Guide
Pivot versus hinged main doors
Choose a hinged door when the opening is a standard size, the facade is exposed, or the house is being renovated without floor works: it seals best, secures best and costs less. Choose a pivot door when the entrance is tall or wide, the architecture is contemporary and the floor can take the pivot box: it gives the oversized leaf and the balanced swing that a hinged door cannot. Both start from around AED 13,000 for the door, with pivot doors at the upper end.
The short version
A hinged door hangs from the side on hinges fixed to the frame. A pivot door stands on a pivot set into the floor and turns around a line inside its own width. Everything else follows from that: how large the leaf can be, how it seals, what the floor needs and what it costs.
| Hinged door | Pivot door | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum size | About 1.2 m wide, 2.4 m tall as a single leaf; wider as a pair | 1.2 to 2 m wide, up to 3.5 m tall as a single leaf |
| Sealing | Rebated frame on all sides, best for dust, heat and sound | Drop seal and brush seals, good in a sheltered porch |
| Security | Multipoint lock in a rebated frame | Mortice lock and multipoint strike at the frame edge |
| Floor work | None | Pivot box set into the floor before the finish |
| Swing | From the edge, needs clearance on one side | Balanced, needs clearance on both sides of the pivot line |
| Hardware | Hinges, closer, any lever or pull | Floor and top pivot, hydraulic closer, long pull |
| Renovation | Straight swap into an existing opening | Floor cut at the threshold, best during renovation |
| Cost | From around AED 13,000 for the door | Upper end of the main door range |
| Character | Classic or contemporary | Contemporary, oversized |
Size and proportion
If the entrance is a standard height opening, a hinged door is the right answer and a pivot adds cost for no gain. If the entrance is a double height or an oversized opening, a pivot door is the only way to fill it with a single leaf, and a pair of hinged doors is the alternative. The facade decides this before anything else.
Exposure and sealing
A hinged door sits in a rebated frame that seals on all four sides, so it is the better door for a facade that takes direct sun, wind and dust. A pivot door seals with a drop seal and brush seals, which is fine in a sheltered porch and not fine on an exposed west facing wall. If the porch is shallow, choose hinged, or build a deeper porch.
Floor and renovation
A hinged door replaces an existing door with no floor works, which makes it the usual choice for a like for like upgrade in a finished villa. A pivot door needs the pivot box set into the floor, so it belongs to a new build or a renovation where the hall floor is being done, or to a house where cutting the stone at the threshold is acceptable.
Hardware and daily use
Both take the same locks, pulls and smart locks. A heavy pivot leaf on a hydraulic pivot closes itself gently and holds open at ninety degrees; a hinged door uses an overhead or concealed closer for the same job. The balanced swing of a pivot door is the feature people fall for: a leaf that weighs well over a hundred kilograms moves with one finger.
Cost
Main doors start from around AED 13,000 for the door. A pivot door sits at the upper end because of the leaf size and the pivot system, and the floor work is a separate item. Installation, removal and hardware are itemised on every quote.
Our recommendation
Standard opening, exposed facade, or a swap in a finished house: hinged. Tall or wide opening, contemporary house, sheltered porch, floor available: pivot. Send a photo of the entrance and we will tell you which, and draw it either way.
See pivot doors, main doors and the guide to how pivot doors work.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is a pivot door better than a hinged door?
Neither is better; they suit different entrances. A pivot door fills a tall or wide opening with one oversized leaf and swings with a balanced motion. A hinged door seals and secures best and needs no floor work.
Can I replace my hinged main door with a pivot door?
Yes, if the floor at the threshold can be cut for the pivot box and the porch is sheltered enough for the pivot seals. It is easiest during a renovation. We advise at the site measure.
Is a pivot door secure?
Yes. It locks with a mortice lock and a multipoint strike at the frame edge, takes the same smart locks as a hinged door, and the leaf is heavier than most hinged doors.
Does a pivot door cost more than a hinged door?
Usually, yes. Both start from around AED 13,000 for the door, and a pivot door sits at the upper end because of the leaf size and the pivot system, with the floor work as a separate item.
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Tell us about your doors
Send photos and rough sizes on WhatsApp for a first conversation, or book a site measure and we will take it from there.