Sliding doors make it easy to separate two spaces inside your house or apartment, with less work than a traditional interior door. Discover our guide to help you choose your sliding doors.
6 reasons to install a sliding door
A sliding door has several advantages:
- It requires less installation than a conventional door.
- It can be placed in the center of a room to divide it into two distinct spaces.
- It is well suited to rooms with small surfaces, since it does not require deep space to open or close
- It favors the modular aspect of your interior. Closed, it separates, for example, your bedroom from your office. Opened, it transforms the space into a relaxation room or a home cinema.
- It offers a design touch to your interior. You can then play with shapes and colors as you wish.
- It is less expensive to buy and install than an interior door: no need for hinges, locks and other equipment.
Where to install a sliding door?
A sliding door can be installed in many rooms. For example, you can use them to:
- Separate a hallway from a kitchen to create a separate entrance hall.
- Separate a kitchen from a living room so that cooking odors do not spill over.
- Isolate the shower or bath aera in a bathroom.
- Separate a large bedroom into two separate children’s rooms so that each one has its own universe.
- With the development of homeworking, installing a sliding door can also be a good way to create an office at a lower cost. Separated from the rest of the family activity so that you can concentrate.
What dimensions for a sliding door?
Classicaly, the dimensions of a sliding door are: 80-1/4″ (204 cm) high and 28-3/4″ (73 cm) wide. But there are many other possible dimensions, whether you choose to buy your material in a DIY store or to acquire it custom-made, coupled with the intervention of a professional. The minimum width is 24-3/4″ (63 cm) to allow a person to pass through, but this can be a little narrow for a living room, where we will be more on measurements around 27-1/2″ (70 cm). If you want the access to the room to be possible for people with reduced mobility, you must calculate the width necessary for the passage of a wheelchair: between 35-3/8″ (90 cm) and 39-3/8″ (1 m) depending on the equipment.
As for the height, it all depends on the comfort you are aiming for and the ceiling height you have. If it is low, a 78-3/4″ (2 m) sliding door will suffice. If it is higher, you can opt for more substantial heights: between 82-5/8″ and 102-3/8″ (2.10 and 2.60 m) or even more. However, consider the aesthetics, a door that is too large in a short wall can be unsightly.
What material for a sliding door?
A sliding door can be made of many different materials. Solid wood is undoubtedly the most noble of them, but also the most expensive. It has excellent insulating properties. Oak, beech, fir or even an exotic wood will do perfectly. If you find it too expensive, the good compromise is MDF or medium density fiberboard. This is an artificial wood that can be painted and decorated on both sides. It is often made from coniferous waste and is completely recyclable.
PVC is also a material that is classically used in the manufacture of sliding doors, as well as aluminum, which are light and easy to maintain. If the thermal insulation is good, it will be a little less the case of the sound insulation. Finally, glass is very aesthetic and trendy and lends itself to all kinds of fantasies. It can be colored, sandblasted or frosted. It gives opaque doors: it is the classic choice made in bathrooms and shower rooms.
What type of sliding door should I choose?
The two most common types of sliding doors are the solid door and the glass door, which is often a combination of PVC and aluminum structure and glass portions. To separate a kitchen or a corridor from a room, it can be wise to have a transparent equipment. On the other hand, to isolate a room or an office, the solid door is more necessary, to preserve intimacy and tranquility.
Sliding door on tracks: wall-mounted or concealed?
A sliding door is generally mounted on rails that can be visible or hidden. The track can be installed in two different ways:
- On the wall above the opening. This is called a wall-mounted sliding door. This requires the wall to be completely smooth and free of obstacles.
- For a sliding pocket door, the track is hidden inside the wall and the door disappears when it is opened. However, a double wall is required to make this possible.
How much does a sliding door cost?
The price range for sliding doors is quite large. The price starts at a few hundred dollars and can rise to several thousands, especially if you use a professional or if preliminary work is required, especially for pocket doors.
How to install a sliding door?
The easiest type of installation for a sliding door is the wall-mounted one. Even if you are not very handy, the installation is quite simple with a few tools (electric screwdriver, drill, hacksaw and level) and a bit of method.
On the other hand, the installation of a sliding pocket door is much more complex. It requires the installation of a frame and a partition framework, if the latter allows it. For an installation of this nature, it is best to use a profesionnal, unless you are very handy.
A sliding door is a great way to make your space more affordable. As long as you choose the right material and a wall-mounted installation, which is the least expensive.
If you want more information about how to choose one of our sliding door hardware, go to our what to consider when choosing your sliding door hardware page!
Visit our how to install page on our webshop, you will find videos that will explain how to install our sliding hardware step by step.
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