Before starting repairs, you need to think through all the nuances. Replacements will require doors not only in the main rooms, but also those leading to the bathroom and toilet. You need to take measurements and decide on a design. Door leaves are installed before the main repair work begins, but before you begin to study the installation instructions, you need to determine the criteria for choosing door structures.
Types of doors by material of manufacture
There are different types of doors suitable for the bathroom.
Glass
They are often installed in rooms with high humidity. The products are practical, durable, and fit well into the interior. Designs with glass inserts have disadvantages: the canvas is heavy; to install it, you need to purchase high-quality fittings. The price of products depends on the thickness of the glass.
Plastic
Such models have recently appeared on the domestic market and are available in white and beige colors. They are comfortable, durable, made of durable plastic that is not susceptible to moisture and mold. The frame is made of polystyrene foam; this material has good sound insulation. Plastic doors must be purchased from a manufacturer who is ready to provide quality certificates.
Plastic doors.
Laminated
To cover such products, paper is used, glued to the base and treated with additional insulating materials (resins). Laminated structures are installed in rooms with humidity up to 60%.
High-quality coating is wear-resistant, it is not high-density, and therefore is subject to mechanical stress. Poor quality fabric swells. The material “Laminate” is similar to laminate, but for its production they use thick thick paper, which is coated with varnish in layers. Thanks to this, the product becomes more durable.
Covered with PVC film
PVC coated doors.
The frame is made of wood and MDF, the surface is coated with a PVC film that is resistant to moisture. Such products are durable, but the film contains chloride. If the canvas delaminates, small cracks form in the frame.
Veneered
The filling is made from inexpensive wood and includes chipboard. The top of the canvas is covered with veneer of valuable wood species. Products of this type can be placed in the bathroom only by covering them with varnish and enamel. Well-treated fabric accumulates little moisture.
Doors covered with veneer.
Covered with eco-veneer
Eco-veneer is a type of plastic. This material contains a small amount of wood fibers and a plastic compound that acts as a binding element. Eco-veneer does not contain harmful impurities, its structure resembles wood, but it is more durable, wear-resistant, and is not susceptible to moisture. Even if the room temperature rises, it does not emit harmful substances.
How to make the right choice
Some consumers cannot decide whether they want to buy a finished product or purchase material for self-production. If a person is not an expert in the construction field, then it is better to opt for a ready-made door complete with frame. This will greatly facilitate the installation process. Moreover, when visiting construction sites and stores, the buyer does not fully know which doors are better, so it is worth considering the main criteria for choosing a door leaf for a bathtub and toilet:
The door must be made of high-quality material. The names of different woods will not tell the common man anything, so it is worth focusing your attention on individual parameters. It is important that the material is water-repellent and does not absorb liquids.
The bathroom door should not allow odors to pass through and it is advisable that its design be solid. It is unlikely that any household will like glass built into the toilet linen, even if it does not completely illuminate the room.
You should not choose heavy or complex fabrics. The door to the bathtub should be light and simple.
A prerequisite: the presence of a lock that will allow it to be locked from the inside. It, of course, can be installed separately later, but the built-in lock will be more reliable and look more presentable. The lock should be neat, not massive. It is needed not for safety, but so that the person in the room feels comfortable and is not afraid that someone will come in.
You need to decide on the material from which the canvas is made and the type of its opening: hinged or sliding. If the apartment is small, then the second option will be more appropriate.
Doors should not interfere with the aesthetics of the entire room, and if we are talking about the structure for the bathtub and toilet, then it should be simple and inconspicuous. The most common manufacturing material: wood; plastic; metal; glass. It is better to choose from the first two points. The metal structure is too massive, and the glass one costs twice as much. It is better to purchase the product assembled so that all the accessories are provided immediately from the manufacturer. Then there is a guarantee that the fasteners will fit exactly during installation.
Is it possible to install solid wood doors in a bathroom?
Wood species react differently to temperature fluctuations and changes in humidity levels. For the bathroom, you should choose wood that does not swell from moisture.
Pine
Solid pine doors in the bathtub.
Wood of this variety is easy to process. It contains resins that extend service life. If you plan to install pine doors, you should choose a model treated with impregnation, otherwise, as a result of exposure to moisture, the product will acquire a bluish color.
Alder
This is a dense hygroscopic rock. For its waterproofing use:
- wax;
- primer;
- enamel.
Varnish is applied over these materials. Alder is used to decorate walls and ceilings. It has a beautiful cognac shade, heats up evenly, so it is used for cladding surfaces in baths and bathrooms. If a door made of this type is treated with a dense protective layer, primer and enamel, it can be installed in the bathroom.
Alder door.
Oak
This wood is hard, dense, elastic, has minimal shrinkage, and absorbs enamels and paints well, so oak doors can be installed in the bathroom.
Ash
Doors made of solid ash.
Ash is dense, hard, elastic, resistant to mechanical stress, heavy, and has high viscosity. The material absorbs paint well and is easy to polish. The wood does not shrink and lasts for 30 years, but the untreated material is sensitive to moisture. If ash is affected by a fungus, it begins to quickly rot.
Beech
The wood is hard, tough, durable. Beech can be easily processed using stains and impregnations. When steamed it bends well, but in conditions of high humidity it becomes deformed and cracks.
Types of doors by opening method
The design is chosen taking into account the dimensions and design of the room.
Sliding doors.
Swing
They consist of a box and a movable canvas, the elements are connected by canopies. When choosing, you should take into account the dimensions of the bathroom and corridor. Swing doors are classic and can be found in any interior. Those who plan to install such structures should take into account the area of space for free opening.
Sliding
Compartment doors to the bathroom and toilet.
Sliding doors are compact and easy to use. They do not swing open, which means they save space. The structure is installed in small corridors and any small rooms. Sliding doors are convenient for people with disabilities.
Products of this type have the following disadvantages:
- They cannot be closed tightly. If the vestibule is poor, the level of sound insulation is low. Even closed, they allow odors to pass through.
- If you install them in the bathroom, hot water will cool faster.
- There is a stop at the bottom of the blade, which can jam during operation.
Sliding in the pencil case
Such designs are well suited for the bathroom. They have a closer that ensures smooth, silent movement. At the bottom there is a guide profile and a controller. The sliding panel is compact, it seems to disappear when opened, and provides good sound insulation.
The door can be single-leaf or double-leaf, the kit includes a lock and a locking device. Double doors are supplied with a synchronizer, which ensures simultaneous movement of the doors (the part is located inside the guide).
Sliding structures are installed on the finished floor covering, wall profiles and embedded beams are mounted.
Rotodoors
Roto-doors are placed perpendicular to the wall, take up little space when open, and function as hinged, sliding and pendulum doors. They are placed in small spaces. Products with a door frame are popular.
Roto doors have a stylish design and are compact. A special mechanism allows you to use space wisely. The structures do not make noise when opening and are convenient for people with disabilities.
Folding door accordion book
This is a practical compact design that does not require much space to open. Modern models are resistant to mechanical stress, they do not swell from moisture, and are easy to clean. Folding doors of this type are shown in the photo.
Folding door accordion book.
Selecting canvas by color and style
Every owner wants the interior to be complete and laconic, so when faced with the need to choose a door leaf for a bathroom, it is worth taking into account that the door leaf must simultaneously correspond to the internal (bathtub or toilet) and external (corridor) design.
All doors for bathrooms can be classified according to style into the following groups:
- modern: a group that is represented by modern door leaves, recognizable by straight chopped lines and a slight “rounding”;
- hi-tech: a group that includes canvases with sharp, straight lines and futuristic designs. Doors of this style are decorated with glass;
- classic canvases with an unobtrusive design will be ideal for any interior design solution.
Modern door collections amaze with the variety of colors and shades and, of course, every buyer knows that it must be selected, first of all, so that it is in harmony with other interior items and its style.
What accessories are best to use?
There are different locking mechanisms.
Built-in lock
Models with a built-in lock are affordable. It is a handle with a latch inside. To install such a lock, you need to drill holes in the door leaf.
Separate fastener
The door handle and latch are purchased separately. The latch can be mortise or overhead. The latter acts as a lock.
Plumbing lock
This design has a tongue that secures the door with a latch. A plumbing lock works the same as a built-in lock, but according to people who have installed it, it is more difficult to install.
Plumbing lock on the door.
When is a door ventilation grill required?
In rooms with high humidity, ventilation is necessary because... Without it, mold appears on the walls, their surface gradually collapses. It is recommended to install ventilation in doors to extend the life of the finish and prevent the growth of mold fungi. You can make the ventilation hole yourself or buy ready-made structures. To make a hole, you need to purchase a canvas and a ventilation grill that match the interior design.
Ventilation in the doors.
Inspection hatches and doors to them
Previously, all equipment in toilets was visible. Today the trend has changed. Now all pipes, meters, taps are hidden behind a false wall. To gain access to the equipment, special hatches are installed in the wall. Access is provided by a technical door located on the wall in the toilet.
There are a huge number of such hatches. They are all different in mechanism, design, and material for finishing the walls in the toilet. There are also invisible hatches that are very difficult to detect on the wall.
The model under tiles or invisible is mounted where the walls are decorated mainly with tiles. The system is hidden. The outside of the door is also finished with the same tiles as the main wall. The hatch is equipped with a door that is predominantly smooth - it can be finished with a variety of materials.
There are also products available for painting. This is an excellent alternative to invisible ones. They can be finished using plasterboard, which is fixed to the door. It can be painted or covered with wallpaper.
A more budget-friendly solution is also available. The door is made of metal or plastic. The hatch and the door itself are carefully treated with anti-corrosion compounds, so there is no need for any finishing after installing the door to the toilet. In addition, since the structure is quite durable, installation can be carried out even in uneven openings.
Among the advantages of such sanitary doors are high functionality, easy and simple installation, convenient care and maintenance, high reliability and ergonomics.
With their help, you can quickly and conveniently get to communications and plumbing fixtures. This solution is suitable for any interior, and installation can be done independently. In addition, the invisible door is very, very difficult to see on the wall if it is finished to match.
Which doors are better for bathrooms and toilets - solid or glass?
Solid products are more popular than doors with glass inserts, but the latter are more original. Glass does not deform, does not contribute to the growth of mold fungi, provides good sound insulation and retains heat indoors. The glass in bathroom doors has increased strength; it can be frosted or have a relief pattern.
Glass with mosaic inserts gives the interior originality. Some models have sandblasting compositions. Designs with large glass inserts visually expand the space and provide access to light.
