What you need for sliding doors. Making sliding doors with your own hands

The cramped conditions of standard city apartments force their owners to use a variety of devices and structures, the use of which will help save precious living space. By making sliding doors on rollers with your own hands and installing them instead of traditional swing doors, the owner will be able to free up space for installing pieces of furniture or simply increase the free space of the premises. In addition, sliding structures are often installed in large openings between rooms and become a kind of mobile, allowing, if necessary, to divide them into different rooms or combine them into one large room.

Having understood the principles of installation of such a structure, it is quite possible to assemble and install sliding doors yourself, saving on hiring craftsmen, if you have the necessary tools at hand, and the owner himself has solid carpentry and plumbing skills and due care.

Advantages and disadvantages of sliding door structures

The choice of specific models of sliding doors depends on the layout of the apartment, as well as design design rooms. But before purchasing interior sliding systems, you need to learn not only about their positive qualities, but also about their weaknesses.

So, sliding doors have the following positive qualities:

They provide significant space savings.
Unlike a swing design, a sliding door will never open and close chaotically due to drafts.
Such doors even help to visually expand a small apartment space.
The advantage is the absence of thresholds in some types of similar designs, which is extremely convenient if elderly people or people with disabilities live in the apartment. disabilities, as well as small children.
Sliding double door is able to divide the room into separate zones, which helps to optimally use the space of a one-room apartment.

With the right approach, a sliding door is not so difficult to install and is easy to operate.
A sliding design can add individuality to a standard apartment layout and transform it aesthetically.
Thanks to modern technology, sliding doors are easy to automate, and this distinctive feature can be called one of the key advantages over swing structures.

However, it is equally important to know the “disadvantages” of such doors, since, having installed them, you will need to comply with some conditions for their operation:

The roller system and the guide rail along which the door leaf will move must always be maintained in good and clean condition, otherwise they may fail, and one day the door will jam in one position.
Typically, a standard sliding design, unlike a swing design, is unable to qualitatively soundproof separated rooms, since at least small gaps will remain between the door frame and the door leaf.
The door will not be able to contain odors from cooking if it is planned to be installed at the entrance to the kitchen area.
All parameters of the structure during its installation must be well measured, and its elements must be installed perfectly accurately vertically and horizontally, otherwise the door may jam. However, this requirement probably applies to any type of door structures.
Installation double door- a more complex process than one consisting of a single leaf, since the moving panels will need to be very precisely adjusted not only to the doorway, but also to each other.
The high cost of sliding structures also cannot be considered an advantage.

Types of sliding doors

There are several types of sliding doors. They differ from each other in design, appearance and installation of the working mechanism.

All types of sliding doors have general principle work, which distinguishes them from swing structures - they move along horizontal line, along the door and wall. But these systems are divided among themselves into Various types and could be:

- traditional sliding;

— cascade;

— folding - “accordion”;

- radius sliding.

Any of existing structures can be single-leaf or multi-leaf. Thus, a multi-leaf system can include from two to four door leaves.

If the door has not yet been selected, then it is worth considering the features of each type, and only after that decide on the design.

Traditional sliding doors

Traditional sliding doors are divided into hanging, cassette hanging, and having two guides - upper and lower.

Bottom and top guide design

This type of sliding door is the most common and is most often chosen for installation in apartments, as it is considered the most reliable, of course, with the guides correctly positioned and secured. In this design, one or more doors move along upper and lower rails.

It should be noted right away that this type of sliding door is quite complicated for independent installation, since it is necessary to perfectly fit the upper and lower guides to each other.

Find out a completely doable task from a new article on our portal.

The disadvantage of this system is the fact that the bottom rail is mounted on the floor surface, that is, either a threshold will be formed, or a recess will have to be cut out. In the guide profile, which is installed in the floor, dust and small debris will certainly collect, which can hinder, slow down, and sometimes even block the movement of the door leaf, so you will need to constantly monitor the cleanliness of this unit very carefully.

Hanging sliding doors

Suspended structures are also quite popular, since they do not require the installation of a rail in the floor and do not have a threshold, but move only along the upper guide.

The rail is fixed to the wall above the doorway or to the ceiling, depending on the height of the selected door and room. The guide can be located openly or covered with a masking or decorative casing.

The door leaf in this design option will be in a suspended state, at a distance of 10–15 mm from the wall, so you need to take into account that it will not be possible to place one of the pieces of furniture against the wall towards which the door will open.

Depending on how the interior will be decorated, the false panel that will cover the upper guide can be fixed only on the segment of door movement or from wall to wall, and sometimes a similar “border” is placed along the entire perimeter of the room. In the latter case, she will fulfill the role decorative element interior and will also serve as a disguise for curtain rods. The option of attaching a border along all the walls of the room is possible if the door guide is located high enough on the wall.

Hanging sliding cassette doors

This version of sliding doors can have a suspended structure or move along two guides. Its main difference from previous varieties is the location of the rails and canvas inside the doorway. That is, when the door moves along the guides, it will go into a niche built in the wall specially for this purpose.

If a similar design is chosen in a private house, it is usually provided for in advance, when constructing walls or partitions. Well, in an apartment such a niche is formed from a plasterboard structure, but in this case, you need to take into account that the size of the room will decrease by about 100÷120 mm.

The advantage of this option is a tighter fit. end side doors when closing and the absence of an open gap between the wall and the canvas, which means that the sound insulation of the rooms will be an order of magnitude higher than in any other sliding structure.

In addition, by installing this type of door, you can free up the wall and the space in front of it, adding aesthetics and comfort to the interior.

However, given all the modifications that will need to be made when installing cassette sliding doors, it is clear that the total cost of installing them will be quite high, even if you do all the work yourself.

Cascade sliding structures

The cascade version of sliding doors is designed on the same principle as the traditional one, with upper and lower guides, but differs in that it consists of several panels, each of which moves on its own separate rail. Therefore, such a system can be moved apart in the form of a partition, dividing the room into two zones, or it can be assembled near one of the walls and cover the room only by the width of one panel.

Such systems are usually used as partitions, but they can also become a wall with a door if only one of the panels is moved. Such sliding structures are most often made from natural or polymer glass of different shades, and have a height from ceiling to floor, so the lower rails are built into the floor, and the upper ones are fixed to the ceiling.

Very often, such systems are used to create glazed verandas or terraces - there is always the opportunity to turn the room into an open summer recreation area.

How can you rationally use a veranda or terrace?

Modern window and door designs allow full use of the premises of the house or outbuildings in winter time, and in summer period transform their open, cozy seating areas. An example is, which is described in a special publication on our portal.

Sliding design - “accordion”

The accordion sliding system can serve as a partition or door. It consists of several canvases connected to each other by end loops.

Sliding folding door design - “accordion”

This is a rather complex design for self-production, and assembly is best carried out with the invitation of an experienced specialist.

The width of the door leaves can be different - it depends on the size of the opening and free space, which can be allocated for the folded structure.

The accordion system can be installed in a standard or wide doorway, and also as a partition dividing a room into zones. When installing it to act as a partition, the guides are mounted on the floor and ceiling.

The characteristic disadvantages of this design include the almost complete absence of sound and heat insulation.

Radius sliding structures

Sliding radius systems add a special charm to the interior of any room, but to install them you will have to create a plasterboard semicircular wall. This type of structure can be used for installation in a doorway or serve as a full-fledged room partition, installed from ceiling to floor.

The radius version is mounted on the upper and lower guide, and can run on the outer or inside walls, and also be built into it, that is, the empty walls inside will become a cassette in which the door leaves will be hidden when they are opened.

Well made and correct installed structure This type can create sufficiently high sound and heat insulation. However, if there is no experience in installing a radius sliding door system and plasterboard structures, but there is a great desire to have such a decorative and functional element in the interior of your apartment, then it is better to entrust its installation to an experienced craftsman - self installation will be extremely difficult.

Manufacturing and installation of sliding doors on rollers

Materials for assembling a suspended door structure

A suspended structure is the simplest option for self-assembly, so it is worth considering how all the work is carried out and what materials will be needed for it.

Depending on the size of the doorway, one or two door panels will be required. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the massiveness of the canvases, since this parameter will be used to select the fittings that should hold them suspended.

For a suspended structure, the canvas should be larger than the doorway.

The upper guide is a rail along which the door leaves will move using roller mechanisms attached to them. The length of the guide should be equal to twice the width of one or two door leaves.

Top guide - metallic profile. It requires a beam of the same length

A wooden beam equal in length to the rail and having a cross-sectional size of at least 50×50 mm - the guide will be attached to it.
A set of rollers and fasteners, selected according to the weight and thickness of one or two blades.

High-quality boards or panels for framing a doorway - making a frame.
Three trims - two vertical and one horizontal, for the doorway, and a false panel that will cover the beam and guide fixed above the doorway.
If desired, it can be built into the design; it is installed to make closing the door leaf easier.
One or two sets of door handles.

Anchors for securing the timber to the wall.
Self-tapping screws.
Fastening elements for installing platbands and false panels.
Mounting polyurethane foam for filling gaps between the door frame and the wall.

The table below shows the dimensions of the sliding structure with one leaf and the corresponding dimensions of the doorways:

					Length of embedded beam, mm
	without frame	with frame
600×2000	540×1975	565×1975	704×2042	2047	1300
700×2000	640×1975	665×1975	804×2042	2047	1500
800×2000	740×1975	765×1975	904×2042	2047	1700
900×2000	840×1975	865×1975	1004×2042	2047	1900
600×2100	540×2075	565×2075	704×2142	2147	1300
700×2100	640×2075	665×2075	804×2142	2147	1500
800×2100	740×2075	765×2075	904×2142	2147	1700
900×2100	840×2075	865×2075	1004×2142	2147	1900
600×2200	540×2175	565×2175	704×2242	2247	1300
700×2200	640×2175	665×2175	804×2242	2247	1500
800×2200	740×2175	765×2175	904×2242	2247	1700
900×2200	840×2175	865×2175	1004×2242	2247	1900

And this table shows similar parameters, but for a double-leaf sliding door:

Sliding door size (width × height, mm)	Doorway size (width × height, mm)		External size of the door block with trim (width × height, mm)	Height of fastening of the embedded beam from the finished floor, mm	Length of embedded beam, mm
	without frame	with frame
600+600×2000	1143×1975	1165×1975	1304×2042	2047	2500
700+700×2000	1343×1975	1365×1975	1504×2042	2047	2900
800+800×2000	1543×1975	1565×1975	1704×2042	2047	3300
900+900×2000	1743×1975	1765×1975	1904×2042	2047	3700
600+600×2100	1143×2075	1165×2075	1304×2142	2147	2500
700+700×2100	1343×2075	1365×2075	1504×2142	2147	2900
800+800×2100	1543×2075	1565×2075	1704×2142	2147	3300
900+900×2100	1743×2075	1765×2075	1904×2142	2147	3700
600+600×2200	1143×2175	1165×2175	1304×2242	2247	2500
700+700×2200	1343×2175	1365×2175	1504×2242	2247	2900
800+800×2200	1543×2175	1565×2175	1704×2242	2247	3300
900+900×2200	1743×2175	1765×2175	1904×2242	2247	3700

If you are not sure that the door leaf will be made independently with required quality, then it is better to purchase it at finished form, since doors produced using professional equipment will look much more impressive.

Tools for work

Now about the tools, without which it will not be possible to make a door system and install it.

The list of minimum necessary items includes the following items:

Electric drill (hammer) with drills for wood and concrete.
Circular saw, electric jigsaw and hand saw.
Screwdriver.
Building level, plumb line, 1000 mm ruler, square, tape measure, folding meter.
Electric or regular plane.
Manual milling machine with a set of necessary cutters.
Hammer, chisel, pliers.

Manufacturing of door leaf

If the door will be made independently, then you need to know what it can be made from and what models of door panels can be used in this design.

Hanging doors can be solid, paneled or using artificial glass installed in a frame with a varying number of lintels. A solid canvas can be made from solid boards, chipboard or well-treated wooden beams and plywood. It should be noted that all these materials are quite massive, therefore ready-made options hanging door panels are often made using high-quality plastic or metal, which is used as a frame for installing transparent synthetic glass inserts into it.

In any case, whether the doors are purchased ready-made or made independently, the parameters of the door leaf should be selected depending on the size of the doorway. The exact ratios of these sizes can be found in the tables above.

For example, for a doorway with one leaf measuring 865×2175 mm, with a frame installed in it, you will need a door measuring 900×2200 mm, and when installed double-leaf design in an opening measuring 1765x2175 mm, the canvas should have a size of 900+900x2200 mm.

If a chipboard panel of the required size is purchased as a blank for a door, it can be made lighter by cutting out one or more windows in it, then process their edges with a router and install thin plywood or glass in them.

The manufacturing process of glazed or lightweight chipboard is performed as follows:

To begin with, the panel is marked. In this case, the condition must be observed that in any case it is necessary to retreat at least 150 mm from the edges. Thus, the frame of a door leaf made of chipboard should not be narrower than this size.
After marking, the internal parts of the panel are cut out electric jigsaw. In order to carry out this process, a hole is drilled in one of the corners of the marking, then a jigsaw blade is inserted into it, and the marked parts of the panel are carefully cut out.
Next, you need to properly process the inner edges resulting from cutting out the openings, otherwise they will look sloppy. This work can be done in two ways - process the edges with a router or refine it with a relief glazing bead. The bead is cut to the size of the windows, then glued or nailed along the entire perimeter on one side of the panel.

Next, glass or a plywood insert is cut to the size of the window and installed in it, pressing against the fixed glazing bead. After this, the inserts on the other side are fixed with a second bead.
The end surfaces of the chipboard door leaf can be decorated with a special decorative thermal tape, which is glued using a regular iron.
If plywood inserts are installed in cut-out windows, they can be matched to the overall color before installation by painting, staining or laminating. The glazing beads should also have a color that matches all elements of the door structure.
Doors can also be made of timber different sizes in cross-section, but the thickness of the frame frame should not be more than 30 mm.

The timber for the manufacture of such a door leaf must be of high quality and well processed.

The timber from which the internal frame lintels will be made must have less or the same thickness as the frame. The size of the bead and the thickness of the panels that will be installed in the formed windows need to be thought out in advance, since the first one should not protrude outward relative to the surface of the entire door leaf.

It should be noted that making a frame door from timber is a more complex process, since all frame elements are fastened together with extreme precision and reliability, otherwise the finished door leaf may “lead”, that is, its frame will be deformed.

There are several methods for connecting timber, but the most popular are “half a tree” and “in the paw”. They are quite easy to cut, hold the structure well from deformation and reliably fasten the elements together.

It is better if the bars are fastened together not with metal screws, or even more so with nails, but with special wooden dowels, which are driven into holes drilled through to the required diameter in the nodes of the adhesive connection of the bars. For each of these door frame units, it is necessary to use two dowels installed diagonally.

In the lower end part of the leaf, across its entire width, a groove is milled for the flag roller or, as it is called differently, the lower door lock.

Installation of suspension system

When the door leaf is ready, you need to attach fittings to it - these are roller mechanisms, special locks or handles that are different from those installed in conventional swing structures. In any sliding doors, the handles are recessed into the door leaf, as they should not interfere with its movement.

The first step is to mark the location of the handle on both sides of the door leaf. It should be located at a distance of 35÷50 mm from the vertical edge of the panel.
After this, the width of the nest and its height are marked from the marked line. Next, from the top marking point, a distance equal to half the width of the future hole is measured - this point will be the center of the circle, which is drilled using a core drill of the required diameter.

The same process is carried out with bottom side, marked socket for the pen. You should get two blind recesses, having a depth to which the handle will be recessed into the canvas.
Then, the wood between the two round holes marked by the crowns is selected using a router or a chisel and hammer.

Handles in sliding structures are fixed in cut-out parts using glue, for example, “liquid nails,” or snapped onto special fasteners that are pre-screwed into the resulting opening.
The next step on the upper end side of the door leaf is to mark and secure the roller mechanisms using self-tapping screws. Most likely, you will have to use a router (chisel) to select shaped grooves for them.
The rollers must be fixed at a certain distance from the edges of the door leaf. This parameter is indicated in the instructions included with the metal fittings kit.

Now finished door You can put it aside for now and start upgrading it, of course, if a door frame is not already installed in it.
Assembling and installing a frame for sliding doors is much easier than for swinging structures, since it consists of three absolutely even elements - two vertical and one horizontal boards (panels), fastened together using long self-tapping screws.

The box can be made of solid boards or chipboard - this factor does not play into in this case a big role, since no load falls on the mounted structure. Its only purpose is to give the doorway a neat and aesthetic appearance.

The fastened frame is installed in the doorway and wedged with wooden spacers, which are driven between its panels and the wall to achieve ideal vertical and horizontal walls.

The position of the box panels is controlled using building level and plumb line. When the structure is installed perfectly accurately, it is fixed to the walls. This can be done by drilling through holes in the boards of the box or by screwing metal plates to the end sides of the boards and to the wall.

Next, a metal guide for the rollers is attached to the prepared beam, a length equal to twice the width of the door leaf, using self-tapping screws.
Holes are pre-drilled in the timber through which it will be fixed to the wall.
After this, roller mechanisms mounted on the door are inserted into the guide rail.

The entire structure is placed against the doorway, leveled, if necessary, temporarily supported with wooden wedges, and then the beam is “tightly” screwed to the wall.
Next, the door is moved to one side and the other of the guide to determine the places at the beginning and end of the rail where the travel stops or door stops will be attached. Stoppers in different door models may have different designs.

The next step is in front of the open door, in the lower end part, in the cut-out groove, a flag roller is installed and screwed to the floor. It should be perfectly level under the top guide rail.

This lower stopper prevents the door leaf from moving to the side, that is, does not allow it to oscillate transversely.

Next, the gaps between the wall and the door frame boards are filled polyurethane foam. After it dries, the excess that appears is cut off.
Then the beam and guide rail are decorated with a false panel, and the gaps between the door frame and the wall are decorated with platbands.

In the case considered, the installation of the simplest sliding suspended structure, uncomplicated by unnecessary elements, was presented. Therefore, the installation of such a system seems quite accessible for any home craftsman to do independently, naturally, provided that all the nuances are taken into account and technological recommendations are followed.

Video: Another example of installing a suspended roller door structure

Exist different systems opening doors, one of the most convenient is sliding doors. Such a system can save space in the room, since it does not require large area for opening, can fit well into any interior. Making sliding doors with your own hands - interesting activity, which can save money on the purchase of a finished product.

Advantages of a sliding design

Sliding doors have many advantages, the main one being the ability to save space.
Installing such a door is not difficult even for a beginner; it does not require a complex tool or special knowledge.
Installing such a door will take much less time than installing a regular one; Assembling a box for it is much easier.
You can create sliding doors with your own hands by purchasing suitable fittings and any door leaves that suit your taste.

Where to start?

Before buying building materials, fittings, and tools, you will need to arm yourself with a regular tape measure. Use it to measure the width and height of the doorway. If you already have a door, you can measure it. It is worth noting that an ordinary door on hinges can be turned into a sliding structure by using an old panel from it.

The dimensions of a standard door leaf are usually the following: height - 2 meters, width - 80 cm, less commonly 60 or 70 cm are found, sometimes you can find non-standard door 90 cm.

The main element required to create such a door is a sliding mechanism. There is absolutely no need to invent it: you can purchase a ready-made design at any store that sells door leaves and accessories for them.

Should know: when selecting sliding mechanism you need to know exactly the length of the door (for example, 80 cm). The length of the mechanism should exceed it twice. It's okay if you buy a longer mechanism - it can be easily shortened, but problems may arise with a short product. It will be impossible to lengthen it, and if it is not long enough, the doors will not open all the way.

You can install any mechanisms for sliding doors with your own hands. If you want the door not to open simply from a push, you can install handles with a special lock on it. This type of device can be useful if you want the door to be locked or to prevent pets and children from opening it.

With the help of these mechanisms, any door leaf can turn into sliding door. For a more aesthetically pleasing design, you can make a new door frame, specially designed specifically for a sliding structure.

What is required to create a door frame?

There is no need to buy a frame for the door leaf. It is enough to purchase following materials in order to assemble it yourself. You will need:

5 meters of slats; the thickness is selected in accordance with the thickness of the partition in the doorway.
Platbands
A bar used to hide the opening mechanism from view.
The door leaf itself. You can use both new and previously standing ones.

N The new canvas will not have traces from the installation of standard fasteners, so it will look more attractive.

Do-it-yourself fittings for sliding doors will cost much less than buying a ready-made door from assembled form. This applies to even the most expensive fittings: installation does not require hiring specialists, since an amateur can handle it.

Preparations for assembling doors

In order to prepare the door leaf, you will need the following tools:

Manual frezer; If you don’t have it, you can get by with the tools below.
Chisel.
Bulgarian.
Drill.

Any tool is suitable for carrying out the work, but if you have a hand router, the work goes faster and more accurately. Preparation of the canvas includes the following points:

You need to start work from the bottom end of the door leaf. You will need to cut an even groove clearly in the middle, the depth of which should be 3 mm. This recess is necessary so that the lower guide can work. It will serve as a stop for the door, which will prevent the door from swaying during operation. You can cut a groove using a hand router or grinder, on which a special wheel for working with wood will be installed: it must have a fine tooth.
The sliding mechanism kit includes rollers and brackets. They need to be connected to each other. This is easy to do using nuts. The elements have special holes for connection.
After fixing, the elements need to be attached to the top of the door leaf from the end side. There is no need to screw them on right away: you will need to trace the contours, then measure the thickness of the metal from which the elements are made, and make grooves equal to this thickness.
After this, you can screw the rollers to the canvas.
Making sliding doors can be made a little easier by not cutting brackets into the door itself. The rollers can simply be screwed to it. This will affect external characteristics future door, however, if you have little experience and only have a chisel and a hammer in your hands, it is better not to make grooves for the rollers at all.
Once the mechanism is almost ready, you can proceed to installation door lock. This design element is optional and is installed solely at personal discretion.
It will be convenient to use the design if you install handles. If you install regular ones, the door will not open all the way and the handles will hit the doorway. In order to avoid this, you will need to embed a special set of handles. For them, grooves are made on both sides, then drilled through hole. The outline for the handles will need to be marked in advance. It is most convenient to cut out places for them using a jigsaw.

Installation of the sliding mechanism

The design of sliding doors, as you can see, is not very complicated. Once the canvas is ready for installation, you can proceed to further steps.

Before you can install the leaf in the doorway, you will need to mount the door opening mechanism. To do this, you need to properly secure the guide profile: it must be positioned strictly horizontally. When installing it, you must use a level; the guide is placed on the floor. If it is uneven, you will have to carry out work to level the surface. If the profile is crooked, the door will not be able to open easily; if the slope is large, the door may not be able to move along the guide at all.

Guide installation features

Guides for sliding doors with your own hands must be installed in accordance with certain rules, otherwise the structure cannot be expected to work correctly.

Make sure that the edge of the guide extends 50mm on one side of the opening. On the side where the door will roll back, the profile should not protrude. Its length must clearly coincide with the dimensions of the door leaf. If the mechanism is too long, you can always shorten it with a grinder.
It is necessary to correctly calculate the height to which the door mechanism will be raised. It can be calculated taking into account the following factors: the gap under the door, the resulting height of the leaf taking into account the rollers already installed on it (the gap can be from 10 to 20 mm, it depends on how flat the floor is).

Before you make sliding doors with your own hands, you should check how smooth your walls are. If they are too crooked, this problem will have to be solved. It is easy to attach the guide to a flat wall; all you need to do is drill holes in the wall for it. If the walls are very crooked, you can use wooden slats; you will have to move the guide slightly away from the wall.

In order to place the finished canvas with rollers on the guide, you will need to insert the rollers on the side. After installing the door leaf, a special stop is placed on the door to prevent it from moving to the side. For this stop, a special groove was cut into the canvas from below.

To prevent the internal guides from flying out, they need to be secured with self-tapping screws. To do this you will need to open the door completely. First, secure the rubber cushion: it is used as a limiter, then you will need to insert a stop into the lower groove of the blade. It is secured with dowels. After this, you can close the door and secure the lower stop completely. If you watch the video, it will be clearer how to make sliding doors yourself .

In order for the installation to be complete, it is necessary to install door frames and a strip that will cover the opening mechanism. It is attached to a rail mounted on the wall. The gaps can be closed with mounting foam or sealant.

In an effort to make your home more comfortable and cozy, you often come up with the idea of replacing conventional swing doors with sliding doors (they are also called sliding, sliding, hanging). The good news is that you can install sliding doors yourself without any problems. The bad thing is that a normal mechanism costs about the same as a high-quality blade. What is captivating about them is that when open they hardly “eat up” space. They either hide in the wall (a better, but more difficult to implement option), or move along it.

All this is true, but there is a significant drawback - a very low degree of sound insulation, especially in the sliding door version. When the canvas simply covers the opening. When installed in a pencil case (in the wall), the situation is a little better, but the degree of sound insulation swing door This cannot be achieved even with this installation method. If all this doesn’t scare you, you can start studying the systems, selecting them, and then installing them.

Sliding door systems

There are two types of mechanisms: suspended and rail. Neither is perfect. Briefly about their advantages and disadvantages below.

Top rail suspension system

The suspension mechanism is load-bearing beam, to which is attached a guide in the shape of the letter “P” with “legs” bent inward. The rollers to which the door leaf is attached move along this guide. If we talk technical terms, this is a hanging door on the top rail.

When installing such a door, the floor under the door remains smooth, only the lower roller is installed on the right and/or left of the doorway. It slides along a groove made in the lower end of the blade. It is necessary so that when moving it does not deviate vertically. This design is the easiest to install. Installation is very simple and consists of several steps:

That's all. Doors on rollers are installed. But this system, in the form shown in the photo, has very low noise insulation characteristics. They are practically zero: the passage is simply blocked.

Rail sliding doors

This type of door has two rails: top and bottom. Rollers are also installed at the top and bottom. Thanks to this design, the system has a high degree of rigidity: it can be shaken without causing much damage.

The disadvantage of having rails in the floor is known: they are difficult to clean. Debris and dust constantly get into the grooves, so you have to keep them clean. This type of door is most often used in cabinets. They are used as interior doors if there are active children in the family. Then safety is more important than difficulties with cleaning.

Mounting options

Regardless of the sliding door system, installation methods can be:

The simplest installation option is sliding doors. They can be installed independently, not only at the repair stage, but also after it. It is only important that the opening is smooth and the wall has normal load-bearing capacity. The disadvantage of such a system is that you cannot place anything close to the wall in the place where the door rolls back. There is one more thing: very low sound insulation. This is easy to explain: if you look from the end, there is a gap of several millimeters on the sides. It is necessary so that the canvas does not “shuffle” along the wall. And all sounds penetrate perfectly through it, becoming only a little quieter.

Cassette doors are good because when open, the door leaf is located in a niche in the wall and does not interfere. The second advantage is that seals can be installed around the perimeter of the opening, which provide much higher sound insulation performance. The disadvantage of installing a sliding door in a niche is that it can only be done at the renovation stage. The second drawback: to make a pencil case for sliding doors, they usually install a false wall, and this means stolen centimeters of space.

Cascade doors are one of the types of sliding doors. It simply has a larger number of guides: according to the number of movable door leaves. Installation is perhaps the most difficult: there are many parts and high installation accuracy is required. The systems belong to the elite category, and they rarely save on installation: repairs will cost more.

Features and installation procedure

You can install sliding doors yourself even without much experience. It is quite possible to do without installers. It will take a little time, and also installation instructions. We will try to give detailed description process with photo and video materials.

Self-installation of sliding interior sliding doors

Systems may vary slightly, but general rules remain the same. There are several requirements that must be met before installation:

The opening must be level, otherwise you will have to take a canvas that covers all deviations with a margin.
The load-bearing capacity of the sides of the doorway should be high, as should the wall above it.
The opening must already be finished: plastered and painted, covered with wallpaper or decorated with decorative panels.

Next we proceed to assembly. First you can attach the rollers. Different manufacturers have their own recommendations. Some recommend retreating 1/6 of the width of the door leaf from the edge, in other systems they are attached immediately from the edge, and the indentation is provided mounting plates. This is the system we install: in it, roller platforms are installed immediately from the corner.

Marking the installation location of the rollers

We center them, measuring so that the distances are the same. Having positioned the plate, use a pencil or marker to mark the locations for the fasteners. Drill holes in the marked places. The diameter of the drill is 1 mm less than the diameter of the screw.

We set the plates and screw in the screws. The length of the fastener depends on the weight of the canvas, but not less than 70 mm. We twist them exactly perpendicularly, otherwise unnecessary stress will arise.

Installation of rollers

IN installed plates supports are inserted under the rollers. They are fixed with a lid on the side surface. Next, roller platforms are screwed onto the threaded pins.

It is also convenient to install handles and locks before hanging. They need special, mortise ones. If you bought ready set, the required holes are available. If you have used a regular canvas, you will have to trace the outline with a pencil and remove the excess with a chisel. After the handle or lock fits into the recess, the attachment points are marked, holes are drilled for them and the fittings are installed.

The most convenient way is to hang the sliding doors on a dry wooden beam. Its cross-section is less than 50*70 mm, its length is twice the width of the door leaf + 5 cm. We cut the guide to the same length.

Having aligned the guide along the beam, it is attached to the beam with self-tapping screws no less than 8 cm long. The number of fasteners is at least three, departing 10 cm from the edges and in the middle (more often is possible, less often - not).

Now you can measure at what height to mount the timber. A guide with a beam is “rolled” onto doors with installed rollers. This way you can accurately note how tall the doors are. We drill at least four holes in the side edge of the beam for mounting to the wall.

The guide with the beam “rolls” onto the rollers on the door

Add 7-10 mm to the resulting mark - the doors should hang and not shuffle along the floor. 7 mm is the minimum gap, which is sufficient if there are no floor coverings. If they are planned (later to lay laminate, carpet, linoleum, etc.), then the thickness of these coverings must also be taken into account.

To prevent the canvas from “walking” during installation, it is wedged with small wooden wedges. At least two stops are required - near both rollers.

Having placed the beam against the wall and adjusted its position using a level, we mark its position with a pencil. If the wall allows, you can fasten it to the wall through and through, but for this you need to use self-tapping screws at least 120 mm long, or better yet, place it on anchor bolts.

If the wall, for example, is concrete, the installation of dowels is required. To do this, you need to transfer the marks for the fasteners to the wall. This can be done using thin and long drill, the diameter of which is less than the drilled hole.

An even simpler option: a long thin nail. It is inserted into the hole and a mark is made on the wall with a couple of blows. The following procedure is known: drill holes for the dowel plugs, insert the plugs, hammering them in if necessary. Then we install the doors.

Attaching sliding doors to the wall

Stoppers must be secured along the edges of the guide. They are inserted from the sides, the required location is established experimentally (so that the canvas covers the opening completely when closed, and rolls back sufficiently when opening. They are fixed using clamping screws.

Having opened the doors, we install the flag roller on the floor. It fits into a groove cut into the bottom of the blade. It is necessary to ensure that the doors do not deviate vertically.

First, we insert it into the groove, mark holes for fasteners, drill, then secure with short self-tapping screws (length about 15-20 mm).

At this point we can assume that the sliding doors have been installed. They are already fully functional. Remained Finishing work. Mounting beam with guide is closed decorative overlay, matched to the tone of the door leaf. It can be nailed directly to the timber with finishing nails.

Only when you put it out, make sure that the wheels are closed. It’s much more beautiful this way)) Now that’s it, you’ve installed the sliding doors with your own hands.

Video tutorial on installation similar door looks below. There are several installation options.

We install cassette-type sliding doors (in a pencil case)

The process of installing the guide and hanging the door leaf is almost identical to those described above. There is no need only for finishing, but all other stages are necessary. Instead of editing decorative strip, a false wall is mounted at a distance of at least 10 cm from the wall. It is usually made from plasterboard profiles that are sheathed wall plasterboard. But this is not important - you can use gypsum fiber board or plywood, or any other suitable material.

Where does the distance of 10 cm come from? The thickness of the door leaf and the gaps on both sides are 5 cm. At least another 5 cm is added to this for installation of the profile. So it turns out to be 10 cm.

Since the main load will fall on the wall, the frame made of profiles need not be reinforced. If such a wall does not seem very reliable to you, you can insert wooden blocks inside, which are screwed with self-tapping screws. This will make the structure very rigid.

The basic principles for calculating a pencil case for a sliding door, as well as marking features and principles for preparing a doorway for installation, see the video.

Homemade sliding doors

Any door leaf can be installed on rollers and will work as a sliding door. The guide and all other components - rollers (carrying and flag), stoppers, stops - can be purchased. Hang on them at least a piece of plywood or a door assembled from several boards. This will be the simplest and cheapest option. But making the mechanism yourself is a more difficult task. One of the options for a sliding door mechanism made from scrap materials (from round pipes of different diameters) is in the video. The system was supposed to be installed in a closet, but, judging by designs, easy can even withstand a solid oak door.

To make the most of the useful living space, the owners make sliding interior doors with their own hands. They create unique design, capable of both dividing the living space into separate sectors and combining it in one room.

Attractiveness and disadvantages of sliding structures

You should understand in detail what advantages sliding doors have, as well as possible problems that will have to be resolved. Advantages include the ability to save space, even in ordinary apartment additional meters will appear. Plus, with such doors, any home acquires individuality and is transformed.

This design is not susceptible to drafts. Some options are executed without thresholds, which is important if among the residents there are elderly, disabled people or small children. Installation and subsequent use of the sliding partition is simple. Today's technologies provide the opportunity to automate the product, which provides additional convenience.

Disadvantages may appear if the design is used incorrectly. The guides and roller system must be kept in good working order and clean at all times. Dirty mechanisms become damaged and the door leaf jams. Very weak sound insulation due to cracks brings additional inconvenience. Also, odors from other rooms will penetrate into the living rooms through the cracks.

Installing a sliding door is more difficult than a swing door; high precision is required. Moving blades require precise alignment with each other and in relation to door frame. Many people are scared high prices on sliding structures, which cannot be considered an advantage.

Various design options

All hinged doors operate on the same principle: they do not swing open, but move along the wall and other door panels. The execution has several options:

traditional using the wardrobe principle;
cascade;
in the form of a folding accordion or book;
doors moving along radial guides.

In any design, the use of one, two or more sashes is allowed.

Sliding doors are among the simplest to make and have many subtypes. It is more reliable to make them with two – upper and lower – guides for moving the sashes. However, this option is complicated, as it requires absolutely precise adjustment of both guides. The bottom rail is attached to the floor, where it forms a threshold, or hidden in a recess. The big disadvantage is that dust and debris constantly collect there, slowing down and blocking the operation of the door. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly clean the bottom rail.

Suspended structures consist of one guide at the top, the bottom is not used. The mounting location for the rails is chosen depending on the height of the door: it can be a wall or a ceiling. The guide closes decorative panel or remains open. The disadvantage of this design can be considered the fact that from the side of the door opening it is problematic to place furniture or something else against the wall.

Cassette doors are made in hanging version or on two rails. They differ from others in that when the partition is opened, the door leaf disappears into a niche. In a private house, it is better to plan such a pencil case in advance; in an apartment, it is acceptable to make it from plasterboard. Of course, the niche will take usable area, but the losses are compensated by good sound insulation. A lot of alterations will have to be done, and the cost of the cassette will be added to the cost.

The device of cascade doors is made with two guides - from below and from above, each leaf moves along its own rail. The advantages of a system made from sliding doors with your own hands are that you can fence off zones or expand the area into a hall by assembling the panels on one side. For doors, natural glass is often used as a material; the lower guide is sunk into the floor, and the upper one is attached to the ceiling.

Accordions consist of a certain number of blades on end loops. The width of the canvas is a multiple of the size of the doorway and is limited by the availability of free space. If an accordion-style interior partition is planned, the guides are attached to the floor and ceiling. A significant design flaw: very poor heat and sound insulation.

Radius systems are definitely suitable only for large-area housing. To install it, create a special plasterboard profile semicircular shape or buy a ready-made design. Radius doors operate on two guides; they can be located on either side of the opening or in a cassette. The sound and thermal insulation of the structure is excellent, but self-production causes difficulties, without certain skills it is impossible to cope.

Sliding doors fit organically into any interior. They have an amazing ability to transform living space. On practice sliding partitions used to zone large spaces. Closed door divides the room into separate zones, and the expanded partition returns the original area.

The experience of using sliding partitions between loggias, terraces and living rooms also deserves attention. Particularly impressive is the use of glass, which allows light to pass through unhindered. Partition, open in summer, will immensely expand the area, creating single space. Sliding doors are also used in utility rooms, keeping usable space. Sliding structures they are not used to separate the kitchen, toilet, bathroom, as odors will penetrate into the living quarters.

Selection of fittings, mechanism and door leaf

The fittings have their own characteristics, determined by the type of sliding door device. The handles are hidden in the door leaf so as not to interfere with the movement of the leaves relative to each other. Recessed handles also allow the door to be easily hidden in the cassette. Locks differ in that they latch the door vertically.

Buying a door leaf in a store has advantages: the product is equipped with already installed fittings or they come separately, but are selected specifically for this model. When searching for handles and locks on your own, extreme attention is required so as not to make a mistake in your choice. It is better to choose accessories from a specialist or from a catalog.

The roller roller mechanism and guides are selected taking into account the following criteria:

constructive option;
number of door leaves;
door leaf material.

When choosing rollers, take into account the load that the door leaf creates on the entire structure. MDF, for example, weighs much less than glass, therefore, the carriage rollers in the first option are simplified and cheaper. For a heavy door leaf such as glass, it is necessary to install upper and lower guides. Impeccable operation depends on the compliance of the guides and roller mechanisms with the design, their quality, as well as the accuracy and precision of installation. For cascade doors, books, compartments, take into account required quantity rollers and select suitable guides.

The building materials market provides the buyer wide choose canvases from different materials and variety design solutions. The canvases should be as close as possible to the size of the doorway, taking into account the frame. The most acceptable door width is 90 cm, but can vary between 60–120 cm. Standard height 210 cm, but can be up to 250 cm.

When choosing a product, preference is given to those that are light in weight: plastic, MDF, laminate, bamboo. Such interior doors are easier to operate; it is possible to use lightweight roller mechanisms. For structures of large mass such as metal, glass, solid wood, a competent, even professional selection of mechanisms and guides is required. You should not purchase canvas with elements protruding outwards, no matter how beautiful they may seem. Protrusions can interfere with the free operation of the structure.

How to install sliding doors - general rules for any design

Various design and the variety of products do not allow us to dwell on the features of installing each individual type of sliding door with your own hands. But the main points are the same for doors of any type. Having learned the general rules of how to make sliding doors with your own hands from one panel, it is not difficult to make a sliding product from a larger number of panels.

Before purchasing a door leaf, the opening is measured in several places, a wooden frame is made to size and installed. An installed but not secured box is thoroughly checked for horizontality and verticality and adjusted if necessary. A correctly aligned box is secured to the wall with anchor bolts, and the cracks are filled with foam. The desired width of the doorway is 90 cm for one leaf and 120–150 cm for a double leaf door. For larger widths, three or more panels will need to be installed.

Installing a door on rollers with your own hands begins with determining the location for the top rail. To calculate it, add about 20 mm to the height of the door as a gap between the door and the floor and another 7 cm. Two marks are left on the wall above the opening along which a horizontal line is drawn. A beam is attached to the wall, the lower edge of which coincides with the drawn line. A guide is attached to the lower edge of the beam with self-tapping screws, departing from the wall by 7 mm.

The length of the guides is equal to the total width of the door leaves plus 5 cm for normal door operation.

Next in line is the installation of the roller mechanism; first, the staples are attached to the canvas. There is no need to describe in detail the installation of roller carriages; the process is described in detail in the instructions that come with each purchase. Clip holders are attached to the sides of the door, which the best way suitable for all models except the folding door, which uses . IN glass products use rubber gaskets to fix the glass. At the same time, you can install handles and locks if they are needed.

Next, proceed to the installation of the sashes. It is better if there is an assistant, then one person holds the canvas, and the second directs the carriages into the profile. Then the result of the work is checked. If the guides are initially installed strictly horizontally, the door should not move anywhere on its own. Using the adjusting bolts of the carriages, the door is set in an exact vertical position, if such a need arises. Check the movement of the web, which should be easy, without jamming. Stoppers are installed in the form of special plugs or pins so that the carriages do not come out of the grooves.

For silent and durable door operation, it is better to choose rubber stops.

So that the entire structure becomes complete and beautiful view, and also to ensure the safety of the mechanical part, which can be damaged by dust and dirt, platbands are installed. Open mechanisms require them; there is no such need for a door in a pencil case.

Making a sliding door with your own hands is not difficult. The main requirement is extreme precision and accuracy in work. By skillfully applying your talent as a master in practice, you can achieve excellent results the first time.

There is an opinion that it is not possible to make sliding doors with your own hands at home, but this is not so. A sliding door is not such a complicated thing, and then we will talk about what sliding doors are like, we will go through the pros and cons of compartment doors, and most importantly, we will be given step-by-step instruction, how to make a sliding door with your own hands, in 2 versions.

Sliding structures in houses are not only beautiful, but also convenient.

The question of how to make sliding doors is just right to ask when you know what you want, so first let’s figure out what they are like:

The accordion looks original, but is not very convenient to use.

An accordion sliding interior door consists of a certain number of sections connected by hinges, which fold according to the accordion principle. There is no point in assembling this structure manually; firstly, there are a lot of small and precise work, and secondly, the system is inconvenient to use, plus, when the package is completely moved, it takes away part of the doorway.

Cascade sliding structures.

A cascade sliding design refers to several door panels that slide and hide behind each other. The whole trick is that the panels, no matter how many there are, slide apart synchronously, but you can’t make such a sliding door mechanism with your own hands, and installation is far from the easiest.

Retractable radius design.

The sliding radius design is aerobatics in this niche. You shouldn’t even try to make such sliding doors with your own hands, because almost all the details radius doors will have to be ordered individually. Agree, it would be a shame to pay money for an order and then break the doors trying to install them yourself.

It’s quite possible to make interior compartment doors with your own hands.

Sliding compartment doors are best option for the home craftsman. Such a door can be single-leaf or double-leaf. The mechanism for sliding compartment doors is simple but reliable; in short, guides are installed on the wall along which the doors slide.

Hidden doors that hide in the wall;
A door that slides along the wall.

But this is not true in principle, because the drawings, diagrams and structure of the structure itself are identical in both cases, the door slides in the same way, the roller mechanism is the same. The only difference is that a plasterboard box is mounted next to the door leaf, in which the leaf is hidden.

General diagram of hidden sliding doors.

Interior doors differ from similar designs in sliding wardrobes only in their more powerful mechanism, because the fabric here is much heavier. Therefore, it is not so important that you install a sliding door with your own hands on a cabinet or on a doorway, the technology is almost the same.

We’ve sorted out the main differences and design choices, now let’s talk specifically about how to make compartment doors with your own hands.

Two options for installing sliding doors yourself

Do-it-yourself sliding interior doors can be made in different ways, more precisely, for different rooms. Plus, the size of the budget plays a significant role; it’s one thing to assemble doors for small dacha with seasonal living, it’s quite another to make sliding interior doors for a city apartment.

Option No. 1. A good door for an apartment

In this case, we will learn how to properly install sliding doors on rollers with our own hands.

ABOUT homemade mechanisms you need to forget right away, we are only talking about installing ready-made systems. Of course, such designs are sold with a description, but there are nuances that are not in the description.

To install sliding interior doors with your own hands, you need the following tool:

Hammer or electric drill with impact function;
Hydraulic level;
Bubble level;
Screwdriver;
Roulette;
Set of open-end wrenches (from No. 5 and above);
Manual frezer;
Wood hacksaw;
Hacksaw for metal;
Pencil;
Hammer.

We assume that the door is made from ready-made components, that is, we have a door leaf, guides, rollers, stops and other door fittings. The only thing you will need to buy additionally is a wooden block 50x50 or 50x70 mm.

Even before assembling the sliding door and even before going to the store for components, you need to make sure of the following fundamental things:

Check how smooth your opening is; if there is a skew, take a wide blade (with a margin);
Make sure the wall can support the load. It is better for an amateur to work with brick or concrete wall, leave foam concrete and plasterboard false walls to the professionals;
Absolutely all finishing must be completed. Door assembly is done at the very end.

How to make a compartment door with your own hands:

There are many models of rollers; we are interested in mechanisms on a supporting platform with the ability to adjust the gap between the blade and the guide profile.

Wide platforms are mounted on the edge of the door leaf, but if the door leaf is more than 80 cm, then you can step back from the corner by 1/6 of the door width.

Using a tape measure, we calculate the center and, attaching a roller platform to the end of the canvas, mark the entry points of the screws.

You shouldn’t immediately drive the screws according to the markings; you don’t know what quality the slab is; when screwing the screw in “live”, it may crack. Therefore, first drill holes, the drill diameter is about 2 mm. Next, apply the bar and screw in the screws.

Now insert the carrier plate itself, equipped with a rod for the roller, into the grooves of the roller bar. In this case, the plate is fixed to the bar by screwing the rod a couple of turns (open-end wrenches will come in handy here).

As you can see in the photo, the rod is equipped with a thread; we need to screw the rollers onto this thread. Of course, there is a possibility of adjustment, but the thread must enter the roller by at least 3 - 4 turns. It’s better to count the revolutions so that they are approximately equal on all rollers.

In order not to work in the dark later, it is better to embed handles and locks right away, especially when it comes to hidden handles, as in the photo. All such grooves in the canvas are cut with a hand router.

We are done with the rollers and fittings, now we move on to installing the guide bar. The guide bar itself is metal; we will attach it to a wooden block. It is important here how to calculate the cross-section and length of the bar.

Don’t be alarmed, for the calculation we only need a tape measure and a pencil. If your doorway is simply plastered, without platbands, then you can take a 50x50 mm block. The platbands will take up at least 10 - 15 mm, so you need to take a 50x70 mm block for them.

As for the length of the bar, it is calculated as 2 times the width of the door leaf, plus another 50 mm for the stoppers.

Now we lay the guide on the block and fasten it with self-tapping screws in increments of about 200 mm. The holes in the guide are drilled subtly, that is, so that the screw head does not protrude from above, otherwise the roller will begin to cling to it when moving.

Next we hang the structure. A professional only needs to take one measurement, after which the craftsmen attach the timber separately, and then attach the doors to it. It's better for an amateur to try on assembled doors, for this purpose we insert the rollers into the guide.

To make the measurement more accurate, you need to insert a wedge, preferably more than one, between the door and the guide bar.

You need to put a mark on the wall above the block and move upward from this mark by at least 7 mm, plus the thickness of the carpets, if any are planned.

Holes in the block must be drilled immediately. The step depends on what exactly you will hang the structure on. For anchor bolts with a cross section of 6 - 8 mm, a step of 50 - 70 cm is sufficient, and for long screws with plastic dowels, holes are drilled at a distance of no more than 25 cm.

We make markings on the wall through a block. The photo below shows how craftsmen drill a wall without removing the door; we do not advise you to do this. We have the markings, now we can remove the door, attach the block to the wall, level it and mark the future holes with a drill. Then you remove the block and drill it out.

To prevent the rollers from jumping out, you need to install stoppers along the edges of the guide, but they are installed after the doors are hung. The stopper is inserted into the groove and the clamping screw is tightened. The installation point is determined experimentally by the position of the rollers.

Our doors hang on a guide, but to prevent them from dangling, they need to be somehow fixed from below. To do this, a groove is cut from the bottom end along the entire length with a router; if the door is factory, then the groove should already be there.

The blade will control the flag pressure roller, which is attached to the floor directly next to the door jamb.

In order for the door to rub against the roller less, it must be set strictly plumb. The technology for installing the flag is shown in the photo below.

Control flag installation technology.

In principle, the retractable door was installed with your own hands, it will work, but you still need to make it beautiful. To do this, buy a platband to match the door leaf and nail or screw it to the supporting frame wooden block. Such a bar will hide both the block itself and the hanging mechanism.

Option number 2. Homemade product for the dacha

Sliding doors are a good thing and they have a lot of advantages, but all these advantages fade into the background when a person finds out the price of such fittings. Don’t be upset; if you use a creative approach, you can solve this problem. The design is not the most beautiful, but it is quite suitable for a summer house.

So, let's take a step-by-step look at how to make sliding doors for your dacha yourself without spending a lot of money.

The door leaf will cost the most. Although there are options here too, for example, you can restore old door and hang it up.

Old doors can be put to new uses.

Then we go to the store with furniture fittings and buy the simplest furniture wheels there. Rotary mechanisms Don’t take them on a hinge, they will only make things worse. Such wheels are attached to the doors with a pair of self-tapping screws. There are 2 reference points for each canvas.

At the top end of the canvas, above the wheels, we screw steel rings. The thickness of the metal in such rings must be at least 3–4 mm, otherwise they will quickly fray.

We will use as a guide steel pipe three-quarters of an inch, although this is not important, you can take any pipe as long as the rings fit into it properly. We calculate the length in the same way as in the case of a wooden block.

We install, as shown in the photo below, the elbow and fastening “penny” can be found on any construction market, as well as the pipe itself.

Fastening the pipe to the wall.

Conclusion

As you can see, installing sliding doors with your own hands is not so difficult, and for those readers who found this information not enough, there is also a video on this topic.

A variant of a homemade design on the top suspension.