What is an interior folding door “book”

Owners of small apartments quite often envy those whose living space is of a decent size. First of all, this is due to the fact that in a small apartment it is quite problematic to arrange the interior the way you would like. After all, the furniture you like may simply not fit in size and therefore you have to think about how to find extra free meters of space. But quite often people don’t think about the fact that they can get more free space if they install interior folding doors, or “book” doors, as they say, which have been gaining more and more popularity in recent years, gradually displacing standard interior doors. After all, book-shaped interior doors make it possible to gain about a meter of free space.

It has long been noted that a folding interior door-book is an excellent alternative to the usual swing door, to which everyone is already accustomed. Its design is somewhat reminiscent of bus doors, because it has several doors that move along a guide. A door like this is perfect for any room, but most often they are installed in the bathroom or kitchen.

But here you should take into account some characteristics of such doors, such as strength and reliability of fastening. Interior door-books are compact and mobile. In addition, they are multifunctional. They can also be effectively used to delimit a room as a screen partition.

Thanks to the large selection, an interior door book can be selected for any opening, even the most non-standard one, without any problems. In addition, such doors are also distinguished by their safety, because they cannot close due to a draft, and if you accidentally hit the door it is difficult to get injured.

A folding door will also be very convenient during transportation, because its leaves take up significantly less space than regular doors. There are a large number of models on sale that differ in color, opening method, style, design features and appearance. Thanks to this, they can be installed in any room. They will help make it more modern and original.

The main advantage that can be obtained by installing such a door is saving free space. The interior door-book is gaining more and more popularity precisely because of this property. Its installation is quite simple and does not require much time or any special skills or tools. Let's look at what a book door is in more detail.

The interior door is operated by a book system, which is somewhat reminiscent of blinds. It consists of vertical panels connected so that the movement of all parts of the structure occurs in a reciprocating order. This is also possible thanks to the presence of a special guide. A folding door consists of one or two pairs of leaves, which makes folding the door a simple and practical procedure.

Types of book doors

There are two options for book doors - two and four sections. The first type of door is distinguished by the presence of two sections that can simultaneously fold or unfold. Each section has the same width. The second version of such a door consists of four sections. Thanks to this, the width of each of them is small, which allows you to save more free space.

Option with two sections.

The main criterion when choosing one type of door or another is the size of the opening. If its dimensions are no more than 1.7 meters, then a door of two sections is quite suitable. If the dimensions are more than 1.7 meters, then preference should be given to a door consisting of four sections. But in the latter case, the cost of the door will be slightly higher.

In order for interior book doors to open and close well, you will need a high-quality guide mechanism. But here again, a lot depends on the size of the opening and the number of sections. If the door has two of them, then only one guide will be needed. It must be installed from above. If the door has four sections, there should be two guides. They should be installed at the top and bottom of the doorway.

Opinions

There are now many sites that specialize in product reviews. Also in some online stores it is possible to leave a comment about a product . Therefore, each person can easily decide what exactly he needs.

Reviews about accordion doors are contradictory. Like many products on the market, it also has its fans and haters. True, there are significantly more people who do not want to install a door with such a mechanism. As the main arguments, they cite poor sound and thermal insulation, short service life and difficulties in transporting furniture and large household appliances through the doorway. Opponents focus on the unusual change in the interior, convenience and the fact that such “accordions” are perfect for apartments with a small area.

Everything depends on the manufacturer, I looked at a lot of these accordion doors before and settled on MARLEY and was right. The door opens well, softly, without much noise. The model I took was Eurostar. been working great for five years now . A neighbor saw it and also bought some cheap one from OBI, showed it off at first, and took it off six months later. I told her: “The miser pays twice.”

Valentina, Tomsk

Such models are especially relevant for Russia, since more than half of residential buildings are “Khrushchev” buildings with a small area. Such “accordions” will fit well into almost any interior, as they have a variety of colors. Like their interior counterparts, “accordions” come in both solid and with a glass insert. Let's add ease of installation to all the advantages - and here you have an excellent solution to the lack of narrow corridors and small space. The issue of insufficient sound and thermal insulation is not acute here. The fact is that the sealing system is similar to conventional doors . In addition, with proper handling, the accordions will last a long time.

uniondoor

When open, they reduce the doorway by 10-15 centimeters, so the opening itself will need to be made wider, otherwise you won’t be able to bring anything in or out through it without dismantling the accordion. If you have to change the washing machine (for example, take it out of the bathroom) through a standard door, you won’t be able to take it out with the “accordion” installed. And existing models guide elements only on the top; the bottom is usually on a wheel, so it gets stuck from time to time when opening or closing. My friends bought guides for the bottom separately and were still ultimately dissatisfied. They are going to replace it with a regular door.

Nadezhda, Simferopol

Manufacturing materials

For the manufacture of book doors, various materials are used, which have both their advantages and disadvantages. The most commonly used materials are:

• Glass;
• Aluminum;
• Tree;
• Plastic;
• Steel.

Let's look at each of these materials in more detail, because this will help you when choosing a design.

The main advantage of glass interior book doors is their beautiful appearance, which can easily fit into almost any interior. But nevertheless, such doors are not very common, as they do not allow you to feel privacy in the room. In addition, they are distinguished by considerable weight, which creates a load on the mechanism. The cost of such doors is also considerable. If such structures are installed, it is most often in the kitchen or living room. They should not be installed in the bedroom or children's room. You can see examples of how “book” interior doors look in the interior in the photo in our article.

One of the most popular materials for book doors is aluminum. This is primarily due to the fact that the metal is durable and light. But this material also has its drawbacks. First of all, it is the impossibility of creating good noise and heat insulation. In addition, the cost of an aluminum door is quite high, and it is not suitable for using thermal insulating inserts.

A wooden door is considered the most environmentally friendly. It also has excellent thermal insulation and a beautiful appearance. It can become a real decoration of any room. In addition, a wooden door can be varnished. But it should be remembered that wood does not tolerate moisture well and installing it in the bathroom is not recommended.

Another interesting material that is often used for flip doors is plastic. It allows you to choose any color that will allow you to fit the door into the interior of the room as harmoniously as possible. In addition, interior book doors made of plastic have good noise and heat insulation properties and are low cost. But you should not install them in the kitchen. This is due to the fact that plastic, when regularly exposed to high temperatures, can release substances harmful to human health.

The production of interior book doors can be organized from steel. This material is distinguished by its excellent strength and durability, but due to its considerable weight, such a door will require reliable fastening and at least two guides. In addition, the heat and sound insulation qualities of steel doors are not very high. But despite this, the popularity of this material is quite high.

Description and varieties

As the name implies, the design of such a piece of furniture is similar to the bellows of an accordion , button accordion, accordion and similar musical instruments. Opening like bellows or window blinds, the door changes its length and width, opening or closing the passage. In other words, the design of such an “accordion” model is not anything complicated, although it looks unusual.

In most cases, doors are made of lightweight plastic (PVC). There are also models made from chipboard (chipboard) or real wood. The cost of wood or chipboard is higher than their plastic counterparts.

Basically, the model range is made of plastic, painted “wood”, but there are also models finished “metal”. Various patterns can be applied to the accordion door. Often in stores you can find models with glass openings, and the glass, as a rule, is also made of plastic. Of course, the cost of such “accordions” is much higher.

Advantages and disadvantages

Interior book doors have become especially popular and widespread in recent years. They are increasingly being installed in apartments and private houses as interior doors. However, they have not only advantages, but also disadvantages. Below we will consider them, because when choosing doors you should take into account all aspects.

The advantages of book doors are as follows:

• The unusual design, which always arouses considerable interest;
• The ability to effectively save free space;
• This design can be used to separate rooms, and also makes it possible to refuse to use curtains;
• A door, with proper selection of material, can become a wonderful decoration for any room.

As we can see, there are many advantages of interior book doors. With the right choice of the material from which it is made, you can achieve excellent results. But this design also has a number of disadvantages. Interior door-books have the following disadvantages:

• Poor insulation. Almost all models of such a door are unable to effectively retain noise, odors and heat;
• Such doors can only be used as interior doors, since their protective capabilities are low.

When choosing a door, you should take into account all their positive and negative sides. Here you need to remember that the material from which the door is made plays a rather important role. In addition, you should take into account the room in which you plan to install it.

Installation Features

Installing such products in bathrooms is quite possible and advisable, if you do not pay attention to their insufficient sound insulation. Naturally, preference is given to plastic, metal doors or frosted or organic glass. The material must also reliably withstand the effects of elevated temperatures and humidity (including the folding mechanism). The same applies to installing such products in the kitchen. The large space savings achieved in this case convincingly speak in favor of installing doors of this type, which is emphasized by numerous positive consumer reviews.

Folding book doors are not used as entrance doors due to the low rigidity of their design. An exception can only be made for going out into the courtyard of a private house, as in the photo.

Great design possibilities are provided by such products with combined doors, when the lower one is made of an opaque material - for example, wood or plastic. At the same time, the upper sash can be made of colored, frosted glass or stained glass, which can be seen in the video. Buying such products is a successful decision in many ways, and the price in most cases is quite acceptable.

Related article: Standard entrance door openings: standards

Reliable operation of such products is possible only if high-quality fittings are installed on the folding mechanism. This requirement must be met, in particular, for glass book doors. The accessories include:

• guide rails and rollers;
• door supports;
• sealing elements;
• door hinges;
• pens;
• clamps and fasteners.

When choosing these elements, it is necessary to find out the degree of their reliability and workmanship. Before purchasing accessories, it is recommended to look through the relevant reviews and only then make a decision. Poor-quality fittings lead to failures in the functioning of even high-quality products. It should be noted that the designs of the door systems under consideration also allow the installation of locks in them, as in the photo, the price in this case increases.

Well-known manufacturers of book doors

A few words should be said about well-known companies that produce interior book doors, including the type we are considering. There are quite a lot of them: both foreign and domestic. When purchasing, you should choose doors from well-known brands.

This way you will receive a guarantee that the book door will be of high quality and will serve you for a long time. The cost depends on many factors, including the material used. The most popular domestic and foreign brands:

• Luxor;
• Miljana;
• Loko;
• Valdo;
• Stendor;
• Verda;
• Rado;
• Alvero;
• Bravo

This is just a small list of companies that produce book doors. In fact, there are much more of them; when choosing doors, you should read reviews about their products.

Advantages of accordion sliding doors

• The ability to open the opening completely or partially - of all panoramic doors, only the accordion can be opened.
• Various opening patterns, you can choose the most convenient one for each room.

Photo: accordions can be made from any type of profile - plastic, aluminum, wood, in the same color as the rest of the windows in the house

• The accordions use the same handles as those on the windows; all designs will be made in the same style. The design will be decorated with designer handles.
• Easy transformation of a room from one spacious to several private ones and vice versa for optimal use of space.
• The high sound insulation of accordions allows them to be used to organize meeting rooms or rooms for guests and children - no one will disturb anyone.
• The structure is assembled on site, the sashes are delivered disassembled. The frame in aluminum accordions is also delivered disassembled, and some manufacturers also offer collapsible plastic structures. The frame of the structure is simply attached to the ceiling and walls, and the running tires are attached to the frame.

Let's sum it up

So, to summarize the information provided in this article, we can say that accordion interior doors do not perform all the functions necessary for a high-quality interior door - there are too many shortcomings built into their design. On the other hand, for simply closing various types of storage rooms and non-residential premises from the prying eyes of guests, accordion doors are quite suitable. Moreover, due to the peculiarities, namely the presence of many slots in their design, such rooms provide a sufficient level of ventilation.

Mastermind: vse-pro-dveri.com

Design features of a folding door

The door leaf of the accordion design consists of several panels that look like blinds. When opened, all panels fold like an accordion. The first segment is attached to the opening, and the second is connected to a roller, thanks to which the movement is carried out. All parts are attached using metal hinges.

Scheme of the suspended structure

The sliding model also includes trim, door frames, installation parts and roller runners.

Ideal for narrow openings

Standard range

There are several options for sliding doors:

1. Doors that move parallel to the walls;
2. Structures that fold on the sides;
3. Doors with leaves that overlap one another.

The most popular and attractive modification will be the folding system. The overall performance will vary depending on the number of panels attached. The classic width of one such element is approximately 100 to 200 mm. As a rule, the dimensions of a standard doorway allow the installation of sliding doors, which include from 5 to 7 leaves.

Installation occurs without additional fasteners. It happens that the difference between the dimensions of the canvas and the opening is 15 and 10 cm. The remaining gaps are usually filled with foam, and the entire structure is sheathed with plasterboard.

Disadvantages of accordion sliding doors

• There will be less light than with another panoramic door. The maximum width of the sash in the accordion is 1200 mm for the working one, and 900 mm for the folding one. This means that in a structure 6 m wide there will be at least 6 segments and 5 vertical lintels. They visually cut the opening and reduce light transmission.
• On one side of the structure, free space is required next to the accordion door for the doors to “pass” to the parking space - as a rule, the doors fold toward the room, but there are options for opening outward to save space in the room. The wider the doors, the more space needs to be left free.
• In multi-storey buildings, it may be difficult to transport large frames and lift them (the structure itself into which the sashes are inserted). In a standard high-rise building, problems will arise with the delivery of a structure already more than 2.5 meters wide - this point must be clarified when measuring. For wide structures there is the option of on-site assembly, even when using PVC profiles. If there is a freight elevator, there are no problems with lifting the wings, because... The ceiling height of most high-rise buildings does not exceed 2.6 meters.
• Having chosen a flat threshold, during installation it must be “recessed” into the floor by 46 mm, which can lead to an increase in the cost of finishing the room - you will have to cut a groove 120 mm wide at the base of the floor or make a high screed.
• Wooden accordions are supplied with a fully assembled frame only.