Sliding or hinged internal doors? How to choose Crittall-style doors that fit your space

Before you choose – check the space around the doorway

Answer four questions. Each one narrows the choice:

• How much room is there in front of and behind the opening? – a hinged leaf swings in an arc and a pivot door moves to both sides. If furniture stands right by the doorway, sliding or bifold doors work better.
• Is there a free wall next to the opening? – a sliding leaf moves along the wall or disappears into it. It needs a stretch of wall at least as wide as the leaf itself.
• How wide is the doorway? – a standard opening needs one leaf. A wide doorway can take two leaves, telescopic sliding doors or bifolds.
• Does the door need to lock? – hinged doors can have a lock, and sliding and bifold doors take a hook lock. Pivot doors have no lock.

Hinged doors – the best at closing off a room

A leaf on hinges with a frame – one or two leaves, with side panels or a fanlight above. The frame has a seal, so the leaf sits tight against it and closes the doorway best. We fit a handle, including one that locks from the inside. Hinged doors need room for the leaf to swing – two narrower leaves need less than one wide one.

Sliding doors – no space taken in front of the doorway

The leaf does not swing but slides along the wall. We make internal steel sliding doors in several layouts:

• Wall-mounted with a visible track – the leaf slides in front of the wall; we paint the track and rollers in the frame colour, so they are part of the look.
• Pocket doors – when open, the leaf slides into a cavity inside the wall and disappears. The pocket has to be planned during building or renovation work.
• Double sliding doors – two leaves slide apart and give a wider, symmetrical opening.
• Telescopic – the leaves slide to one side and stack one behind the other. They open a wide doorway when there is no wall on the other side.

Internal sliding doors – pros and cons

• Pro: space – nothing has to stay clear in front of or behind the door, so they suit a narrow hallway, a small room or a walk-in wardrobe.
• Pro: wide opening – one or two leaves or a telescopic layout can open even a very wide doorway.
• Con: seal and wall – a sliding leaf sits less tightly against the wall than a hinged leaf against a sealed frame. The wall beside the doorway has to stay free – no picture, no wardrobe.

Pivot doors – striking, opening both ways

The leaf turns on a pivot set in from the edge: the bottom point is fixed in the floor, the top one in the frame or a head beam. It opens both ways and closes by itself, and it can be held open when needed. It needs space on both sides of the doorway and has no lock – a door for a living room, hallway or study, not a bathroom. More in our guide “What is a pivot door?”.

Bifold doors – for wide doorways

The leaves fold together and stack at the side of the doorway – to one side or both. They need less space to open than hinged doors and open almost the full width of the opening, so they work between a living room and a kitchen, a dining room or a conservatory. They can also take up just part of a wider structure. If they need to lock, we fit a hook lock – just as in sliding doors.

Which doors to choose? A quick guide

• Little space in front of the door → sliding (wall-mounted or pocket).
• The room has to lock – bathroom, bedroom → hinged with a privacy handle, or sliding or bifold with a hook lock.
• A wide doorway – living room, kitchen, dining room → bifold, double sliding or telescopic.
• The door should be a feature → pivot, or double hinged doors with side panels.
• You only need to divide the space → a fixed glazed screen – no opening leaves.

How to order made-to-measure internal doors

1. Measure the opening – width and height – and check how much space there is beside and in front of the doorway. A photo or a hand sketch is enough.
2. In the 3D configurator choose how the door opens, the glazing bars, glass and colour – you can compare several options.
3. You receive a free quote with a technical drawing straight away. We check that the chosen layout works in your opening.
4. Prefer to write? Send us the dimensions, a photo or a sketch – we will prepare a quote by e-mail.

Lead time is usually 5–6 weeks from design approval; we give the exact date with the quote.