A door is basically a movable or hinged barrier which enables ingress in and egress out of an enclosure. It is usually constructed from wood, steel or other material and has a simple handle for easy operation. The made opening on the outer wall is generally a sliding door or gate. The main and most important function of a door is to offer safety by restricting access to an entrance. The secondary but equally important function of a door is to protect the property from damage due to intruders or burglars.
There are different types of sliding doors available which include: pocket, swing up, French, recessed panel, and gliding. Gliding doors are usually considered the best when it comes to security issues. However, they are the most expensive of the three. They are made with hinges on both the inner and outer panels.
Pocket doors are usually used for interior doors. The inner frame or the door jambs are made from a variety of materials such as solid wood, aluminum or laminated plywood. A pocket door usually does not have any exterior hinges and is attached to its inner frame using screws. Most pocket doors do not require any type of lock.
Swing doors, as the name suggests, consist of a sliding glass window on a metal swing that is then fixed onto the frame. Most commonly, this type of door incorporates two or more glass panels so as to provide more space or make the door lighter and more resistant to vandalism. This type of door does not allow the entry of unwanted persons and is mostly used to provide ventilation in cold regions.
Recessed panel doors are basically designed to fit into a recess in a building. These doors have smooth inside surfaces and are often attached to a central support that serves as the bottom frame of the unit. The inside surface of such units is typically made from either solid wood or a light weight composite material. The glass used in these types of doors is usually framed with metal rails that allow light to pass through and also provides security. These working operations are normally fitted with a latch mechanism that prevents accidental operation.
One of the most popular door types are those that are termed as swinging, sliding or tensioned. In a swinging door, the swinging panels are placed in a linear direction in order to allow the user to enter or exit the room freely. On the other hand, sliding doors involve moving the panels either sideways or vertically. Such operation allows the entrance to be restricted or totally blocked.