Exterior doors with an adjustable door frame – pros and cons

Drzwi zewnętrzne z ościeżnicą regulowaną - plusy i minusy

Exterior doors with an adjustable door frame – pros and cons – the door is one of the key elements of every house or apartment. They appear both at the entrance to it, thus protecting strangers from free access, as well as in almost every room. Their selection should be tailored to the interior design, as well as individual needs.

Speaking of doors, however, one cannot forget about the element without which it would be practically impossible to install them, namely the door frame. Most often, door frames are sold in sets with matching door leaves.

Sometimes, however, you can find that sellers offer a choice, and then the buyer has a dilemma. Whether to buy a door with a traditional door frame or a door with an adjustable door frame. What is the difference between them and how does the adjustable door frame work?

A few words about door frames

If you want to develop the topic from the introduction, you should first of all start from the beginning and know that there are several types of door frames available on the market, which may differ in material. In stores you can find, among others:

  • wooden door frames, which are made of glued wood, most often matched in appearance and color to the door leaf.
  • made of PVC – used for doors made of the same material, they have a chamber structure and are reinforced with metal sections.
  • metal – made of galvanized sheet, which makes them resistant to corrosion. The most common versions of such frames are powder coated or veneered.

The role of the door frame is to create a fixed frame for the door leaf. It is embedded in the wall opening by using specialized sealing materials, such as mounting foam.

How to choose the right door frames

When considering the type of door frames for your interior, you should pay attention to several important aspects. The first is whether the door frame will be dedicated to internal or external doors. The latter are made of materials more resistant to weather conditions.

In addition, its dimensions should be precisely determined so that it fits both the door and the opening prepared for it. A door frame that is too small can be a real problem, while a door frame that is too large means that the walls must be chipped, which often becomes problematic, especially in rooms that have already been finished.

Doors with adjustable or fixed frames

The most popular and simplest model of frames are fixed frames, also called block frames. These types of door frames are used in buildings where the thickness of the walls is in the range of 6 to 10 centimeters. Such wall thickness is most common in relatively new buildings, so they will not work in old buildings or historic tenement houses.

An additional disadvantage of this solution is the fact that fixed frames are not sold with masking strips in the set, so any shortcomings must be eliminated on your own, which is an additional cost.

The second and generally more frequently chosen solution is the door with an adjustable frame. Their use is recommended wherever standard wall thickness is required. The only limitation in their case is the fact that the wall in which it is to be mounted cannot be thinner than 7.5 centimeters.

Adjustable door frames are equipped with claws that cover the wall on both sides, thanks to which the visual effect is much more satisfactory. However, the main and basic advantage of doors with an adjustable frame is the fact that their width can be freely changed, while adjusting it to specific dimensions.

Such door frames are much more practical, more universal and also convenient to install. That’s why most installers recommend them.

When the installation of doors with a fixed frame is impossible

Although the adjustable door frame is a much more convenient and practical solution, there are several contraindications that effectively prevent its installation in some cases. The first is the size of the room. In small rooms, the massive structure of the adjustable door frame may simply look bad. In such a situation, a better solution seems to be to install a traditional solution and, if necessary, finish it with mounting strips.

Doors with adjustable frames cannot be installed in places where the opening for it occurs at the point of contact of walls perpendicular to each other. In such a situation, there will simply be no space for the fixing lugs on one side.

When choosing door frames for your interior, you should first of all think carefully about its purchase. First of all, the thickness of the walls should be taken into account. The size of the space to which the door is to lead, as well as the location of the door opening in which the door frame is to be installed. In addition, it is worth paying attention to issues such as the color of the frame, matching the color of the door leaf, as well as its size.

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