We install sliding doors with our own hands. Types and accessories of doors

27.06.2020

It's hard to imagine our life without doors. Their purpose is to freely let us through walls, limiting this opportunity for outsiders if desired: people, animals, smells or bad weather. Present in every home, these guardians of comfort and safety, as if in payment for their work, often limit the usable area of the room due to the opening radius, and the wider the opening blocked by the door, the greater these losses. Recently, the principle of “free planning” has been actively used in construction, when the room inside is an empty box, without load-bearing walls or other partitions. This method is beneficial both to the developer (by reducing the delivery time of the project) and to the end user, allowing him to furnish an apartment or office to his own taste and color. In this case, the question of rational and aesthetic zoning of the room inevitably arises.

An apartment is for people, not for doors

An excellent solution in this case would be to install partitions, sliding doors, roller shutters or accordion doors, allowing, in addition to the lightness and functionality of the design, to significantly increase the usable area. In turn, for standard small apartments, in conditions of limited free space, this method of dividing rooms can become almost a panacea. In addition, installing glass sliding doors with a mirror base will visually expand the space and, thanks to the reflective effect, make the room brighter.

How it works?

In a slider system (also called: on rollers it slides along one or two guides fixed along the wall, hiding behind one of its sides when opened. Moreover, both for installing a single-leaf sliding door and in the case of two door leaves, the installation technology remains the same and depends only on the length of the guides and the availability of space for placing the door leaves. A widespread option is when the door goes inside the wall, in the so-called door pocket or pencil case. This method, despite the additional difficulties of installation, allows you to ensure the integrity of the design of the room and protects the surface of the door from accidental damage.

Advantages over competitors

In addition to saving space, a big advantage of slider mechanisms, compared to the same accordion door, is the possibility of using a leaf similar to conventional swing doors, with their huge range (both in appearance and in manufacturing material). In this aspect, only a rotary door can compete with a slider system, but it is much more expensive and more difficult to install, and also takes up more space when opening.

If the walls, floor and doorway have ideal geometry, then the process of installing sliding interior doors do-it-yourself, in a certain sense, is even simpler than traditional installation, which is explained by large tolerances when mating surfaces. As mentioned above, two methods of arranging doors are used: along and inside the wall. Let's look at each of these options, understanding the installation process step by step.

Instructions for installing a sliding door along a wall

The first step is to clear the opening from the old door (if installed), including the trim and frame. Regardless of the installation method, at the preparatory stage of installation it is necessary to perfectly align the walls around the doorway.

Preparing the doorway

The opening for the door must have a clear geometry: the side slopes correspond to the vertical, and its upper part must be parallel to the floor and the horizon (to check, use a tape measure, building level and plumb line). The permissible difference both horizontally and vertically is no more than 5 mm along the entire length of the opening. Then, using self-tapping screws or liquid nails, additional strips are attached on which door trims are mounted. The resulting size of the opening must be completely, without gaps, covered by the door leaf being hung, taking into account the roller mechanism. The height is selected so that, after installation, the distance between the bottom of the door and the floor is 5-6 mm, which is important for improving sound insulation.

Using a long rule, you need to make sure that the wall (in the direction the door opens) is in the same plane as the opening being closed.

Placement of guides and assembly of the slider system

Now we proceed to install the sliding door mechanism, which is a kit consisting of a metal profile, a pair of roller carriages, a lower guide, movement limiters and fasteners. The choice of a high-quality sliding system is very important for the smooth and durable operation of the entire door unit.

When moving a door along a wall, as a rule, one (upper) guide rail is used, the length of which should be no less than twice the width of the door leaf (or better, exceed it by 100-150 mm). Manufacturers offer profiles in 2, 3, 4 and 6 meter lengths, which are often equipped with notches that determine the required track size to fit a particular standard door width.

At a distance of 60 mm, parallel to the upper slope of the opening, brackets are installed on the wall for fastening the profile, the role of which can be played by a spacer, which is a pine beam with a cross section of 50x70 mm, equal in length to the guide profile. The supporting elements must be fastened securely, as they will support the entire structure. To avoid skewing and jamming of the door, it is extremely important to perfectly maintain the horizontal level of the brackets (distance gasket) and their strict parallelism to the floor.
The guide profile is attached with self-tapping screws to the bottom of the beam at a distance of 5-10 mm from the plane of the wall (platband).
At the upper end of the door leaf, rollers for sliding doors are installed using self-tapping screws. They are placed on both sides at a distance of 100-110 mm from the edges to the axis of fastening of the moving part.
The lower guide gives the door additional stability and, depending on the configuration, can take the form of a C-shaped bracket or a T-bar. In the second case, using a router or drill and chisel, it is necessary to select a groove along the entire length of the lower end of the door that is a couple of millimeters greater than the thickness of the guide flag.

Hanging and finishing the door

After this, a movement limiter and a rubber shock absorber are installed in the aluminum guide, which can move freely along the rail and is rigidly fixed after hanging the door leaf.
Then, if there is free space along the wall, the roller carriages are inserted into the profile, holding the door attached to them in a hanging position. The installation is completed by installing the response shock absorber and plug. Before hanging, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the guide from debris and other foreign objects that impede the free movement of the carriages.

If space is limited, the profile is attached to the spacer (brackets) immediately together with the door leaf and movement limiters. In this case, for high-quality fixation of the structure, it is better to work with an assistant, achieving ideal observance of the horizon and a uniform distance from the wall along the entire length of the profile (for which it is convenient to use a template from wooden blocks prepared in advance).
After that, they check the ease of sliding of the door along the wall, and in case of uneven movement or slight misalignment, using adjusting screws located on the roller carriages, the position of the door leaf is finely adjusted to an ideal state. To avoid loosening of fastener elements (after adjusting the door), it is recommended to treat the adjusting screws with adhesive or sealant.
At the next stage, it is necessary to install the lower guide bracket, placing it in the middle of the working stroke of the door so that in any position of the door leaf the guide is always in engagement with it. In any case, the mounting location should be outside the doorway (next to the slope towards which the door opens).
Now you can install handles, a lock (if necessary) and a decorative strip covering the slider mechanism, which must be removable to allow maintenance and adjustment of the roller carriages.

Hiding the doors in the wall

For the second installation method (using a “door pocket”), we will get acquainted with the installation instructions, which differ from the first option only in the additional, albeit very serious, amount of construction work. The very same fastening of the slider mechanism is similar to the process given above.

First you need to decide on the principle of forming a “door pocket”, and here, depending on a number of factors, there are two options:

The structure is created in place of a large doorway, at least twice the width of the door being installed (allowing a door leaf and a pencil case to be placed in it). In this case, a hollow frame is formed on both sides of the door, imitating a blank wall from the outside.
An existing wall of sufficient width is used as one of the sides of the “door pocket” design. But this does not at all mean saving materials and simplifying installation, since, in order to create the visual integrity of the wall, the frame will have to be mounted over its entire area, both above the door frame and in the direction where there will be no pencil case.

The first method of creating a “secret shelter” for installing sliding interior doors with your own hands is preferable, since it allows you to make the frame less massive, indistinguishable in thickness from a regular wall, and is most often used in new buildings, especially in “open-plan” conditions.

Breaking is not building, or the nuances of expanding a doorway

If you are an adherent of the principle of beauty, which requires sacrifice, then you will have to work hard to expand the doorway to the required width. The main thing is to pay attention to some important aspects:

This is a permanent wall or just a partition. In the first case, it will be necessary to take additional measures to strengthen the load-bearing capacity of the expandable opening (but it is safer to use the option of a pencil case attached to the wall).
To avoid additional problems, make sure that there are no electrical, plumbing or other communications inside the section of wall being removed (check the house plan, use a wiring detector if necessary).
Decide whether you will need an electrical, network or antenna socket on the wall with a door pocket; if so, then the wiring needs to be prepared in advance.

Arranging a door frame with your own hands

The material for creating the frame can be galvanized building profiles or wooden beam of the appropriate size, which are attached along the perimeter of the future “door pocket” in two parallel rows. When using an existing wall, you will need one row, but it will have to be installed over its entire area minus the doorway. The technology for constructing a false wall frame is similar to creating a partition from plasterboard and involves installing vertical posts with a pitch of 400-600 mm, fastened together with jumpers in order to increase the rigidity of the structure. For not very heavy doors (up to eighty kilograms), if it is necessary to form the upper part of the opening, a beam with a side width of about 50 mm is used, and for a higher load the frame is made welded (which is hardly justified in a private house or apartment).

The space between the rows should guarantee the unhindered movement of the door leaf and, as a rule, is 20 mm wider than the thickness of the door. The depth of the niche should correspond to the width of the sash hidden in it with a small margin (5-10 cm).

Don't forget to provide space and make a frame to hide the sliding mechanism. This will require either increasing the height of the opening or using a shorter door leaf.

Next, you should mount the slider mechanism and install the sliding door similarly to the recommendations above. The only difference is that the guide profile does not need to be attached to the spacer or bracket, but directly in the middle and along the top of the slope of the door opening or support beam.

Checking, adjusting and fine-tuning the operation of sliding doors is carried out before covering the wall with plasterboard, since then, without dismantling the covering, this will be impossible.

Then the handles and locks are mounted, the facing material is attached to the frame and the finishing walls

Installation of a finished pencil case for a door

Specialized stores offer comprehensive solutions for sliding systems, including both a sliding mechanism and a built-in unit. Its installation is almost identical to that of a conventional door frame, and comes down to rigidly attaching the finished pencil case to the wall or installing it in a doorway in compliance with the strict positioning of all components of the kit. As a rule, fastening is carried out using polyurethane foam, which has low expansion. Then they install the guides, door leaf, handles, lock, drywall and the list goes on.

Don’t make yourself an idol: what to expect from sliding systems

When installing sliding doors, it is possible to use two sliding systems, which, located parallel, support the door leaf from above and below. This installation method allows you to withstand significant loads and is used, as a rule, when the door weighs significantly (more than 80 kg). However, for high-quality sliding in such a system, ideal symmetry of both guides is required, and the bottom rail, in order to avoid stumbling when walking, will have to be recessed into the floor, positioned at the same level with floor covering. In addition, the inevitable debris and small objects that get into the lower profile can easily damage the rollers and damage the entire opening mechanism.

Sliding door systems require an ideal wall surface and high precision during installation; they are less reliable than classic swing doors, are noisier when opening, and protect the room less well from extraneous odors and sounds.

Nevertheless, scrupulous installation, the use of high-quality sliding mechanisms, and the installation of additional seals at joints can largely eliminate these shortcomings, and thanks to high ergonomics and stylish design, sliding door systems have earned recognition and are widely used throughout the world.

In an effort to make your home more comfortable and cozy, you often come up with the idea of replacing conventional swing doors with sliding doors (they are also called sliding, sliding, hanging). The good news is that you can install sliding doors yourself without any problems. The bad thing is that a normal mechanism costs about the same as a high-quality blade. What is captivating about them is that when open they hardly “eat up” space. They either hide in the wall (a better, but more difficult to implement option), or move along it.

All this is true, but there is a significant drawback - a very low degree of sound insulation, especially in the sliding door version. When the canvas simply covers the opening. When installed in a pencil case (in the wall), the situation is a little better, but the degree of sound insulation swing door This cannot be achieved even with this installation method. If all this doesn’t scare you, you can start studying the systems, selecting them, and then installing them.

Sliding door systems

There are two types of mechanisms: suspended and rail. Neither is perfect. Briefly about their advantages and disadvantages below.

Top rail suspension system

The suspension mechanism is a supporting beam to which is attached a guide in the shape of the letter “P” with “legs” bent inward. The rollers to which the door leaf is attached move along this guide. In technical terms, it is a hanging door on a top rail.

When installing such a door, the floor under the door remains smooth, only on the right and/or left in doorway the lower roller is installed. It slides along a groove made in the lower end of the blade. It is necessary so that when moving it does not deviate vertically. This design is the easiest to install. Installation is very simple and consists of several steps:

That's all. Doors on rollers are installed. But this system, in the form shown in the photo, has very low noise insulation characteristics. They are practically zero: the passage is simply blocked.

Rail sliding doors

This type of door has two rails: top and bottom. Rollers are also installed at the top and bottom. Thanks to this design, the system has a high degree of rigidity: it can be shaken without causing much damage.

The disadvantage of having rails in the floor is known: they are difficult to clean. Debris and dust constantly get into the grooves, so you have to keep them clean. This type of door is most often used in cabinets. They are used as interior doors if there are active children in the family. Then safety is more important than difficulties with cleaning.

Mounting options

Regardless of the sliding door system, installation methods can be:

The simplest installation option is sliding doors. They can be installed independently, not only at the repair stage, but also after it. It is only important that the opening is smooth and the wall has normal load-bearing capacity. The disadvantage of such a system is that you cannot place anything close to the wall in the place where the door rolls back. There is one more thing: very low sound insulation. This is easy to explain: if you look from the end, there is a gap of several millimeters on the sides. It is necessary so that the canvas does not “shuffle” along the wall. And all sounds penetrate perfectly through it, becoming only a little quieter.

Cassette doors are good because when open, the door leaf is located in a niche in the wall and does not interfere. The second plus is that seals can be installed around the perimeter of the opening, which give much more high performance on sound insulation. The disadvantage of installing a sliding door in a niche is that it can only be done at the renovation stage. The second drawback: to make a pencil case for sliding doors, they usually install a false wall, and this means stolen centimeters of space.

Cascade doors are one of the types of sliding doors. It simply has a larger number of guides: according to the number of movable door leaves. Installation is perhaps the most difficult: there are many parts and high installation accuracy is required. The systems belong to the elite category, and they rarely save on installation: repairs will cost more.

Features and installation procedure

You can install sliding doors yourself even without much experience. It is quite possible to do without installers. It will take a little time, and also installation instructions. We will try to give a detailed description of the process with photos and video materials.

Self-installation of sliding interior sliding doors

Systems may vary slightly, but general rules remain the same. There are several requirements that must be met before installation:

The opening must be level, otherwise you will have to take a canvas that covers all deviations with a margin.
The load-bearing capacity of the sides of the doorway should be high, as should the wall above it.
The opening must already be finished: plastered and painted, covered with wallpaper or decorated with decorative panels.

Next we proceed to assembly. First you can attach the rollers. Different manufacturers have their own recommendations. Some recommend retreating 1/6 of the width of the door leaf from the edge; in other systems, they are attached immediately from the edge, and the mounting plates provide the indentation. This is the system we install: in it, roller platforms are installed immediately from the corner.

Marking the installation location of the rollers

We center them, measuring so that the distances are the same. Having positioned the plate, use a pencil or marker to mark the locations for the fasteners. Drill holes in the marked places. The diameter of the drill is 1 mm less than the diameter of the screw.

We set the plates and screw in the screws. The length of the fastener depends on the weight of the canvas, but not less than 70 mm. We twist them exactly perpendicularly, otherwise unnecessary stress will arise.

Installation of rollers

Supports for the rollers are inserted into the installed plates. They are fixed with a lid on the side surface. Next, roller platforms are screwed onto the threaded pins.

It is also convenient to install handles and locks before hanging. They need special, mortise ones. If you bought a ready-made kit, the required holes are available. If you have used a regular canvas, you will have to trace the outline with a pencil and remove the excess with a chisel. After the handle or lock fits into the recess, the attachment points are marked, holes are drilled for them and the fittings are installed.

The most convenient way is to hang sliding doors on a dry wooden beam. Its cross-section is less than 50*70 mm, its length is twice the width of the door leaf + 5 cm. We cut the guide to the same length.

Having aligned the guide along the beam, it is attached to the beam with self-tapping screws no less than 8 cm long. The number of fasteners is at least three, departing 10 cm from the edges and in the middle (more often is possible, less often - not).

Now you can measure at what height to mount the timber. A guide with a beam is “rolled” onto doors with installed rollers. This way you can accurately note how tall the doors are. We drill at least four holes in the side edge of the beam for mounting to the wall.

The guide with the beam “rolls” onto the rollers on the door

Add 7-10 mm to the resulting mark - the doors should hang and not shuffle along the floor. 7 mm is the minimum gap, which is sufficient if there is no floor covering in the opening. If they are planned (later to lay laminate, carpet, linoleum, etc.), then the thickness of these coverings must also be taken into account.

To prevent the canvas from “walking” during installation, it is wedged with small wooden wedges. At least two stops are required - near both rollers.

Having placed the beam against the wall and adjusted its position using a level, we mark its position with a pencil. If the wall allows, you can fasten it to the wall through and through, but for this you need to use self-tapping screws at least 120 mm long, or better yet, place it on anchor bolts.

If the wall, for example, is concrete, the installation of dowels is required. To do this, you need to transfer the marks for the fasteners to the wall. This can be done using a thin and long drill, the diameter of which is smaller than the drilled hole.

An even simpler option: a long thin nail. It is inserted into the hole and a mark is made on the wall with a couple of blows. The following procedure is known: drill holes for the dowel plugs, insert the plugs, hammering them in if necessary. Then we install the doors.

Attaching sliding doors to the wall

Stoppers must be secured along the edges of the guide. They are inserted from the sides, the required location is established experimentally (so that the canvas covers the opening completely when closed, and rolls back sufficiently when opening. They are fixed using clamping screws.

Having opened the doors, we install the flag roller on the floor. It fits into a groove cut into the bottom of the blade. It is necessary to ensure that the doors do not deviate vertically.

First, we insert it into the groove, mark holes for fasteners, drill, then secure with short self-tapping screws (length about 15-20 mm).

At this point we can assume that the sliding doors have been installed. They are already fully functional. Remained Finishing work. The mounting beam with the guide is covered with a decorative overlay, matched to the tone of the door leaf. It can be nailed directly to the timber with finishing nails.

Only when you put it out, make sure that the wheels are closed. It’s much more beautiful this way)) Now that’s it, you’ve installed the sliding doors with your own hands.

A video tutorial on how to install such a door is shown below. There are several installation options.

We install cassette-type sliding doors (in a pencil case)

The process of installing the guide and hanging the door leaf is almost identical to those described above. There is no need only for finishing, but all other stages are necessary. Instead of installing a decorative strip, a false wall is mounted at a distance of at least 10 cm from the wall. It is usually made from plasterboard profiles, which are covered with wall plasterboard. But this is not important - you can use gypsum fiber board or plywood, or any other suitable material.

Where does the distance of 10 cm come from? The thickness of the door leaf and the gaps on both sides are 5 cm. At least another 5 cm is added to this for installation of the profile. So it turns out to be 10 cm.

Since the main load will fall on the wall, the frame made of profiles need not be reinforced. If such a wall does not seem very reliable to you, you can insert wooden blocks inside, which are screwed with self-tapping screws. This will make the structure very rigid.

The basic principles for calculating a pencil case for a sliding door, as well as marking features and principles for preparing a doorway for installation, see the video.

Homemade sliding doors

Any door leaf can be installed on rollers and will work as a sliding door. The guide and all other components - rollers (carrying and flag), stoppers, stops - can be purchased. Hang on them at least a piece of plywood or a door assembled from several boards. This will be the simplest and cheap option. But making the mechanism yourself is a more difficult task. One of the options for a mechanism made from scrap materials sliding door(from round pipes different diameters) in the video. The system was supposed to be installed in a closet, but, judging by designs, easy can even withstand a solid oak door.

IN modern apartments in most cases there is not enough free space. Small areas of residential premises are occupied by furniture and Appliances. Significant space is devoted to swinging interior doors.

Some people, if possible, dismantle such structures, leave the opening empty or decorate it with an arch. However, there are rooms where it is impossible to remove them, for example, the bedroom. Sliding or sliding interior doors have become an alternative to the conventional system. They allow you to save useful space, which is very important in small apartments.

Those who want to increase the space of the room should know what types of structures exist, what their advantages and disadvantages are, and also how to install sliding doors yourself.

Types of sliding doors

Sliding devices are classified depending on the material of manufacture, the number of panels, the opening method and design features.

Sliding interior doors are becoming increasingly popular. This is not surprising, because they have certain advantages:

Significant savings in room space.
Smooth running of the blade.
They have the ability to install automation devices.
They prevent the occurrence of drafts and eliminate the possibility of plowing open due to a strong gust of wind.
Aesthetic appearance allows you to install sliding interior doors in any interior.
Visually increase the space.

However, sliding interior doors also have disadvantages:

Low level of sound and heat insulation, tightness. In this regard, such doors are not suitable for installation in bathrooms.
The high cost of the door itself, as well as the locking devices designed for it.
The walls used to install a sliding interior door must be prepared in a certain way. Furniture and other interior items, electrical equipment and open electrical wiring should not be located along them.

Preparing for installation of a sliding interior door

You can install a sliding interior system yourself. For this you will need:

Power tools: hammer drill - for drilling holes in a concrete wall; screwdriver - for tightening fasteners.
Plumb. This tool is necessary for vertical adjustment (leveling) of the sliding interior door structure.
A marker is required to apply markings.
To take measurements, you should prepare a tape measure.

Installation of a sliding interior door: features

Sliding interior doors can be installed in different ways depending on the opening method. Therefore, before starting installation work, you should choose the option that is most suitable for a particular room.

When opened, the door slides along the wall. In this case, the guides are installed first.
When the device opens, it rests against the rack. Here, the installation of a special rack is initially required.
When opened it goes into a niche in the wall. This type requires certain preparatory steps. Namely, part of the wall must be destroyed and a special structure made of plasterboard sheets installed in its place.

The correct location of the installed structure will allow the canvas to move easily and smoothly along the rollers.

It should be taken into account that the size of the door must be greater than the width of the opening. Otherwise, noticeable gaps may form, which will spoil the aesthetic appearance.

Installation sequence

Before installing sliding interior doors, it is necessary to complete all finishing work in the room and only after that proceed with installation.

Installation is carried out in the following sequence:

Installing the top guide. To do this, you will need to install a mounting beam with a guide profile attached to it.
The mechanism carriage is attached to the guide installed on top. After this, limiters are placed on both sides of the rail.
Installation of mounting brackets.
Installation in the center of the lower guide profile.
Hanging the canvas itself by threading fastening brackets onto the carriage bolt. Then tighten the carriage nuts first, and then the brackets.
The canvas must be removed and the floor rail installed. After this, the door leaf is hung again.
Position limiters are installed.
Assembly and installation of decorative pencil case.

The installation of the guides is carried out strictly horizontally to prevent arbitrary opening and closing of the system.

Adjusting the installed door

For better visual perception of the structure after installation, adjustment of the position of the canvas itself is required.

What should be the result of installing a sliding interior system?

Tight and uniform fit of the fabric to the structure.
Moving the canvas parallel to the floor surface.
The canvas moves easily, smoothly, without noticeable interference.
The locking device is fully functional.

By setting the average position of the door leaf, you can visually eliminate some distortions and even uneven walls.

The movable interior design will give the room lightness and add space. A different kinds The design of such systems will create a certain atmosphere in the surrounding space.

You feel much more comfortable in an apartment or house if there are interior doors. With their help you can divide the space and isolate different rooms. Recently, more and more people are inclined to buy sliding doors, since their design has a lot of advantages, and do-it-yourself installation will also save a decent amount.

What are they for?

Very often, during renovation work in any residential premises, owners decide which doors to install: hinged or sliding. But, upon reflection, many come to the conclusion that it is better to install sliding structures, since they the advantages upon closer examination are obvious.

The undoubted advantage of sliding doors is significant space savings absolutely any room. Due to the fact that the leaves of such doors slide parallel to the wall or are hidden in a special niche, they do not require space to open and close. In addition, some interior items can be installed close to these sliding structures; this will not work with hinged doors.
Unlike swing structures, a sliding door of any modification unable to open from a gust of draft: the canvas is held both above and below.
This mount is in a sliding door does not make creaking sounds in contrast to a swing door, where hanging the leaf is impossible without the use of hinges that make a squeaking sound.

Due to the fact that manufacturers produce many modifications, You can choose not only the size, but also the material at your discretion. for future construction.
The undoubted advantage of sliding structures is their safety. Especially for families with small children. In swing structures there is a gap between the door leaf and the jamb and often their fingers end up there out of curiosity or by accident. The sliding design eliminates this possibility.
Thanks to various modifications of sliding doors you can beautifully combine adjacent rooms. Doors to the hall from the kitchen or dining room can be installed based on the overall interior design, choosing an option that is in maximum harmony with all the rooms.
No thresholds in sliding structures is a definite plus for apartments or houses where people living in wheelchairs live.

Kinds

Interior sliding doors can be classified according to several indicators: type of movement of the structure, number of door leaves, material of manufacture, location of rollers.

Movement type

According to the type of movement, the door leaf can move and hide when opened inside a special niche or be open.

Hidden

Such a hidden mechanism is usually installed at the repair stage. The free space required to accommodate the door leaf along with the mechanism is created by thickening the wall. A pocket or pencil case for a door is made either from plasterboard or from a special metal cassette.

Thanks to this placement, the width of the wall will, of course, increase, but this configuration will allow you to install pieces of furniture near the door, hang a picture or place flowers in pots on special cabinets.

Open

The sliding door can be installed using the open type. The external sliding system involves open movement of the door leaf.

Its installation does not require building a hidden pencil case and therefore this structure can be installed at any time, regardless of the time of repair work. The door leaf moves parallel to the wall and therefore it is necessary to leave free space on the side where the door will be located in the open state.

Number of sashes

Depending on the number of door panels, sliding structures are divided into options with one door and types consisting of two leaves. Less common are more complex options: three- and four-leaf structures.

The single-leaf design is compact in size and is most often installed in rooms with a small area. When opened, the door leaf moves along either the right or left side of the wall.

Models with two doors are a suitable option for wider openings.

In addition, this design has several movement options. Most often, when opening a passage, the doors move apart in different directions. But there are other configurations, when one leaf remains motionless and rests against doorway, and the other moves from one side of the opening to the other. There are models where the stationary sash rests against the opening, and the second one moves towards the wall. There are also options where both doors can move from one side to the other, while resting against the doorway.

Material

Depending on the materials used, door leaves are made of glass, wood, or chipboard. There are also combined options.

Glass door panels visually increase the interior space of the room. As a rule, the canvases are made of impact-resistant glass and therefore do not pose any danger. Doors made of glass panels go well with many styles used to decorate the room.
Sliding structures can also be made from valuable wood, chipboard, as well as wood lined with MDF.
Combined door leaves contain both wood and glass.

Guide installation location

Sliding doors vary depending on where the tracks are installed. They can be installed at the top or bottom, and a combined installation method is also available.

Top position profiles is more popular. The hinged method is suitable for door leaves that do not have heavy weight. Thanks to this method, the doors function quite well. long time and are not as susceptible to breakage as with the lower location of the guides.
Bottom position used less frequently as it is more susceptible to deformation. Profiles located on the floor require regular cleaning, and a door that rests only on the lower profile glides less smoothly.
The most successful and reliable way- This combined arrangement of guides. It is suitable for doors that are heavy. The presence of upper and lower guides is often used in wardrobes. Furniture sliding structures are universal system and are installed not only in the cabinet frame, but between two walls, in a niche, with their help you can decorate any opening.

In order to open or close sliding doors, you need to apply some physical force, but there are models that do not require mechanical force.

These are automatic sliding structures that have a more complex structure compared to conventional models. The doors are driven electrically by a signal coming from sensors. Most often, automatic structures are installed at the entrance to premises with high traffic. These can be office and shopping centers, government and educational establishments, as well as cafes and restaurants.

Installing sliding doors yourself is not such a difficult task. It is quite possible to install both an open and a closed system yourself.

Any type of this design consists of a door leaf (the number of leaves depends on the configuration), guides, stops, at least two rollers, an upper overhead panel (absent in some designs), trim, fasteners (bolts, screws and other elements).

Before installation, it is necessary to prepare tools, because without them installation will be impossible. First of all, prepare a construction tape and a special level; you will also need a drill or hammer drill (depending on the type of walls). The following will not be superfluous: a screwdriver, a plumb line, a small hammer, a pencil (marker).

Each installation method has its own correct instructions. Depending on the location of the structure, a distinction is made between: hidden installation, when the door is retracted into a special cabinet when opened, and external installation, when the movement of the leaf is not hidden either when opening or closing the door.

To correctly install the sliding structure, you must follow the instructions step by step.

Open sliding design

Before installation, you must first dismantle old door, the hinges on which it hung and the trim. It is better to also remove the door frame, since it may interfere with the installation of the sliding structure.

Now we need to tidy up the doorway. We remove all irregularities: putty, plaster and smooth the edges. The lower part of the opening must be parallel to the floor, an error of no more than 5 mm is allowed. It is worth considering the thickness of the floor covering. If it is absent, it must be done taking into account the thickness of the coating.

Using a plumb line, the side surfaces are checked; they may have deviations within 3-5 mm. It's better if the walls are perfect flat surface, then the door leaf will fit well.

Now you can begin installing the door frame. To level it, you will need special wedges that will be located between the frame and the wall. By adjusting the location of the wedges and the degree of recession in the opening, you can achieve an even position of the door frame. You can check the correct installation either using a plumb line or using a building level. Having achieved an even placement, you can secure the structure using a screwdriver.

Before fixing the upper guides, you need to make sure that the door leaf is hung evenly. To do this, you need to place the canvas against the wall next to the door frame and make a mark along the top. Then the canvas is inserted into the opening and a mark is also made.

If both marks coincide (draw a line), then the floor is level and installation can begin.

From the resulting line, measure 5-7 cm in the direction of the ceiling and draw a line. Using it we mark the location of the timber. The length of the beam should be twice the width of the leaf plus 10 cm. If a double-leaf system is attached, then the length of the beam and profile should be 4 times greater than the width of one leaf plus a few cm. This is necessary so that the door, when opened, fully opens the door opening.

The location of the beam depends on the number of sashes. If there is only one leaf, then the fastening of the beam depends on the side of the door opening. Its middle can be located either above the right side or above the left. If it is planned to install two sashes, then the length of the beam is divided into three parts, where the middle part should be located above the opening.

Pencil case

The width of the pencil case should be twice as large as the door leaf, it should be completely hidden in the pencil case when the doors are opened. The pencil case is installed either in the opening or next to the wall. On the outside, plasterboard is used to hide the structure, or the frame is decorated with wall panels.

The frame is made of solid wood; it is suitable for doors weighing no more than 80 kg, as well as metal for doors weighing more than 80 kg. The frame is purchased depending on the parameters of the door and the type of sliding system. In the opening, it is first carefully leveled and then fixed on each side to the wall. The gaps between the pencil case and the wall are sealed with special foam.

When purchasing a pencil case, you need to find out from the seller what material the design is intended for.

Then you can install the sliding system. The fastening diagram for any installation method is almost identical. The upper guide is attached either to the beam or to brackets. Rollers are attached to the upper part of the leaf; their number depends on the width and weight of the door. The blade with a roller mechanism is inserted into the profile and moves freely along its entire length. The presence of a bottom guide depends on the design.

Mounting features

After all the necessary measures have been taken, you can begin installing the sliding door.

To secure the upper guide, a beam with a cross section of 50x70 mm is most often used. A profile of identical length is attached to it using self-tapping screws. There must be at least three of them. Now you can install the beam according to the marks on the wall, having first adjusted its position using a level.

If you need to attach a beam to concrete wall, then you will need to install the dowels first. Marks for their placement are made using a drill, having previously placed the timber against the wall for this process. Using the marks obtained, we drill holes with the appropriate diameter and insert dowels into them. Now you can attach the beam to the wall.

Let's start preparing the door leaf. To do this, we install a roller mechanism in the upper part. The fastening of the system begins with platforms, which are most often installed on the sides of the canvas immediately from the corner. We screw the platforms to the canvas using self-tapping screws and insert into them plates with pins, on which there are special locking covers on the side. Roller platforms need to be screwed onto these pins.

Installing handles. As a rule, the finished canvas already has holes. But if this is an ordinary canvas, then you will have to cut holes for this element using a chisel, after first tracing the outline of the mortise handle.

The lower guide is installed if the system has fastenings for the lower rollers. In order not to destroy the profile, you need to install a threshold, but you can install the guide flush with the floor.

What motivates you when you create your cozy nest? The desire to stand out, to follow fashion trends or just a desire to make practical use of space? If everything together matters to you, then installing sliding doors is optimal design solution. By choosing the type of product suitable for your interior, you will create a real oasis home comfort, where you will want to return again and again.

Types of sliding door designs

Thanks to the ingenuity and ingenuity of manufacturers, the range of sliding products is so large that even the most picky buyer will find something for himself. suitable option. The products are not similar to each other in shape, design, dimensions and the raw materials from which they are made.

When choosing a design, consumers pay special attention to the latter distinctive feature– material. For the production of products the following are used:

wood;
glass;
mirror;
plastic;
metal.

Products from natural wood– this, as they say, is a classic of the genre. They can give a sophisticated look to even the simplest interior.. From time immemorial, good wood has been a symbol of wealth and luxury. The high cost of the product is justified by durability, practicality, and beauty.

Wooden sliding doors are durable and reliable in operation

Doors made of glass and mirrors are preferable for small spaces. They visually enlarge the room, making it feel much more spacious. When choosing these types of products, you do not need to worry about their fragility. They are made of high-strength materials that are not subject to mechanical stress.

MDF products are a budget alternative to wood. For many years they have not lost presentable appearance and impress with their light weight and ease of installation. A significant drawback is their instability to moisture. Therefore, such products are not recommended for installation in the bathroom or toilet.

MDF door systems are an affordable alternative wooden products

Plastic sliding structures are no less popular among consumers. They are resistant to deformation, temperature changes, moisture, ultraviolet rays. Doors with protective decorative coating will serve for many years without requiring special care.

Sliding systems are also made of metal. These types of devices can be found in pawn shops, banks, jewelry stores. However, the imagination of designers is limitless, so they found ways to use such products in country houses and even apartments. At the request of clients, the metal can be decorated with patterns that give the product lightness and texture.

In private homes you can install metal sliding doors

Installation methods

Sliding systems are divided into two large classes: sliding-folding and parallel-sliding. In folding structures, the doors do not move along the wall, but move to the side and fold in the shape of an accordion or book.

In parallel-sliding systems, the blades move along a vertical surface. According to installation methods there are:

compartment doors;
cassette or built-in;
cascading.

Sliding doors can be single-leaf or double-leaf. The canvases move along a vertical surface on rails in one or different directions. Compartment designs are perfect for bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, balconies, and closets.

You can install sliding doors yourself

Installation of this type of product is quite simple and is quite within the capabilities of a novice master. They can be installed both during repair work and after. The main requirements are a smooth opening and the ability of the wall to withstand the expected load.

Along with a huge number of advantages, this system has negative points. Considering that the canvases move tightly along the wall, it is impossible to place furniture near it.

In addition, compartment products do not protect the room from sounds and odors. This is due to the design features. To prevent the doors from touching the vertical surface, small gaps are provided on both sides.

Cassette products, like compartment ones, can be made of one or two doors. The peculiarity of this model is the presence of a niche in the wall where the canvases are rolled up. The cassette design provides a high degree of sound insulation due to the fact that it is possible to install seals around the perimeter of the opening.

Cassette sliding door provides high sound insulation

If we talk about the disadvantages of cassette doors, the most significant of them is the installation of the structure only during repairs. The second disadvantage of the model is the installation of a false wall under the pencil case at the expense of additional centimeters of space.

Cascade structures consist of one or more doors and are considered a type of compartment doors. The number of guides corresponds to the number of panels that, when opened, are assembled on one side of the vertical surface.

Cascade door - a type of sliding door

Installation of this model is not easy. It includes many parts that require high-precision installation. Only experienced craftsmen can handle this work, because there is practically no room for error.

Classification by mechanism type

There are two large groups devices.

Hanging system

A suspension device is a supporting beam to which a U-shaped guide is fixed.. It is along it that the door leaf or, in technical terms, a hanging door moves on rollers.

Installation of such a door assumes that the floor covering remains intact. Only on the right or left side of the opening is a roller mounted from below. It rides along a groove made in the lower end of the blade. The main function of the roller is to prevent vertical deflection of the product during movement.

Suspension system design

Installing the suspension system is not difficult. Installation is carried out in several steps:

fixing the top guide;
installation of a roller device on top at the end of the door;
installation of the sash in the guide;
fixing limiters designed to prevent the track from derailing.
making a groove in the lower end of the product, securing the roller.

Suspended structures perform a purely symbolic role interior partition. They do not protect the room from odors and do not provide adequate insulation from noise.

Rail sliding system

Rail structures are used in closets, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and living rooms. This type of mechanism is represented by two rails located at the top and bottom.

The rail system is characterized by high strength

This design is characterized by durability. The door is firmly fixed in a vertical plane and does not allow smells and noises to pass through. The imperfection of the system is that cleaning is difficult, since the bottom rail periodically becomes clogged.

After weighing all the pros and cons of each system, choose the most suitable one for yourself and begin the step-by-step installation process.

Required tools and materials

When assembling sliding structures, make sure you have the required tools and materials. To work you will need a whole set:

electric drill or screwdriver;
hammer drill if necessary to remove the inner layer of the wall;
Phillips screwdriver;
overhead strips – 2 pcs. One of them is mounted at the top, and the other is mounted opposite the side in which the valves open.
anchors;
self-tapping screws;
handles for blades – 2 units;
finishing nails;
two extras;
a stand to which the doors are adjacent when in the closed position;
accessories: rollers, fasteners, aluminum rails;
canvas. To determine its dimensions, measure the height and width of the opening and add 70 mm to them on top;
wooden beam with a section of 50x70 mm. The length of the beam is equal to 2 times the width of the sash plus 5 centimeters.

Armed with everything you need, move on to the next block of work.

Installation instructions for sliding doors

Only a true professional can install a multi-leaf structure, mirrored doors or large-weight products. A novice master, having taken on such responsibility, is capable of making many reckless actions, which will later prove costly.

Therefore, if this is your first time encountering sliding structures, start from the very beginning. simple option– assemblies of compartment doors. If you purchase a ready-made kit, you will save a lot of time and effort. The kit contains all the components for installing the sliding system, including fittings.

When starting work, you should be extremely careful and careful. The whole process begins with preparing the opening. The quality of installation depends on how accurately its measurements are made.

The height of the opening is determined in several places: measure the right, middle and left side. Its width is measured in the same way. Then check how perpendicular and straight all sides are. When installing platbands, measure the thickness of the vertical surface in several places and in the corners of the opening.

The height of the opening is measured in several places

To avoid mistakes when installing sliding doors with your own hands, carefully follow these instructions. Break the whole process into blocks and gradually move from one to another.

Removing the old door

Empty the box from cashing, remove the old canvas and door hinges, and then dismantle the box itself. However, you can leave it alone if it holds well and does not interfere with the doors moving freely on the rails.

At the first stage, the old door frame is dismantled

Preparing the opening

If necessary, eliminate the curvature of the walls, seal the gaps and cracks with putty.

The contours of the opening should be smooth, so make sure that there are no bricks or drywall sticking out anywhere.

Check how parallel and horizontal the part of the opening is from the top to the floor covering. The maximum maximum deviation is allowed up to 5 mm. This is also mandatory for the sides of the opening. Here the tolerance is a maximum of 0.5 cm per 2 m.

After dismantling the old box, a new one is installed. It is leveled with small wedges. Adjust the angle of the structure relative to the floor covering and vertical surface by moving or pressing the wedges.

Wooden wedges are used to level the door frame

Secure the box with screws. When working with a screwdriver, you must be extremely careful so as not to damage the product.

Installation of the upper guides

After placing the box, place the door against the opening and mark its top border. Repeat this action again, placing the product in the opening. This is only necessary if the floor is not very level.

Installing the Top Rail

If the straight line turns out to be horizontal, measure 0.7 cm from it and draw another line. A wooden beam will be installed on it in the future. To fasten the beam, take enough screws so that it fits tightly to the vertical surface.

The rail is fixed to the lower end of the beam. First, it is slightly screwed on one side. To accurately determine the location of the screw, the thickness of the leaf is divided by two and added from 0.3 to 0.5 cm, which are necessary for the smooth movement of the sashes. Follow the same principle on the other side.

Before fixing the guide, make sure it is straight.

Before the rail is finally fixed, make sure that the gap between the canvas and the wall is sufficient. Also pay attention to the straightness of the guide. No kinks or curvatures should be allowed, otherwise the structure will not work properly.

Assembling carriages and installing limiters

Moving on to installing the sliding door rollers, insert the bolts into the carriages so that they protrude slightly from the hole. Run the carriages into the rails prepared for them and make sure that they move smoothly.

The next step is to install the carriages

Stoppers should be installed at both ends of the guides to prevent the canvas from leaving the rails. In this case, make sure that the rubber shock absorbers are directed inward.

Making a groove at the bottom of the door leaf

To make a recess in the lower end of the sash, step back 1.5 cm from its edge on both sides and drill one hole with a radius of 3.5 mm and a depth of 2 cm. Between them, in the center, select a groove for the guide.

A groove for the guide is selected in the center of the sash

The depth of the recess should be 1.8 cm, and the width should be 0.3 cm greater than the width of the guide, which is a flag or a knife. Taking into account that it is not easy to make a completely even groove, it is recommended to mount two slats or a profile in the shape of the letter “P”.

Fasteners for carriages

Moving two millimeters away from the side borders of the sash, fix the fasteners to the carriages exactly in the middle. An important point: the cutouts on the brackets in the shape of a semicircle must be directed towards the wall.

Hanging the door leaf

You won't be able to install the door alone, so call someone to help. Once you find an assistant, start doing the following:

Place the product against the rail and connect the carriage bolt on the right with the cutout on the bracket, while lifting the blade.
Place the end of the bolt into the hole of the adjusting nut and washer.
Lightly tighten the brackets onto the carriage bolts.
We proceed to installing the bottom rail into the recess. To do this, move the lower part from the vertical surface, install the canvas horizontally and move it to the open state.
Measure the maximum opening length and mark it with a simple pencil.
Establish a gap between the sashes and the vertical surface. To do this, move the lower part of the blade and put a mark at the location of the knife. The distance should be no more than 0.5 cm.
Remove the canvas and tighten the guide from below to the floor covering with two self-tapping screws.
Align the notch in the end of the canvas with the rail and hang the products without screwing the nuts all the way.
Set the gap between the floor covering and the product by tightening or loosening the adjustment bolts on the carriages.
Secure the nuts without allowing the bolts to turn.

Decorative design

To hide the rails at the top of the opening, platbands are used for decorative purposes. The lock and handle are installed at the end.

Features of installing cassette doors

The above instructions can be used as a guide for installing guide rails. When installing this model, there is no need for decorative finishing. Instead, an additional false wall is installed.

When installing cassette doors, a false wall is installed

The distance between the false wall and the vertical surface is approximately 10 cm. It is calculated based on the thickness of the sash, the gaps on both sides and the size of the profile.

The profile frame does not require reinforcement, since most of the load falls on the wall. But if you want to give the structure rigidity, then install wooden blocks inside and secure them with self-tapping screws.

Installing sliding doors is not a very complicated process, but it requires certain skills in construction. If you are not confident in your abilities, invite better than the master. This way you can avoid double work in case of an error or save an extra penny.