Which metal door is better - we choose correctly

The quality of the purchase depends on how well we understand the characteristics of the product. This article will help you decide which metal door is better to choose, so that they meet your needs and standards.

Impressive appearance - not the best indicator of the quality of steel doors. Of course, today the consumer pays great attention to what the entrance (and any other) door looks like, how much it reflects its status and corresponds to its ideas and style and beauty.

To do this, you can study GOST 31173-2003 (see GOST - metal and armored doors), which regulates the classification of metal doors, or you can just read this article carefully.

Operational characteristics of steel doors

Metal doors differ in the following performance characteristics:

• Soundproofing.
• Reduced heat transfer resistance. Also (see How to insulate a metal door with your own hands)
• Water and air permeability.

The silence in your home is better than others provided by metal doors of first class sound insulation, capable of reducing airborne noise coming from behind the door, by 32 decibels or more.

Accordingly, the doors of the second class reduce the noise by 26-31 dB, the third - by 20-25 dB. Doors for which this indicator is less than 20 dB should not be installed in a residential area. Also, the metal doors are divided into three classes according to the reduced resistance to heat transfer.

Simply put - in its insulating properties. The best are the doors of class 1, in which this indicator is equal to or greater than 1 m2С / W. Class 2 doors with thermal insulation values ​​of 0.7-0.99 m2С / W also do quite well with their heat-saving functions.

But the metal doors of class 3 (0.4-0.69 m2S / W) are the coldest. If the value of the reduced resistance to heat transfer is lower than 0.4 m2С / W, then such doors can be installed only at the entrance to the utility and technical rooms.

A similar classification is used to assess the water and air permeability of steel doors. If you omit the complex terms and units of measure, you can say that preference when choosing a good door should also be given to first-class products, and to refuse to buy a door without marking on this indicator.

GOST 31173-2003 regulates the mechanical characteristics of metal doors, which are evaluated on the following grounds:

• Resistance to static load applied in the loop area.
• Resistance to static load applied in the plane of the web.
• Resistance to static load applied in the free angle zone.
• Resistance to dynamic load in the direction of opening the door.
• Resistance to shock loading in two directions.

These figures are reflected in the passport, but to the average consumer who chooses metal doors - which markings of the strength class will better tell you. M1 - the most durable, M2 and M3, respectively, below.

Locking Device Requirements

Choosing a metal door, you need to pay close attention to what kind of locks and latches it is equipped with.

Requirements to them are regulated by GOST 5089:

• Door blocks with locks of 3-4 class of secrecy in the usual version can have any strength class.
• Doors with the same enhanced locks must comply with the classes M1 or M2, not lower.
• Security doors of a high class of resistance to breaking should correspond exclusively to the first class of strength.

If your chosen metal door claims the strength class M1 or M2, then in the frame of the door leaf it should have at least 8-9 reinforcing profiles and be sheathed with a steel sheet with a thickness of at least 3-4 mm.

When deciding which metal doors are better, it is necessary to evaluate them both by the number of locks (see. Insert of locks in metal doors) and by the class of their secrecy.

Steel doors are usually supplied with at least two locks, but if you need reliable protection, it is advisable to increase this number by providing the door with, for example, an invisible lock that does not have a visible key larva and is opened using a proximity proximity card.

If you consider that two locks are enough for you, make sure that according to the number of secrets they correspond to the class of the chosen door in terms of resistance to cracking (see Breaking the door and countering this).

• Cylinder locks for steel door class III must have at least 200,000 secrets, class IV - at least 300,000 secrets.
• Level locks for steel doors of class III must have at least 50,000 secrets, class IV - at least 100,000 secrets.

Manufacturers of high-quality metal doors choose for them the best locking mechanisms, which primarily include locks that secure the door leaf at the same time in all four directions.

Attention. If the diameter of the bolts will be at least 16 mm, this door can be considered very reliable.

Comfort and safety of operation

The comfort of using the door is largely provided by the hinges. At a good door, they must be adjustable so that you can, without the help of a master, independently adjust the density of its fit to the box.

If you set out to choose metal doors - which are the best of all those on the market that will help determine the hygienic certificate or sanitary-epidemiological conclusion. These documents must confirm the safety for human health of the materials used in the manufacture of the door: insulation, sealing tapes, sealants, etc.

Decorative trim material

Finally, we come to the choice of the door in terms of its design. It is also very important to understand the finishing materials, to know their characteristics, the ability to withstand the various loads that the entrance door is experiencing, especially if it serves as an entrance to the house not from a dry warm room, but from the street.

So:

• Laminated fiberboard and MDF panels are not recommended for finishing the outer side of a metal door, if it is installed directly at the entrance from the street. In rare cases, this is possible if there is a reliable and large canopy over the entrance, which protects the door from precipitation.
• It is also not necessary to operate laminated metal doors on the street;
• Natural wood behaves in such conditions better than the listed materials, but its cover must be constantly updated to protect the wood from rotting and swelling.
• A more sustainable type of exterior metal door trim is plastic and aluminum panels, as well as paint.
• Powder coating is the most preferable way to finish metal doors from the street. It has exceptional strength, resistance to changes in temperature and humidity of the environment, solar radiation. Additional finishing with forged elements, glass, decorative overlays will help to give the door an original design solution.

If the metal door is installed inside the building, the climate load on it will be less. But even in this case, not any material will be suitable for exterior decoration, since you have to remember that the entrance doors are the most favorite object of vandalism for hooligans.

Therefore, in unguarded entrances, it is desirable to choose metal doors with exterior finish resistant to mechanical stress.

As for the interior decoration of such doors, with proper operation, it can be any one of your taste and desire. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the quality and safety of the material used.

Having chosen the best, beautiful and reliable metal door in your opinion, made of high-quality thick steel and equipped with modern locks, still do not expect that it is guaranteed to protect your home from breaking and entering.

Burglars constantly improve their skills, trying to keep up with technical progress being introduced into the production of doors. Therefore, your task is to try to maximize the time that hackers may need to break into.

You will come to the aid of alarm systems and video surveillance.