Entrance doors for apartments and houses: different conditions, different construction

How do entrance doors for apartments and houses differ? Oleksii Fursenko, Head of Production at ABWEHR, explains how sound insulation, thermal insulation and thermal breaks work.

Entrance doors for apartments and houses: different conditions, different construction

Entrance doors in apartments and private houses operate under different conditions. For an apartment, protection against noise from communal areas, reliable locks and a tight seal between the door leaf and frame are essential. Entrance doors in private houses often open directly outdoors, so they must also be designed to withstand freezing temperatures, precipitation and sunlight.

Entrance doors for apartments

Sound insulation and sealing

Sound insulation depends on the entire door assembly. Mineral wool fills the door leaf, while seals close the gaps between the leaf and frame. Proper installation leaves no gaps around the door assembly.

Selected configurations of ABWEHR apartment entrance doors have a stated sound insulation rating of up to 46 dB.

A tight seal reduces draughts and odours entering from communal areas. An adjustable strike plate allows the pressure of the door leaf against the frame to be adjusted.

Security

Locks work together with other structural components. In selected configurations, armoured escutcheons protect the cylinders, protective lock pockets reinforce the lock area, and anti-removal pins secure the hinge side.

ABWEHR uses Mottura, Securemme and Kale locks. Lock warranties extend to up to 10 years, depending on the manufacturer and configuration. At the customer’s request, we can also install a smart electronic lock, provided the selected door’s construction allows it.

Entrance doors for private houses

Exterior doors must withstand temperature differences, moisture and sunlight. Their performance depends on the thermal break, insulation, seals and exterior finish.

Thermal break

Metal conducts heat well. A continuous connection between the exterior and interior sections of a door creates a thermal bridge. In freezing weather, the interior surface may cool down and, under certain humidity conditions, develop condensation.

ABWEHR installs a cork layer between sections of the metal structure. It reduces heat transfer. Depending on the configuration, a thermal break is incorporated into the frame alone or into both the frame and door leaf. Its effectiveness also depends on insulation and installation.

Thermal insulation

ABWEHR exterior doors use mineral wool, foil-faced insulation and extruded polystyrene — a rigid insulation material with low thermal conductivity. The cork layer serves as the thermal break.

The combination of materials depends on the finish. Versions with a Lampre thermal panel may include an additional layer of extruded polystyrene. Versions with a painted MDF panel use different insulation layers.

Finish and warranty

The Lampre thermal panel has a galvanised steel base and a protective decorative layer. ABWEHR provides a 7-year warranty on this finish. The weather-resistant HardLine finish carries a stated 3-year warranty.

For doors installed outdoors, ABWEHR’s warranty conditions require a canopy. This should be planned before installation.

Choose the door’s construction according to the installation conditions: for an apartment, assess sound insulation, sealing and security; for a house, also consider the thermal break, insulation and finish.

ABWEHR — doors built to last.