Sliding Doors Are:
- Fairly easy to install
- Come in a vast array of door types, sizes, materials and weights
- Heavy, but they pass ADA requirements of 5lbf (22.2N)
- Much easier for people who are mobility-impaired to slide a door open rather than push or pull
Sliding Door Materials Include:
- Glass
- Hollow metal
- Aluminum
- Wood (solid core, hollow core, MDF, stile and rail)
- The track, trolleys, and stops are commonly the same for doors of general weight.
- Normally only the suspension brackets (the parts that attach the trolley to the door) and door bottom guides change with the door material
Sliding Door Soft Closing Mechanisms:
- Decelerate the sliding doors motion
- Prevents from slamming
- Available for either or both directions of door travel
- Mechanism is contained within the track
- Has some effect on the minimum door width requirements
Sliding Door Locking Devices:
- Jamb locks with hook bolts
- Locking door pull – bolt that is projected into the floor
- Deadbolt in the bottom rail – locks into a dust-proof strike in the floor
- Bolt that is projected into a strike mounted in the top rack – wood doors only
Sliding Door Hardware Systems & Tracks:
- Flat Bar
- "C" Shaped Tracks
- "I" Beam Tracs
- Box-shaped tracks
- Most prevalent and cost effective
- Helps to prevent contamination of the track and trolleys from falling debris
- Trolleys are inside the track so no “jumping the track”
- Provides extensive mounting versatility
- Easily conceals doorstops and soft-closing mechanisms
- Tubular (solid rod and hollow tubes)
Where will you usually use sliding doors?
- Entry doors to offices
- Hospital patient rooms
- Folding doors dividing meeting rooms
- Bathroom doors in hotel guestrooms
- Renovation and restoration projects
Why are sliding doors so compatible for renovation and restoration projects?
- Saves time, money, and space
- Easy to install in existing buildings
- Doesn’t require an existing door jamb
- Can use a vast array of door types, colors, sizes and weights
- Existing frame conditions and hardware locations aren’t as important
- Can be installed on the wall or ceiling in front of the door opening
- Hardware is generally non-handed and the tracks are easily cut-to-size in the field
- The existing door jams are often removed, covered over, and replaced with cased open frames to create a finished look with a flush appearance
Get a sliding door today from Robert I. Merrill Company.