At the end of the last century, flimsy wooden doors began to be replaced en masse with metal ones. They are much stronger and look much more attractive. Thanks to steel structures, apartment owners felt reliably protected from uninvited guests.
A properly selected metal door means a restful sleep for your family.
Today, the welfare of citizens has increased, and the need for metal doors has not decreased at all. Let's talk about how to choose a metal entrance door.
How to choose a metal door - based on design quality
The design quality of a metal entrance door is determined by the following parameters:
- high strength to protect against physical impact
- presence of a peephole in order to better control the situation
- the door must have good sound and heat insulation
- a high-quality locking system will also be quite useful
- attractive appearance
The entrance metal door must be strong and silent
In addition to this list, there are several points that you should definitely pay attention to.
Which entrance door to choose - what to pay attention to
A high-quality door leaf consists of a whole sheet of metal. The presence of connecting welds indicates that the door is assembled from leftover material. Such a structure can be broken into its component parts with a sledgehammer.
Also, a good-quality door should have sufficiently strong and wide platbands around the entire perimeter. Thanks to them, the gaps between the door frame and the entrance opening are closed. With some effort, weak platbands can be bent with a small crowbar or pry bar.
The thickness of the metal plays an equally important role. Recently, cheap “Chinese” doors made of very thin metal have appeared. The raw materials are of such poor quality that they can even be attacked by a sharp, durable knife.
Entrance doors made of thin metal can be easily opened with a knife
Door leaf
The canvas consists of a metal sheet - a base, stiffeners, insulating material, and, optionally, anti-removal pins.
The first thing you need to pay attention to in a metal sheet is its thickness. It should be 2 - 3 mm. Less thick sheets are installed by Chinese manufacturers; their thickness rarely exceeds 1.5 mm, and sometimes even 0.5 mm. Such doors can be opened with a can opener. It can be difficult to check the thickness of a sheet, but its weight can indicate that it is sufficient. It is usually higher for quality products.
You can determine the small thickness if you try to push the sheet. Poor quality material will have visible deformation. It is also not worth choosing doors with a sheet of more than 3 mm, as this increases the weight of the product without noticeably improving the protective properties. Adding an inner iron sheet is also not necessary, since it limits access to the lock from the inside for repairs, and a burglar only needs to cut through the outer layer to open the door. Optimal would be one outer sheet, 3 mm thick.
The purpose of the stiffening ribs is to prevent the extreme part of the canvas from being bent or squeezed out. The stiffeners must be both transverse and longitudinal. It is best when there are two of these ribs vertically and three horizontally. Provides the necessary strength and not too high weight.
For doors leading into the entrance, the thickness should be 5 - 7 centimeters. If they lead to the street, the thickness must be chosen more - up to 10 centimeters. There is no need to increase the thickness even more, since such a massive door can already be dangerous.
How to choose the right entrance door - important points
For complete safety, the thickness of the door leaf should be at least one and a half millimeters. Such metal does not break under impacts, but is only slightly wrinkled. Forced access to the premises is practically impossible. To penetrate, you will need a “noisy” tool like a grinder. In typical houses, intruders are unlikely to risk using it.
Additional reliability of structures with one and a half millimeter metal is provided by a system of spacers located in the thickness of the door. Stiffening ribs divide the sheet into sections and give each of them the necessary strength.
When choosing an entrance door, pay attention to the thickness of the metal
Manufacturers of entrance doors
Among the products presented on the Russian market, the most technically advanced and conscientiously manufactured models are considered to be from the following companies:
- Bastion-S. Among the advantages is a minimum of complaints about the design and workmanship. But all good things come at a price. With a small number of authorized dealerships, securing a purchase and installation order can sometimes prove difficult.
- Became. A time-tested brand that has been on the market for 28 years and provides a 10-year official guarantee for its products. However, its reputation suffers from the abundance of counterfeits passed off as products from a well-known company.
- Neman. It is difficult to have serious complaints about the products manufactured by the enterprise from Kostroma. Everything is at a good level - appearance, burglary resistance, sound insulation and thermal insulation. These are not counterfeit products that are unable to stop criminals even with an initial level of training, but serious protection developed by professionals.
- Torex. The promoted brand, without which not a single rating of entrance doors can do, is the winner of the “Brand No. 1 in Russia” award. The company has existed since 1990, and although one can often hear the opinion that the quality of Torex is no longer what it used to be, the products produced are still of interest to buyers.
- Guardian. A thoughtful design and reliable components made from high-strength materials will reliably protect the room from intruders. However, customer reviews indicate that the technical level does not always correspond to the level of service.
- Argus. Those who are looking for the best metal entrance doors should definitely pay attention to the products of the company from Yoshkar-Ola. Products of this brand are known not only in Russia, but also abroad. An established production system makes it possible to maintain a decent level of quality for products of various price segments.
- Outpost. Consumers are attracted by a wide range of models with good performance characteristics and beautiful appearance. But the burglars remain unhappy. If an “Outpost” door is installed at the entrance to your home, it is not easy for intruders to get inside.
- Jaguar. A large selection of entrance doors, differing in cost, design and appearance, attracts many buyers. The reliability of protection is at the proper level. In the brand's catalog, most consumers will be able to find an option that suits them in terms of price, design and performance characteristics.
- Legrand. In 2020, a Russian company, which has a number of patents for its inventions, entered the European market. Increasing production volumes, it pursues a well-thought-out marketing and technical policy. Interested in good burglary resistance? Then Legrand is your choice.
- Elbor. Those who are not ready to incur large expenses, even to ensure the safety of their home, vote for this brand with their wallets. And although its products are difficult to compare with expensive models of competitors from the top segment, they honestly fulfill their purpose. Is it possible to find a better quality product? Yes, sure! But it will also cost much more.
- Condor. The main trump card of the brand is competitive prices. Few people are able to manufacture and install an entrance door of decent quality under such conditions. But when placing an order, do not forget that you are purchasing a product in the lower price segment.
- Manufactured at a plant located in Kazan, Bulldors entrance doors should be considered a suitable option for buyers on a limited budget. Judging by user reviews, these products do not have critical flaws. But you shouldn’t demand too much from them.
Of course, this is not a complete list of manufacturers, but a list of companies worthy of trust.
Which metal door to choose - pay attention to the metal
Of course, there are much more massive options on sale. The thickness of the metal in this case is approximately 3-4 millimeters. This guarantees even greater security for apartment owners. But there is also a minus. Such doors look more bulky and heavy. The ideal option for their installation is country houses and cottages.
Be sure to choose a metal door with a good seal
So which metal doors are better to choose - small details
Finally, it is worth mentioning such a small but important detail of any door as the rubber seal. Thanks to him, foreign odors and cold from the entrance do not penetrate into the apartment.
The seal is installed around the entire perimeter of the door and is made from high-quality raw materials. Cheap rubber quickly breaks down under the influence of friction and temperature changes.
When choosing a metal entrance door, remember our recommendations. All of them are dictated by concern for your safety and well-being.
How much does a door to an apartment cost from the manufacturer?
Purchasing the entrance door to an apartment directly from the manufacturer allows you to independently select design elements according to your budget. Each client is offered:
- modern, certified doors of our own production;
- production of metal doors according to individual sketches;
- the ability to independently determine the configuration of the entrance group;
- directly participate in the design development and budgeting of the project;
- choose a design from a catalog of finished products.
The customer himself determines the cost of a metal door for an apartment, selecting upholstery materials and fittings based on financial capabilities. The company’s specialists, in turn, provide comprehensive support for the optimal choice.
Locks on a metal door - pay attention
High-quality models are often equipped with two locks.
To protect your apartment from intruders, it is advisable to use them simultaneously. Ideally, locks should be of different types. According to experts, this significantly reduces the risk of breaking into the front door, since each of them requires a specific set of tools. The most popular tandem: lever lock and cylinder lock. This combination will make your home an impregnable fortress for most ill-wishers. How to choose a metal door video
Design
In order to decide how to choose a metal door, you need to decide what will be important when using it. Main selection criteria:
- Reliability and thickness of the canvas;
- Resistance of locks to burglary attempts;
- Good heat and sound insulation;
- Beautiful appearance.
During the rise of crime in Russia in the 90s of the last century, double entrance doors were popular. One of them was heavy-duty, metal, with a strong frame and garage hinges, as well as complex security locks, but no insulation.
The second was an ordinary wooden one, with a pleasant appearance and a warm finish. The distance between them reached 40 centimeters. Considering the reliability of this option, we must admit that it is indeed very resistant to both break-ins and arson from the outside. However, nowadays it can be called old-fashioned. Some companies are even now ready to recreate such products to order.
There are general requirements that increase the reliability of the product. The design of a modern high-quality entrance door must comply with them:
- Door frame;
- Steel sheet - base;
- Stiffening rib;
- Armored plate on the lock;
- Loops;
- Anti-removal pin;
- At least two locks;
- Sealant for thermal insulation.
It is worth paying attention to each of these parameters in order to know how to choose a metal entrance door. Professional advice is given about each element of the entrance group.
