Sliding doors between the kitchen and the room: design options

Rarely does a kitchen exist without doors. Indeed, in an open space, steam and odors arising during the cooking process scatter throughout the apartment and are “absorbed” into upholstered furniture, carpets and curtains.

The problem is that most kitchens are not very large in size. If the battle is for every centimeter of usable space, there is simply nowhere to install the usual swing door, and you need to divide the space. In this case, the best solution would be sliding doors to the kitchen.

About the need for a door to the kitchen

An aesthetic and practical solution for a small apartment.
Sliding doors to the kitchen are not a luxury, but a very functional element of the interior. They perform the main task: they do not release moisture, steam, or odors outside the kitchen, which cannot be avoided during the cooking process even in the presence of a good hood (and even more so in the absence of one). If the opening is not closed by a door, then the inevitable happens: carpets, curtains, wallpaper, upholstery of upholstered furniture become saturated with foreign aromas.

Sliding model in Khrushchev

The difficulty of installing doors in very small rooms often lies in the fact that there is simply nowhere to open the swing doors. The sliding option in this case is the ideal solution.

Advantages of sliding systems

In addition to the most obvious advantage of gaining space, sliding systems also have other positive features. First of all, they are compact, that is, they do not require additional space for opening/closing. To operate the sash, a narrow strip of only 6-10 cm wide is allocated along the wall.

This is what the floor guide looks like

The usual width of the opening in the kitchen in typical apartments is 70 cm. After installing a swing-type door structure, the clear opening narrows to 63-65 cm. Bringing popular household appliances inside the kitchen becomes a difficult task; a refrigerator or stove may not fit at all. Installing a sliding door allows you to leave the opening without changing the dimensions or even expand it slightly.

Option for finishing the opening under the sliding door

A variety of custom designs is more appropriate than ever in this case. The door can be decorated with a mirror panel, adding light to the room, or made of plastic, solid or with a transparent insert. There are no restrictions, so it’s easy to allow yourself any sophistication of your imagination.

It’s not even immediately clear that this tree is a door

Often the installation is so simple that even an inexperienced technician can do it. Many buyers install sliding doors themselves.

Using MDF panels

You can decorate your portal beautifully and inexpensively using MDF panels. From the outside you will need to use platbands. The only thing that needs to be taken into account is the vulnerability of the material to moisture. Under such conditions, the slabs swell and deform. Therefore, it is better not to use MDF to finish the passage between the kitchen and living room or kitchen and dining room. An exception may be rooms with well-functioning forced exhaust.

Simple wood finishingSource happy-room.com.ua

To cover the portal with MDF tiles, you will need to build a wooden slatted frame. Then the panels are cut into fragments of the required length and width and fixed with special metal clips. The planks are fastened to each other using a tongue-and-groove locking connection.

Wood design optionSource airgpm.com

If the panels are not equipped with a groove and tongue, then they are fixed using a special adhesive solution using a frameless method. In this case, the base must be perfectly level. To disguise the joints, a decorative strip is used, and casing is installed along the edges.

Using polyurethane stucco molding

Polyurethane stucco molding replaced gypsum - heavy and fragile. It is used to decorate openings in interiors decorated in Venetian or other classical style with sufficient area and height of the room. This stucco molding is highly durable, lightweight and can be painted in colors other than white.

Framing the doorwaySource kakpostroit.su

The surface for attaching polyurethane stucco molding must be clean, level and durable. To do this, it is first leveled and primed. To install parts, use special glue. When the parts are dry, the joints between them are treated with putty and sanded using fine-grained sandpaper. The stucco molding can be left snow-white or gilded and patina applied to it.

Decorative gypsum stucco Source www.doverie-omsk.ru

The advantages of polyurethane cladding include the following:

Low weight, which allows you to mount this decor on weak foundations, such as drywall.
The ability to adjust the shape of the product due to its plasticity - polyurethane can be cut and sanded.
The material is not afraid of moisture and temperature changes, so it can be used in the kitchen.
Polyurethane has a long service life, the decor does not crack or crumble.
The range of decorative elements is varied and is represented by false columns, moldings, pilasters, rosettes and other elements.
The stucco molding is easy to install using adhesive, so you can do all the work yourself.

Flaws

Many people are afraid of the relatively high cost of a retractable door. On average, prices are at least 30% higher than for a swing model of similar size and material. It is important to immediately take this point into account when planning your renovation budget.

Among other disadvantages it is worth noting:

There remains a gap of at least 1 cm between the wall and the door. Since there is no ideal tight fit, odors, gas and sounds from the kitchen will inevitably penetrate into the apartment.
The weight of the door rests entirely on the wall, so partitions made of plasterboard (the kind that appear after redevelopment in a studio apartment) will require the installation of a reinforced aluminum frame. This will be quite expensive.
Not all, but some models require a bottom rail on the floor of the room. Dust and debris “like” to get stuck in this rail. For fans of hygienic cleanliness, doors have been created with only one top rail (it’s even easier to install).
If you want to put a lock on the kitchen door, then a regular one will not work. As a rule, hooks, chains or similar structures are attached to sliding sashes. It will be extremely difficult to put anything on the glass.

Latch design for sliding sash

Types of sliding systems

The most popular type is a sliding door to the kitchen. These are the ones that are usually bought for a small apartment. One or two doors move on one or two rails that are attached to the floor and wall. But there are other models:

Cassette - the sash slides into the wall, in which a special cage is mounted for this purpose. The design is complex and expensive, but easy to use.
Cascade - special structures designed for installation where the thickness of the walls to the right and left of the opening is different.
Intra-opening - consist of two doors that move freely along guides, but only inside the opening. As a result, at least half of the opening is always blocked. This option is for very wide openings, for example, in studios.

Cassette door
Folding (accordion) and pendulum structures cannot be completely classified as sliding doors, since they require additional space to open/close.

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Sliding door selection criteria

In order to successfully purchase and install sliding doors for the kitchen, it is important to initially determine their main characteristics:

Type of sliding system. It depends on this what exactly needs to be added for this model: one or two rails, an internal frame in the opening, etc. Typically, the installation of the fastening system is coordinated with the weight of the sash, since the buyer is interested in the longest service life of the doors.
Manufacturer. Imported models supplied from Italy or Germany are distinguished by their exquisite design, durability, reliability, reliability, and a wide selection of colors and sizes. There is only one drawback - the high price. Products from China are much more affordable, but their service life is shorter. An intermediate position is occupied by brands from Russia, offering a fairly wide range.
Material. It affects not only the price, but also the weight and service life of the product. It's not worth saving too much. A cheap design will not last long, and since each family member enters the kitchen more than once a day, this fact must be taken into account.
Accessories. These are not only hinges and guide rails, rollers, but also handles, latches, and decorative elements. When purchasing them, it is important to look not only at the color and shape, but also at the design, since not every model is suitable for sliding doors.

Internal door
The sliding door to the kitchen is often selected to match one particular set - the kitchen one or the one in the living room. As a last resort, you can decorate both sides differently if the furnishings of the two rooms are too different from each other.

Material for the manufacture of sliding systems

Among the most popular materials for the manufacture of sliding doors, it is worth noting the following:

Chipboard or laminated chipboard. The most affordable option. Its drawback is its short service life. On average, after a year (in very neat families - after two), chips, cracks, scratches, and abrasions appear on the sash. It makes sense to install such a door only as a temporary one, in order to later replace it with a more durable one.
MDF. Eco-friendly and durable material has inexhaustible possibilities for decoration. The design can use lamination, patination, insertion of glass or mirror elements, milling, etc. Such models look stylish, are affordable, and last a long time.
Glass. Nothing prevents the sash from being made entirely of glass. Fittings for such solutions are available in a wide range, so if desired, such kitchen decoration can be ordered without any problems. There are many possibilities for decoration: stained glass, alternating shades, sandblasting, photo printing, etc. The advantage of glass is its ability to transmit light, which is always very important in any home.
Metal. It is used less often, but creates a very special atmosphere. The door can be made of a single sheet of stainless steel, composed of forged elements, assembled from an aluminum profile, etc. The price of such a model will be high, but its service life is practically unlimited.
Tree. Solid wood doors look presentable and expensive. Such a door has only two flaws - high price and considerable weight. Both can be circumvented: choose an available type of wood and reduce the thickness of the sash to a minimum. Sliding wooden doors have an important advantage - they can always be repainted and restored.

Wood never goes out of style

Drawing design

Regardless of the material of the doors, the presence of glass inserts in the canvas and other parameters, an image can be applied to each surface, which will undoubtedly emphasize the individual taste of the owner:

A popular solution in recent years has been applying photo printing to the surface of the doors. The image can be panoramic or individual, on each section of the “book”. When printing, an offset plotter is used, which maintains the resolution and quality of every detail, regardless of file scaling.

Folding design with photo printing

When using glass or a mirror insert on sections, the owner of the room can choose a product with a pattern applied by sandblasting or laser engraving. This method of applying an image is the most reliable and durable.

Foldable design with laser engraved glass insert

In a children's room, or in a room with creative decoration, hand-drawn images with animated characters are often used, or decorated in accordance with the general style of the room. Such pictures are applied to the surface of the product in the same way as photo printing.

Folding canvas with animated children's image

When choosing a drawing or photograph, you should take into account that folding doors are installed in rooms once, with the expectation of many years of use. The image should be selected in such a way that it does not go out of fashion, lose relevance or become boring after a few years.

What interior style does a sliding door suit?

What’s especially pleasing is that sliding kitchen doors are easy to match to any style. This design looks very interesting in combination with popular country or modern styles, and with a successful selection of materials it is easy to give the interior the sound of Asia or the Mediterranean. There is only one limitation - the financial capabilities of the buyer.

An example of country style design

Getting around such a difficult obstacle as the inability to install a swing door in the kitchen is quite simple. You can use a sliding door; fortunately, the variety of models will impress the most discerning buyer. And if you don’t find a suitable model, you can always use the services of an atelier and make an individual order.