A safe door is a great option for an entrance door to a city apartment.
A safe door is a great option for an entrance door for a city apartment. The door frame can be made of a U-shaped steel profile, but it will not provide sufficient rigidity. This figure is higher when using pipes with a rectangular cross-section. An additional margin of safety can be provided by the frame's stiffening ribs.
The door can be covered with one or two sheets of metal. But for safety, not only the number of sheets is important, but also their thickness. For a reliable door, it is at least 2 mm.
Various door leaf filler materials are used. The cheapest is cellular cardboard. However, it has low heat and sound insulation. These characteristics are better for polypropylene foam, polyurethane foam, mineral wool.
Locks
It is recommended to install locks of different designs on the door at the same time. Do not save on additional armor plates and armor plates. They will protect the body and mechanism of the locks.
The door lock is the first element to be damaged when a door is broken into. It is recommended to equip the entrance door with two locks, of different types. The first one acts as a power lock, the second one as an auxiliary lock.
As an option, the first is a lever lock for a safe, with bolts that protect the lock from being cut out and knocked out, the second is a pin or cylinder lock. When you choose a domestic manufacturer's lock for your front door, pay attention to its class, it is necessarily indicated in the product passport (strength, reliability of the lock, as well as an assessment of resistance to forced opening). The fourth class of locks is the highest, experts recommend it for equipping entrance doors. Locks must be purchased in branded stores, the manufacturer's certificate and warranty in this case confirm the reliability of the lock and are mandatory.
Door frame
A construction made of a corner is not very resistant to break-ins, and lets in cold and noise. A frame made of a rectangular profile pipe is more reliable. It can be simple or reinforced – welded from 2 profiles. The profile can also be bent, of a complex shape. This provides strength and the ability to recess the door leaf into the frame.
Door classes
The division of entrance doors into classes, such as economy, standard, luxury, etc., is quite arbitrary. The price of the products of one manufacturer is a reference point.
200-400 USD. The priority is the protective properties of a particular door, not the design. The doors are of good quality and affordable. Savings are achieved not by deteriorating the door protection properties, but by using cheaper materials, insulation, simpler locks, etc.
The doors of this group use one steel sheet (metal thickness 1.2-1.5 mm), the simplest stiffeners, inexpensive locks, minimal insulation, coating with ordinary enamel or lining with artificial leather. They are not equipped with jambs, architraves; there is no special protection for the locks.
500-1000 USD. The doors have a metal sheet thickness of 2 mm, the door leaf has anti-removal pins, hinges on bearings, a rubber seal around the perimeter, and a layer of insulation made of felt or mineral wool. These doors are coated with powder enamel. Doors in this category have good heat and sound insulation, and are more aesthetically pleasing.
1000-3000 USD. The doors have very good fittings, expensive finishing, and a complex locking system. There are few differences in design from doors in previous price categories: several additional stiffeners, additional hinges, and structural protective elements for locks, hinges, etc. The cost of the doors depends greatly on the finishing. Wood, MDF, or laminate are used.
More than 3000 USD. Doors with enhanced security (bulletproof, armored), with elite finishing, made to order. In bulletproof doors, the total thickness of the steel sheet reaches 6 mm, titanium sheet inserts are usually used. Two locks with different combinations are used.
Manufacturing technologies
There are two technologies for manufacturing doors. One of them is manufacturing a door block from rolled steel, the other is bending technology. Inexpensive doors are manufactured using arc welding. Medium-priced ones are manufactured using both bending technologies and welded structures. Expensive ones are manufactured using spot electric welding from bent-stamped profiles.
Finishing
The cheapest doors are painted with regular enamel or upholstered with artificial leather. Artificial leather is elastic and moisture-resistant, but it is not wear-resistant.
Powder coating is more durable and stable, and gives the door an attractive appearance. Doors coated with powder enamel cost an average of 100-150 USD more than doors painted with regular enamel.
Panels are also used to decorate the entrance door — plastic or made of MDF.
Metal safe doors are made in three main categories.
First: the frame is made by welding from a 50 x 50 mm or 60 x 60 mm metal angle, the door leaf itself is made of a 2-3 mm thick metal sheet. This is the lowest class of doors. Low heat and sound insulation, no guarantee of protection from vandals and burglary.
Second: the door frame is welded from a 40 x 40 mm or 40 x 60 mm profile metal pipe, a profile trim and a flashing are welded on (installed separately by welding), the door leaf is solid-bent or made of 2-3 mm thick sheet metal. These features provide a high level of sound and heat insulation, but do not provide good resistance to burglary. To improve it, vertical locking is necessary.
Third: the door frame design is a solid-bent profile with a flashing and a casing. The door leaf for this type is profiled, reinforced, the metal thickness is up to 6 mm, the manufacturer installs 1-3 volumetric sealing contours, additional insulation of the frame is possible. Such doors are resistant to burglary, and also have the highest sound and heat insulation.