Sliding doors made of polycarbonate: types, advantages, disadvantages. How to make sliding doors yourself Installing the door leaf

A new direction in the design of apartments and premises is the use of polycarbonate as a building or finishing material.

When making a frame for a door, it is necessary to make it 1-1.5 cm smaller than the doorway.

Not long ago, this material was used most on personal plots for the construction of greenhouses and greenhouses, as well as canopies that were used for protection from rain. One of the innovations in design is the manufacture of interior doors from polycarbonate with your own hands. A variety of colors of the material allows you to choose the necessary color scheme without spoiling general design and the design of the room as a whole.

Before the material was used in the construction of interior doors, polycarbonate was very widely used for the manufacture of shower cabin elements. This application was not only convenient, but also practical. Firstly, the material is light and, accordingly, the design of the doors itself is lighter than those made of other materials. Secondly, when compared to glass, polycarbonate is stronger and safer; you don’t need to worry that if you slam the sash harder, the transparent elements will break into fragments. If the material is damaged, it does not break into small fragments like glass. Thirdly, when cleaning, the material is easier to wash and clean.

Using polycarbonate you can make 2 types of doors:

mounted;
sliding

Mounted represent traditional look and are attached using canopies to the installed box.

Sliding doors are a variant of a compartment, in which there are one or two doors that open along the plane of the walls.

Structurally they are divided into:

frame;
frameless.

Frame ones are made in the form of a frame into which polycarbonate is installed. Frame - the frame can be made of metal, plastic or wood. When making a wooden frame, it is recommended to use poplar, since its wood is light and will not make your assembled frame heavier.

The frameless design belongs to the elite class. Doors can be assembled from polycarbonate with your own hands without a pre-assembled frame - the frame; the sheet must be solid. Their appearance is more strict and rich, and therefore the cost of their production is higher.

Making a hinged door with your own hands

To make an interior door you will need carpentry tool And Consumables. Since the material is easy to process, you do not need a large set of tools or special devices. The minimum kit includes:

Hinged door diagram: 1. 2 mm steel on putty; 2. Polycarbonate; 3. Door frame, L-shaped profile 40x4 mm; 4. Mortise lock, window wrapping, etc.; 5 – glass on putty; 6 – plastic profile; 7. Glass; 8. Sheet steel; 9. Countersunk head bolt M 6x10; 10. The corners are fastened with window angles; 11. Hinge or hinge.

electric drill with a set of drills;
measuring devices ( building level, tape measure, square);
construction knife;
angle cutting machine.

The composition of components for manufacturing will depend on the design. If the structure is framed, you will need to make a frame - a frame, and to assemble it you will need:

timber, metal or plastic corner, the length will be determined by the size of the opening;
self-tapping screws;
corners for tightening the frame;
canopies for attaching to the opening frame;
a sheet of polycarbonate according to the size of the opening; if there are several sheets of smaller size in the frame, a partition can be provided.

If the structure is frameless, you only need polycarbonate and a couple of canopies.

Manufacturing work is carried out in the following sequence.

We take measurements of the doorway into which your structure will be installed.
Based on the measurements obtained, the frame is assembled from the selected material for making the frame. It should be remembered that when making the frame, the dimensions must be reduced by approximately 1 - 1.5 mm for a tight closure. When making the frame, great attention should be paid to right angles to avoid distortions. If the frame is wooden, then the corners can be tightened with special metal corners. Before sheathing wooden frame can be painted or varnished. Before painting, you need to sand the interior and exterior surfaces well. When painting, you can use stain or polish. Painting the frame will give your product a more stylish look.
It is very convenient to make a frame according to the dimensions of a previously installed, old door.
The prepared frame is covered with polycarbonate.
Canopies are prepared and attached to the doors and frame.
The door is hung. Hanging a polycarbonate structure with your own hands is easier than a traditional one, since it is several times lighter.

If a frameless structure is made, then the manufacturing technology is simpler. The main work will be to correctly cut the polycarbonate door to the appropriate dimensions. As an assistant, you can use the old design, placing it on a sheet and outlining the outline.

Polycarbonate doors are a fashionable design trend today. And if yesterday designers knew little about them, now they are actively using polycarbonate doors.

Just some 20-25 years ago, the only polycarbonate doors that people used were doors in. It is greenhouse doors that are the parents of modern transparent doors made of wonderful material.

A little later, polycarbonate began to be used in doors on shower stalls. This turned out to be very convenient and, most importantly, practical, since they are easy to clean, light in weight and, unlike glass, more durable and safe.

WITH active use, designers began to actively use it at every opportunity. Thus, they began to make entrance and interior doors.

Features of polycarbonate doors

What is a polycarbonate door? There are two types of such doors: framed and frameless.

Frame doors are a frame made of metal, plastic or wood, covered with polycarbonate or inserted into certain designated areas. This combination is a classic option for doors in apartments, houses and offices of the small and middle class, since such doors have a moderate cost and do not require large expenses for their production.

Frameless polycarbonate doors are elite-class doors. They are made of solid polycarbonate, that is, they do not contain any frame. Typically, such products have a high price, so they are used less often by designers. Such doors look strict and rich.

Of all positive qualities There are three main types that polycarbonate doors have.

First of all, they are lightweight. No other door can boast of this quality. Secondly, they have great strength, so you don’t have to worry that if you close the door abruptly, its transparent elements may break. And thirdly, they are safe. Even if the transparent element is damaged, it will not crumble like glass into small sharp fragments. The material is very viscous and does not form sharp cutting elements when damaged.

Of course, to the above you can add the beauty, elegance, comfort and luxury of polycarbonate doors. And these are not empty words. Any designer who has ever encountered a unique material called polycarbonate will tell you this.

By the way, just recently, German designers created an elegant, sporty concept car BMW Vision EfficientDynamics.

Such a car has doors in its arsenal, most of which, made of polycarbonate, such doors automatically darken in the light. By the way, virtually the entire upper part of this unique car is also made of polycarbonate.

Thus, to summarize this review, I would like to note that those technologies that were not so long ago considered technologies of the future are already being implemented today. This applies not only to polycarbonate doors, but also to all products related in one way or another to a unique transparent material.

Only greenhouses, canopies and country shower cabins have long ceased to be made from polycarbonate. The advantages of this lightweight material have elevated it to the rank of affordable and practical materials for finishing an apartment. In particular, polycarbonate partitions can be an excellent alternative to glass doors, the installation of which is best trusted only to professionals. You can easily handle polycarbonate on your own. However, you can always contact Revecon specialists. We install hanging or sliding polycarbonate partitions quickly and inexpensively.

Catalog of our products - we work in Moscow and the Moscow region

Advantages of sliding polycarbonate partitions

Light weight. Unlike similar glass doors polycarbonate partitions weigh much less. The lightness of the material makes it easier to work with and install in the doorway.

Space saving. Sliding structures have always been the No. 1 choice in apartments with small area. Their main advantage is that they open along the wall. There is no need to leave empty space for it to open unhindered.

Safety. You need to be careful with any glass, even impact-resistant glass. Polycarbonate, even if damaged, will not crumble into thousands of small fragments.

Wide range of design possibilities. In addition to the wide range of types of polycarbonate on the market (monolithic, cellular, colored, transparent), you can add additional flair to your sliding partitions by combining different finishes and types of panels among themselves.

Easy to install. No polycarbonate required complex instruments for sawing and fastening to the frame. All installation work can be done with your own hands, without the help of specialists.

Where can you install sliding polycarbonate partitions?

You can install sliding polycarbonate partitions with your own hands in your apartment almost anywhere. In each of the rooms, partitions will have their own function.

Shower cabin. The main function is practical (saving space and protecting the bathroom from splashing water), as well as decorative.
Wardrobe. The partition will create an attractive interior and hide the shelves of the dressing room.
Living room, kitchen, children's room. Sliding partitions made of polycarbonate will serve as doors and zone the apartment.
Terrace or veranda. The same function of dividing zones and practical (weather protection).

Choosing a frame for polycarbonate

The frame will give the polycarbonate panels a finished look. The choice of material from which the frame will be made depends only on your preferences and the interior design in which you are installing the sliding partition. However, it is worth understanding what qualities each material is characterized by.

During the installation process, you may be faced with the question of whether to attach polycarbonate to the frame on both sides or with one sheet in the center. If it is important to give the sliding partitions additional rigidity, then it is better to resort to a double-sided fastening method. If this task is not paramount, then use the single-sheet option in the center of the frame.

Methods for opening sliding partitions

There can be a lot of options for moving doors along guides.

However, if you are taking on the installation of sliding partitions for the first time, then stop at the simplest - compartment opening.

Coupe. Classic version opening sliding partitions with a lot of variations shown in the picture. There are guides at the top and bottom.
Foldable. Such partitions have two or more panels that, when opened, fold like a book or an accordion. The bottom guide is missing. Such partitions are inferior to others in sound insulation, because there is no tight connection with the floor at the bottom.
Radial. The canvases of such partitions have a semicircular shape. There are both upper and lower guides.

Installation stages

We take measurements. This important stage work in the case of installation of sliding partitions requires special care. We measure the height and width of the doorway. We take smaller sizes as a basis.

Required tools: tape measure, pencil.

Polycarbonate cutting and profile installation. If cellular polycarbonate was chosen for sliding structures, then before starting work it is necessary to remove the tape from its ends. Cutting is done using a jigsaw or grinder. Next, we glue the edges with sealing tape and install the profile on top of it. The factory film, which is on the front side of the polycarbonate, remains on it until last stage installation

Necessary tools: jigsaw, grinder, stationery knife, profile, sealing tape.

Frame assembly. In order for the sliding structure to fit into the doorway, make it 1-1.5 mm smaller than the opening on all sides. It is important to prepare the frame with a clear rectangular shape to avoid distortion. You can use metal corners to tie frame parts together. Polycarbonate sheets are fastened to a frame (wooden, aluminum, etc.).

Necessary tools: construction square, screwdriver, jigsaw, self-tapping screws, bolts or screws, metal corners.

Installation of guides. Depending on the selected type sliding design, the upper (and lower) guides are installed. This is done above the door opening by about 5–10 cm. It is important, using a level, to do this work efficiently so that the door does not move along the guides on its own. The length of the guides is 2 times the width door leaf.

Required tools: guides, level, drill, screwdriver, anchors.

Installation of sliding partitions. First, you need to place rollers on the assembled polycarbonate frame, on which the canvas will move along the guides. The number of rollers is determined by the width of the web. For narrow ones, just rollers at the top and bottom are enough. For reliability with wide sliding partitions, it is better to use 2 pairs of rollers. Install assembled structure into the guides, first into the upper ones, and then, slightly lifting the canvas, into the lower ones.

Required tools: carriages with rollers, screwdriver.

Finishing work. If necessary, handles and other fittings are attached to the canvases, and screws on rollers are tightened to align the partitions. Limiters are installed in the guides.

Required tools: screwdriver, fittings, limiters.

Order sliding partitions from Revecon

If you want to entrust the work of installing sliding partitions to professionals, then we suggest that you do not delay and immediately contact us for advice on the cost and duration of the work. We will complete all work on time, with high quality and at a reasonable price.

Polycarbonate is a material that until recently was used only for the construction of greenhouses, shower cabins, and canopies. Subsequently, it began to be used for finishing apartments. Polycarbonate doors are comfortable and practical, they are used in design solutions often enough. Now they can be seen not only in gardens and vegetable gardens, but also in city apartments.

The material has a large number of colors, therefore it is used as interior design. It perfectly conveys the idea of any author and has several execution options. Such doors have a number of advantages that can be appreciated by making the design yourself:

Light weight allows you to create a simple product that looks airy.
Polycarbonate is a material that has managed to demonstrate its reliability and safety. Especially if you compare with glass version doors.
When cracks appear, the material does not crumble into small pieces.
Doors made of polycarbonate do not require special care - just wipe the surface with a wet cloth.

These properties make interior doors durable and strong. Excellent external characteristics allow them to fit into any interior.

Types of structures

Polycarbonate is a bright and lightweight material that allows you to create a variety of designs

For those who are planning to make them with their own hands, you should understand the features in more detail. There are the following classifications of doors made of polycarbonate:

A door that is located at the entrance to an apartment or house.
An interior option, thanks to which you can also fence off part of the living space and perform zoning.

Classification depending on performance characteristics:

Attached to the frame using hinged mechanisms.
Sliding doors open towards each other. This option is durable, but since the risk of injury to the baby is increased, it is not advisable to use them in a children's room. Sliding design options are often used for showers.

The door design can be one of the following types:

The frame method of fastening is characterized by the presence of a special frame that serves to fasten the polycarbonate. The frame can be made of any material at the owner’s discretion (wood, plastic, metal, plastic). It is advisable to use such a sample in large work areas. IN residential buildings or apartments frame option fastening is not very popular. The main advantage is the low cost of the material.
With the absence of a frame, the door is made with the aim of improving external characteristics. You can do this option yourself, however, you must first study the examples in the catalogs. Thanks to expert advice, you can create an option that fits perfectly into the decor of any room. The door turns out elegant, discreet. In this case, it is advisable to use a single sheet of polycarbonate.

How to make a design yourself?

When creating doors with your own hands, you should carefully analyze everything operational properties. Polycarbonate is a material that will last a long time, but it is important to observe certain conditions. Installation begins with cutting, drilling and fastening. It is important to provide certain conditions for the shower so that additional inconveniences do not arise during operation.

The installation process involves the following diagram:

Cutting material. The door body must be perfectly strong, so the cutting procedure involves using circular saw. If necessary, you can use any other disc equipment or a construction knife. The amount of sawdust can be minimized by using a jet of compressed air. When the process is completed, the ends are sealed with adhesive tape. Thanks to this, during operation sliding doors the soul will not allow dust to enter.
Do-it-yourself drilling can be easily done using regular drill. Before starting work, it is advisable to check the sharpness of the tool. Drilling should be done between the stiffeners. Remember that any hole must be located at least 40 millimeters from the edge.
Do-it-yourself fixing of polycarbonate is done using self-tapping screws and special thermal washers. The last option is the most convenient to use, since it consists of a washer with a leg, which is sealed and has a lid. The part must be used to secure the sliding shower door. Thanks to thermal washers, it is possible to ensure high-quality sealing. All the heat remains indoors. Using self-tapping screws, bridges are formed, which are also used for thermal insulation.
Additionally, you should worry about sealing the ends. This nuance is taken into account when cutting polycarbonate. High-quality joints are obtained using self-adhesive tape. For this purpose, an aluminum or perforated version is used. This ensures that dust penetration and condensation formation are minimized.

If you are installing sliding entrance doors do it yourself, then be sure to take into account thermal deformation. If there are sudden changes in temperature or during the cold season, the material may rupture. The same conditions must be met when installing shower doors.

Polycarbonate doors are a universal and cheap solution. They can be used not only inside, but also outside the house. The installation procedure is simple, so with certain skills you can do it yourself.

Sliding doors, the doors of which are made of glass, are distinguished by their special aesthetics. In addition to the fact that sliding partitions allow rational use of space, transparent material gives the interior sophistication and lightness, promotes good illumination of the room. But glass canvas has significant drawbacks: the high cost and fragility of the material, which requires careful handling of the structure. The production of glass panels can only be done by specialized companies with necessary equipment for glass processing.

A good alternative to natural glass are various polymer materials. One of the most popular transparent polymers, which is used for the manufacture and installation of transparent panels for sliding structures, is polycarbonate. This material is impact-resistant, lighter than glass, has the same transparency, and most importantly, you can make sliding doors from polycarbonate with your own hands.

Features and types of material

Polycarbonate is produced in monolithic and cellular versions. These materials have different aesthetic and specifications. Each type of polycarbonate is installed in a sliding structure of a certain type, which ultimately determines appearance finished sliding door and partition made of polycarbonate.

Important! The variety of polycarbonate sheets allows you to use it for the manufacture and installation of a sliding door, similar to natural glass, or use it as a decorative panel material. It can be used as independent material for the manufacture of door leaves, and in combination with other decorative materials (laminated chipboard, MDF).

Monolithic polycarbonate

This is a single sheet of polymer with smooth surface. It is a full-fledged analogue of natural glass.

They are produced by analogy with silicate glass sheets with a material thickness of 2-12 mm. Thus, you can make either a frameless panel 10 mm thick for installation in a hinged structure for glass doors, or use them as inserts in a profile frame for sliding wardrobe systems.

Thick sheets of this material are highly durable and are also called anti-vandal. They are not only resistant to impacts, they cannot be broken even intentionally.

Cellular polycarbonate

This material is a hollow sheet that consists of two or more thin layers connected by thin bridges. Manufactured by extrusion.

Due to the cellular structure, a door made of this material weighs more than ten times less than a door made of glass.

Due to the multi-layer nature of the material, it cannot be made as thin as monolithic polycarbonate. The thickness of the produced sheets starts from 4 mm. Panels 32 mm thick are made from cellular material.

Important! When planning the dimensions of a sliding door or partition made of polycarbonate, you need to remember that the width of the strip of cellular material is 2.1 m, and its length is cut in stores in increments of 1 m. The length of the end profile for polycarbonate is associated with these dimensions.

Profiles for polycarbonate

Several types of profiles are produced for mounting and covering the edges of polycarbonate sheets. They are made of aluminum and polycarbonate. When making a sliding door, only end profiles may be needed to decorate the frame and create a rigid frame. This depends on the design of the door, the selected type of sheet of material and the technical capabilities of the master in terms of the quality of cutting the material at home. Such a profile may be needed to stiffen the panel and make a door edge that will hide chips.

The end profile closes the honeycombs of the cellular sheet, which are open at the ends, from moisture and dust getting into them. If you do not cover the ends with a profile, then over time the material will lose its transparency. Particular care must be taken when closing the ends of the polycarbonate when installing a bathroom door.

The end profile, which acts as a frame, will give the door an aesthetic and finished appearance.

For any purchased sheet there are end profiles of the appropriate thickness: from 2 to 16 mm. The length of the profile is the same as the width of the polycarbonate - 2.1 m.

How to work with polycarbonate

After purchasing cellular polycarbonate, you will notice that its ends are sealed with tape. This is a temporary protection that needs to be removed. After cutting the polycarbonate, the ends with open cells will need to be sealed with sealing tape. The end profile is placed over the tape. To hold an aluminum or polycarbonate profile, it is placed on small droplets of transparent silicone.

In addition to the ends, the polycarbonate is covered with film on one (front) side. It is removed only after the installation of the sliding door made of cellular polycarbonate is completed. The only thing that needs to be done is to partially peel it off along the edges, where the frame profile will fit and the roller carriages will be attached. In addition, this will prevent the sides of the leaf from being mixed up if a sliding door of two or more leaves is installed.

Important! Before cellular polycarbonate is sealed and installed into the sliding door frame, it must be kept in a dry air environment. This will prevent the formation and accumulation of condensation inside the sheet cells.

To cut the material, use a jigsaw with a fine-toothed file, a grinder, or a stationery knife.

Frame panels

The polycarbonate design with a frame will be more noticeable and will be perceived as a full-fledged door. The frame will serve as a frame, which will give rigidity to the panel.

The compartment version is most suitable for making a sliding door made of polycarbonate. The frame made of profiles for a sliding polycarbonate door is assembled using self-tapping screws; there is no need to install additional fittings on the door leaf. Polycarbonate with a thickness of 4 and 10 mm can be installed in the frame. Thin parts are installed in the profile using a special seal. In this option, you can make a combined fabric, with inserts made of monolithic, cellular, transparent or colored polycarbonate.

Sliding mechanisms with frame canvases, there are supporting and hanging ones. Systems are installed in the rooms mounted type, in which there is no bottom guide, and the door is held in place by U-shaped flags installed on the floor to the side of the opening.

In support mechanisms, the leaf moves along the lower guides, and the upper roller serves to balance the sash. Support structures installed in openings with low traffic.

The rollers in structures with a frame are attached to the upper and lower horizontal crossbars of the frame frame. Each manufacturer produces its own range of profiles, which differ in shape and type of coating, but all standard sizes they have the same ones.

Sliding mechanisms for frameless panels

Sliding systems designed for glass panels differ from conventional carriages in the mechanism of attachment to the canvas. They are designed for installation of sheets with a thickness of 8 to 12 mm. They have two types of fastenings: clamping and point-clamping. The principle of their operation is as follows: two long strips wrap around the panel from the end on both sides and are clamped. In point-clamping systems, the screw that tightens the jaws of the clamp passes through the blade, and a hole must be drilled for it. In clamping systems, the clamping jaws are placed on the end of the panel, and the clamping screw is located above the blade.

Important! In these cases, an aluminum end profile must be installed on the canvas.

All designs with fastening roller carriages to glass (polycarbonate) come only with an upper sliding type. There are three main types:

Open;
Closed;
Mounted.

System open type It is a guide in the form of a pipe along which a roller in the form of a pulley rolls.

Closed designs usually have clamp-type roller carriages, and after installation, the top guide is covered with a decorative strip.

IN hanging system the roller carriage is attached to the side of the panel, and the guide is located not above the sash, but behind it.

Video on how to cut polycarbonate:

IN sliding systems Polycarbonate is a cheap and practical alternative to glass. But due to the flexibility of this material and the presence of chips after cutting, the panels must have a frame frame made of a profile that will hide all defects and make the sash rigid.

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Roman 04/21/2019 03:43

Hello! I share the feelings of the previous speaker! I would like such doors. I am writing from Voronezh

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