Doors

Door Introduction

Interior doors are used primarily to provide privacy and separate spaces, but they also provide sound reduction and temperature control. They're usually hinged but can also be operated by sliding, or folding. Internal doors add realism to a set, suggesting the idea the room leads onto other areas in a home. This creates the illusion the image is a real space and not a photography setting.

Door Types

Doors are either Moulded, MDF or Wooden doors.

Moulded doors are the cheapest but much more versitle but are not suitable for treatment with any type of oil, varnish, wax or polish.
MDF are usually considered higher quality than moulded doors since they can also be made in pieces and put together to create panels and other decorative features. This gives the door a sharper look when painted
Solid wood doors are the most expensive door and can be made into a variety of designs. Wood doors can be painted in any colour or can be stripped down for a natural look.

Flush Door

A flush door has a completely flat surface. Commonly, this style of door is used internally and has a hollow core. They are often painted, rather than stained, and have a contemporary feel. For this reason, they are popular in modern properties and may look out of place amongst more traditional décors.

Panelled Door

Panel doors are so-called because they have ‘panel’ shapes indented into their surface. These doors can be highly versatile, from the number of panels featured to the materials used in them. The panels do not have to be rigidly square shaped, and can feature glass panels or arch-shapes for more individuality.

Ledge (Cottage) Door

A ledge door (also known as a cottage door) is made from full height vertical boards which are braced with horizontal rails across the length of the top, bottom and centre of the door. A good quality wood is often used to make these, and then simply stained or varnished to show it off in its best form.

Painted Doors

When you open your door from the inside, the side of the door that swings inward toward you should be painted the same colour as the inside of the door. This will help keep things cohesive and give you a more uniform appearance when you open the door.
The same principle is applied to the side of the door where the hinges are attached. Since it swings outside when the door is opened, it should be painted the same colour as the outside of the door to keep things uniform.
If the door is painted generally the door frame is to be the same colour as the door

SatinWood (Semi Gloss)

Satinwood is the most common paint finish. Satinwood finishes tend to look more modern and more solid in colour as the finish it is less reflective. It is 50% sheen.

Gloss Finish

Gloss paint is used on internal and external doors. Most commonly used in kitchens and bathrooms doors where surfaces need to be able to withstand more wear and tear. It gloss creates a high sheen and is semi reflective.

High Gloss Finish

A glossier paint also makes doors and trim stand out against the flatter wall surface. It is very reflective in appearance.

The downside to high-gloss paint is that it shows flaws more than any other paint, because of its highly reflective properties.

Door Woodgrain

Hard woods such as oak, ash or walnut which are darker and have a grainier finish
Soft woods such as pine, fir or cypress, more economical with a less veined finish

Solid Oak Woodgrain

In traditional wood doors the grain is larger and more varied and not repeated. Wooden doors can be stained in a variety of stains to achieve the desired look.

Oak Veneer

Veneer is a thin, decorative piece of wood that is fitted to a solid core.This thin covering is meant to be decorative and make the door look more clean, sleek and can have a more refined grain.

Rustic Cottage Door

Usually in a tongue & groove style panelled door. The door is untreated and has a very rustic look. Each plank having a different pattern woodgrain looking mismatched in appearance.

Glazed Doors

The type of glass you choose for a particular door will be primarily based on whether it's for an external or internal door. Glass doors are available in a variety of styles and mechanisms like sliding, hinged and bifold.

The glass is fitted into the door leaf or into the door frame. Glazed panels can be fitted into an extended door frame either at the sides of a door or above it.
The insulated glass panel is held in place by the small molding
The pane typically is not glued in, but will have a light bead of silicone around the perimeter to cushion the glass slightly.

Frosted

Front Doors usually come with Frosted glass for privacy. On a traditional door it is fitted within the top panels of the door frame and can also have side panels/sidelights with glass in the same size.

With frosted glass light allowed through is reduced. They diffuse the light and hence nothing is clearly visible through them.

Textured

Textured glass is used in interior & exterior doors. Different styles of textured glass are available, including frosted, bevelled or prism, water,ripple, and reed. Obscure glass has always been installed with the least textured side to the outside.

With textured glass light is allowed through but will naturally cut out some of the light due to the pattern and texture.

Stained/Ornate

Stained glass is used in door and window details in period properties, traditionally Victorian. Every design is unique and has a ripple effect in the glass with an intricate design. The stylist will specify a particular design.

The lead work usually appears on the outside pane. Light allowed through will be reduced due to the pattern & texture.

Crittall

Crittall doors are made from steel with clear glass panels in the frame. Usually the glass is full-height within the frame and is clear glass. The door has no jambs or architrave.

Cross glazing bars can be added. These can be added on either or both sides of the glass to make it look more realistic. They are non-structural and purely aesthetic.

French

French doors can be used as interior or exterior doors. As the doors are set with uniform glass panels, made to extend most of the doors length.

French Doors are made out of wood or aluminum. Some contain grid patterns and some are without. French doors made of everyday clear glass.

Sliding Patio Doors

Tempered glass, also called safety glass, is often used in sliding glass doors. They are made up of two pieces of glass sealed together with an airspace. Reflective glass is also commonly used.

They consist of two parts—a fixed panel and a sliding panel. Sliding glass doors typically have narrower frame. Doors can now go up to 12 feet or more in height

Internal Door Sizes

Measurements

The standard door size in the UK is: 762x 1981 x 35mm
There area variety of other sizes, in a period property, or a new property these can deviate from the above standards, this will require made to measure doors.

Clearance

The clearance from the floor to the base of the door is typically 1/2" over a finished floor.

Door Hanging

In order to ascertain whether you have a left-hand or right-hand door, you need only check where the hinges are on the interior side of the door. Exterior door will always open inwards.
If you have a wall or other obstruction perpendicular to one side of the door, this should be the side the hinges are located. This way, the door opens against the wall, leaving plenty of clearance for you to walk through.

Door Hinges

Door hinges ensure the quality of the door built. The hinges are placed on the door edges from where it will fold open. Almost every type of door, whether residential or commercial, requires hinges. The door hinges are always invisible to eyes but are the primary source of the functioning of a door. You can get away with two hinges on a light, hollow-core door, but will need at least three on solid core or exterior doors.

Doors opening outwards

Examples of how hinges and framing works with doors opening towards the room.

Hinges are visible and on the otherside of the frame when the door is open.
The door will then sit flush and hinges will not be visible when closed.

Doors Opening Inwards

Examples of how hinges and framing works with doors opening inwards to the room.

Hinges are not visible, they can only be seen behind the door frame like reference image 2.
When the door is closed hinges will be visible.

Framing

How the door frame is built must be considered. The thickness of interior walls in the UK is typically 130-150mm and so the door thickness and framing must consider this. This is to make sure the door does not look flat or fake.

A portfolio of styles can be found here:

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Architrave

Architraves are interior mouldings fitted around a door frame or a window. They allow you to hide door joints and other rough surfaces by acting as a trim where the joints meet the walls or the floor. Architrave are typically available in a range of materials and finishes, most commonly MDF and Solid Oak.

Modern Square Architrave

Modern Chamfer Architrave

Colonial Style Architrave

Traditional Victorian Architrave

Other Door Styles

Sliding Doors

Sliding doors move along metal, wood, or vinyl tracks fitted into their frames at the top and bottom. To ease their movement, sliding doors often have plastic rollers attached to the top and bottom or to the bottom only.
They come in a variety of 2/3/4 door configurations. Sliding glass doors can now go up to 12 feet or more in height.
Sliding glass door frames are often made from wood, aliminium, stainless steel, or steel, which also have the most strength. The most common material is PVC-plastic. The glass in these doors are also often made up of two pieces of glass sealed together with an airspace.

Bifold Doors

Bifold doors consist of a number of panels which fold back onto one another in a concertina arrangement. They are great space saving alternatives compared to internal French doors, and the glazed panels allow for maximum light. The doors are fitted to runners, and when opened they slide and fold at the same time for seamless opening.
Bifold doors are usually made from aluminium because of their strength and can be slimmer frames and sightlines compared to other materials.

Barn Doors

Barn doors can also be an effective way to partition open spaces, they can serve a function, especially when a conventional door won’t fit in a space. Rooms where wall space is at a premium may not be a good fit since the door requires extra wall space to slide open
The barn door should be wide enough to completely cover the doorway with an inch or two of overhang on both sides and about one inch at the top. It should be tall enough so that when it's hung on the track, there is about 1/2-inch of space between the bottom of the door and the floor. Floor guides prevent the barn door from swinging towards and away from the wall, the floor guide is optional.

Pocket Doors

Pocket doors are a great solution for smaller spaces that lack the wall space for a full swing door. This makes them perfect for small bathrooms, closets and connecting those two areas.
Pocket doors work by having a recess to slide into, so it's a lot easier for them to be integrated into a new wall than an existing one. Pocket doors are usually top-hung on wheels, supported in a metal track. The system is embedded within the wall.

Handles

The most common types of door handle are the lever handle and the doorknob. Door handles can be made out of a wide variety of materials. Examples include brass, white porcelain, brown mineral, cut glass, wood, and Victorian bronze. They must be positioned correctly on a door for realism.

Handle Height

The most common height for a door handle is 1000mm from the floor.
Standard UK regulations say door handles must be installed between 900mm and 1050mm off the floor.

Door Handle

When showing a door open a faceplate with screw and lock needs to be shown on the side panel. The handle needs to be positioned correctly away from the door edge.

DOOR HANDLES ON A PLATE

DOOR HANDLES ON A ROSE

STAINLESS STEEL DOOR HANDLES

MORTICE DOOR KNOBS

Door Locks

Locks will be required on external doors and sometimes required for internal doors for bathrooms. The stylist will specify the lock required, these are good visual examples of the most common internal/external locks used in UK housing.

SASHLOCKS

These locks can be operated from both sides of the door and come with a deadbolt, latch and key for external doors.

TRADITIONAL NIGHTLATCHES

This lock works automatically when closed. This makes a nightlatch the best door lock for entrances in blocks of flats. For external use only.

TUBULAR MORTICE LATCHES

Used with either latch, rose or knob handles, this range works for internal doors mainly bathrooms.

BATHROOM BOLTS

Operated by a bathroom turn, these allow you to fit a separate rose or knob handle with its own latch. Used in bathrooms.

Keyhole Distances

Industry Standard Keyhole Distancing

Entrance Without Doors

When there is no door between one room and another an entrance can be created in the wall usually at the same height as a doorway. When this is the case a frame/moulding will still be required.
This starts from the skirting like normal door architrave. This can be decorative or contemporary and usually matches the style of skirting used.
The framing can be MDF or wood and will match the colour of the painted skirting.

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