Accordion door: from advantages to installation features
The accordion door is ideal for zoning large and small rooms. It includes several panels that fold easily. Therefore, the design can be used in a one-room apartment. But before installing such doors, it is necessary to study the available configurations and subtleties of the mechanism (see: DIY installation of interior doors - video).
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the accordion door
- Possibility to save space. They can be folded at any time, so they practically do not take up useful space.
- Simple mechanism. The accordion doors include panels, fasteners and guide profiles. You can collect them yourself. There is no need to use building materials and carry out finishing works.
- Versatility. There is no limit on the number of panels. The only thing that should be guided by is ease of use. After all, too bulky structures are difficult to use.
Among the disadvantages that are inherent in the accordion door are:
- Low level of noise isolation.
- Short use. This is due to the fact that the composition includes moving parts, which wear out due to frequent use.
- The need for frequent repairs. Folding mechanisms periodically jam. Most often this happens if too large sizes of the accordion interior door are chosen.
To use folding doors longer, you need to carefully select the model.
The folding door system includes a set of lamellas, available in the form of a leaf or with glass inserts, guide profiles and hinges. To simplify the process of moving, rollers are introduced into the composition, which are located on the extreme flaps. They move along the profiles at the moment of opening and folding of the structure. Rollers are supplemented with bearings from quality raw materials. Therefore, the opening and closing process is completely silent.
Varieties of folding doors
Interior folding doors are classified according to two parameters:
- materials used for manufacturing;
- registration.
For the manufacture of folding structures, wood, hardened glass and plastic are used. Each option has its own characteristics and strengths.
Folding door made of wood
The demand for wooden accordion doors is high, since the structures are reliable and durable. All items from wood treated with impregnations and chemicals. The hinges included in the composition are made of alloys with a certain margin of safety. Do not provoke deformation of wood elements and temperature fluctuations.
Before installing folding timber structures in the kitchen, you need to check the degree of their protection. If the main elements are processed with a poor-quality composition, then under the influence of moisture they will begin to deform.
Plastic door accordion
Constant stress on plastic panels contributes to a shorter life.With moderate operation, the service life of plastic accordion doors reaches 10-12 months. The main advantage of this design is its low cost. Plastic folding doors can be used as a partition.
Glass accordion door
For the manufacture of the base for the door with an accordion, folding glass is rarely used, since its integrity is easy to break. The cost of glass models is several times higher than the cost of analogs made of wood or plastic. To reduce the cost, manufacturers combine glass with other materials, which also contributes to the strengthening of the structure. Glass doors are decorated using special films, varnishes or sandblasting equipment.
Features of the selection of the model
Since the range of folding doors is huge, it is sometimes difficult to navigate. The process can be simplified if the following rules are followed when selecting a model:
- You should not choose cheap models, since low-quality raw materials and fragile components are used for their manufacture. Such products quickly fail.
- The installation of the accordion door in the opening, the width of which is 50-60 cm, is not performed. The structure will prevent movement from one room to another.
- For wide openings, you should choose products for the preparation of which several materials were used. A common combination is wood and glass. Such designs are lightweight. Therefore, they are easier to use.
- Before purchasing a certain model, the opening is measured and the appropriate number of lamellae, the length of the guide profile and the number of fasteners are determined.
- Products made of glass or with glass inserts are checked for chips and microcracks. The presence of such defects contributes to a reduction in the service life.
Stages of installing the accordion door
Before assembling the accordion door, you need to check the equipment. The following items must be in stock:
- guide profile (their number depends on the selected door model).
- fasteners.
- lamellae.
- rollers.
- adjusting key.
The manufacturers do not include trims in the kit, so they should be purchased immediately.
Before purchasing an accordion door, you need to take measurements. This will make it possible to purchase a model with the required characteristics.
Installation of a folding interior door consists of several stages. It is important to follow their order.
- Preparing and fastening the guide. If necessary, prepare additional holes for fasteners. The distance between the holes should be 25-30 cm.
- Installation of panels. On one side, the guide profile is supplemented with a latch onto which the end of the panel and the roller are wound. Then the guide is fixed.
- Assembling the door leaf. To connect the structure together, holes are formed on the panels and fixing loops are installed in them. The lamellas are positioned in the sequence in which they will be installed. For simplicity, the first and last panels are labeled. The distance between the panels should be 3-4 mm. Before installing the fasteners, check the mechanism for the accordion door again to eliminate misalignment.
- Installation of the canvas. The panels assembled in the form of an accordion are folded and placed in the grooves of the guide. Their position is definitely checked and corrected. This process is carried out using an adjusting key.
After installation, the operation of the roller mechanism for accordion doors is checked. If necessary, dismantle, correct errors and re-fix the door leaf.
During the installation of the door leaf, it is necessary to follow not only general recommendations. Each model is accompanied by instructions, in which the manufacturers describe in detail the assembly, fastening and installation process.