By its definition, a door is a moveable closure for a means of access through an opening. Because doors are so common, we rarely think about them even though they are used everyday. Shouldn't something that gets used frequently be special? Most people understand the concept of limiting investment dollars for occasionally used goods, but frequently used items typically require a greater commitment in resources. This is because quality is needed for functional goods, and pleasing aesthetics cost more to create.
So what makes a door more than just a door? Many things such as style, shape, texture and materials. All of these things can turn the ordinary into extraordinary. But if you really want to crank it up a notch and turn a door into an interactive experience, consider the pivot door. The vast majority of doors we use are swinging doors. This type of door swings on a hinge mounted to the side jamb. It is the most common, and is found in both passage applications and in cabinetry. A sliding action is the second most popular found in use for patio doors and closets. The pivot door swings on a central axis pin located in the floor and header of the opening. The single biggest advantage to this type of system is that a wider door and opening can be used without encroaching upon the interior space. For instance, a 3' wide swinging door swings into a room the entire 3' dimension. If you used a 4' pivot door, the door would still only come into the room 3', because the pivot action is placed 1' in from the edge of the door. Although you don't gain additional clear space for walking through the opening, you do gain a tremendous amount of visual space because the opening itself is much larger. In addition, the pivot action is much smoother since the weight rides on only the single bottom pin, rather than 3 or 4 pins found on a standard swinging door. Therefore, it's important to specify only the highest quality pivot hinge for carefree use. In addition, don't scrimp on the installation cost. Pivot doors are unique and require expert installation for proper performance.
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