7 tips for decorating a balcony door: design, types, fittings

The balcony door protects against cold, heat and street noise. When it comes to an unglazed balcony, no one doubts its necessity. However, the owners of glazed and quality insulated loggias and balconies sometimes they refuse to install a balcony door, increasing the room adjacent to the balcony. This is everyone’s business, but a balcony door becomes a necessity when it is important to protect the living space from the negative effects of the external environment, or when the balcony is used as an office or recreation area. Moreover, if you pay due attention to the selection and design of the balcony door, it can be turned into an interior decoration. We deal with materials, sizes, opening patterns, glazing methods and other points.

No. 1. Profile material of balcony doors

An indecently high supply of plastic doors may form the buyer's erroneous opinion that there is nothing more on the market. Undoubtedly, PVC doors have a number of advantages and today are the best in terms of price and quality, they are universal, but the market offers alternative options. Among them are wooden, aluminum and glass doors. Starting from the choice is not only the price and appearance, but also on how well one or another option fits well into the apartment and whether it will be combined with already installed windows.

Plastic balcony doors

Let's start with the most popular option. By design and properties, the plastic balcony profile is not much different from the same windowthat everyone is familiar with. Such designs are made made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and reinforced with steel, so the profile is light and at the same time durable. Plastic profile - not a monolith, inside it is divided into several cameras, and the more of them, the better performance he will have in terms of heat and noise insulation. Durability and strength are determined wall thickness plastic: it is better to take class A constructions with an outer wall thickness of 2.8 mm and an internal wall of 2.5 mm.

The benefits of plastic balcony doors we attribute:

• durability;
• high level of tightness, heat and sound insulation;
• fire safety;
• ease of care;
• appearance. The traditional and most popular profile color is white, but if such a design does not fit into the interior, thanks to laminating films, you can give it any necessary shade or texture. Often a plastic profile imitates a tree pattern;
• resistance to temperature fluctuations and humidity;
• low price.

Minuses:

• plastic does not let air in. This is good in terms of maintaining heat in the room, but bad in that the exhaust air from the apartment does not pass through the structure, so a well-functioning system is needed ventilation;
• scratches formed on plastic are almost impossible to remove.

Experimental data suggest that plastic multi-chamber profiles are practically not inferior in terms of thermal insulation to a wooden analog of the same thickness.

Wooden balcony doors

If the apartment is installed wooden windows or tenants appreciate everything natural and environmentally friendly, then wooden doors are your option. Modern production has managed to get rid of many problems characteristic of old wooden windows and doors. Today, solid wood is almost never used for the manufacture of the profile - it has been replaced glued beam, which practically does not respond to changes in humidity and temperature, which was achieved in the opposite direction of the wood fibers in different layers. Pine and larch are usually used for production, the elements are connected with eco-friendly water-repellent adhesives.

Benefits:

• environmental friendliness and naturalness;
• excellent appearance;
• durability;
• tightness;
• excellent thermal insulation properties.

Minuses:

• the need for more thorough care;
• high price;
• wooden doors are best avoided on glazed balconies.

Aluminum balcony doors

Doors with aluminum profile on balconies today they are not as often as wooden and plastic. They make structures from an alloy based on aluminum, in warm profile between the two metal parts is a layer of insulation. It is better to use it for living quarters, but if the loggia is sufficiently well insulated, then you can stop at the lightest possible cold profile.

Benefits:

• low cost;
• light weight;
• durability;
• fire safety;
• metal can create a door of any shape;
• resistance to negative environmental factors.

Minuses:

• high risk of scratches;
• the level of noise and heat insulation is lower than that of competitors.

Glass balcony doors

These are the doors that do without visible partitions and frame. They are made of thick tempered glass or double-glazed windows, so it will be difficult to break the door.

Benefits:

• spectacular appearance;
• the ability to let maximum light into the apartment;
• environmental friendliness.

Cons more:

• high weight;
• lack of tightness and thermal insulation;
• the need for constant care, since the presence of stains will negate the effectiveness of the design;
• installation complexity;
• high price.

No. 2. Double-glazed window for a balcony door

Whatever the profile of the door, all designs are equipped with modern double-glazed windows: they are superior in performance to the single glass that was used before.

The main characteristics of the glasswhich are important to pay attention to:

• number of cameras. The camera is the space between the glass panes. The simplest option is a single-chamber double-glazed window, i.e. consisting of two glasses and the space between them. If the balcony is well insulated, then this option will be enough. If the insulation is not very good or it is with glazing generally absent, it is better to stop the choice on a two-chamber (for warm regions) or three-chamber double-glazed windows. The more cameras, the higher the isolation from the environment. For better protection against noise, manufacturers make different distances between the glasses;
• glass type. The simplest and most justifiable option is float glass. If the balcony is not glazed, then it makes sense to install low-emission glass, which will better maintain heat in the winter and cool in the summer. It also makes sense to install double-glazed windows with tempered glass or triplex on open balconies to increase the security of the apartment;
• camera filler. In most cases, this is dried air, sometimes inert gas or other substances are used, which should increase thermal insulation and cost at the same time. It is impossible to check what is inside, therefore it is better to buy such double-glazed windows from sellers with a name.

No. 3. The design and dimensions of the balcony door

By design, balcony doors can be:

• solitary. Such doors are often installed in kitchens and in those cases when the entrance to the loggia or balcony is located on its narrow side. Such doors are completely filled with double-glazed windows or have an opaque plastic / wooden insert. May have a different number of wings;
• combined, or door unit, a structure consisting of a balcony door and adjacent windows, the door being centrally or laterally located.

By the number of wings, balcony doors can be:

• single leaf - the simplest and most common option;
• with two full leaves - the maximum that can be squeezed out of ordinary swing doors, but for this you will have to dismantle the adjacent window and wall if it does not violate the integrity and strength of the wall. Such doors look advantageous and allow a large amount of light to penetrate;
• with one active leaf and the second passive (deaf or opening if necessary). Such doors are called shtulpovye;
• three or more wings - This is an option found in sliding doors. Such systems can fill openings of any size, but also weigh the structure accordingly.

The size of the balcony doors they can be anything, but it’s better if they are at least 190 cm in height and at least 60 cm in width. If the width of the opening is more than 90 cm, then one can’t do with one wing.

Number 4. Type of glazing

Depending on the requirements for the door structure and your own aesthetic preferences, glazing of the balcony door leaf can be performed in one of the following ways:

• full glazingwhen the whole door is filled with double-glazed windows. Most companies do not give guarantees for such designs, since the weight of the glass unit exceeds all norms, and deformation of the structure may occur;
• full glazing with jumper (with an impost) in the middle of the door - an option that, with a high level of transparency, maintains proper security. When installing the door unit, the impost is placed at windowsill to achieve the best visual effect;
• partial glazingwhen the lower half or third remains deaf;
• completely deaf balcony doors are extremely rarely used, but can be made by the manufacturer if necessary.

No. 5. Opening scheme for balcony doors

The choice of door opening scheme is based on the design of the door leaf, its size, features and characteristics of the adjacent premises. Available options are:

• swing doors (pivoting) - the most popular option. The door leaf opens into the room in one of the sides. This is the cheapest and easiest installation design. If the door consists from several canvases, then two or only one can open at once with a deaf second. There are hinged doors with an impost, a rigid partition, due to which the sashes are fixed in a stationary state, but this design is not very convenient, since the bar will interfere with free movement when the door is fully opened. For wide openings it is better to choose shtulovye doors. In them, one leaf is active and serves for constant movement, and the second is closed by a latch and, if necessary, can also be opened;
• swing-out - Doors, which can swing open not only to the side, but also recline towards the room, allowing for ventilation. The mechanism is the same as in the windows;
• sliding doors work on the principle of doors in wardrobes. The movable shutters simply move parallel to the window, without taking up space in the room. After turning the handle, the sash extends beyond the frame, and then moves to the side. This is a functional solution that allows you to design balcony doors of any size. In terms of tightness, contrary to popular belief, such doors are no different from swing doors. Typically, swing wings can recline;
• accordion doors - A rather extravagant version of the design of the balcony door.The canvas consists of several wings, interconnected and mounted on rails. When you open the sash gather like a fan. The design is used to organize large doorways, not very tight.

No. 6. Accessories for a balcony door

The fittings include all those elements that ensure the functioning of the door: the course of the door leaf, locking, ventilation, sealing, protection from insects and children. High-quality hardware is designed for 20 thousand openings and closures. Experts recommend paying attention to fittings of German and Swiss production, which surpasses the quality of Chinese and Turkish counterparts.

Complete with a door can be as ordinary single sided handleso and bilateral. The latter is more convenient, as it allows you to tightly close the door from the balcony. Instead of a double-sided handle, you can use the usual one complete with a latch or a stationary handle, which allows you to simply pull the door leaf towards you. The door handle can have protection against accidental opening by a child, be equipped with a lock or even have protection against breaking, which is important for balcony doors facing the street, i.e. onto the unglazed balcony.

Owners of open balconies or loggias should definitely take care of mosquito net. Regardless of the type of construction, it reliably protects against the ingress of dust, dirt and fluff from the street.

Number 7. Balcony door design

A balcony door is not only a way to protect yourself from the cold. With complete tightness and proper functionality, it should be aesthetically attractive, so as not only not to spoil, but also decorate the interior of the apartment.

Designers recommend paying attention to such moments when decorating a balcony door:

• door shape. The most popular solution is the usual rectangular door, but you can experiment and make it arched, or you can make the entire balcony block with windows in the shape of an arch. You can go further and make the doorway even more bizarre, but all this, of course, will require additional financial and time investments. Doors of unusual shapes are made of wood and aluminum;
• profile color. White color is considered to be standard; in popularity it is overtaken by lamination with imitation of wood texture. But there are other options, because the plastic profile can be given any shade - it all depends on the characteristics of the interior and your own desires. If the walls are painted in neutral light colors, then the profile can be bright and become the color accent of the room, however, it will need to be supported by other elements. For interior in loft styleFor example, a dark-colored profile with a metallic sheen is suitable;
• decorative glass. Regular clear glass can be replaced with colorful stained glass window or sandblasted glass. Such a solution will cost a lot, but it will transform the room and solve the problem of a not very attractive view from the window. A more cost-effective alternative is the use of self-adhesive films with imitation of stained glass or vinyl stickers;
• curtains - the most popular decoration of a balcony door. Along with the decorative function, they perform a purely functional, therefore when choosing them It is worth considering a lot of factors. Especially popular today are Japanese and Roman curtains, jalousie different types and roller blinds.

The balcony door, which we use every day and which we almost don’t notice, immediately fulfills a lot of functions, and it depends on us how convenient, tight, durable and aesthetic it will be.