September 2010

A curved floor guide for curved sliding doors?

Q: (from Clare) The company I work for recently installed two semi-circular "pods" or freestanding meeting rooms. The doors are sliding and are held onto the frame by the top track, but when you open and close them there is some sideways movement which makes them feel unstable.  I was therefore wondering whether the BK2 mortice bottom track listed on your site can be bent into a reasonably shallow curve and still function as a floor guide, or whether it has to be kept straight to work?  Alternatively if you have any other products that you think might meet our requirements I would be very keen to know about these. A: (from Doorstuff) Yes, the BK2 Mortice bottom track & sliders can be used to guide a curved sliding door, a good idea in fact! 

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A lock for sliding wardrobe doors?

Q: (from John) I need to lock some sliding wardrobe doors.  How can I do it? A: (from Doorstuff) The only solution we can offer is to use a 3 lever mortice sliding door lock, see that link (4th item on the page).

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Q: We need to replace our outside door access on the fire door as the keys have been lost. Which is your most economic lock that would be suitable?

A: The least expensive outside access device is the Exidor 298.

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I need a door closer for just an average door, nothing heavy duty. It's width is 804mm (not sure if that helps). Currently, as soon as a little bit of wind gets a hold of it, it slams shut, which is very loud and annoying. I am hoping you can help me with some advice as to which one would best suit my needs.

As long as you go for a hydraulic door closer with adjustable latching action, then the closing is fully controlled, and slamming can be prevented.  A good door closer for that size of door is the Eurospec T2024, and if you're price conscious you might like to know we have some special offer Geze closers in stock, all of which would also do a good job for you.

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What & where to buy: Doors to suit Hideaway pocket door gear?

The H30 is the pocket door gear only and you will need to supply the door itself.  Any normal timber door/glazed timber door will be suitable, as long as it's up to 760mm wide x 2032mm tall x between 35mm and 44mm thick and 56Kgs maximum weight.  These dimensions make it a standard domestic door, which could be purchased somewhere like B&Q, your local DIY shop, or on the internet.

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Would the Foldaside 100 system be OK for my doors: I want to have two doors sliding/ folding to one side, each door weighs approx 23 kg and is 600 mm wide?

Yes, the Foldaside 100 would be fine.  Because your doors are at the maximum width you definitely need to use the floor guide (which is supplied in the 2 door kit).

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My office front door constantly slams as visitors don't close it by hand, they just leave it to swing back. Do you have anything that can make the door close softly but not delay the closing too much as people come in quickly and don't check whether it's closed behind them and I'm concerned about security but can't stand the constant noise and damage to the door. Can you suggest a solution?

A hydraulic overhead door closer with adjustable closing speed and adjustable latching action will solve your problem.  You can set the closing speed to fast, then use the latching action to give a slower firm close at the last 10° or so.  Which door closer you go for depends on all the normal considerations; door timber or uPVC, width of door, push or pull side, budget? etc.  A good place to start looking is the excellent Geze TS4000, which will be able to handle almost any situation, then you can look at the lower spec models depending on the considerations listed.

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A digital lock to fit a specific door?

Q: (from Sharon) I have a solid pine door with a door depth of 34mm (I have measured this several times and it is definitely 34mm or maybe just slightly less) - do you stock a digital door lock that would fit this please - most of what I am finding are for 35mm upwards? A: (from Doorstuff) yes, you can fit a U120 or a L235 digital lock, the important thing is that there is enough timber to fit the mortice latch, which is OK as you have approximately 33-34mm door thickness.  You can see them (top two products) on the link within the text.

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When using a Rollan sliding door kit to convert a standard timber door to sliding, how best do I create the groove in the door for the standard fixed floor guide?

The best tool for morticing the groove is a router - short & sweet!

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I am trying to find a sliding wardrobe system that would allow me to have sloping doors to fit in a dormer window. Either a front mounted system I could fit to a shelf within the wardrobe or a floor mounted system?

The sliding door gear we would recommend for your situation is the Coburn Jason, it has wheels running on a track at the bottom and a top track to act as a guide.

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Can you confirm the AA45 concealed door closers in silver will work for a FD30 door?

Yes, these are suitable for use on an FD30 door.  Remember, the fire-containing property of a door is reliant on the whole set up of the door hardware working correctly together, so be sure to check the operation after fitting your approved door closers.