Glass Doors: How To Choose, Pros & Cons

In addition to traditional wooden and metal doors, glass interior doors are trendy. They are often installed in houses, apartments, cottages, and offices. They look pretty unusual and give a feeling of ample space and freedom of movement.

The first glass doors were installed at the end of the 17th century in France, but their mass production began only in the middle of the last century with the advent of new production technologies. Many architects then switched to creating glass and concrete buildings, where such doors fit well.

Today, they are often installed in such interiors as functionalism, kitsch, and minimalism. They look especially great in modern hi-tech style.

In addition, glass can have many colors, which significantly expands the range of design solutions. Tiffany stained glass models are exciting.

Advantages of glass doors
In addition to the strength and reliability of the glass structure, such doors have such advantages as:

design versatility – they can have different textures, color solutions, levels of transparency and opacity, and framing with additional materials (wood, metal), which significantly simplifies the choice of the interior of the room;
long-term – because of the glass, the doors will be less exposed to the sun, heat, and moisture, they are not prone to corrosion, and unlike wooden ones, they will not dry out later;
simple care – they are easy to wash and wipe from dust;
construction safety – if the door is made of solid glass, the probability of its breakage is minimal, which will not lead to injuries and cuts.
Sometimes, interior doors made of glass consist of an MDF box, on which sheets of veneer are glued and may contain insulation. But they can also be exclusively glass with metal fasteners. Special glass is usually used in the second option – “Triplex.” “Triplex” is several layers of glass glued together with a polymer.

Usually, the thickness of Triplex glass is from eight to fourteen millimeters. Its strength is five times more than usual. Its peculiarity is that if it breaks, there will be no small fragments that can injure.

This is an excellent door feature, especially in homes with small children. You can find out how to choose glass doors correctly in this article.

Types of glass doors

Today, manufacturers offer many types and designs of doors. Let’s look at the main ones:

Hinged – characterized by the fact that they can open in one direction, these doors are very popular as interior doors in houses, apartments, and offices. Italian glass doors are trendy, but European manufacturers are not inferior to them. Domestic designs are an excellent option in terms of price-quality ratio;
hinged glass doors

Pendulum – can open in two directions, which is very convenient. They are attached to the floor and ceiling, and a unique closer makes closing the door very softly. They will decorate any interior, both classic and modern;
swinging glass doors

Sliding – the door moves along the rail with the help of a carriage and moves to the side when opening. Roll-up doors are one of the types of such entries, they are installed indoors, and they are beneficial in those situations when the whole opening of the door can obstruct a small room and the passage. You can read more about this type of door in this article: https://holz.ua/ua/razdvizhnye-dveri-vidy-i-osobennosti-blog/;
sliding glass doors

Radius in an aluminum profile – an original solution for the interior. Usually, they are made according to individual orders, considering all the room parameters’ features. Such models can open automatically or simply be sliding.
radial glass door

The revolving door moves like a carousel, which is very convenient when entering and leaving the room.
In addition to door opening methods, glass structures differ in their transparency. They are matte, semi-matte, and completely transparent:

Matte or semi-matte doors are tinted glass on which a thick pattern has been applied. Such doors attract more attention because completely transparent doors can “blend” with the interior and become invisible. The advantage of such a design is that you can still hide a room behind such doors, but transparent ones immediately reveal all its contents;

Transparent doors – such doors are made of clear glass. They look impressive in the interior, but such doors will not cover what is in the room.
Frosted, transparent and translucent glass doors are not the whole variety of construction. Today, interior designers harmoniously combine glass and wood, combining glass elements and various metal inserts. Therefore, you can always choose an exclusive door design for your interior. Modern style, hi-tech style is especially ideally combined with such designs.

Fittings for glass doors

When choosing a glass door, you should remember that it is not only a solid slab but also an accessory. Therefore, a natural question arises about what the hinges and handles for glass doors should be? The durability and functionality of the product depending on the accessories.

When choosing hardware, you need to consider the door’s intended purpose because it is one thing when it is required for a swinging door to a supermarket and quite another if the hardware is needed for a door to a bathroom.

Fittings for glass doors differ slightly from details for wooden or metal structures. The following doors are installed:

Hinges – there are screw-in and hinged. For interior doors, turning doors are used;
Connectors – the part that connects two panels of glass or glass to the wall. Mainly used for fixing glass;
Locks are horizontal and vertical. Depending on the door, locks can also be divided into latch locks, locks with a cylinder mechanism, locks with a latch;
Handles – knob handles (small spherical handles), compartments for sliding structures, staple handles;
Fittings are parts designed to reduce the level of vibration of glass doors.
Hardware for glass doors is mainly made of metals, but bronze or gold parts can be found. Everything depends on the wishes of the customer and interior design.

How to choose a glass door

It would help if you considered some rules to help you choose the best model. Before visiting the store, consider which interior the door will be installed on and calculate the budget.

What you need to pay attention to:

• Glass quality gives preference to tempered glass models and Triplex systems. In this case, you need to be prepared for the product’s price: the better the design, the higher the price.
• The door’s functionality, so this design element for the bathroom should be well-toned, while the entrance to the kitchen or living room should let in a lot of light.
• Door opening option.
• Designer performance.
• The quality of accessories.

Features of installing glass doors

Many believe that glass doors differ from ordinary wooden ones only in appearance. However, this is not the case because the installation of such structures also has nuances, which you need to know before starting installation work.

Yes, it is possible to single out certain features of such a procedure, which should include:

High-quality and competent installation is recommended to be carried out with a partner. In this case, each of the team members will help the other. Thus it will be possible to install the door quickly and correctly.
Before ordering the production of the door, it is recommended to take accurate measurements since it is impossible to cut the structure later or remove the excess area. As a result, in the event of a measurement error, you will incur financial losses.
Being highly attentive and careful when working with the door leaf is essential. Even though the structure is made of tempered glass, it can still be damaged due to clumsy manipulations.
Before proceeding to the installation of the door, it is essential to decide on its type, the method of arranging the door opening, slopes, and the need to install the molding.
Various models of products can be used as a box for the door system, which can be made of wood and metal. Such detail must be harmoniously combined with the general stylistic concept.
To significantly extend the door’s service life, it is recommended to abandon the door frame in favor of swing doors, which have upper and lower fasteners at their disposal. This installation method is more wear-resistant and relevant for rooms with high traffic.
Depending on what type of glass door you install – swing, radius, swing, in which room it will be located, it is crucial to choose the most suitable installation that will allow the door not only to perform its primary functions (zoning, heat and sound insulation) but also and decorate the room decoratively, act as its “highlight.”

That is why we advise entrust the installation to experienced artisans who know all the nuances of this procedure.