Sliding doors is a great solution to a specific problem in the building of structures; they dont require the same amount of floor space as swinging doors. You can use sliding doors to allow floor space to remain clear, to hide a closet, or even to open an entire wall to access a backyard. The size of the sliding door that the builder chooses for a structure is important in that the size of the sliding door can impact whether the door will work proper for the structure or whether it may be difficult to use the sliding door.
When measuring a structure to determine the size of a sliding door that will be installed into the structure, many people will measure the existing opening. However, those same individuals will often discover that the measurements of there existing opening do not match the measurements that is indicated on the door chart that is provided to assist them in the selection of the correct sliding door. Sliding doors are often categorized into three different groups; interior bypass closet doors, exterior patio doors, and pocket doors.
How to Choose the Right Sliding Door
Each of these types of doors requires from the individual that builds the structure a consideration of specific requirements of that type of sliding door. For instance, the panels of an interior bypass closet door must be narrower than the total width of the opening. Additionally, the pocket door will require a wall cavity that is twice the width of the pocket door, as the pocket door will need to be hidden within that wall cavity.
Finally, the builder will have to construct the exterior patio door to be able to support the weight of the insulated glass that will be used in the door, as well as be able to stand up to the weather. Each of these different types of doors may, therefore, require different hardware if the sliding door are to be placed in a specific location within the structure. Interior bypass doors are generally lightweight.
For instance, the panels of an interior bypass door will rarely weigh more than fifty pound, and they will not require any heavy-duty rollers for the door to move within its frame, since the interior bypass door will remain within the indoors of the structure. Additionally, since interior bypass doors are generally simple in their construction, the individual who builds the structure may have some flexibility in the size of the openings in that type of door; however, the panels will overlap when the door is closed, and the overlapping of those panels will leave a gap in the center of that opening. Exterior patio doors are constructed differently than interior bypass doors due to the need to support heavy glass panels.
For instance, the weight of a single panel of an exterior patio door may reach over two hundred pounds. The builder must construct the structure of the track for the exterior patio door, therefore, to be able to support such a heavy panel. Additionally, the exterior patio door will have thick weatherstripping and high sills to ensure that the exterior door will be able to weather the outdoor elements.
Finally, the three-panel exterior patio door can reach widths of twelve feet. However, such a large opening is only created if there is an existing opening in the exterior wall, or if the exterior wall will be modified to allow the installation of the door. If the door is forced into an opening that is smaller than the size that is required for the patio door panels, the door may have problems with alignment of the panels.
Pocket doors are constructed in a way that allows the door to not have any swing into the structure that it is installed in; the door panels will dissapear into the wall. However, the wall in which the pocket door is to be installed must have a cavity that is twice the width of the pocket door; the pocket door must be hidden within that cavity. If the opening in the structures wall is not square, the pocket door may get stuck within the pocket; the pocket door will not open or close smooth.
The extra width for the pocket door is a mandatory requirement for the construction of the pocket door. The type of track in which the sliding door will be mounted can have an impact on the type of door that is built; for instance, top-hung tracks will leave the floor clear, which can be preferred in areas where the floor must remain clear of items. Bottom-rolling tracks are generally less expensive than other types of tracks, but will collect dust within the doorway.
Bypass tracks allow two panels of a door to pass through each other, and are generally used for closet doors. Pocket tracks also allow the panel of a door to dissapear into the wall in which it is mounted, but require precise framing of the wall. The frame doors are constructed from can have an impact on both the length that the sliding door will last, as well as the look of the door when it is constructed.
For instance, wood doors can be stained and painted, but will expand and contract based off the amount of moisture in the air. Vinyl is more moisture resistant, which makes it a good choice for exterior doors that are exposed to the sun. Aluminum doors are slim in their construction and made of a strong material, but are often used in areas that are not exposed to cold weather, since aluminum conducts cold quickly through the door.
Fiberglass doors are more expensive than other materials, but offer high insulation properties and are more resistant to warping than wood panels. The type of material that is chosen will depend upon the amount of exposure that the sliding door will have to the elements, as well as how often the person who constructs the structure will touch the sliding door. Due to the difficulty in adjusting sliding doors after installation, the installation process requires a high degree of precision.
The rough opening in the structure has to be at least an extra inch in width and an extra two inches in height when measuring the rough opening. Furthermore, the track that is installed in the rough opening has to remain within an eighth of an inch of being vertical and plumb in relation to the structure, or the sliding door will drift from the vertical plane. Finally, three-quarters of an inch of floor clearance has to be provided for the sliding door; without this amount of clearance the door may scrap against the floor.
In measuring the structure and the doors that are to be constructed within, formulas is used to calculate the width of each panel of the door, the height of the opening, and the width of the rough opening. These formulas are used because the sliding door cannot be easily adjusted after its installation in the structure. For instance, once the track is mounted to the structures wall, and once that wall is closed by installing the panels for the door, there will only be minor adjustments that can be made to the rollers of the sliding door.
Due to the various aspects of a sliding door, many people tend to focus upon the visible dimensions of the door. For instance, a 96-inch bypass closet door will require two 48-inch panels, with each panel being at least one inch in width in relation to the other panels of the door. A 36-inch pocket door will require a wall cavity that is 37 inches in width.
These types of dimensions are generally “hidden” from the individual who is purchasing the door. Therefore, these dimensions are essential for ensuring that the desired sliding door can be constructed according to the plans of the individual who purchases the door. In planning the construction of a structure and the installation of a sliding door, one of the first considerations should be in how the sliding door is to be used.
If the sliding door is to cover a closet that is used every day in the structure, the individual can select the type of bypass system with panels for the door. If the desired sliding door for the structure is one that will dissapear into one of the walls in the structure, then the placement of the pocket door and pocket door cavity in the wall can be planned in the construction of the structure. Finally, if the sliding door is to cover an exterior opening in the structure, the strength of the track in which the sliding door will be mounted is an important selection to the constructor.
Each of these considerations are included in the door chart for the individual to consider prior to beginning to construct their structure.
