Pivot doors
A pivot door turns on pins at the floor and head instead of hanging from side hinges. That's what makes a 5-foot-wide, 10-foot-tall entry door possible, and it's why the install is mostly about the floor.
How it works
The door's weight sits on a floor pivot. A top pivot in the head keeps it vertical. Because the axis is set in from the edge of the door, part of the leaf swings to the outside and part to the inside as it opens.
On an offset pivot the axis sits a few inches in from the jamb, so the door behaves close to a hinged door. On a center pivot the axis sits further in, which splits the opening into two passages and is common on very wide leaves.
Most modern pivot doors hide a hydraulic closer in the floor or in the bottom of the door. It controls closing speed, backcheck and latching, and it's adjustable. Exterior doors add perimeter seals and a threshold designed to drain water around the pivot.
What we check on every install
- Floor pivot set-outThe pivot box or plate is set dead level and exactly below the top pivot. A few millimeters off shows up as a door that drifts open.
- Structure at the headThe top pivot takes lateral load. We check the header and blocking before the door arrives.
- Finished floor heightTile, stone and wood are coordinated so the pivot and threshold finish flush.
- Water managementOn exterior doors: threshold drainage, sill pan and seals around the pivot penetration.
- Closer tuningClosing speed and latch adjusted at handover and again after the first season.
Questions we hear
Can a pivot door be used as an exterior front door?
Yes. Exterior pivot doors need perimeter seals, a drained threshold and a sill pan. The water details around the floor pivot are the part most often done wrong.
Why does my pivot door swing open by itself?
Usually the floor and top pivot are out of plumb, or the closer's hold-open or speed settings are off. It's typically an adjustment, not a replacement.
Do pivot doors need a special floor?
The floor has to be flat, level and strong enough at the pivot point. On slab or framed floors we plan the recess for the pivot box before the finish floor goes down.
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