since the locks are spaced a considerable distance. It is also desirable to have a latch on the inside. Its design is at your discretion. This is so that if someone is at home, you cannot open the door from the outside. More constipation is more troublesome for owners than inconveniences for burglars.

Choosing locks for a metal door is a serious matter

One of the traditional locks can be replaced with an electronic lock. It does not have a keyhole, it opens not with ordinary keys, but with a remote control, like on an anti-theft device for cars. Good option, but worth a lot. Installing a two-in-one lock - with two systems is not entirely correct. After all, two locks are needed precisely so that the bolts are spaced as far as possible.

When choosing a lock for a metal door, European or American brands are often preferred. Yes, they are more expensive, but more reliable. Italian firms Cisa, Mottura, Turkish Kale, Austrian EVVA, German Saturn and Diamant have proven themselves well. If the budget is limited, there are good Russian ones: St. Petersburg Kerberos (with a cut-off lever) and Barrier.

Additional locking devices

Some doors are equipped with additional devices to protect against mechanical burglary. These are pins and bolts, which, when the lock is turned, move out of the door leaf, entering the holes made for them in the door frame. There are several types of these devices: rods, deviators and crabs.

If, when turning the key, pins appear at the top and bottom of the door leaf, these are rods. If additional pins protrude horizontally (usually in the upper and lower parts from the locking side, but can also be from the hinged side), these are deviators. The deviators can be of any shape - in the form of round pins or swivel hooks. If the pins appear from both the bottom / top and the looped side, this system is called a "crab".

Schemes of additional crossbars to increase the burglary resistance of the door

All of them are good as additional measures against mechanical burglary: if they try to squeeze the door leaf from the door frame, they will greatly complicate the task. But if they open it with a master key or some other "intellectual" method, it will not help. In addition, please note that all bolts work from the lock. So if you decide to choose a metal door with crossbars, the lock must have exits to connect to them. If not, all additional constipation is useless.

Warming and soundproofing

Without insulation in the inner space of the door leaf, the house or apartment will be cold and noisy. After all, steel conducts heat well and does not detain sounds well. Any suitable material is used as a heater: mineral wool, foam, expanded polystyrene. The question is which is best to use. It is better to be based on the characteristics of the insulation:

• Mineral wool. It can be basalt or fiberglass, it can be of different density.
  • Basalt mineral wool is good for everyone, but it is afraid of getting wet (condensation with a temperature difference inside and outside). When it freezes in a wet state, it turns into dust after freezing. If you want to choose an entrance metal door to the house, it is better to put it with a different insulation.
    

    Insulation is laid not only in the door leaf, but also in the door frame

  • Mineral wool made of fiberglass is not afraid of getting wet, but it is inconvenient to work with it - it pricks.
• Styrofoam. A good thermal insulation material that is not afraid of moisture, but has poor sound insulation characteristics. Attractive only for the price.
• Extruded polystyrene foam. This type of insulation is significantly superior in thermal insulation characteristics to other materials. From this point of view, he is perfect. But the sound insulation is also not very good, and the cost is high.

The conclusions from all of the above can be made as follows: the choice of insulation for the door depends on the intended place of its installation. If you are going to choose a metal door to your apartment, you can take mineral wool. It is still relatively warm at the entrance and basalt wool should not freeze. One more point: it is better if they put not porous cotton wool, but hard wool, which is usually sold in mats. It has better thermal insulation characteristics, due to its elasticity it fills cavities better.

When choosing a steel door for a house or cottage, it is better to refrain from basalt mineral wool. She will not fulfill her tasks. In this case, the best option is extruded polystyrene foam. It is also desirable that there are two independent insulation circuits: one at the outer part of the door, the second at the inner, and between them there is an air gap. This design increases the thickness of the door leaf, but the protection against cold and sound is much better.

Seals for keeping warm in the house and apartment

The presence of seals on the door is also important to preserve heat. Usually they are made of rubber in the shape of the letter D. They are attached around the perimeter of the door frame and door leaf. This is enough for a metal door to an apartment. For the door to the house, it is desirable to have two circuits - protection against cold penetration will be more reliable.