Kitchen Sliding Doors: Frosted or Transparent? Installation and Maintenance Guide
In modern home decoration, the design of kitchen sliding doors is becoming increasingly popular. Among ten houses, almost eight are installed with sliding doors. The glass design of the sliding doors we commonly see is mostly transparent. However, besides transparent glass, frosted glass doors are also the target of choice for many people. Just like the black - framed folding sliding door below, it is very common in kitchen decoration. So, is it better to choose a frosted glass door or a transparent glass door for the kitchen? Is the effect of using a frosted glass door in the kitchen good? And how to install, clean and maintain a frosted glass door?
Characteristics of Kitchen Door Glass Materials
Generally speaking, if the glass material of the kitchen door is smooth glass, it will be more durable and firm. For frosted glass doors, careful consideration is needed if they are installed in the kitchen. The kitchen is a place for our daily cooking. The cooking process can easily make the kitchen messy, and oil stains and other dirt will pollute the frosted glass. Since the surface of the frosted glass is not smooth, once it is stained with oil, the cleaning difficulty will be greatly increased, and it is much more difficult to scrub than smooth glass.
Advantages of Using Sliding Doors in the Kitchen
The main reason for installing sliding doors in the kitchen space is that they do not take up too much space. There are usually large appliances such as refrigerators in the kitchen. If a swing door is installed, it is very likely to block the refrigerator when opening the door, which is extremely inconvenient to use. Moreover, the kitchen is often adjacent to the dining room. Using a glass sliding door can separate the two areas and increase the sense of spaciousness visually and spatially.
Material Selection of Kitchen Sliding Doors
Currently, most of the kitchen sliding doors sold on the market use two materials: aluminum - magnesium alloy and recycled aluminum. High - quality sliding doors are generally made of alloys such as aluminum, tantalum, copper, magnesium, and manganese, with relatively strong toughness; while for materials of poor quality, they are basically recycled aluminum. Most of the aluminum - magnesium alloys remain in their original color without adding any coating, but some unscrupulous merchants will pass off recycled aluminum by coloring it. Therefore, when purchasing, be sure to ask the merchant to show the product introduction to better understand the authenticity of the material.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Transparent Glass Doors
- Advantages: The biggest advantage of a transparent glass sliding door is its excellent light transmission. The glass surface is easier to clean, and it can be well integrated into the overall home decoration style without destroying the coordination between the kitchen and other spaces. Nowadays, there are many small - sized houses, and the kitchen space is relatively small. Installing a transparent glass door can make the home space look larger and will not make people feel depressed and closed. When cooking, you can also see the situation in the dining room through the glass, which is convenient for interacting with family members.
- Disadvantages: When using a transparent glass sliding door, the kitchen needs to be kept clean and tidy frequently. Otherwise, the messy situation in the kitchen will be clearly seen, affecting the appearance. Moreover, the transparent glass is very easy to get dirty. A little dirt on it will be very obvious and needs to be cleaned frequently.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Frosted Glass Doors
- Advantages: The current frosted glass sliding doors are generally of a double - layer structure (with two frosted layers inside and a flat surface outside), which is helpful for daily hygiene cleaning. The frosted glass can make the kitchen form a relatively independent space and effectively protect the privacy of the kitchen. Even if the kitchen is not cleaned in time and becomes messy, it can be blocked by the frosted glass door, avoiding unnecessary embarrassment. For example, in some communities, the residents opposite may see clearly when cooking in the kitchen, and the frosted glass door can solve this problem well. In addition, for the double - sided frosted glass, the oil stains on it will not be as obvious as on the transparent glass, and it does not need to be wiped frequently.
- Disadvantages: The light transmission of the frosted glass sliding door is relatively poor. If the kitchen itself has poor lighting, using frosted glass will make the overall environment look darker, and it is easy for the cook to feel depressed in such an environment. There is also a kind of double - layer sliding door with a common glass surface on one side and a frosted surface on the other side. Relatively speaking, it is easier to clean, but when the door is closed, it will make the space look rather dull and the light is relatively dark.
Precautions for Installing Frosted Glass Doors in the Kitchen
- Before installing the glass door, carefully check whether the door and window sashes are flat, and whether the reserved holes are complete and accurate. If they do not meet the requirements, they should be corrected first.
- When installing the steel frame and the glass of the door leaf, fix them with steel wire clips. The spacing of the steel wire clips should not be greater than 300mm, and there should be at least two on each side. You can also apply a putty layer on the steel wire clips to enhance the sealing performance.
- If the glass is fixed with putty, the putty should be filled and smoothed; if a rubber pad is used, the rubber pad should be embedded first, and then fixed with a pressing strip and screws.
- When using a pressing strip for fixing, usually press the strip on four sides or two sides, and then seal it with a sealant.
Cleaning and Maintenance Skills of Frosted Glass Doors in the Kitchen
Many families have installed frosted glass doors in the kitchen or bathroom. Due to the large amount of oil fume in the kitchen, over time, oil stains will be stained on the frosted glass doors. The following are the specific cleaning methods:
- Prepare the cleaning agent: Prepare the glass cleaning agent in a ratio of 1:50 - 1:80.
- Apply the cleaning agent: Soak the water applicator in the cleaning agent in the bucket, squeeze it to half dry, and then apply it back and forth from the top of the glass from left to right.
- Scrape the glass dry: Scrape the cleaning agent on the glass dry in sequence with a scraper. When scraping, the force should be uniform and the speed should be stable. Avoid pausing or scraping the same position repeatedly. And each time you scrape, the scraper should overlap with the previous scrape by 5 - 10 cm.
- Clean the scraper: Every time you use the scraper, dry it with a rag.
- Clean up water stains: After cleaning, dry the water stains on the edge of the window frame and the floor.
- Recover the tools: After use, the tools should be recovered to the tool room.
In addition, when scraping the glass, the rubber strip on the scraper should be 1 cm longer than the stainless steel sleeve, and the angle between the scraper and the glass is preferably 45 degrees, not less than 30 degrees or more than 75 degrees.
Treatment Methods for Stubborn Stains
- For slight stains and finger marks, they can be removed with an equal amount of vinegar and water solution.
- For more stubborn marks, a special glass cleaning agent can be used for removal.
- Patterned glass and carved glass can be cleaned with a softer brush. The printing material on the newspaper contains a solvent, and the stains on the window can be wiped off with newspaper.
Many people think that the frosted glass door is not smooth and flat, and it is troublesome to clean. In fact, by mastering the correct cleaning method, we can clean the frosted glass doors of some small kitchens by ourselves.
