Encyclopedia of Fire Safety

How to prepare a doorway for an interior door. Instructions for installing interior doors with your own hands. DIY installation: step-by-step instructions

Installing an interior door on your own is not a difficult job. A simple step by step diagram, starting from choosing your favorite interior door in the store and ending with self-installation interior doors with step by step photos.

Interior doors can be divided into several types

Manufacturers on the market door designs offer quite a wide the lineup. Ready-made interior doors can be made from different materials. The most common types of materials are: , , .

1. Fiberboard – door: the frame is made of wood and sheathed fiberboard sheets with lamination. The advantages of such doors include: low cost compared to other types, light weight, which makes it possible to deliver them from the point of sale to the house on your own, and ease of installation. Considering these points, they are popular among buyers, thanks to which they a wide range of most often presented in stores.

Among the disadvantages, we can note the low strength of the fiberboard itself, which is why the door breaks and becomes unusable quite easily, poor resistance to humidity, the door can twist. Therefore, we do not recommend installing it in bathrooms with weak exhaust; this material loves dry rooms.

2. MDF - doors, which are made from this type of material are the most suitable option when choosing the relationship between quality and price. Clear advantages compared to doors made of fiberboard - high strength and resistance to moisture, more high level soundproofing. The cost of such a door is several times higher than doors made of fiberboard.

Photo - MDF door models

3. Natural wood– interior doors made from this material are the most durable. Their price directly depends on what type of wood was used for their production. Doors from valuable species wood are used for installation in rooms with an original design; they will fit perfectly into classic interior. The width of interior doors is adjusted to the size of your opening.

Photo - Models of wooden doors

The list of interior doors by type can be supplemented with steel ones, but these types are not very popular among the general public, so they are not included in the article for a detailed description.

Come here if you are interested in and.

Types of door frames for interior doors

The correct interior door should be placed in a reliable door frame, because its quality will determine how long the door will last, as well as the design of the doorway of your room. Door frames can be divided into three main types.

1. Fiberboard box. Looks pretty decent, but when choosing a box from of this material the strength of the entire structure will be in question. The middle of the box bar bends from its own weight, not to mention the possible deflections from the weight of the box itself. door leaf. Since the main components of fiberboard, to put it simply, are glue and paper, it must be taken into account that they are very fragile and not durable. It is not recommended to hang doors made of wood and MDF on them due to their heavy weight.

Photo - Fiberboard box

2. Raw wood box. The cost is at the same level as boxes made of fiberboard, but unlike the latter, boxes made from dry profiled timber have higher strength. Therefore, when choosing between boxes made of fiberboard and boxes made of untreated wood, we recommend choosing the latter. It is also necessary to take into account that you will need additional materials to finalize the box.

Photo - Untreated wooden box

3. Laminated wood box. Does not require final finishing, as it is already laminated with paper. And here there is one important point: when choosing such a box, the quality of lamination is very important. If thin paper was used for this, there is a high probability of abrasions, scratches, cracks, and the coating loses its appearance. Perhaps a better option would be a box made of untreated wood with independent finishing and painting.

Photo - Laminated wooden box

Also the entire doorway of the interior door may require additional processing after installing the doors. Everything depends on your opening, its size, the location of the door in it, and the interior of the room.

For such processing, you can use additional strips and platbands. The necessary kits can be purchased at the store. We recommend that you determine whether they are necessary after the final installation of the door in order to understand which one. final finishing you need. After all, the purchase additional materials- These are additional costs that may ultimately turn out to be unnecessary.

An example door with a frame made of fiberboard is considered. If installation is required wooden boxes, you need to work according to the same steps. Installation will be simpler, since wood is stronger than fiberboard.

Step 1. Selection tools and necessary additional consumables. For installation you will need:

  • saw;
  • electric drill ();
  • drills 3 mm and 4 mm for wood;
  • drills 4 mm and 6 mm for concrete;
  • screwdriver;
  • roulette;
  • pen;
  • wood screws;
  • dowels quick installation;
  • polyurethane foam.

Step 2. Determine the scheme for attaching the frame to the doorway of the interior door.

Photo - Fastening diagram door frame in the opening

The figure shows a diagram of fastening the door frame in the opening. As you can see, the interior door (2) is installed in a frame (1), which is secured in the opening with screws (3). We blow foam between the wall and the box (4). The process is as follows: we install the box in the opening, fasten it to the wall, and foam it.

Photo - Disassembled door frame and door before installation

If, after installing the door, its threshold cannot be hidden in the floor, for convenience, choose a U-shaped frame without a threshold. It does not have a bottom crossbar, so there will simply be nothing to interfere with your walking.

Step 3. Assembling the door frame.

Photo - The door frame must be assembled for ease of installation

The purchased box must have hinges attached. The door should have a cutout for the handle, as well as for door lock interior door. We begin assembling the door frame. It is necessary to connect all the parts of the box together and adjust it to the dimensions of the opening. The factory length usually comes with a margin of 5 cm.

The surest option not to make a mistake is to assemble the parts on the floor the way they should stand in doorway. Special attention needs to be addressed metal bases hinges, they should stick up so that the door can be hung on them from above.

Choose the opening side depending on the rooms between which the doors are installed. From small rooms, such as a bathroom, pantry, it is better to open the doors outwards, from large rooms into the corridor - inside.

Photo - Correct position of the end strips

We join top bar on self-tapping screws. The end strips (1) should lie along the line. If there is no line, then the bar is lying incorrectly and needs to be turned around.

Photo - Screws should be tightened after pre-drilling

Taking into account the structure of the fiberboard and its strength characteristics, in the box, before screwing it in, it is necessary to drill holes with a wood drill with a diameter of 3 mm. We carry out this action so that our box does not crack during the assembly process. For the same reason, the screw attachment points should be located closer to the center, away from the edges and corners.

Photo - Factory stock box

We will cut off the factory stock of the box (the protruding edge). To fit the box, we accurately measure the dimensions of the doorway of the interior door. And we transfer it to the door frame, taking into account a gap of minus 1-2 cm on all sides to allow foaming. We recommend double-checking the dimensions of the structure several times.

Photo - Measuring the height of the opening

Photo - Cutting line for the excess part of the box

It is better to cut off the protruding excess hand saw. It is advisable not to use an automatic saw to avoid damaging the coating.

Photo - Trimming excess with a handsaw

As a result of all the manipulations, we get a U-shaped door frame, ready for installation in the doorway of the interior door.

Photo - Wooden box assembled

Step 4. Installing the box in the opening.

We place the box in the doorway. Level it up. We check the correctness and evenness of the assembly of the box by hanging the door on its hinges and closing it.

Photo - Checking the position of the box with a level

Photo - Drill diameter 4 mm for wood

The box installed in the opening must be secured with self-tapping screws. Remove the end decorative strip and drill 7-8 through holes on each side. The distance between the holes is 25-30 cm.

Photo - Drilled box

The wood drill is not designed for drilling walls; we only use it to drill fiberboard boxes. Then we again check the position of the box using a level, since it could have shifted during the drilling process. If there are no changes, we begin to drill the wall. By using thin drill on concrete with a diameter of 4 mm, through the holes in the box, apply markings to the wall. You cannot completely drill through the wall through the frame, as this can damage it. The hole diameter is 4 mm; if you make it larger, the screw heads will fall out. Next, remove the box from the opening and begin making holes using a 6 mm diameter drill. If the wall is made of brick, the holes for installation should be in solid brick, and not in the masonry joint, in which the dowels hold very poorly.

Photo - Drilled brick wall

Photo - Dowels in solid brick

Photo - Self-tapping screws for quick installation - on the left, wood screws - on the right.

Dowels are installed in the finished holes. We fix the box in the wall using self-tapping screws. For convenience, you can use a screwdriver or drill with an attachment for the screw head. Do not screw in the screws completely; the box may bend. To avoid deflection, wedges can be lined. To check the evenness and absence of distortions, during the process of screwing in the screws, additionally check the box for level.

Photo - Wedge lining

Upon completion of installation, the box is checked from the side of the room using a level.

Photo - Checking the box by level

Step 5. Installing the door on the hinges.

How to install an interior door? It is enough to put the door on the hinges

If it is a door made of fiberboard, given its weight, this can be done alone. After installing it, we will try to open and close it. In the closed position, the gaps between the frame and the door should be about 3 mm.

Photo - Check for gaps between the frame and the door

Photo - Closing and opening the door - easy, without distortions

The lock is inserted into the interior door. As well as installing the handle.

Step 6. Filling the seams with foam.

An important step is to fill the gap between the wall and the box with foam. It must be carried out with the door installed. As the foam dries, it increases in volume. If you overdo it, it can tear out the screws, bend the frame and make it impossible to close the door. You'll have to cut everything out and start the installation again.

Photo - Cardboard in the gap between the door and the frame during foaming

Foaming seams is the easiest job. The vertical seam is filled from below. You need to be careful about the filling volume. Foam is able to increase its volume when drying. Therefore, it is necessary to fill a third of the space between the door frame and the doorway of the interior door. If you overspend, damage to both the frame and the structure as a whole is possible, since foam can get on the front of the frame and door and ruin their appearance. Complete hardening of the polyurethane foam occurs within 24 hours, the required temperature is 20 degrees.

Photo - Finishing a wide opening with plaster

If a wooden door frame is installed, possible option finishing can be plaster slope (1). Cement-sand plaster will favorably highlight your choice of doors from natural wood. But it is not recommended for use on fiberboard boxes, since they are not compatible with the high humidity of materials used for plastering.

Video on installing interior doors

Sent by our reader German.

The step-by-step installation of interior doors, not counting the preparation time, will take about three hours.

Sooner or later you have to change your interior doors. The procedure is not so complicated that it is necessary to hire a specialist. If you have at least some skills in handling a saw, a level and a plumb line, you can tighten a few self-tapping screws - you can do it yourself. When replacing, before installing the interior door, the old one must be dismantled. And here too there are peculiarities. About all the subtleties - in photos and videos with detailed instructions.

Interior doors are made from different materials. Moreover, the material of both the door leaf and frame is different. The door leaf is:

  • From fiberboard. These are the cheapest doors. Represent wooden frame, to which the laminated fiberboard is attached. They have low sound insulation, they are afraid high humidity, are easily damaged.
  • From MDF. They cost much more, but also quality characteristics much higher. They have better sound insulation, are not afraid of moisture, are stronger and more durable.
  • Wood. The most expensive doors. Made from different varieties wood - from pine to oak or more exotic species.

Door frames are also made from the same materials. The worst choice is that fiberboard boxes bend even under their own weight, and hanging the door leaf on them is a real pain. So try to take either MDF or wood. There is another material: laminated wood. It is good because it does not need to be processed or painted, but the service life depends on the quality of the film.

Dimensions and equipment

Interior doors are produced in standard sizes, it’s a pity that the standards are different countries are different. For example, in our country swing doors made with a width of 600 - 900 mm in increments of 100 mm. In some EU countries the rules are the same - in Germany, Italy and Spain. In France, others are standard. Here the narrowest doors are 690 mm and then in increments of 100 mm.

Is the difference really that important? If you want to change only the door leaf without the frame, then it is important - you will have to choose from your segment or completely change it along with the frame. There is a much greater choice of interior doors of the same standard as in our country, while in France there is much less choice.

What width of doors you need depends on where you are going to place them. If we talk about standards, the following values ​​are recommended:

  • in the living room width from 60 to 120 cm, height 2 m;
  • bathroom - width from 60 cm, height 1.9-2 m;
  • in the kitchen, the width of the door leaf is at least 70 cm, height 2 m.

If, when replacing a door, it is decided to make the opening larger/smaller, permission is not required for this, but it is necessary to remain within the limits specified for each room.

How to determine what width of doors to buy? Measure the door leaf you have and you will know what you need. If there are no doors, find the narrowest place in the opening, measuring it, you can find out how wide the door block you need. This is a door leaf + door frame. So the outer dimensions of the door frame should be less than the measured value. For example, you got 780 mm, look for a block with parameters of 700 mm. Wider ones cannot be inserted into this opening.

The most complete set of interior doors - with frame, extensions and trims

When choosing a door, pay attention to the equipment. There are three types of assembly:

  • Door leaf. You buy the box separately.
  • Doors with frame. Everything is included, but the box is in the form of separate boards. You will have to file the corners and connect, hang the hinges yourself.
  • Door block. These are ready-to-install doors - the frame is assembled, the hinges are hung. Just cut the sidewalls to the height, align them evenly and secure them.

Even though the quality of the door leaf is the same, the prices for these kits differ significantly. But the difference in the time you spend on installation is significant.

Step-by-step installation of interior doors

In general, there are many subtleties. We will try to describe and illustrate the most common moments in photo or video material.

Step 1: Assembling the Door Frame

If you did not buy an assembled door block, the first thing you will have to do is assemble the door frame. It consists of two long posts located on the sides, and one shorter crossbar at the top - the lintel.

Connection methods

There are at least two options for how to connect these planks to each other:


Regardless of exactly how you plan to connect the elements of the door frame, the first step is to cut down the pillars and lintels on one side. Then they are placed in a box on the floor, checking the correct connection. Next, you need to decide on the height of the side parts of the door frame.

Determining the dimensions

When folded, the required length is measured along the inside of the rack. The racks are not always made the same: the floor is often uneven and this must be taken into account. To do this, take a level and check how level the floor is. If it is perfectly level, the posts will be the same. If there is a deviation, it must be taken into account: make one of the racks longer. Usually this is a few millimeters, but this is also enough for the doors to warp.

When calculating the height, keep in mind that the racks should be 1-2 cm longer than the door leaf (including cuts). Make a 1 cm gap under the door if you are not planning to put a rug under it. If there is a rug/carpet/carpet, it is better to make it larger. Don't be afraid to leave gaps. They are necessary for. Please note once again: the height is measured along the inside of the door frame - from the bottom edge to the cut. Having cut it off, try on the racks in the doorway.

Now you need to saw off the lintel to length and, if necessary, saw on the other side (if the joint is at 45°). The length of the lintel should be such that when folded, the distance between the posts is greater than the width of the door leaf. The minimum gap is 7 mm, but more is often done. 7-8 mm are distributed as follows: 2 mm for hinges, and 2.5-3 mm for expansion gaps. Any interior doors - MDF, fiberboard, wood - change their dimensions depending on humidity. To accommodate these changes, clearances are required. And 5-6 mm is not always enough, especially in damp rooms. For the bathroom, definitely leave a little more, otherwise in high humidity they may have difficulty opening.

So, we have decided on the minimum gaps when installing interior doors:

  • for hinges - 5-6 mm;
  • at the top, bottom and sides - 3 mm;
  • bottom - 1-2 cm.

After you have cut all the pieces and made the cuts, fold the box on the floor. If you notice any shortcomings in the connection somewhere, correct them using sandpaper, fixed on a block. The more accurate the match, the smaller the gap.

Assembly

Regardless of the material of the box and the connection method, holes are pre-drilled for the fasteners so that the material does not tear. Drill diameter per 1 mm less than diameter self-tapping screw

The box is folded and the angles are set to 90°. Holding the stand and lintel in this position, drill holes with a drill. If there is an assistant, he can hold it. If you are working alone, temporarily secure the correctly aligned box with two cross bars - closer to the top and one at the bottom. This will help you avoid mistakes and make the correct connection.

If connected at an angle of 45°, make three holes on each side. Two on top - a centimeter away from the edge, and one on the side - in the center. In total, three screws are required for each connection. The direction of installation of self-tapping screws is perpendicular to the connection line.

If you connected at 90°, everything is simpler. Drill two holes from above, pointing the drill straight down.

Step 2: Inserting the hinges

Most often, 2 hinges are installed on interior doors, but 3 are possible. They are placed 200-250 mm away from the edge of the door leaf. If the frame and door leaf are made of wood, choose a place so that there are no knots. First, attach the hinges to the door leaf. The operating procedure is as follows:

  • We apply loops to the selected places and outline the contours. The easiest way to do this is with a finely sharpened pencil, but experts advise using a knife blade. This makes it more accurate and leaves smaller gaps.
  • If they have it, if not, take a chisel and select a material for the thickness of the loop. There is no need to make any more sampling, just for the thickness of the metal.
  • A loop is installed in the prepared recess. Its plane should be flush with the surface of the canvas.
  • The exposed loop is fixed with self-tapping screws.

Having secured two hinges, place the door leaf in the assembled frame, set the correct gaps: on the side of the hinges - 5-6 mm, 3 mm on the side opposite side and from above. Having set these gaps, the canvas is fixed using wedges. Place it exactly in the horizontal and vertical plane (you can use pads if necessary).

After setting, mark the locations of the mating parts of the loops. Sometimes it is more convenient to remove an already installed hinge and then install it in place. A notch is also made according to the markings. Depth - so that the surface of the hinge is flush with the surface of the door frame.

DIY door hanging is described in detail in the video.

Step 3: Installing the Door Frame

The assembled box must be correctly inserted into the opening. This is a very responsible task. Before installing an interior door, knock down everything in the opening that could fall off. If the wall is too loose, the surface is treated with primers deep penetration with an astringent effect. If there are too large holes, they are sealed with plaster; very large protrusions are trimmed off. It is easier to insert an interior door into the prepared opening. If this is your first time doing this on your own, make it easier on yourself.

The box is displayed without the door leaf. It is oriented strictly vertically. Verticality is checked not only by level, but also by plumb line. The level often gives an error, so it is more reliable to check with a plumb line.

To prevent the box from becoming warped during installation, install temporary spacers on the floor and bevels in the corners which give a high degree of rigidity. In order for the doors to open, they are inserted in the same plane with the wall. This is the only way it will open completely. If the wall is uneven, place the box not along the wall, but vertically. Otherwise there will be problems with opening or closing the door.

How to insert an interior door with your own hands - in the same plane as the wall

Once the position is selected, you can secure it. This is done using mounting wedges - triangular wooden or plastic bars. First, wedges are placed on both sides of the lintel - crossbars, then above the racks. In this way, the position of the box relative to the doorway is selected and fixed. Next, the verticality of the racks is checked again. They are checked in two planes so that they are not tilted forward or backward.

Then install the wedges at the bottom, then after about 50-60 cm, checking that the racks are exactly level. The crossbar is also wedged in the middle. Check whether the elements of the box are bent somewhere, and correct if necessary. You can start fastening.

Step 4: Attaching the Box to the Doorway

There are also two mounting methods: through directly to the wall and with mounting plates. If the wall allows and you are not afraid of the fastener caps in the box, you can attach it all the way through. It's reliable.

To install interior doors, it is enough to screw two self-tapping screws into the cutouts for the hinges and, on the other hand, under the plate of the lock mate. Additional holes are drilled in the cutouts. They are made so as not to fall into the holes for fastening the hinges or mating part. Make sure that the head of the screws is recessed and does not interfere with the installation of the hinges and lining.

Installation of interior doors according to this scheme is shown in the video. There are also several interesting nuances regarding the placement of the door frame.

If such a quantity of fasteners seems unreliable, drill through and cover the holes with decorative washers matched to match. Or there is also a special molding made of MDF with removable slats. The fastener is installed in the prepared groove and then closed with a strip.

The second method is secret, the fasteners are not visible. First, the mounting plates are attached to the back of the box. In principle, it can be used for plasterboard, but there are also special ones that are thicker, although when installing interior doors, plasterboard ones will suffice.

Step 5: Foaming

After all the gaps are set and the wedges are installed, the gaps between the frame and the wall are filled with polyurethane foam. For better polymerization, the wall is moistened with water from a spray bottle. Then squeeze out the foam, filling no more than 2/3. Too much a large number of foam may cause the box to blow inward. So don't overdo it.

To ensure that the doors are not warped by the foam, spacers are installed. But if you don't overdo it with foam, nothing should happen.

Spacers for fixing the frame - when installing the interior door this way, the frame should stand level

After the foam has polymerized ( exact time indicated on the cylinder), remove the spacers, hang the door leaf and check the operation of the door. Next comes the finishing work: platbands, and, if necessary, additions.

You know how to install an interior door with your own hands. There is nothing overly complicated, but we tried to describe the main nuances. There is a lot of useful information in the video - these are recommendations from practitioners.

It is quite difficult to determine the size of a doorway by eye, especially if trims are installed. To measure the exact parameters, you need to remove the trim and clean the layer of plaster. You can do this yourself. To take into account all the nuances, it is better to call a professional measurer. When purchasing Torex doors, this service is provided free of charge.

Dimensions door block should be 4–5 cm less than the width of the opening.

In some cases, the opening can be widened or narrowed to “fit” it to the size of the door. It is also better to discuss this possibility with the surveyor in advance. If there is a beam above the door, it should lie on the wall at a distance of at least 10 cm on each side of the opening.

Removing the old door

Dismantling the old door must be done as carefully as possible. If you use impact methods (for example, a sledgehammer or a jackhammer), you can damage the wall or the integrity of the opening.

First of all, the door is removed from its hinges. Then you need to cut off the anchors or other fasteners that held the door frame and carefully knock it out of the opening.

Extension of the doorway

The distance between the door frame and the wall should be 1.5–2.5 cm on each side of the door. If it is smaller, the opening needs to be widened. To do this, you can use a grinder or a hammer drill. We emphasize once again that the doorway must be at least 20 cm narrower than the beam located above it. Otherwise, this may lead to the collapse of the building structure.

Narrowing of the opening

If the distance between the wall and the door frame is more than 2–2.5 cm on each side, the opening needs to be narrowed. The reliability of the door installation depends on this. If the opening is too wide, the door frame seems to hang in the air, not adjacent to the wall. This significantly reduces the reliability and service life of the structure, and the door itself becomes more vulnerable to intruders.

The method of narrowing the opening depends on the width of the gap. If it is large enough, you can brick it. A smaller gap can be reduced using a plaster mixture.

Another option for narrowing the opening is to install a metal frame. But the metal will serve as a bridge of cold. To prevent the house from cooling through the doorway, it is better to additionally insulate it.

If the preliminary measurements of the door were carried out correctly, and the door was selected to fit, there will be no need to narrow or widen the opening. You can proceed directly to the process of preparing the opening. The working technique depends on the materials from which the house is built.

Cleaning and leveling the opening

The wall surface is cleaned of the remnants of the mounting foam that was used to install the previous door. Remove all anchors, nails, etc. Clean the plaster down to the bricks or blocks from which the walls are built, ensuring a technological gap of 4–5 cm.

To prepare the opening wooden building You may need a hacksaw or chainsaw, as well as a chisel. The task remains the same - to clean the opening from all irregularities and elements that have become unusable.

If the beam under the threshold is rotten, it must be removed. Destroyed brickwork also removed and re-installed.

You also need to check the floor surface. If it is not horizontal, preferably near front door straighten it out cement screed, which will also allow you to slightly raise the floor.

Repairing cracks in the wall

If during dismantling works cracks have been found and are being repaired cement mortar. Deep cracks are filled with pieces of brick and then filled with cement. Cold enters the house through voids in the walls, so it is extremely important to eliminate them.

The technological gap between the wall and the door frame will be sealed with polyurethane foam, so the wall surface may not be perfectly flat. Our task is to get rid of protruding elements that interfere with further installation, and voids in the wall.

Now that this work has been done, the opening is ready to install the front door.

Don't rush into purchasing a new door and trim if the work to prepare the doorway has not yet been completed. Accurate measurement of the finished passage plays a key role in choosing the right components. The interior door hypermarket "Dverka" will tell you what stages the work of preparing the opening for installing a new interior door breaks down into:

  • dismantling the old door;
  • removing platbands from walls;
  • getting rid of the insulating material between the opening and the frame;
  • cutting the old door frame down the middle of the height;
  • removing the side parts of the box;
  • sawing off top beam;
  • removing the threshold (if there was one);
  • complete cleansing of the opening from foam or any other insulating material;
  • clarification of the opening dimensions recommended by the door manufacturer;
  • leveling and plastering the “bare” hole in the wall to perfection U-shaped using a level.

Then, when the opening is perfectly straight, check it. The thickness of the walls on both sides should be the same, and it should not differ along the length of the doorway. The top line should be strictly parallel to the floor. The slightest alignment errors can cause skew future door, therefore, this moment must be treated with special scrupulousness. good independent work on dismantling and preparing for installation of a new door will save a lot Money, so it makes sense to get to know this technique better. If you cannot trust yourself in such matters or do not want to spend time and effort on this procedure, then specialists can easily carry out this work for you.

A guarantee of quality will be a worthy reason to delegate the work to professionals. Take measurements of the resulting opening and contact specialists who will help you choose a door and moldings of the appropriate dimensions. Please note that the floor covering must be taken into account when taking measurements, since it also has a certain volume. By the time the door is installed, the floor should be at least leveled so that the measurement height is the same in all areas of the opening. It often happens that a doorway is not suitable for any of the standard doors.

Due to sawing of the canvas or additional width of the extensions, it is not always possible to adjust the materials to the existing hole. Work to narrow or widen the opening itself can be carried out by employees of the company from which you purchase the door and fittings. For a situation where it is necessary to narrow the passage to install the door, save additional Decoration Materials, since platbands are not always able to close the resulting gap between the opening and the frame. In the next article, the Dverka store will talk about the types of door frames.


Memo to the client

Standard blade width Height of standard canvas Recommended opening width Recommended opening height
550mm 1900mm 630-650mm 1960-1980mm
600mm 1900mm 680-700mm 1960-1980mm
2000mm 2060-2080mm
700mm 2000mm 780-800mm 2060-2080mm
800mm 2000mm 880-900mm 2060-2080mm
900mm 2000mm 980-1000mm 2060-2080mm
1200mm (600mm+600mm) 2000mm 1280-1300mm 2060-2080mm

U The installation of interior doors in an apartment should be carried out according to certain rules that customers should know. After all, about mistakes in the repair and decoration of a room or apartment can seriously complicate installation and cost a pretty penny!

You will be able to reduce the cost of installation, avoid mistakes in choosing doors and fittings, and help the craftsmen do everything efficiently.

Door opening dimensions

  • Opening width

The door leaf is usually 60/70/80/90 cm wide. The correct width of the opening is the width of the canvas +8 or +9 cm (if the thickness of the box in its narrowest part is from 1.5 cm to 2.5), or +10 cm (if the thickness of the box in its narrowest part is 2.5 cm and above ).

  • Opening height

For all occasions correct height opening is the height of the door leaf + 6 cm. from the finished floor., i.e. 206cm. Doors to the bathroom can be 190 cm high, so the correct opening height is 196 cm.

Here are some examples of correct openings:

  • Canvas 80x200 (cm.) - opening 89x206 (cm.)
  • 70x200 - opening 79x206
  • 60x200 - opening 69x206
  • 60x190 - opening 69x196

The dimensions of the doorways need to be determined in advance and it is very important to constantly monitor your team during the repair process.

Door widths for different rooms

If you have the opportunity to plan the width of doors and openings in advance and have questions about what door width to choose, then follow these recommendations:

  • doors in rooms are usually made 80 cm wide so that furniture can be brought in/out. Width 90cm. This happens very rarely because such canvases are heavy and can sag on their hinges over time.
  • bathroom doors are usually made 60-70cm so that the door can easily pass through washing machine 60cm thick. Keep in mind that 60cm. The door assembly has a clear opening of approximately 58 cm. due to the recesses in the door frame.
  • The door leaf for the kitchen is usually made 70-80cm. It is also necessary to take into account that handles on both sides may interfere with passage into the kitchen.
  • V dressing room Usually they make the width 60-70cm.

When is it necessary to install extensions?

When installing interior doors, if the thickness of the wall is greater than the thickness of the door frame, it is recommended to purchase. You can, of course, stick wallpaper on the ends of the walls, but it will look out of date, and there will be nothing to nail the trim on the other side of the wall.

If you install it, it will be good decision, which will beautifully decorate the slopes. The color of the additions can be selected, for example, to match the MDF panel:

The width of standard extensions according to the warehouse program is usually 10/12/15/20 cm. If your walls are very thick (more than 20 cm), then the extensions need to be joined in width or order non-standard extensions from production, which will cost much more.

Which side of the door should the extensions be installed on?

It depends entirely on how you planned the opening. Usually, if your door opens into a room, then the frame is placed flush with the room wall, and the extension will be in the corridor.

If you do the opposite, the door will not open completely (it will hit the door). Sometimes they put up with this so that the doors look the same - ALL extensions to the corridor or all extensions to the rooms. Therefore, this is already a matter of convenience and design, taking into account the future arrangement of furniture in the apartment.

Scheme for opening interior doors

Usually, if in one corridor some doors open into the corridor, and some open into rooms, the closed doors will look different due to the characteristics of the door frame. If the doors are next to each other, and at the same time one opens inward and the other outward, then the height of the upper trims will not match.

This is what the door looks like from the common corridor, which opens into the corridor, that is, towards us:
This is what the door looks like that opens into the room, that is, inward:
It is necessary to ensure that the cloth does not cover the switch when torn off. It is very desirable that the doors do not intersect with their trajectories. In the bathroom, it is necessary to provide an opening of 180 degrees for quick ventilation after taking water procedures.

Make sure that a door opened 90 degrees does not block the opening of an adjacent door.

In order not to waste time coordinating the opening of doors with the craftsmen during installation, make a drawing diagram on a piece of paper in advance.

At what height from the floor should the door be?

The standard height is 1 cm from the finished floor. As for bathroom doors, it is not recommended to do less than 1 cm, so as not to disturb the air flow. If you have plastic windows don't forget to do supply valves for air from the street so as not to increase the air humidity in the apartment too much when the windows are closed.

Installation of interior doors during apartment renovation and the sequence of work stages.

In order to protect the wooden parts of the doors from warping due to high humidity during repairs, it is necessary to do installation after ALL finishing works, including in neighboring rooms.

Early installed doors may be accidentally damaged by tools during the repair process. Tiled or wallpaper glue, especially plaster, takes quite a long time to dry, releasing moisture into the room. Increasing the humidity above 70% for several days increases the risk that the doors will pick up moisture from the air, swell and stop closing properly.

However, if you like to bathe or shower frequently, humidity does not pose any threat, since the bathroom is quickly ventilated.

Installation of interior doors should be done if you already have a finished floor!

Without doors, it is much easier to lay floor coverings, and it is easier to install them later, with a clear connection of the platbands to the floor.

If you first install the box directly on the screed (main floor), then it is impossible to place the floor covering under the box, since it is already on the floor. In addition, it is difficult for the master to correctly calculate the lower gap of the door from the subfloor, taking into account the future covering, especially if the floor has not been leveled.

If you did everything correctly and did the installation after laying the finished floor, it will not be difficult to replace the floor in the future - you just need to pull out the laminate or parquet from under the door posts and slide in a new covering. In this case, the racks will not lower but will remain hanging.

What to do if the doorway is much higher (wider) than the frame?

A common mistake made by repair teams is openings that are too high, because the maximum height should not be higher than 208~209 cm, or better yet, 206 cm. from the floor covering.

Sometimes in new buildings standard opening can be 217-220cm high. This is explained by the fact that many customers make heated floors and the height after their installation becomes standard. If no one paid attention to this during the repair and a situation arose when the upper casing does not cover the opening.

Solution: if your opening is higher than necessary, but there is no way to reduce the opening, glue the wallpaper lower before installing the doors, or order high capitals instead of the upper casing, but usually they are installed on the side of the corridor. A more thorough way is to lower the height of the opening using drywall and wooden blocks and then glue the wallpaper.

Another option: if the platbands are flat in shape, saw off at the joints at 90 degrees, and the upper platband is cut from extensions that are wider. Some customers get out of the situation this way. The disadvantage is that sometimes the additional strips are thicker than the platband, and that if you do all the doors in the apartment this way, it will look a little wild)).

If the opening is wider than required by at least 2-3 cm on the sides, the foam seam will not have sufficient strength, and this is important, since polyurethane foam helps maintain even gaps and ensures the overall resistance of the door to loads.

Solution: narrow the doorway with a wooden beam with a section of 3x5, 5x5 or at the repair stage using foam blocks and tile adhesive.

How to straighten a crooked doorway?

First, you need to check the walls to the right and left of the opening for humps/depressions by attaching a long rule, a plank or a flat board to the wall. Humps are especially common closer to the floor. Even one small hump will interfere tight fit platband to the wall.

To solve this problem there is only one option: to plaster and level the walls. If you don’t want or can’t level the walls in the entire apartment or wall, then do it only around the openings (about 50cm wide) and glue the wallpaper.

Then you need to check the verticality of the walls using a laser or bubble level. The ends of the openings must be parallel, the walls must be smooth and strictly vertical. If the opening is crooked, the walls are inclined, there are humps or depressions, act according to the circumstances.

If you understand that the opening is crooked and moves away from the vertical by more than 1 cm, you can level the walls with plaster according to the beacons, aligning them vertically and re-gluing the wallpaper. As you already understand, this is the best and most difficult solution!

How to install a door in a crooked opening?

But what if there is no way to level the wall? Let's say the wall in which the door is supposed to be installed is blocked from the vertical by more than 1 cm per two meters of the height of the opening. Then you have three options:

  • Install the door frame along the plane of the wall, the trim will fit snugly against the wall, but the door will also be tilted and will probably close on its own, slam, etc.
  • Install the box vertically in level, with the platbands adjacent in the upper part and moving away from the wall by the amount of deviation of the wall from the vertical in the lower part (or vice versa), worsening the aesthetics.
  • Buy a door with telescopic platbands and install it straight, slightly deeper into the wall and, where necessary, pulling the platbands out of the grooves. This good decision problems, unless you need to open the door 180 degrees, since opening the door leaf more than 100 degrees will tear out the hinges.

The choice is yours, in all cases there are disadvantages and there are advantages, because it is a compromise.

What if the door is located close to the wall?

In such an opening, one wall is perpendicular to the other wall, and it is necessary to reduce the width of the platbands and attach them close to the wall on both sides. But by reducing the width of the trim we still spoil the appearance of the door, see photo: However, there are several other options to solve this problem:

  1. If the renovation has already been done and wallpaper is glued to the walls, you can screw it to such a wall wooden beam cross-section 3x6, 3x4 or 4x4 (no more). It becomes possible to install an entire platband close to the wall.
  2. Extend the doorway by at least 5 cm from the wall and cut the same distance from the opposite wall of the opening at the repair stage. The platband will be located at a short distance from the wall, which looks much more beautiful.
  3. During the renovation stage, increase the doorway by 5 cm on both sides and order doors 10 cm wider, for example 70 cm. instead of 80cm..

Installing an interior threshold

The door leaf is located in the opening closer to the part of the wall where the door will open, so the threshold covering the joint of the floor when the door is closed should be located under the door leaf and then it will not be visible when the door is closed, see photo:

A common mistake made by repair crews is incorrect placement of the sills! To avoid such a mistake, draw a diagram in advance for opening all the doors and give it to the foreman before laying the finished floors.

Installation of interior doors in the bathroom

For living rooms and kitchens, it is recommended to order doors with a height of 2 meters. For bathrooms in new houses, a 1m high sheet is often required. 90cm. due to the presence of waterproofing and special high thresholds. If you missed this point and did not order doors with a height of 190 cm, then you need to expand the opening in height or, as an option, you can shorten the door.

If you increase the height of the opening, then the top mark of the doors to the bathroom and interior doors will be at different levels. If the door is cut from the bottom, the panel pattern is lowered. Therefore, sometimes it is better to order smooth doors for bathrooms.

A common mistake is the threshold to the bathroom made from a wooden door frame, as aesthetics and ventilation are compromised wet room, and in the future, mold may appear.

Preparing interior door openings

Polyurethane foam will not be able to stick if there is a lot of dust at the ends of the doorway. It is necessary to remove dust or prime the ends of the opening walls if they are covered with gypsum putty or if the walls are made of gypsum/aerated concrete blocks.

If there are open round cavities and voids at the end of the opening, they can be sealed with plaster, leaving marks with a pencil so that the craftsman does not drive fasteners into them. Holes for fastening the door frame are drilled between these cavities into the lintels.

If the walls of the opening are made of plasterboard, then in the metal profile at the vertical ends of the opening Necessarily needs to be laid dry wooden block. It is needed for reliable fastening of doors with self-tapping screws through the hinges and the mate, and it also imparts rigidity to the walls in the area of ​​the opening. Doors installed in openings without reinforcement are doomed to short-term use and will quickly sag.

If inside metal profile the block is laid and the ends are not sewn up with anything, then this is not correct. Foam does not adhere well to galvanized metal. Peeling may occur over time. To avoid this, strips of gypsum board or gypsum board or plywood are screwed to the ends. Foam adhesion to these materials is excellent.

It is not allowed to leave voids between sheets of drywall in the upper part of the opening. The fact is that the top box is often very bent or bent when wedging, and to straighten it, for example with the help of foam, a filled end of the wall is required.

Preparing the opening for sliding doors

For those who want to install sliding doors opening height for standard door should be approximately 202 cm. and the width of the opening should be equal to the width of the door leaf or a couple of centimeters wider. In the process of finishing the opening with extensions and platbands for the portal, its dimensions should become smaller than the door leaf.

At a height of 207 cm. up to 212cm. there should be no voids from the floor in the opening, since a wooden beam with a section of 5x5 cm and a length of approximately 190 cm will be horizontally fixed here, to which an aluminum top rail with rollers will be attached.

Finishing a doorway (portal) in an apartment

If you don’t want to install an interior door, you can install a portal instead. This solution increases the space in small apartment, so it's a win-win for visual unification adjacent rooms: hall and living room, corridor and dining room, living room and small kitchen. Doorway without the usual door, it surprisingly transforms the room:

Preparing the flooring before installing doors

A common mistake made by repair teams when laying floor coverings is when the gap between floor covering and the wall in the area of ​​the platbands exceeds the thickness of the platband. And you just need to remember to make it no more than 3 mm. in the area of ​​platbands.

A recess (groove) can be made in the wall near the floor to compensate for possible expansion of the floor covering.

Storing doors after purchase

To avoid deformation under the influence of gravity, the canvas, box beams and platbands must be stored on flat surface lying down. Doors can be placed on their side against the wall.

Doors, trims and frames can change their sizes after changes in humidity. Due to the build-up of humidity after cold weather, it is necessary to store the door and molding indoors for several days before installation. Do not remove the packaging from the doors in advance until the temperatures have completely equalized.

Which loops to choose?

  • If the canvas weighs up to 20 kg, then it is optimal to buy 2 loops 10 cm high
  • If the canvas weighs from 20 to 30 kg, then you need to buy 2 loops of 12-12.5 cm. height
  • If the canvas weighs more than 30 kg, then you need to buy 3 loops of 10 cm each. height

The hinges are hung at a distance of 20 cm from the top and bottom of the door leaf. The thickness of the metal and the absence of play are very important. If the metal thickness of the loop is 3 mm, then this good hinges, a thickness of 2-2.5 mm is much more common. It is very good if the hinges are made of brass or steel. Most common door hinges There are several types:

  • universal hinges - these are traditional mortise hinges familiar to all of us. If the choice of hinges is not a fundamental issue, buy universal hinges. They can open both to the right and to the left. In addition, universal loops have longer period services.

  • - not mortise, overhead hinges. Easy and simple to install. They got their name for their special unusual design - both of its elements, when open, resemble butterfly wings. During the process of closing the door leaf, one part of the hinge easily fits into the other, forming a single whole. Typically, such hinges are installed on lightweight doors.

  • — time-tested mortise hinges; a door with such hinges is simply removed if it opens 180 degrees. There are right and left depending on the door opening

How to choose locks and latches?

It is best to choose locks and latches based on the quietest operation of the mechanisms when opening and closing and their reliability. Magnetic locks are quiet, but not all, they need to be bought more expensive and preferably Italian, there are very quality options. Don't skimp on them so as not to suffer later.

Cheap latches with plastic tabs are not always of high quality; here you should first ask knowledgeable people (not sellers), and not buy too suspicious options. It will work quietly for six months, and then suddenly it will start making noise. Sometimes such cheap magnetic locks and latches do not work immediately after installation. Door installers know these models well.

You can buy classic latches/locks. It would be best to choose them with plastic tongues, as they are the quietest in operation and do not clank like metal ones.

Sometimes it happens that the new latch is difficult to operate. In this case, place a couple of drops of silicone grease on the lock tongue.

Door handle height from floor

For Europe - 95 cm. Nowadays many symmetrical doors are produced, in which the handle, according to the design of the door, should be located strictly in the middle of the leaf. Therefore, the standard handle height for Russia is 1 meter.

Almost all models door handles The kit includes self-tapping screws that are too long, which, when screwed into the door, can jam the lock or cause it to fail. unstable work. Door installers almost always screw handles with their own self-tapping screws.

How to choose the right specialist to install an interior door and check the quality of his work?

How to make the right choice so as not to be left with hopelessly damaged doors? Will the work be done efficiently if the door installer has doubts? Let's first find out how best to check the work of the wizard and analyze everything point by point.

How to check the work of a door installation technician?

  1. Look at the quality of the insertion of locks, the joints of the frame and platbands, and the insertion of hinges. There should be no gaps
  2. The lock tongue should fit into the strike plate without play.
  3. The canvas should fit evenly along the entire length to the vestibule or rubber seal. When closing the door, the elastic should not be jammed by the canvas.
  4. The gaps between the door and the frame must be even along the entire length.
  5. The box is fixed in the opening not only by construction foam, but also with the help of fasteners
  6. The canvas should not close or open on its own.
  7. The fittings must rotate freely
  8. The price may rise only due to the increased volume of work that cannot be foreseen in advance.

How to choose a door installation specialist? Basic methods.

1. The master must highly specialize in installing doors! It is necessary to watch or see the work live (at a friend’s apartment). The master or team must have at least 1 year of experience and provide professional equipment: a miter saw, sawing table or manual Circular Saw, milling cutters, screwdriver, drill, hammer drill, hairpin gun with compressor, templates for fittings, etc. Read

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