Climate-stable doors are primarily used in larger, public buildings. However, there are also room situations in private homes for which a climate-stable functional door is the best solution. The "Door in dialogue" shows
- where a climate-stable door fits,
- what it can do
- and why there is a "climate chamber" for doors.
Great climate: cold and wet outside, warm and dry inside.
It's actually quite simple: the purpose of a door is to separate two rooms. But sometimes the "job" is more difficult. This is the case when a door also separates two different climate situations. One example: In winter, it is 3 degrees in the unheated hallway of an apartment block. But in the warm flat, it should be a constant "cosy" 20 degrees.
The problem: especially in autumn and winter, every visitor brings moisture and dampness into the house. As a result, the climate outside and behind the front door is very different: while the humidity inside is around 30 per cent, outside it is over 80 per cent.
Due to significant differences in temperature and humidity, each door leaf can stretch and bend differently, resulting in the door no longer closing properly. Cracks and gaps form. In the worst case, this door no longer does its "job" well: the two climatic situations mix. Moisture, cold and other external influences, for example noises and odours, reach the other side of the door. This permanently jeopardises the comfortable indoor climate.
The term "climate-stable door"
At GARANT, a climate-stable door is always made of wood (or a wood-based material). Wood "works" in every season.
But these functional doors are not damaged by coolness and moisture. Instead, they remain "in shape" over the long term and maintain the room climate. If such a door does warp, this happens within a very small tolerance range of a few millimetres. Doors without a climate control function cannot do this: they often warp by up to one centimetre.
There are a total of five climate classes for doors: As an interior door specialist, GARANT offers climate-stable room and flatentrance doors up to climate class 3. (This climate class is certified up to 3°C and 85 per cent humidity).
Climate chamber for interior doors
The door is left in the climate chamber for around four weeks. On one side of the room, an air temperature of around 23 degrees and a relative humidity of 30 per cent are generated during this time. This is comparable to the indoor climate in a heated living room in winter.
The target climate is generated on the other side of the door: in climate class 3, this is around 3 degrees with a humidity of 85 per cent. This corresponds to the indoor climate in a hallway in winter.
Three identical doors are tested simultaneously in the climate chamber. This provides comparable and reliable measurement data. Fixed measuring points are used to document how the material warps. At the end of the test period, which lasts several weeks, the doors leave the climate chamber.
The independent Institute for Window Technology (IFT) in Rosenheim, for example, carries out this type of "climate test" for doors. The test takes place during the development process. Ultimately, a door must pass the "climate test" in order to be certified as climate-stable.
Tip from the door expert: Don't complain about doors straight away.
"Especially in new buildings, the air is very humid," says Enrico Schüller. "That's why interior doors usually warp visibly. But I always advise waiting for a heating period before making a complaint. This is because many doors return to their previous shape as soon as the new building is dry."
Climate-stable doors can also protect against noise, fire and burglary.
A climate-stable door can do even more: because "climate protection" in the door is the prerequisite for other functions, for example sound, smoke, fire or burglary protection ("Brochure: Expertise in function and design"). Such doors are mainly used in public buildings : as flat entrance doors, in hospitals, hotels, schools, hostels, barracks and kindergartens.
GARANT uses special materials for additional functions such as sound, smoke or fire protection. There is also a large selection of design elements for these doors.
Incidentally, the door expert also has a climate protection door himself at home: it separates the utility room with heating, tumble dryer and tilt window from the rest of the house.
Further link:
One of our partners for the climate chamber is the IFT Rosenheim. www.ift-rosenheim.de
In brief: Door expert Enrico Schüller
After leaving school, Enrico Schüller first completed an apprenticeship as a wood mechanic. He then studied wood technology. With his diploma in his pocket, he went into the furniture industry and soon joined GARANT. As an employee in the GARANT development department, he plans new doors. Together with his team colleagues, Enrico Schüller not only develops the structure of a door leaf on the computer and creates drawings. He also plans the use of raw materials and is always on the lookout for new materials.
The door professional also enjoys working with wood in his private life. Especially when it comes to building high-quality furniture for his family. Although his children (aged 9 and 4) are allowed to join in, they quickly lose interest.