Sliding or hinged doors?
When choosing the furnishings for a company, a changing room or a work space in general, various factors must be considered. The quality of the materials, the ease of cleaning of the surfaces, the possible suitability of these for contact with food.
Specifically, when choosing a cupboard, the factor that comes to mind as the most important in choosing is easily its capacity. Surely the fact a cupboard can accommodate numerous objects, even voluminous or valuable, is a fundamental feature.
However, there is at least one other important factor to consider when choosing a wardrobe for a given environment: the door opening system.
Specifically, there are two alternatives: sliding doors or hinged doors. Let’s see together the differences in advantages between the two solutions.
Cupboards with hinged doors
The cupboard with hinged doors is on average cheaper than the one with sliding doors, as the movement and fixing system is simpler, both in construction and in maintenance. In addition, the outward opening of the doors offers greater visibility of the inside of the wardrobe, as there are no obstacles to block the view. Both sides can be visible at the same time if both doors are opened and it is thus possible to easily reach the content or move it inside the wardrobe itself, without taking it out.
Furthermore, the rear part of the hinged doors can be equipped, in many of our models, with hooks on which to hang clothes and other accessories. This turns out to be very useful as it significantly increases the available space, exploiting a surface that would otherwise always remain unused and somewhat wasted.
On the other hand, the main negative aspect of the hinged opening consists in the fact that it takes up a lot of space, increasing the volume of the entire wardrobe. Even if the doors are only partially open, this can represent a problem as the length of the single door can also be considerable in some wardrobe models. The encumbrance of the structure is therefore greater than in situations with sliding doors and can also represent a greater danger for operators moving around the cupboard.
Cupboards with sliding doors
In a cupboard with sliding doors, the main advantage is the saving of space in the environment in which it is inserted. The structure is in fact less cumbersome since, when opened, the doors do not expand outwards, but slide to side of the cupboard. Especially in work environments and small rooms, this can represent a discriminating advantage in favor of this type of wardrobe.
Furthermore, these wardrobe models tend to have a greater capacity, as the encumbrance represented by the hinged doors does not appear here. The saved volume can then be used to build a larger structure.
The main disadvantage, as mentioned, derives from the lower visibility and the higher cost (on average) of these structures. Furthermore, the internal face of each door cannot be used to add hooks or hangers.
How to choose?
There is obviously no solution which, in absolute value, is always the best and always and only ensures advantages. The choice always depends on the specific needs of each work activity and the space available.
What we can advise you is to take into consideration all the factors listed above before making a choice.
We at Facilitas aim to help you in this type of decision as well, offering a consultancy service that can offer you solutions designed to meet your specific needs.
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