Decision-making on the question of what the decor will be is often dictated by the dimensions of the premises and their configuration conditions. Many interior elements come from a combination of convenience and necessity. One of these extraordinary solutions was the entrance door with a mirror, surprising and delighting the owners of small hallways. Read about the advantages of such a design and whether it has obvious disadvantages in the article.
A mirror on the front door is not only a practical solution, but also an additional design element
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Advantages of installing entrance mirror doors
Steel entrance doors have become commonplace in modern apartments. It has a lot of advantages, but its main advantage is safety. Currently, manufacturers are generous with proposals for the manufacture of various options for the door leaf, including its decorative finish, as well as built-in security locking systems. Color solutions also differ in many options, which is confirmed by photos of the entrance doors on specialized sites. However, a demanding customer always wants something more. Therefore, due to market requirements, an original design appeared relatively recently - an entrance metal door with a mirror.
A mirror on the front door can visually increase the space and add light to the room
Mirrors in the interior have a purely decorative and practical function. Designers use the technique of installing mirrors in the room to visually expand the space, increase the degree of illumination, etc. Installation of the mirror sheet on the front door meets the basic requirements for the organization of the hallway and carries an additional functional and decorative load. Among the main advantages of installing a mirror on the door to an apartment are the following:
- A visual increase in the space of a small-sized hallway is created, while the higher the dimensions of the installed mirror, the greater the effect can be achieved. It is ideal in this case to use a full-length mirror.
- It is possible to increase the illumination of the space without resorting to increasing the brightness of the lamps.
- The mirror sheet on the door can fully replace the traditionally installed mirror in the hallway, while saving useful space.
- Eliminates the need for mirrored built-in wardrobes.
- It can become a bright decorative accent in the hallway.
- Visually "lightens" the structure, which is easy to see in the photo: the entrance doors "lose" their massiveness and weight.
Important! Noise insulation of the front door to the apartment with the installation of a mirror does not change.
Steel doors to an apartment with a mirror: design flaws
Entrance iron doors to the apartment are required, first of all, to fulfill their main function. Therefore, along with decorative properties, it is required to consider in aggregate the practicality of embedding a mirror and the safety of the structure as a whole for all residents.
A door with a mirror will cost more than the same design without it
No matter how attractive the photos of entrance doors with a mirror inside are, the price of such a structure, due to the increased labor intensity of its manufacture, will be higher than the cost of its traditional counterparts. Differences are especially noticeable when choosing mirrors with special properties: matte or semi-matt coating, Venetian glass, engraved, etched, etc. Also, the surface area occupied by the mirror affects the price increase. When an additional mirror element is used in the door structure, the load on the hinges increases significantly, and therefore new requirements for the fittings appear.
Quality components are not cheap. The locking devices needed to maintain security will be non-standard - so-called invisible locks, which lack a keyhole to protect the mirror from possible scratches with a key. There are also difficulties regarding the installation of a peephole: you will have to abandon its location in the middle of the front door. Manufacturers can offer the most optimal photos or diagrams of installation options, but it is possible that the review will be somewhat limited.
The disadvantages include the difficulty of caring for the mirror unit and the difficulties associated with its replacement. Grooming is a pretty demanding job. Keeping a front door with a built-in mirror clean is tricky, but having the right detergent can solve this problem. To replace the glass, the door is completely dismantled, since its disassembly is possible only in a specialized workshop. Therefore, before installing the structure, evaluate the possibility of its safe operation.
In people with mental or nervous disorders, an entrance door with a mirror installed in it can provoke depressive or pathological conditions. Psychologists advise to abandon such placement of mirrors if there are such tenants in the apartment. The health of the household should prevail over the desire to improve the decor in the hallway.
The door mirror needs frequent systematic maintenance
Helpful advice! If you are organizing the interior in the house, adhering to the principles of feng shui, then entrance doors with a built-in mirror are ideal for this, since they do not reflect the entrance to the dwelling, but the interior situation.
How to choose entrance doors with mirror inserts
Despite a number of negative points, the front door with a mirror receives positive reviews from the apartment owners who decided to take this step. All emphasize the convenience of the design, excellent heat and noise insulation, as well as a fairly quiet door closing. In most cases, workshops install door closers to soften the stroke and protect the mirror from vibrations.
Which front door is best suited for a particular home is up to the apartment owners. They always have the choice of color, decorative overlays, other visual solutions, as well as the price segment. The door is installed in its place for a long time, so you should know a few rules that can ensure its trouble-free operation.
The main function of the front door is protection. Therefore, first of all, it is important to evaluate not the decorative properties of the structure, but the thickness of the canvas, the presence of stiffeners and the principles of mounting the block frame (with or without pins).Particular attention should be paid to hinges: it is better to choose internal or hidden. At the same time, metal doors with a mirror will have a greater mass than similar models without mirror inserts, which requires the use of reinforced hinges designed for a higher load.
When buying a mirrored door, first of all, you need to pay attention to the hinges - they must be reinforced
It is worthwhile to stipulate in advance the peculiarities of installing the peephole - its location or its complete absence with replacement for a video surveillance system. In addition, it is necessary to resolve the issue of the number of locks and latches, as well as the mechanism of their action. Any lock can be installed in the door, but preference is given to reliable mechanisms, since access to them is difficult due to the installed mirror insert. You can choose a hidden lock without a keyhole, for which the key is an electronic remote control or a magnetic card.
Helpful advice! It is recommended to equip steel doors with a mirror with door closers or opening stops. This will protect the unit from vibration and extend its life.
The door handle is selected according to the design, but you should rely on the choice of quality materials and models from reliable well-known manufacturers. All plastic options are not considered at all, they, like lightweight structures, should be excluded.
No matter how much the future owner would like to maximize the mirror area, its dimensions are determined by the dimensions of the door, taking into account the indent around the perimeter by at least 20 cm. These conditions are dictated by the peculiarities of installation, ease of use of the door handle and locks. If you increase the safety of using a mirror by gluing a transparent protective film, then you should prefer high quality glass, otherwise the reflection will be distorted. The protective film is able to protect the mirror from cracking, and also, with a strong impact, will not allow the fragments to crumble.
Handles must be of high quality and match the design of the door and room
How to install a mirror on the front door with your own hands
Inspired by picturesque photos of iron doors with a mirror, many craftsmen can decide to do the installation themselves. Technically, the process is simple, for this you need to have a minimum of devices:
- the mirror itself of the required size and proper quality;
- assembly glue designed for gluing mirrors, with a composition that excludes damage to the amalgam;
- a narrow decorative frame of a suitable size, which will simultaneously perform the protective function of the edges of the mirror;
- fasteners for fixing the frame;
- a gasket under the mirror for damping vibration.
When carrying out work on the installation of a large-sized mirror, it is recommended to remove the door from its hinges and place it on a flat solid surface. However, at home, most often the craftsmen do not remove the door, but first apply markings on it and carry out installation directly on the vertical door leaf. The explanation is simple: it is not as easy to remove and hang a metal door as it might seem at first glance, since difficulties arise, which consist in fitting the door frame hinges and in ensuring the safety of all locking mechanisms. However, in this way, only a small mirror sheet can be attached, in other cases the door must be dismantled.
Before installing the mirror, it is recommended to remove the entrance door and position it horizontally
A completely safe way of organizing a mirror surface on a door is not installing glass, but gluing a reflective film. In this case, the imitation of the mirror is performed flawlessly. You should also inquire in specialized stores about the presence of a plexiglass mirror sheet, which is characterized by undeniable advantages in terms of safety (cannot be broken), significantly lighter weight,easy handling and fastening, as well as excellent moisture resistance.
Features of mounting a mirror on the front door
Before going to the store to buy mounting accessories, you should inspect the front door and decide if you can even install a mirror on it. There are a number of points, without taking into account which there is a risk of drawdown or skewing of the block.
The first thing to look out for is the hinges. They are the weak link when the load increases. If the front door is of high quality and the selected fittings are worthy of it, then it is not a fact that the structure is able to withstand the additional mass of the mirror.
Manufacturers calculate the load on the door leaf only for the selected model. An increase in the weight of the inner part (due to the mirror) can lead to an early wear of the hinges or their breakage. Internal anti-vandal sheds are especially sensitive to overloads. Perhaps the hinges will not immediately worsen their performance, but their resource, nevertheless, will be reduced by 40-60% with an increase in the mounted weight by only 10-15% due to the weight of the mirror. Replacing the hinges is a costly repair, so it's worth assessing the financial risk.
Mirror for door mounting must be tempered, up to 3 mm thick
The second point is the mirror. High quality tempered glass is selected, the thickness of which should not exceed 3 mm. This is a rather thin surface that should be securely fixed and not create obstacles when opening / closing, when turning the handle and key in the keyhole. The entrance door to the apartment with a mirror must have a free opening. If there is a possibility of hitting a cabinet, corner or other obstacle in the hallway, then a safety stop is installed. To strengthen the glass from the back, it is recommended to cover it with a film or ordinary tape.
You should also consider the location of the eye. If it is supposed to be placed in the area of the mirror, then a hole of the corresponding diameter must be drilled in the glass and installed.
Entrance door with a mirror inside: fixing methods
There are several ways to fix the mirror to the front door:
- using special glue;
- using frames and fixing accessories;
- by means of powerful magnets.
Helpful advice! The more massive the installed mirror, the more reliable its fastening should be.
You can fix the mirror on the front door using special glue
The most popular type of installation involves the use of glue. However, you should worry about buying a quality material that has an appropriate composition, designed exclusively for mirrors and at the same time suitable for the surface of the front door. Before gluing, the top layer of the door and the back of the mirror are degreased, allowed to dry, and then a layer of glue is applied.
Now it is easy to find fasteners that are not only durable, but also match the decor. Mounting the mirror in the frame must be done with high quality. It is recommended to lay a seal (rubber is possible) between the retaining profile to be installed and the mirror. Its purpose is to compensate for vibration caused by opening and closing doors and to reduce the chances of chipping at the edges of the glass. Usually, such an installation is performed in conjunction with the use of glue.
If the inner surface of the door is made without the use of MDF or other lining and contains only metal, then it is possible to install the mirror on powerful flat magnets. This method is quite affordable financially. Magnets can be bought without any problems, and you need to fix them on the door and mirror with special glue. The only drawback of this design is the resulting gap, which can be filled with a shock absorbing pad or closed with a decorative frame.
One of the best mounting methods is to mount the mirror on flat powerful magnets.
On the Internet, you can find tips for installing mirrors on the door using double-sided tape. Experts do not recommend this method because of its extreme unreliability and the high probability of glass falling out with repeated use of the door. Also, double-sided tape loses its fixing properties over time, especially when the room temperature rises in the hot season.
Related article:
Wooden entrance door for a private house and apartment: reliability and design
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Entrance door with a mirror: variations in models and designs
As soon as the design of entrance doors with a mirror became fashionable and demand grew for it, manufacturers began to produce models using all kinds of inserts in their products. Now mirrors of different reflectivity, shape and even color are used in the manufacture. They use laser engraving, etching, tinting and even aging to decorate them. The production technology allows embedding a mirror reflective element into any door: metal, wood, glass and others. Mirrors with illumination built into the slopes, framed in frames, which can also have a variety of textures and colors, are very original.
Entrance metal doors with a mirror inside are not the only option where a mirror surface can be used. For example, the reflective insert can be located outside. At the same time, there are also several options for its installation, which are selected individually; for this, all the advantages and disadvantages of the design should be weighed.
Entrance doors with a mirror can be of all kinds of colors and made in different styles
The tall growth mirror can be replaced with an insert made of carefully polished stainless steel, which retains the mirror effect and at the same time is vandal-resistant, since such a surface can neither be broken nor scratched. It is difficult to imagine a full-length exterior mirror insert for the front door of an apartment, but such an installation option is quite realistic to organize.
Sometimes mirror inserts are made in the door leaf in the form of through windows. However, such a solution is applicable to a greater extent for private mansions or luxury boutiques, while the element itself is usually protected by additional glass or a decorative wrought-iron grille. This decor looks very impressive and extraordinary, but this option will not differ in ease of maintenance and cleaning of the entrance door with a mirror and sound insulation.
Helpful advice! In order to increase the strength, through and external mirror inserts can be covered with a special film.
Entrance doors with through mirror inserts look very stylish, but they are more suitable for private houses than apartments.
It is not recommended to replace glass doors with a mirror sheet during installation. In this case, the technology of applying a reflective mirror film is applicable. This option is suitable for office and other commercial premises, as it helps to avoid the effect of an aquarium and additionally strengthens the strength of the glass of the front door.
Photos of entrance doors with a mirror in various modifications can be found on the Internet on manufacturers' websites and in design projects. There are actually many options, they are designed for any request, but there is always a chance to order an exclusive model. The price of an entrance door with a custom-made mirror will be quite high. However, such an idea will make it possible to take into account all the wishes of the customer for design, as well as create a practical and creative decor.
