Category: Entrance doors
Published 06/06/2021 · Comments: · Reading time: 6 min · Views: Post Views: 3,119
In the last few years, the fashion for metal entrance doors with mirrors has intensified. They look expensive and add charm to the room. The pros and cons of using doors with mirrors will be discussed in more detail in this article.
Choosing mirrors for doors
To use mirror panels in the interior, you need to select a reflective surface.
It must meet the following criteria:
- Be resistant to moisture. Considering that entrance doors are not protected from adverse weather factors, you must ensure that the decor lasts longer. This is especially worth thinking about if there is no canopy or roof in front of the front door. Otherwise, it will be affected by moisture and deteriorate very quickly.
- The optimal thickness is at least 3 mm. This way the canvas will be more durable and will be able to maintain its rigidity.
- The fastening should be such that during mechanical shocks the mirror cracks and does not fall under your feet. This will prevent injuries from occurring.
- Have high quality amalgam. This is a special silver coating that is applied to the mirror. The coating must be smooth, without roughness or deformation. Make sure that there are no pale spots on the surface of the mirror, as they may indicate that this area has the lowest reflectivity. There should be no bubbles on the surface that freeze in the glass.
- Be resistant to mechanical damage.
Features of an entrance door with a mirror
To install entrance doors with a mirror, first study the design characteristics.
Advantages of an entrance door with mirrors
It is advisable to study the advantages of entrance doors with mirrors. They will be discussed in more detail below.
Visual expansion of space
If you pay attention, apartment buildings have a similar layout. The corridor is made small so that other important rooms are spacious (kitchen, bedroom, living room, bathroom, etc.). Even if you buy a house with an open plan, you think about saving space in the hallway.
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If you ask a designer how you can visually expand the space in the hallway, they will answer you - install reflective elements, even a mirrored floor is welcome.
That is why it is better to install an entrance door that will be completely filled with mirrors.
Space saving
If the apartment is small, the owners try to use all the available space. Often a large full-length mirror is installed.
If there is no space in the hallway to install a large wardrobe with mirrored doors, and you plan to install an open storage system, you can choose an entrance door with mirrors.
Suitable if there is no room in the hallway to put a free-standing mirror on the floor.
Functional
Every person, when leaving the house, tends to look at himself in the mirror to understand whether the outfit he has put together is suitable or not. Also, mirrors in the hallway allow you to notice stains and other imperfections on outerwear.
As mentioned above, if you do not have space to install a large mirror, choose an entrance door with a mirror surface. In addition, the door is the last thing a person sees when leaving the house. Therefore, it will be convenient for you to look at your reflection.
Decor
An entrance door with mirrors is beautiful. Such designs will make the corridor look fresher and add emphasis. They also add variety to your interior.
Disadvantages of an entrance door with a mirror
Despite the many advantages, some home and apartment owners refuse to use a front door with mirrors.
This is due to the following disadvantages:
- Difficult to replace glass. If the mirror surface becomes damaged, it will need to be replaced. To do this, you will have to completely dismantle the door, and to do this you need to remove it.
- High price. To install high-quality glass in a door, you will have to spend money on it.
- Heavy weight. The total weight of the door and mirror is quite impressive. To prevent the front door from bending and falling out, you will need to make the awnings more secure. This again requires costs.
- Image distortion. If the mirror is not thick enough, your reflection in it may be distorted. It is not always possible to find a compromise between the quality and weight of glass.
- Difficult to replace the lock. If the lock inside the glass breaks or jams, it will be difficult to change it. The mirror surface may become cracked or scratched and will need to be replaced.
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May break
Most often, owners of front doors with mirrors encounter glass breaking. This can happen for various reasons. However, you may encounter the same problems if you install a mirror in the floor or a wardrobe with mirrored doors. To minimize this disadvantage, choose your glass carefully.
The mirror gets dirty
Another drawback is soiling. Even slight contact may cause smudges, fingerprints and dust to appear on the surface. This is why you will have to spend a lot of time and effort to clean the glass.
You will also need to frequently purchase special products suitable for cleaning mirrors. Otherwise, streaks and dirt will ruin the initial effect.
Door peephole location
If you visit a store that sells doors, you will notice that not all models with mirrors have a door peephole. Such models can be chosen only by those who have a video surveillance system in their apartment. Otherwise, you won't know who knocked on your door.
Some manufacturers are concerned about consumers, so they install a door peephole. However, they do this not in the center of the structure, but from the side. This significantly reduces visibility.
You can also find models in which the peephole is carefully cut out in the mirror.
Disadvantages of mirror doors
The disadvantages include the following:
- High complexity of fittings installation. Especially if the insert occupies the entire surface of the canvas, it is difficult to insert a peephole or handle.
- Difficulty replacing glass. Often the door has to be disassembled almost completely and only in a workshop. That is, it will have to be removed.
- High price. High-quality glass, for example, Venetian, is very expensive.
- A large mass of the structure with a mirror inside, which places special demands on the reliability of canopies.
- Difficulty of care. Glass often has to be wiped. Any speck of dust is immediately visible.
Glass is more often used, smaller in size than metal door leaves. In this case, the peephole is mounted not in the center, but on the side. Visibility is reduced.
If the mirror is thin, it distorts the image. It is difficult to find the golden mean between mass and quality of the latter.
If the lock embedded inside the glass jams, this will cause a lot of problems with its removal - the glass may be scratched or cracked.
To the credit of manufacturers, we can say that most of these problems are solved at the production stage. Metal structures entering the apartment with mirrors inside are immediately equipped with hidden locking devices - invisible ones. The absence of a keyhole protects the mirror from scratches and chips that inevitably appear when the key is used carelessly.
Types of mirror inserts on the entrance door
There are different door models that differ in the location of the mirror inserts. They will be discussed in more detail below.
Mirror panel on the whole door
In such models, mirror inserts are glued or mounted along the entire inside of the front door. Suitable for compact hallways, as the space will visually increase.
Small mirror inserts
To use an entrance door with a mirror as decoration, choose models with small mirror inserts. They will allow you to place accents in the design. The only drawback is that you won’t be able to look in the mirror before leaving the house.
Sun protection film
Sun protection film will look beautiful on the door. You can buy it at a building materials store. It should be glued to the door panel, which will create the effect of a mirror. This design is cheap and will not deform.
It looks beautiful, but the film cannot replace your mirror. Also, scratches quickly appear on the film, which can ruin the original appearance. However, given the low price, you can quickly replace it.
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Production
There is nothing special about making entrance doors with mirrors. The production technology is similar to the classical method. The only difference is in the fastening of the glass sheet. Firstly, manufacturers are trying to use glass that combines light weight and strength.
Methods for attaching a mirror to a door:
- Mortise. To do this, special fasteners in the form of screws, screws and frames are screwed to the door. Then they attach the mirrors to the front door. The peculiarity of this method is that the glass panel can be attached over the entire surface or only at the edges.
- Gluing. To do this, use construction adhesive or double-sided tape. The glass is securely attached to the front door using adhesive materials.
Glue is used only for small mirror inserts. Large and heavy glass sheets will not adhere to the adhesive material, and will very soon begin to fall off.
Manufacturers also avoid adhesive bases that contain chemical impurities. After all, they can damage the glass sheet.
Double-sided tape provides shock absorption. If you close the door abruptly, it will reduce the load on the mirror surface and prevent its deformation.
Mirror door finishes come in several types, which are shown in the photo. In the first case, the mirror is attached only from the inside, which faces the hallway.
You can choose an entrance door with a mirror attached to both sides. Then small glass sheets are used, and only individual inserts are mounted on the outside.
The second option is more attractive. However, you will need reliable protection from intruders who may try to damage your door.
As you can see, there are many characteristics of a front door with a mirror. Therefore, you have the right to decide for yourself whether this option is suitable for you or not. Such doors are beautiful, however, they require costs to maintain their original appearance.
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Varieties of design
Metal entrance doors to an apartment with mirror glass have more advantages than disadvantages, with the exception of cost. Today the market boasts a fairly wide variety of offers. The surfaces of inserts or overlays may have different colors and degrees of reflection. There are products in bronze, gold or other colors.
Steel entrance doors are often decorated with overhead mirrors. Finishing on both sides is more suitable for a mansion. Such a door looks simply stunning and transforms the facade of the house beyond recognition.
For metal entrance doors to an apartment, it is more practical to use the option with interior decoration. The product, decorated around the edges with frosted plexiglass with backlighting inside, looks very organic. Lighting can also be built into slopes. Overlay mirrors can be “dressed” in a frame of any color and shape. The glass itself can be not only rectangular, but also oval, square, round - any. It all depends only on the imagination of the designers and your taste.
Any design will always look better with a mirror than without it. Whatever the doors, steel or metal, solid wood or MDF, mirror inlay will significantly increase their attractiveness.
Despite the fact that manufacturers supply ready-made products to the market, you can always place an individual order.
