Choosing & Installing Interior Sliding Doors – Everything You Need to Know About Living Room Internal Sliding Doors

Table of Contents

 

Introduction

Sliding doors commonly opt as a healthy flow of operation for back gardens and porches. And yet, their popularity seems to extend further, targeting other parts of the home. With a wide range of interior sliding door ideas out there, their benefits can't be overlooked.

For both commercial and domestic properties, sliding doors represent an attractive addition to homes, but they are also practical and convenient. Apart from marking the entry to rooms, they're also usable for cabinets or wardrobes.

Advantages Of Sliding Doors

From saving space to providing easy access, sliding doors come with a bunch of benefits:

  • Space saving – this is the most obvious advantage out there. They operate sideways – different from classic hinged doors that need space to swing. They are handy in tight places and small homes – even apartments.
  • Extra light – while not a general rule, more and more interior sliding door ideas recommend glass. Glass doors allow more light in, despite the lack of privacy – they are suitable for certain rooms and not for bedrooms.
  • Stylish – a sliding door is modern when compared to traditional hinged doors. Besides, there are lots of different designs to choose from, so such an improvement would definitely add to the style of a room.

 

Why are Sliding Doors Are Better?

Clear Glass Sliding Door

If the above-mentioned benefits are not enough, an interior sliding door has many more advantages over the classic hinged alternatives. While most people get these doors for design purposes, the truth is their capabilities go further than that.

Improving Light Flow

One major benefit of sliding doors is that if you choose glass sliding doors specifically, you can severely increase the lightflow in your home, making your rooms brighter and lighter, which has been shown to improve your mood exponentially. 

Adding To The Ergonomic Design

A sliding door will ensure a good flow between the indoors and outdoors. Open the door, and there will be a seamless flow between two different spaces. Usually, these doors come with large panes, so they can offer excellent views over your landscape.

Boosting The Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is a serious consideration when thinking about an interior sliding door. Sure, this aspect is more important for external doors, but internal doors are just as effective because they ensure optimal thermal insulation between rooms and hallways.

Providing Easy Access

While you may not need to make too much effort to open a traditional door, sliding doors are just as effective and will ease the job. To open such a door, you simply need to touch a handle and push it. It is easy, regardless of your fitness level.

Creating An Open Space

A sliding door allows you to achieve a modern look – the open space environment. People have been trying to reach this type of design for ages – sliding doors are often overlooked because they are associated with external uses.

This is only a misconception – the truth is internal sliding doors are just as common and will work wonders on your décor. Again, the effect is even better if you have a small space and you need to add some visual size to it.

Creating Extra Space

An internal sliding door allows you to separate a large space into two different spaces. Large sliding doors will bring in flexibility, meaning you can come up with extra functionality – excellent for a wide variety of applications.

Choosing From Lots Of Options

There are different options out there for all sorts of rooms and environments. For example, you would not get an interior glass sliding door UK for the bathroom. Instead, you would get a specific sliding bathroom door – you want some privacy.

A frosted glass sliding door may also be appropriate for certain spaces, but despite the foggy appearance, it is not suitable for private places like bathrooms. Apart from glass, you can choose between different types of wood too – your options and designs are countless.

Beautiful Aesthetic

Interior Sliding Doors provide a simple, elegant beauty that adds a sophisticated, excellent look to any space in your home. This can help your home stand out from those of your contemporaries and help boost your mood.

Sliding Doors Add To Your Home Value

Because of their amazing aesthetic and utility, sliding doors can increase the value of your home. If you are looking to move out or rent your property, then the installation of sliding doors can help you fetch better prices.

Are Sliding Doors Good For The Bedroom?

When it comes to internal sliding doors, the truth is bedrooms represent the most popular choices and not just as you enter the respective environment. A sliding door will give you more room. You can also install such doors for cabinets or wardrobes, meaning you get even more space.

Sliding doors are just as effective for kitchens and living rooms. When it comes to your patio, you may already have this type of design. The same goes for bathrooms, but you will obviously require more privacy for these doors.

 

Are Internal Sliding Doors Good?

People love sliding doors for the design before anything else. While common and easy to find, they represent an innovation for all the above-mentioned benefits. People associate them with modern homes – a common trend today.

Now, choosing an interior glass sliding door UK is not everything because you also need quality and a top-notch installation. Just like classic doors, the sliding alternative may face different issues if the quality is poor or they are installed incorrectly.

Compared to traditional doors, they bring in more benefits. But just like classic doors, they require a bit of maintenance and care. Based on the extras they bring in, internal sliding doors are better and provide a different experience. It is worth noting that all the above-mentioned benefits are given in comparison to traditional doors.

 

Do Sliding Doors Need A Bottom Track?

Unlike most expectations, you can now get an interior sliding door with no bottom track. This is one of the reasons wherefore lots of people avoided internal sliding doors throughout the past years – the hassle of installing a bottom track. As you explore the market – whether you are after fully frosted, clear, or other types of doors, you will realize that bottom tracks are not always included. It is perfectly natural to wonder if you actually need it or not.

Here comes the good news – you do not always need a bottom track for internal doors. Indeed, your patio or external doors do come with bottom tracks. Those are mandatory. External doors are thicker and much heavier because they must be safe and secure. But things change on the inside. An interior sliding door with no bottom track is installed differently. It has an upper track. It sounds a bit unusual, but interior doors are often suspended. This upper track has the primary goal to support the weight of the interior door, meaning it can be safely suspended. The bottom track is not mandatory, but you can opt for one. It helps to keep the door in place, adding to the overall security. This is what makes the bottom track so important for external doors – they must be firm. An upper track is also firm, but not as secure as the bottom one.

At the end of the day, you do not need the same high level of security for an internal door. Now you understand why internal sliding doors often come without bottom tracks. You also realize that you may not have to spend extra to install such a feature. At the end of the day, it is a matter of personal preferences, yet most people choose to avoid the track.

 

How Wide Should Internal Sliding Doors Be?

Sliding Door Rail

Whether you get such doors for the living room, bathroom, or perhaps a closet, it all depends on the opening. When it comes to room openings, you probably know already that differences are not too big – many doors come in standard sizes. With all these, you will still have to do a bit of measuring. Get a tape measure and check the opening. You will realize that the width will not always match standard sizes, but this is perfectly normal. Small differences are well accepted.

This so called issue is more common in old homes, but there is nothing to be worried about. Just pick the closest size to what you have. The upper track must have the same size – the only so-called issue is that sliding doors will overlap a bit more than normally.

 

How Do You Keep A Sliding Door From Swinging?

Sliding Door Stopper

Now, you probably ask yourself – how do you prevent glass sliding doors from swinging? If they are only attached to the top, it makes sense that they will start swinging. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent this.

Bottom tracks represent the most common option – you do not want them. You can also install side stops or perhaps guides. All these things can be screwed into the actual floor, meaning the door will no longer move sideways. They can prevent the door from going backward or forward, but they will also prevent it from going loose. When loose, it could damage the jamb or the wall. Now, while some stops or guides are universal, some others come with the doors and are specifically made for those models.

Not sure which one is better? A door guide is probably the best choice. You can attach it to the flooring or the wall. The door will slide on them, but they will also prevent it from moving to the wrong direction – no track required.

 

 

 

How To Prepare Before Installing A Sliding Door?

Installing a sliding bathroom door – or any other type of sliding door in your house – does not require a degree in rocket science, but it is not too easy either. The job is considered of medium difficulty among DIY enthusiasts.

First of all, make sure you have enough tools for the job – you do not want to stop in the middle of the job to go to the hardware store. You will most likely need a hacksaw, pozi screwdriver, tape measure, spirit level, wall screws and plugs, bradawl, and drill bits. Many doors come with instructions. Take your time and go through all the instructions, if any – assess all the pieces, ensure you have everything, and try to understand each step before even starting it. Do not get rid of the packaging until you are 100% sure that you have everything.

There are many small pieces that could be hazardous for children, but also stuck to the packaging – this is why you need to ensure you have everything before disposing of the packaging. Also, make sure there are no cables or pipes where you play to drill.

 

How To Install Interior Sliding Door?

Sliding Door Handle

How To Install Sliding Door: Here are the steps to install wood or glass sliding doors inside the home.  

  • Size guides or tracks if any – this is the first step in the process. Measure the width and ensure you have the guide if you choose something like this. The same goes for tracks – whatever you choose, you need to measure the opening and ensure the support goes in the same size.
  • Install the support – no matter what you choose, install the part. This is the first step in the process. You can skip the step if such parts are automatically fitted to the actual doors – it depends on what internal glass sliding doors you buy or who you get them from.
  • Position the doors – based on how many doors you get, you will have to position them accordingly. If you get two doors, they must be closed, but on different guides. You might as well choose a single door only – even more space for you and a common choice these days.
  • Install the door – this is the actual installation step. You can do it with a simple move. Start with the top – fit it in by angling the door. Straighten it and lower the bottom wheels in whatever support you use.
  • Engage the top guide – this part is usually made of durable plastic. You need to push it up in order to engage it in the top track. You will need to remove the door from the top track by pulling down on the guide. Instructions will usually come with images, so you can understand.
  • Adjust the doors – the alignment is extremely important once the internal glass sliding doors are installed. The end doors must be plumb to side walls. You will also need to adjust bottom wheels. A bit of alignment is just as important if you only install a single door.
  • Engage anti-jumping clips – these clips are usually adjusted to the guide or the track. Their role is to ensure the door will not leave the guide. Again, there are different models out there, and each of them should have instructions.

If the project feels too complicated, you can always seek help from a handyman. It will cost you a bit, but at least you do not have to worry about performing a defective sliding door installation or causing expensive damage to your property.

 

What Are The Main Types Of Internal Sliding Doors?

Frosted Glass Sliding Door

There are more options when interested in internal sliding doors, and each type comes with a few particularities that could make the difference. It is essential to do your homework and become familiar with these types before making a decision.

The frosted glass sliding door is a classic because the glass profile allows more light in. It offers an open space idea while still maintaining some privacy. With all these, it may not be a good idea for bedrooms – and definitely not for bathrooms.

Clear glass is a good choice for public areas. For example, they are suitable for living rooms. With all these, some people may still opt for a bit of privacy, so the frosted glass becomes a better alternative to this concept.

Solid internal sliding doors are based on multiple materials, but just like traditional doors, they are usually made of wood. At this point, your options are countless. There are more types of wood you can choose for, as well as different sizing standards, designs, patterns, colors, and so on.

When choosing wooden sliding doors, make sure you consider more than just the actual design of the door. It must match other decorative aspects of the home, such as the walls or perhaps the furniture or flooring.

Sliding doors based on glass may also come with frames in different materials, from PVC to different types of metals. Each type has its own benefits, so you need to consider your priorities and what type of design you hope to achieve.

 

How To Decorate A Living Room With Sliding Glass Doors

When you’re thinking about how to arrange a room with sliding doors, the first question you need to ask yourself is whether you are emphasising or deemphasising the doors. Do you want them to be a prominent feature or a subtle addition? Once you know this, you’ll know how to decorate.

Decorating To Emphasise Sliding Doors

So, if you decide you want to emphasis your sliding doors and make a feature of them, there are few steps you can take. First of all, get a stylised door, either on with a pattern engraved into the glass or with different panels of glass. This will help the door stand out in a modern and stylish way.

Secondly, make the wall the door is on stand out by making it a feature wall. You can do this by colouring it a contrasting colour to the rest of your room and/or employing a different texture, such as exposed brick to make it stand out. This will make the wall and by extension the door, much more prominent.

Thirdly, invest in a beautiful rug to act as the runway to your door. This will add texture and depth to the room but also help lead the eye to the door and make it seem more important.

Decorating To Deemphasise Sliding Doors

If you want to deemphasise the sliding door, there a few things you can do. First of all, break up the silhouette by placing decorations of varying shapes in front of the sliding door. Items such as plants and small statues work wonderfully here as they have unique silhouettes which help blend the doors in.

Secondly, have your seating facing away from the door. By doing this, it means that when using the living room, people will more often than not be facing away from the door, as they will be sat in the seats. Thinking about how you most often use the space is a great way to deemphasise any element of your room.

Finally, focus on making a different element the feature. Every room needs a hook, something to draw the eye. Whether it’s a tv, a painting or a gawdy sofa, it doesn’t matter because it will draw attention away from the doors.

 

Pros And Cons Of Interior Sliding Doors Summary

Advantages Of Interior Sliding Doors

Disadvantages Of Interior Sliding Doors
Quiet Requires A Bit More Cleaning
Accessible  
Modern  
Helps Room Flow  
Helps Con  

Conclusion

As a short final conclusion, sliding doors are more than just patio doors. To most people, the necessity of a sliding door affects the actual path to the back garden. To many others, sliding doors have adopted a totally new approach.

Internal doors require less hardware. They are not used for security, so they are thinner and less secure. They come in all kinds of materials, and they are mostly used to save space and add a bit to the overall design.

There are plenty of designs and materials. Plus, compared to external sliding doors, they are easy to install and make excellent DIY projects. A bit of experience is desired though, as the project is considered of medium difficulty.

If installing an internal sliding door may seem too complicated, hiring a professional service is a better idea. Not only do you get a proper installation, but you also know there are no reasons to worry about long-term durability. Many times, suppliers also provide installation services – just ask.​