Sliding doors - advantages and disadvantages of using. Modern types of mechanisms (115 photos)

Even owners of private houses want to use all the available space as efficiently as possible. Given this, architects, designers and furniture manufacturers are constantly creating ways, methods and solutions for the greatest savings in living space without sacrificing functionality and comfort. One of these solutions was the sliding doors invented in distant Japan.

Sliding doors are a door system in which the movable part does not open perpendicularly, but moves along it.

Advantages and disadvantages of sliding doors

Like any interior design solution, sliding interior doors have advantages and disadvantages.

The main advantage, as mentioned earlier, is the ability to significantly save space. The standard width of simple doors varies from 60 to 80 centimeters: this distance reduces the free space of the room into which the door leaf opens. Therefore, the installation of systems is most popular sliding doors between a narrow corridor and a kitchen or living room.

The second plus of sliding doors is the originality of the general appearance of the room in terms of design. As a rule, they are made to order, taking into account individual sizes and wishes regarding color and material of manufacture. Mirror panels can be placed on the front of the door, cork boards for illustrations and notes, slate boards for drawing and magnets.

Thirdly, today such door systems are often used for zoning a large room, for example, to separate the dining room from the kitchen or the seating area from the living room. Choosing doors made of transparent material, the owners of the house will not even feel the bulkiness of the partition.

However, sliding doors also have a couple of drawbacks. Firstly, the mechanism for sliding doors is more complicated, therefore, the cost is somewhat more expensive than the usual hinges.

If the goal of the owners of the apartment is the most budgetary decoration or redecoration, then it is hardly worth choosing this option.

The second partial drawback is the inevitable slight noise when opening and closing the door. Even the most expensive and thoughtful mechanism will not be absolutely silent. This fact is not an obstacle for every apartment: if the owners have a sound sleep, the sound will not interfere with a comfortable life.

Types of sliding door mechanisms

The classic version of a sliding door is a design, the working surface of which moves along the wall in a straight line and is fixed near it. Such doors can be either single-leaf (a great option for small apartments), as well as bivalve.

Radius doors are a tribute to the modern architectural trend of designing houses with curved walls. The door leaf moves along a circular path, somewhat reminiscent of shower doors. In addition to the role of an interior door, this design is used to create a small separate room inside the room: pantry in the kitchen, dressing room in the bedroom.

Folding interior doors work on the "accordion" principle: narrow strips 10-30 centimeters wide are tightly folded and fixed near one of the jambs. A big advantage of such mechanisms is the possibility of adjusting the width of the passage. In stores there are accordion doors and from two or three wide canvases.

The third type of sliding door system is compartment doors. They not only serve to periodically close the opening in the wall, but also act as this wall at the same time. Such doors are used to distinguish between the kitchen and the dining room: the working area is opened or covered from prying eyes.

Sliding door material

The planned scope of the sliding door influences the choice of material: wood. mdf, glass or plastic.

Wooden doors are installed between the corridor and the living room or sanitary unit: they close tightly enough, do not let in light and unnecessary sounds. The issue of using wooden sliding door systems for a children's room is controversial.

On the one hand, wood is the safest natural material, many types of wood have a beneficial effect on the health and psychological state of a person, even after numerous treatments.

On the other hand, solid wood products are quite heavy (compared to plastic, fiberboard or MDF), which increases the risk of injury to children's fingers if the sash is closed carelessly.

However, this drawback can be eliminated: for the sake of safety, you can put a special door closer, or lay it along the end door panel soft material like foam.

Wooden doors and other interior elements are good for their stylistic diversity, because with a certain combination of colors and handles, you can redesign the door in any interior style, from white Scandinavian to massive rough loft.

A significantly more budgetary solution would be an MDF door. The MDF frame is highly resistant to high temperatures. However, this material has a tendency to swell from moisture, so it is highly not recommended to install a door made of this material in the bathroom, closet or laundry room.

Glass doors are preferably used as a partition in large rooms of private houses or studio apartments. They transmit light, so that the space does not decrease in volume. Exotic lovers can order colored glass panels that will turn the rooms into a riot of colors with enough sunlight.

main function glass walls and doors - let in light without letting in sounds. Therefore, glass door systems are often installed in office premises for conference rooms, offices, meeting booths, libraries and rest rooms.

Plastic doors are cheap and light weight, which determines their prevalence among owners of small country houses or rental tenants. As a rule, they are installed only as partitions, for example, to protect children from stairs or from pets.

Today, the simultaneous use of several materials is popular: wooden door with glass inserts is found in many design projects.

Photos of sliding doors in various interior styles can be found in design blogs or other specialized web resources. It is not difficult to note the trend that high-tech style supporters prefer glass doors, and loft and Scandinavian style prefer wooden doors.

DIY sliding door system

A non-standard mechanism does not mean at all that the installation of sliding doors cannot be done by hand. This will help save money and time when ordering from a door factory, especially if the doorway is of a non-standard shape or size.

The set of necessary accessories for sliding doors consists of the door leaf itself of the required size (width and height of a standard swing door or a little more), a sliding mechanism, handles, a rail for the door frame and, if desired, a lock. The length of the sliding mechanism is calculated as two door widths, but it is better to buy with a margin, since the mechanism is easily trimmed.

In the existing working part of the door in the center of the lower end, it is necessary to make a groove about 3-4 mm deep. The rollers that enter the sliding mechanism are screwed to the upper end of the door. Then the guide profile is fixed: it should protrude from one edge by about 5-5.5 centimeters.

The height to which the structure must be fixed is calculated based on the height of the door itself, the rollers and the lower gap (depending on the floor covering and the possible curvature of the floor, the distance varies from 1 to 2 centimeters). The door frame can be made from an ordinary rail 2 centimeters thick, on the sides of which platbands are subsequently fixed.

Photo of sliding doors

The tightness of standard city apartments forces their owners to use a variety of devices and structures, the operation of which will help save precious living space. Having made sliding doors on rollers with their own hands and installing them instead of traditional swing doors, the owner will be able to free up space for installing furniture or simply increase the free space of the premises. In addition, sliding structures are often installed in large openings between rooms and become a kind of mobile, allowing, if necessary, to divide them into different rooms or combine them into one large hall.

Having understood the principles of installation of such a design, it is quite possible to assemble and install sliding doors on your own, saving on the involvement of craftsmen, if you have necessary tools, and the owner himself has stable carpentry and locksmith skills and due care.

Advantages and disadvantages of sliding door structures

The choice of specific models of sliding doors depends on the layout of the apartment, as well as on the design of the rooms. But before you buy interior sliding systems, you need to learn not only about them positive qualities but also about their weaknesses.

So, sliding doors have the following positive qualities:

• They provide significant space savings.
• Unlike a hinged design, a sliding door will never randomly open and close from drafts.
• Such doors even help to visually expand the small space of the apartment.
• The advantage is the absence of thresholds in some types of similar structures, which is extremely convenient if elderly people live in the apartment or with handicapped as well as small children.
• A sliding double door is able to divide the room into separate zones, which helps to optimally use the space of a one-room apartment.

• With the right approach, the sliding door is not so difficult to install and easy to operate.
• The sliding design is able to bring individuality into the standard layout of the apartment, to transform it aesthetically.
• Thanks to modern technologies, sliding doors are easy to automate, and this distinguishing feature can be called one of the key advantages over swing structures.

However, it is equally important to know the “cons” of such doors, since, having installed them, it will be necessary to observe some conditions for their operation:

• The roller system and the guide rail along which the door leaf will move must always be maintained in good condition and clean, otherwise they may fail, and one day the door will jam in one position.
• Usually, a standard sliding structure, unlike a hinged one, is unable to soundproof the divided rooms with high quality, since between door frame and the door leaf will remain, at least small gaps.
• The door will not be able to contain the smells from cooking if it is planned to be installed at the entrance to the kitchen room.
• All design parameters during its installation must be well measured, and its elements must be installed perfectly vertically and horizontally, otherwise the door may wedge. However, this requirement probably applies to any type of door structures.
• Installing a double-leaf door is a more complicated process than one consisting of a single leaf, since the movable canvases will need to be very accurately adjusted not only to the doorway, but also to each other.
• The high cost of sliding structures also cannot be attributed to the advantages.

Varieties of sliding doors

There are several types of sliding doors. They differ from each other in design, appearance and installation of the working mechanism.

All types of sliding doors have general principle work, which distinguishes them from swing structures - they move along a horizontal line, along the door and wall. However, these systems are subdivided into different types and may be:

- traditional sliding;

- cascading;

- folding - "accordion";

- radial sliding.

Any of the existing structures can be single-leaf or multi-leaf. So, from two to four door panels can be included in a multi-leaf system.

If the door has not yet been selected, then it is worth considering the features of each type, and only after that decide on the design.

Traditional sliding doors

Traditional sliding doors are divided into suspended, cassette suspended, and having two guides - upper and lower.

• Bottom and top rail design

This type of sliding doors is the most common, and most often chosen for installation in apartments, as it is considered the most reliable, of course, when the guides are correctly set and fixed. In this design, one or more leaves move along the upper and lower rails.

It should be noted right away that this type of sliding door is quite difficult for self-assembly, since it is necessary to perfectly fit the upper and lower rails to each other.

Find out a completely doable task from a new article on our portal.

The disadvantage of this system is the fact that the lower rail is mounted on the floor surface, that is, either a threshold will be formed, or a recess will have to be cut. In the guide profile, which is installed in the floor, dust and small debris will definitely collect, which can impede, slow down, and sometimes even block the movement of the door leaf, so you will need to constantly monitor the cleanliness of this assembly very carefully.

• Hanging sliding doors

Suspended structures are also quite popular, as they do not require the installation of a rail in the floor and do not have a threshold, but move only along the upper rail.

The rail is fixed to the wall above the doorway or to the ceiling, depending on the height of the selected door and room. The guide can be located openly or closed with a masking or decorative casing.

door leaf in this option the structure will be in limbo, at a distance of 10 ÷ 15 mm from the wall, so you need to take into account the fact that it will not work to put one of the pieces of furniture against the wall towards which the door will open.

Depending on how the interior will be decorated, the false panel that will cover the upper rail can be fixed only on the segment of the door movement or from wall to wall, and sometimes a similar “border” is placed around the entire perimeter of the room. In the latter case, she will play the role decorative element interior and will serve, in addition, as a masking of the cornice for curtains. The option of fixing the border along all the walls of the room is possible if the door guide is high enough on the wall.

• Hanging sliding cassette doors

This version of sliding doors can have a suspended structure or move along two rails. Its main difference from previous varieties is the location of the rails and canvas inside the doorway. That is, when moving the door along the guides, it will go into a niche arranged in a wall special for this purpose.

If a similar design is chosen in a private house, then it is usually provided in advance, when building walls or partitions. Well, in an apartment, such a niche is formed from a plasterboard structure, but in this case, you need to consider that the size of the room will decrease by about 100÷120 mm.

The advantage of this option can be called a tighter fit of the end side of the door when it is closed and the absence of an open gap between the wall and the canvas, which means that the sound insulation of the rooms will be an order of magnitude higher than in any other sliding structure.

In addition, by installing a similar kind of doors, you can free up the wall and the space in front of it, adding aesthetics and comfort to the interior.

However, considering all the alterations that will need to be made when installing cassette sliding doors, it is clear that the total cost of their installation will be quite high, even if all the work is done independently.

Cascade sliding structures

The cascading version of the sliding doors is arranged according to the same principle as the traditional one, with upper and lower guides, but differs in that it consists of several canvases, each of which moves along its own separate rail. Therefore, such a system can be moved apart in the form of a partition, dividing the room into two zones, or be assembled near one of the walls and cover the room only by the width of one sheet.

Such systems are usually used as partitions, but they may well become a wall with a door if only one of the panels is moved. Such sliding structures are most often made of natural or polymer glass of different shades, and have a height from ceiling to floor, so the lower guides are built into the floor, and the upper ones are fixed to the ceiling.

Very often, such systems are used to create glazed verandas or terraces - there is always the opportunity to turn the room into an open summer recreation area.

How can you rationally use the veranda or terrace

Modern window and door designs allow you to fully use the premises of the house or outbuildings in winter time, and in the summer, turn them into open cozy recreation areas. An example is, which are described in a special publication of our portal.

Sliding design - "accordion"

The sliding system "accordion" can act as a partition or door. It consists of several canvases interconnected by end loops.

This is enough complex structure for self-manufacturing, and assembly is best done with the invitation of an experienced specialist.

The width of the door panels can be different - it depends on the size of the opening and the free space that can be allocated for the structure when folded.

The "accordion" system can be installed in a standard or wide doorway, as well as a partition that divides the room into zones. When installing it to act as a partition, the rails are mounted on the floor and ceiling.

The characteristic disadvantages of this design can be attributed to almost complete absence sound and heat insulation.

Radius sliding structures

Sliding radius systems give the interior of any room a special charm, but to install them, you will have to create a semicircular plasterboard wall. This type of structure can be used for installation in doorway or serve as a full-fledged room partition, installed from ceiling to floor.

The radius variant is mounted on the upper and lower rails, and can walk on the outer or inside walls, as well as being built into it, that is, empty walls inside will become a cassette into which the door leafs will hide when they are opened.

A well-made and properly installed structure of this type is capable of creating a sufficiently high sound and heat insulation. However, if there is no experience in installing a radial system of sliding doors and plasterboard structures, but there is a great desire to have such a decorative and functional element in the interior of your apartment, then it is better to entrust its installation to an experienced master - self-installation will be extremely difficult.

Production and installation of a sliding door on rollers

Materials for assembling a suspended door structure

Suspended structure is the most simple option for self-assembly, and therefore it is worth considering how all work is carried out, and what materials will be needed for them.

• Depending on the size of the doorway, one or two door leaves will be required. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the massiveness of the canvases, since according to this parameter the fittings elements that should keep them on weight will be selected.

For suspended structure the canvas should be larger than the doorway.

• The upper guide is a rail along which the door leafs will move with the help of roller mechanisms fixed to them. The length of the guide should be equal to twice the width of one or two door leaves.

• A wooden beam, equal in length to the rail, and having a cross-sectional size of at least 50 × 50 mm - a guide will be fixed on it.
• A set of rollers and fasteners, selected according to the weight and thickness of one or two canvases.

• Quality boards or panels for framing a doorway - making a box.
• Three platbands - two vertical and one horizontal, for the doorway, and a false panel that will cover the timber and the guide, fixed above the doorway.
• It can be built into the structure, if desired, it is installed for easier closing of the door leaf.
• One or two sets of door handles.

• Anchors for fixing the timber to the wall.
• Self-tapping screws.
• Fasteners for installing platbands and false panels.
• Mounting polyurethane foam to fill the gaps between the door frame and the wall.

The table below shows the dimensions of single leaf sliding doors and their corresponding doorway dimensions:

And this table shows similar parameters, but for a double-leaf sliding door:

If there is no certainty that the door leaf will be made independently with the required quality, then it is better to purchase it in ready-made, as doors produced on professional equipment will look much more impressive.

Tools for the job

Now about the tools, without which it will not be possible to make a door system and install it.

The list of the minimum required includes the following items:

• Electric drill (perforator) with drills for wood and concrete.
• Circular saw, electric jigsaw and hand saw.
• Screwdriver.
• Building level, plumb line, 1000 mm ruler, square, tape measure, folding rule.
• Electric or conventional planer.
• Manual milling machine with a set of necessary cutters.
• Hammer, chisel, pliers.

Door leaf manufacturing

If the door will be made independently, then you need to know what it can be made of, and what models of canvases can be used in this design.

Hanging doors can be solid, paneled or with artificial glass installed in a frame with different amount jumpers. A solid canvas can be made from solid boards, chipboard or well-finished wooden beam and plywood. It should be noted that all these materials have a sufficiently large massiveness, therefore ready-made options Hanging door panels are often made using high quality plastic or metal, which is used as a frame for installing transparent synthetic glass inserts into it.

In any case, whether the doors are purchased ready-made or made independently, the parameters of the canvas should be selected depending on the size of the doorway. The exact ratios of these dimensions can be found in the tables above.

For example, for a doorway with one leaf measuring 865 × 2175 mm, with a box installed in it, you will need a door with a size of 900 × 2200 mm, and when installing a double-leaf structure in an opening measuring 1765 × 2175 mm, the leaves should have a size of 900 + 900 ×2200 mm.

If a chipboard panel is purchased as a blank for the door right size, it can be made lighter by cutting out one or more windows in it, then processing their edges with a router and installing thin plywood or glass in them.

The manufacturing process of a glazed or lightweight chipboard sheet is carried out as follows:

• The panel is marked up to begin with. In this case, it is necessary to observe the condition that, in any case, at least 150 mm must be retreated from the edges. Thus, the framing of a door leaf made of chipboard should not be narrower than this size.
• After marking, the inner parts of the panel are cut with an electric jigsaw. In order to carry out this process, a hole is drilled in one of the marking corners, then a jigsaw blade is inserted into it, and the marked parts of the panel are carefully cut out.
• Next, you need to qualitatively process the inner edges resulting from cutting out the openings, otherwise they will look sloppy. This work can be done in two ways - to process the edges with a milling cutter or to ennoble with a relief glazing bead. The bead is cut to the size of the windows, then glued or nailed around the entire perimeter on one side of the panel.

• Further, according to the size of the window, glass or an insert from plywood is cut out, and installed in it, pressing against the fixed glazing bead. After that, the inserts on the other side are fixed with a second glazing bead.
• The end surfaces of the door leaf made of chipboard can be ennobled with a special decorative thermal tape, which is glued with a conventional iron.
• If plywood inserts are installed in the cut-out windows, they can be adjusted to the overall color before installation by painting, staining or laminating. Glazing beads should also have a color close to all elements of the door structure.
• Doors can also be made from timber of different cross-sectional dimensions, but the thickness of the frame frame should not be more than 30 mm.

The beam for the manufacture of such a door leaf must be of high quality and well processed.

The beam from which the internal lintels of the frame will be made must have a smaller or the same thickness as the frame. The size of the glazing bead and the thickness of the panels that will be installed in the formed windows must be thought out in advance, since the first should not protrude outward relative to the surface of the entire door leaf.

It should be noted that the manufacture of a frame door from a bar is a more complicated process, since all elements of the frame are fastened together with extreme accuracy and reliability, otherwise the finished canvas can “lead”, that is, its frame is deformed.

• There are several methods for joining timber, but the most popular are in the "half-tree" and "in the paw". They are quite simple to cut, keep the structure well from deformation and securely fasten the elements together.

It is better if the bars are fastened together not with metal screws, or even more so with nails, but with special wooden dowels that are driven into holes drilled through the diameter at the nodes of the adhesive joints of the bars. For each of these door frame nodes, it is necessary to use two dowels installed diagonally.

• In the lower end part of the leaf, over its entire width, a groove is milled for the flag roller or, as it is called in another way, the lower door latch.

Hanging system installation

When the door leaf is ready, it is necessary to fix the fittings on it - these are roller mechanisms, special locks or handles that are different from those installed in the usual swing structures. In any sliding doors, the handles are recessed into the canvas, as they should not interfere with its movement.

• The first step is to mark the location of the handle on both sides of the door leaf. It should be located at a distance of 35÷50 mm from the vertical edge of the panel.
• After that, from the marked line, the width of the nest and its height are marked. Further, a distance equal to half the width of the future hole is measured from the upper marking point - this point will be the center of the circle, which is drilled using a crown drill of the desired diameter.

• The same process is carried out on the underside of the marked socket for the pen. You should get two non-through recesses, having a depth to which the handle will be recessed into the canvas.
• Then, the wood between the two marked crowns with round recesses is selected using a milling cutter or chisel and a hammer.

• Handles in sliding structures are fixed in those cut out with glue, for example, “liquid nails”, or snapped onto special fasteners, which are pre-screwed into the resulting opening.
• The next step on the upper end side of the door leaf, you need to mark and fix the roller mechanisms with self-tapping screws. Under them, most likely, you will have to choose curly grooves with a milling cutter (chisel).
• The rollers must be fixed at a certain distance from the edges of the door leaf. This parameter is indicated in the instructions attached to the set of metal fittings.

• Now the finished door can be set aside for the time being, and you can start upgrading, of course, if the door frame is not already installed in it.
• It is much easier to assemble and install a frame for sliding doors than for swing structures, since it consists of three absolutely even elements - two vertical and one horizontal boards (panels), fastened together with long self-tapping screws.

The box can be made of solid board or chipboard - this factor does not play a big role in this case, since no load falls on the mounted structure. Its only purpose is to give the doorway a neat and aesthetic look.

• The fastened frame is installed in the doorway and wedged with wooden spacers, which are driven between its panels and the wall to achieve perfect verticality and horizontality of the walls.

The position of the box panels is controlled using building level and plumb. When the structure is installed perfectly accurately, it is fixed to the walls. This can be done by drilling through holes in the boards of the box or by screwing metal plates to the end sides of the boards and to the wall.

• Further, on the prepared beam, equal in length to the double width of the door leaf, a metal guide for the rollers is fixed with the help of self-tapping screws.
• Holes are pre-drilled in the beam through which it will be fixed on the wall.
• After that, roller mechanisms mounted on the door are inserted into the guide rail.

• The whole structure is attached to the doorway, leveled, if necessary, temporarily propped up with wooden wedges, and then the beam is “tightly” screwed to the wall.
• Next, the door moves to one side and the other of the guide to determine the places at the beginning and end of the rail where travel stops or stoppers for the web will be fixed. Stoppers in different models of doors may have a different design.

• The next step ahead open door, in its lower end part, in a cut-out groove, a flag roller is installed and screwed to the floor. It should be perfectly level under the top guide rail.

This lower stop does not allow the door leaf to go to the side, that is, it does not allow its transverse vibrations.

• Further, the gaps between the wall and the boards of the door frame are filled with mounting foam. After it dries, the protruding surplus is cut off.
• Then the timber and the guide rail are decorated with a false panel, and the gaps between the door frame and the wall are trimmed.

In the considered case, the installation of the simplest sliding suspended structure, not complicated by unnecessary elements, was presented. Therefore, the installation of such a system seems to be quite affordable for independent implementation by any home master, of course, subject to taking into account all the nuances and following technological recommendations.

Video: Another example of installing a suspended roller door structure

Interior doors can be the most unusual! But main trend modernity - sliding. How to make interior design stylish, original, special with the help of this element - look at our photos.

Advantages and disadvantages of using sliding doors

The door system in which the canvas (that is, the main part) opens along the wall is called sliding.

The sliding door system was borrowed by designers from the Japanese. This is not surprising, because in Japan, where an incredibly small territory and high population density, every square meter is worth its weight in gold.

Despite the originality and unusualness, sliding doors have firmly entered our everyday life. There are a number of good reasons for this, which are the key benefits of using sliding doors:

• Unlike hinged doors, which occupy at least one square meter of usable space, sliding doors do not need additional space. Thanks to this, even the smallest apartment will become as comfortable and spacious as possible.
• The number of canvases in a sliding door system can vary from one to several, which can not only become an unusual element of interior design, but also an excellent option in terms of functionality, because it is much easier to control and adjust the width of the doorway with such a door system than in the case of hinged doors.
• Sliding doors can serve not only as doors, but also as a multifunctional partition between rooms or zones. Sliding interior partitions are very relevant for owners or one-room apartments, where, on the one hand, you don’t want to reduce and divide the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room, and on the other, one way or another, it becomes necessary for each family member to have personal space. At least for a while.

However, like every medal, sliding door systems have some disadvantages:

• Sliding doors save space near the doorway itself (forward or backward), but it is critical that there is space on the sides of the doors so that the leaves have somewhere to move. This space is called "parking". Without a place to "park" the door leaf (for example, at the end of the corridor), the sliding system simply cannot be installed. Even if parking spaces are hidden in the wall, it is not recommended to install such structures in load-bearing and adjacent walls with neighbors.
• Sliding doors move on rails and rollers, so it is almost impossible to open them without accompanying sounds and noise. Therefore, it is better not to install such doors in the bedrooms of the owners of sensitive sleep and, especially, in children's rooms.
• Prices for sliding door systems are an order of magnitude higher than for standard swing structures due to the cost of the sliding mechanism (especially if it is of high quality).

Types of designs of sliding door systems

Standard

Standard sliding doors are a design that is installed in the door reception. At the same time, the door leaf does not swing open, but moves aside and is fixed near one of the walls.

Standard sliding doors come in two basic types:

• Single-leaf (with one movable canvas)
• Double-leaf (with two movable canvases)

The first option will be convenient for small rooms with tiny doorways.

If you need to install a door between two small rooms or a room in which every square meter counts, then single-leaf sliding door systems will be the ideal option for you.

The second option is more suitable for spacious spaces with wide doorways. Thanks to this design, you will be able to independently adjust the size of your doorway (which is very important not only in terms of functionality, but also the visual perception of the room as a whole).

Radius

The radial design of sliding door systems assumes that the door leaf is moved not in a straight line, but in a circle. This option will perfectly fit into the non-standard layout of the room, in which there are round or curved walls.

It is good to use radial structures as stylish sliding partitions for zoning space in a room. This will be especially appropriate when creating an interior in high-tech, minimalism, fusion styles.

Harmonic

Accordions (or, as they are also called, folding interior doors) are a design of several relatively narrow canvases that do not move away, but fold (see photo below). The beauty of this design lies in the fact that the width of the doorway when using it varies from a narrow gap (for example, so that a cat can slip into it) to a full-fledged spacious passage.

coupe

Sliding compartment doors differ from standard ones in that the design occupies not only the doorway, but completely replaces the wall. On the one hand, depending on the materials used, this allows you to divide the room into two independent functional areas without strong visual concealment of space, and on the other hand, to create two or more cozy personal spaces for each family member in a studio apartment or one-room dwelling.

Department in a studio apartment with the help of sliding sliding doors prevent the spread of odors and steam from the cooking zone throughout the room.

Sliding door materials

The most popular materials for the manufacture of sliding door systems today are:

• Wood
• Fiberboard or MDF
• Glass

Wood

The traditional material for the manufacture of not only doors, but also furniture in general, is wood. At the same time, both the entire leaf (s) of the sliding door system and the frame for combination with other materials can be made of wood:

• Glass
• Plastic
• Paper
• Textile
• Mirror

The easy pliability of wood processing allows it to be used for interior decoration in almost any style. Want a charming country room? Use rough wooden planks! Do you like the interior classical style? Choose a wooden door leaf of strict forms. Looking for a shabby chic or art deco interior? Give preference carved wood with forged elements or inlay. Are you a follower of the East? Use canvases with wooden frame and rice paper inserts.

Fibreboard/MDF

Since wood is not the cheapest material, it may well be replaced by materials such as fiberboard or MDF. In appearance, they are almost impossible to distinguish from natural wood, but the cost is an order of magnitude lower than that of similar products made of natural wood.

Glass

Glass sliding doors are a great option for creating an interior in minimalist, futuristic or high-tech styles. Due to the property of glass to transmit light, glass interior sliding doors do not create a feeling of total isolation of space. Moreover, by choosing the degree of coloration and cloudiness of the glass for the door leaf, you can choose the degree of transparency (and, as a result, integration with the adjacent room) of interior doors.

Sliding room dividers

The versatility of sliding door systems allows them to be used not only as doors in doorways, but also as an element of space zoning. The most common use of zoning in the interior is the zoning of studio apartments and one-room apartments. In this case, it is more of an obvious need than design solution. However, sliding partitions can be used in other cases:

• If children of different sexes live in one or fly of different ages, then with the help of a sliding partition you can make two smaller ones out of one large children's bedroom.
• If you want to organize in your apartment or house, and there is no special room for this, then with the help of a sliding partition you can separate part of the bedroom for these purposes.
• A large kitchen can be not only functional working area for cooking, but also a full-fledged dining room. The use of sliding partitions will prevent the spread of odors in the kitchen from the cooking zone, and will also hide from prying eyes "production costs" in the form of dirty dishes, garbage and other things.
• It would be appropriate to use sliding partitions not only in residential premises, but also in offices in order to separate the working space of different employees or the manager's office and, for example, a meeting room.

Thanks to a wide range of products from manufacturers of building (and not only) materials, almost all stages of repair and future interior elements can be created and installed with your own hands. And the Leroy Merlin online store will help with this, in which you can get acquainted not only with the range of materials available, but also with their main characteristics.

First of all, decide what type of installation you will be using. There are two types of them:

Overhead. In this case, the guides and rollers are installed on the wall, outside the doorway. This option is easier to install, but remember that the door panels in this case will always be in sight.

built-in. In this case, the sliding mechanism is mounted inside the doorway, and the canvas slides into niches in the walls. This option is more compact, however, a beginner will most likely not be able to cope with it.

Having decided on the type of installation, you can think about the type of design of the sliding door system and the material from which it will be made. As mentioned above, the main types of sliding door designs include standard, radius, cascade (accordion) and coupe.

After the appearance of the future door is thought out and selected, it is necessary to measure the height and width of the structure to be installed and make markings for the overlay mechanism.

Marking should only be done with a water level, otherwise your doors may be skewed!

Some designs involve the installation of a guide not only from above, but from below. In this case, the door leaf will completely occupy the space from floor to ceiling and the ability of the door to isolate noise and extraneous sounds will increase significantly.

After the guides are securely fixed, rollers are installed in them. For each canvas, depending on its width, you will need from one to three rollers. The edges of the guides are blocked with a bracket (so that the rollers do not fly out).

The next step is to screw the door panels to the rollers and install the door hardware. All! The door is ready for use.

Most of us are accustomed to the classic swing doors and cannot imagine anything else in the interior of our apartment.

However, modern interior doors can be quite unusual. How can you save space with their help, create an interesting, fashionable design?

Very simple - to install sliding interior doors.

Sliding doors - "for" or "against"

Opening the door along the wall is called sliding. They came up with such a design in advanced Japan. Installation of sliding interior doors allows you to solve a number of significant tasks:

Significant space savings. In order to open the door, you do not need to use extra space. Therefore, this option design feature ideal for small spaces.

Maintaining the principle of zoning. This type door structure can serve not only as an interroom separator, but also be installed within the same room.

In this case, reach the possibility of dividing the room into zones.

Such a model is especially relevant for studio-type apartments, rooms in which family members of different ages live, if necessary, temporary protection from society, for example, for sleeping or working.

Solution of functional problems. The sliding door can be multi-leaf. The presence of several segments allows you to vary the degree of opening.

Adjusting the passage space, the size of the opening solves some practical problems: the possibility of unhindered passage with large objects, the effect on air circulation, the luminous flux.

Improving the aesthetics of the space. A sliding door can serve as a stylish interior element. Unusual design will complement modern design. Made in an unusual style, a sliding door can become the central link of the room, surprise, attract attention.

Despite the significant advantages, this door design has some disadvantages:

Installing the mechanism of sliding interior doors requires free space on the sides of them.

Such a design should move freely along the walls. This need limits the ability to load furniture and other elements of the significant space near the door system.

The noise accompanying the opening may disturb the peace of especially sensitive persons. It is better not to install such structures in rooms where there are small children, the elderly.

The cost of sliding doors is slightly higher than standard swing doors. This is due to the relative complexity of the rail mechanism. A high-quality system will cost an order of magnitude higher.

Considering the advantages and disadvantages, it is quite possible to determine the need and possibility of installing a sliding door structure.

Varieties of sliding doors

There are several options for sliding interior doors:

• Standard;
• Radius;
• Harmonic;
• Coupe.

The standard design can be single-leaf or double-leaf. A small room with a small doorway will happily accept a single canvas.

For a modest space where every centimeter counts, a single-leaf design will be the best solution.

An unconstrained room with doorways of sufficient size will suit the standard double-leaf version. It will be practical and unusual to push the sashes only to the required width.

The radius model perfectly complements a special room, because the sash moves in a circle. This version of the door will fit into a non-standard space, add style to the room.

The folding version of the accordion will allow you to achieve maximum functionality. Shutters, consisting of several narrow elements, allow you to vary the size of the opening, save space on the sides of the structure.

The compartment variant occupies, in addition to the doorway, the entire area of ​​the wall, replacing it. This model perfectly divides the space into zones. Most often used in studio apartments, living rooms combined with a kitchen.

Any sliding system suitable for interior doors can be made of glass, plastic, wood or materials based on it. The canvas can be combined and contain more fabric or mirror panels.

Do-it-yourself sliding interior doors - it's easy

A rich selection of materials for construction, repair and components allows you to independently realize any design idea.

The creation and installation of a sliding interior door can be done by hand without much difficulty.

First you need to decide on the installation option of the structure. The sliding door can be mounted overhead or built-in.

It is easier for a beginner in this business to cope with the overhead option. Built-in fastening requires more skill, additional work on arranging niches in the walls. In addition, you need to decide on the model of the door itself.

Next comes the preparatory stage in the form of measurements and calculations. To mark the mounted mechanisms, you need to know the width and height of the door itself. When marking, be sure to use a level, otherwise the finished door may turn out to be a curve.

The main work is the installation of guides. It is required to know exactly the options for their fastening. It is better to think over all the subtleties of the work in advance so that unpleasant embarrassments do not occur.

In well-fixed rails, install rollers, fix them with plugs. The final stage is the connection of the doors to the movable mechanism, the addition of the necessary fittings to the structure.

A sliding interior door can significantly expand the functionality of the room, make it modern and stylish. After weighing all the pros and cons, you should not be afraid to take on the job and install it yourself.

The presented photos of sliding interior doors will help determine the appearance of this modern design.

Photo of sliding interior doors

• Coupe. They are single-leaf or double-leaf, their retractable canvases move parallel to the wall in one or different directions.
• Cassette. Retractable sashes are hidden in a special niche, it is made of drywall or supplied as a kit.
• Cascading. Each hinged sash of the structure is installed on its own guide, their displacement is carried out to one of the sides of the opening.
• Intra-hole. Such sliding doors always consist of two wings moving towards each other.

Sliding door features