Main door of the House

Today I am starting my first blog  :)
Hope it helps ...

Main Door 

Some basics about how to make it more functional and look better .

Here I will be mostly concentrating on home doors.

If I have forgotten or if something is missing or is incorrect 

you all are welcome to suggest.

Before we proceed lets first understand the components of the door.

• Lintel - A horizontal beam above a door that supports the wall above it. 

• Jambs - The vertical posts that form the sides of a door frame, where the hinges are mounted, and with which the bolt interacts.

• Sill - A horizontal beam below the door that supports the frame

• Doorstop - a thin slat built inside the frame to prevent a door from swinging through when closed, which might break the hinges.( we call it by many different names ie. umbra patti , dehri , chukhat etc )

The above mentioned all the components can be in wood , stone , RCC or now a days some people make them all out of plywood too. 

Most of the homes/offices  have flush doors with wooden jamb-line and stone patti as doorstop.

So how do we make them look better !!!

The main door should have some basic things other than the door itself :

1. Good locking system.
2. Peephole. (or any safety video door phones)
3. Handles and other hardware.
4. Door bell .
5. Grill or safety door before the main door .
6. General Lighting as well as provision for festival lights.
7. Letter box ( only if needed).
8. Aesthetics..color combination , materials , overall look u want to achieve .
9. Last ...something to make it look unique n beautiful...just like each one of you .

1. Good locking system.

Just don't depend on the carpenter to bring you some lock,

Always go to the hardware shop to checkout the various options available.

As you only know your needs and habits better.

Most important... before heading for the  hardware shop educate yourself..

check on the internet about the latest things that have arrived or else we go n buy 

the same old stuff. 

Here I am pasting a link for your reference.

so that you can choose the right kind of locking system.

Its just for reerence ofcource !! 

http://www.godrejlocks.com/godrej/godrejlocks/5levelsofsecurity.aspx?id

  

 

2. Peephole. (or any safety video door phones)

Same again... explore the market and things available in your area.

Just pasting a link for your information regarding video door phones.( if your budget permitts)
http://www.zicom.com/index.php/product-and-service-offerings/safehomes-video-door-phones

3. Handles and other hardware

Choose these all carefully if wanna make sure your door looks great !!

There is riot of designs that are available ... :) go crazy and enjoy your 

shopping of hardware... as they gonna last for lifetime..unless you chuck 

them off for renovation again . 

1. First decide which finish you want...

   Chrome...which is stainless steel look.

   Gold , bronze or any other metallic shade .

It must gel with the look you wanna achieve ... if you want to have a traditional kind of door 

dont choose chrome finish... it goes with the contemporary look and not traditional.

you can go for copper, bronze , gold or silver finish...

2. Designs of the hardware...

    door handles or knobs should also be in line with the design ... choose ornate designs for 

    traditional look and strait cut to have a modern or contemporary look.

    Everything ...from door latches to hinges to leavers..to door stopper...choose co-ordinated.

    Keep in mind that all the hardware fittings should have same finish or it will look ugly.

4. Door bell .
  

Choose as you wish ...the only thing to keep in mind is the switch which will be visible..

Choose as per over all look n color scheme.

one more thing .. some electritions dont provide the control switch inside the home ,

to switch off the bell when you dont want . so just make sure to get that .

5. Grill or safety door before the main door .

Safety door is basically needed as when strangers come and we dont want to give them 

access to our homes yet we have to interact with them...so have a safety door made either

out of wood , ply , block board or iron .

Main thing to keep in mind is that there should be enough gap between the grills to get

papers .

Or for better safety  make a small operable window in your safety door from which small

pots / paper/ parcel etc can be exchanged from milk suppliers(doodh walas), postman, courier man...

We will deal with the designs and other details of the safety door in a separate topic later. 

(Coz if you opt for a safety door then that will become the face of your entrance and the main door will 

get hidden behind it. )

6. General Lighting as well as provision for festival lights.

You can choose from various types of fixtures.
Wall mounted or ceiling mounted....from traditional lamp post style to ultra modern and contemporary.
Some of the images below explaining above mentioned styles.
   
    

 

  

This light will not only be functional but will surely add oomph factor to your door !
Other than this always provide sockets if possible on both or either side of the door,
but keep in mind to place them wisely so that they are not so visible .

These sockets will cum handy during festival season , when you wanna add extra
glitz n lights to your home. Give switches for the same inside, so that you have
control over it, without opening the door.



7. Letter box ( only if needed).



  




 
Diver Mailbox. Creative colorful diver mailbox. (via Craig Stephen)

Very Unique Mailbox. Very unusual mailbox, which in my mind seems almost like artwork not simply mailbox. (via Karlah1)

To be continued..... after a small break

8. Aesthetics..color combination , materials , overall look u want to achieve .

There are various options to choose from ... in terms of finishing material.

• Directly Painting with shade of your choice...and probably most cost effective and easy.
• Use laminate sheets or veneer, 
• PU or lamination finish,
• You can use a decorative HDF/MDF sheets n then paint them in your Favorite color. 
• Or if your door is of  wood n you wanna keep it that way ...just use clear polish to give it a new shine.
• Last but not the least..if you are creative and wanna be different ..Just give it whatever finish you like.
• 
  

After you have done all your research on the materials , finishes and hardware .
put them all together like a presentation board n see if everything is as per your
desired look, or else you can add or change ... before the actual work is carried out.




9. Last ...something to make it look unique n beautiful...just like each one of you .

Thats all for this topic from my end ....
If you need any specific detail just post a comment.
     See ya !!