Hinged door

The simplest and most common door set up is a single hinged door, either left- or right-opening. For larger openings, two doors can be hinged on opposite sides to meet snugly in the middle (not easy to do!), as seen in French doors.

• How to hang a door

Several doors can be alternately hinged together to create a folding partition that can be used to create flexible living space, for example to open up a kitchen and dining room, or segregate off an area.

Hinges

A correctly fitted hinge allows a door to sit squarely and flush in its frame, without rubbing when it is opened or closed. Hinges may be manufactured in a variety of sizes and materials such as plastic, brass, cast iron, stainless steel and mild steel.

Sliding doors

The key benefit of a sliding door is that it takes up a minimum amount of floor space in opening. Glazed patio doors wherein one panel remains fixed and the other slides over it, are often seen in homes today as these doors are excellent for flooding a room with light.

Multiple sliding doors, called bypass doors, can be mounted on several rails to create room partitions or large wardrobes.

If the sideways movement of a sliding door is restricted, for example by a radiator, it is possible to create a ‘pocket’ door in a non-supporting wall that opens into a slot in the wall.

Sliding doors can be fitted with one of the various sets of door track on the market; made for light, medium and heavy doors. Essentially, these all consist of a horizontal track from which a door is suspended on a roller. A groove in the underside of the door then runs along a notched rail which keeps the doors straight. Follow the instructions in your chosen set.

Further information and useful links

• Types of door
• Door materials
• Guide to fire doors
• Common sizes of door
• Full list of windows & doors topics

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