Sliding Interior Doors – Advantages and Disadvantages

Are cost the only disadvantage of sliding doors compared to traditional hinged doors? How can sliding doors save space in an apartment? Why are sliding doors an ideal solution for dry construction systems during renovations?

Sliding doors are one of the most practical solutions for apartment design. In addition to aesthetics, they stand out for their practicality and functionality. However, they are often criticized for some disadvantages compared to traditional hinged interior doors, and one of the reasons many people initially exclude them as an option is the cost.

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Below we outline some of the advantages and disadvantages of sliding doors, allowing everyone to assess whether this solution is suitable for a specific space:

Key Advantages of Sliding Doors

1. Space Saving: The primary reason to choose sliding doors over traditional hinged doors is space saving. Sliding doors move sideways, so they don’t “intrude into the space,” meaning no room space is needed for opening them. This is very practical for small apartments or studios, and especially practical when partitioning a larger room to create another room.
2. Quality Assurance: There’s no reason to doubt the quality, provided you choose quality products. There is often skepticism about the reliability of sliding doors over many years of use, as potential repairs are more complex than with traditional doors. Today, many manufacturers offer sliding door systems, with many providing a ten-year or longer warranty on their products, tested for 100,000 opening and closing cycles.
3. In-Wall Sliding Mechanism: One of the greatest advantages of sliding doors is the ability to slide into the wall. This solution is especially notable in later renovations and the installation of new walls using dry construction systems. In such cases, the cassette that holds the doors and the wheel system can be integrated into the wall itself, saving valuable space.
4. Installation on Existing Walls: It’s also possible to install sliding doors on an existing solid wall, where the doors slide alongside the wall instead of into it. In this case, only about four inches (aprox. 10 cm) of space needs to be sacrificed. Additionally, the wall surface over which the doors slide must be clear. Even in this case, less space is sacrificed in the room compared to traditional hinged doors.
5. No Threshold or Floor Track: Depending on the manufacturer of the sliding door mechanisms, no floor track is needed, as the doors slide on wheels within a mechanism housed in the upper part, which supports the steel cassette built into the wall.

Disadvantages of Sliding Doors

1. Cost: Although lower than in previous years, cost remains a disadvantage of sliding doors. If you opt for a higher-quality solution from a reputable manufacturer that offers a long-term warranty, it will certainly cost more than standard hinged doors. For sliding doors integrated into the wall, a quality solution is necessary, as subsequent repairs are quite complicated.
2. Variable Installation Costs: The cost of installing sliding doors can vary greatly, depending on many factors, including the quality of the sliding mechanism, the doors themselves, and the construction work often involved in the installation.
3. Poor Sound Insulation: Poor sound insulation is another disadvantage. However, this is a minor issue. Many additional solutions, such as sealing systems, significantly improve sound insulation. It’s also important to note that the problem often lies not with the doors themselves. Sliding doors are usually installed on dry-wall partitions, which may not have the same sound-insulating properties as solid wall systems, thus the noise transmission is attributed to the doors.

Photo: Eclisse