Black steel pivot door with glass standing half open in a living room with a pale grey poured concrete floor

Steel pivot door: is your floor suitable for the hinge?

How a pivot door is fixed

Our steel pivot doors come with professional pivot hinges with soft close. One hinge sits in the floor and the other in the ceiling. That is what lets the door swing both ways and close gently.

On our revolving door the hinge sits in the middle of the door and it turns a full 360 degrees. The hinge still goes 4 cm into the floor and the top is fixed to the ceiling, so as far as your floor is concerned it makes no difference which of the two you choose.

Black steel pivot door with glass standing half open in a living room with a pale grey poured concrete floor
Black steel pivot door with glass standing half open in a living room with a pale grey poured concrete floor

Three questions before you order

1. Can you drill 4 cm deep at that spot?

The hinge goes 4 cm into the floor, so you need enough solid floor right where the door turns. Do not just look at the surface. A smart finish tells you very little about what is underneath.

2. Will the plugs hold?

The full weight of a steel and glass door turns on that one point, every day. The plugs have to grip firmly. If you are unsure how your floor is built up, send us a message on WhatsApp or book an advice call and we will look at it with you.

3. Do you have underfloor heating or pipes in the floor?

Find out where the pipes run before you settle on the position of the door. You do not want to drill through a heating pipe right where the hinge goes. If you are not sure, ask your heating engineer before anyone starts drilling.

Close-up of the black pivot hinge at the foot of a steel framed glass door, fixed into a tiled floor
Close-up of the black pivot hinge at the foot of a steel framed glass door, fixed into a tiled floor

Slightly smaller than the opening

Because of the hinges and the way the door turns, a pivot door is slightly smaller than the opening. These are the sizes we can make:

  • Width: 90 to 500 cm
  • Height: 180 to 340 cm
  • Width per door: 50 to 150 cm

Floor not suitable? The alternatives

  • Hinged door: a steel door hung on hinges in the frame, with nothing fixed into the floor.
  • Sliding door: hangs from a track on a concrete or solid timber ceiling, or runs on rollers along a rail on the wall above the opening. Either way the floor stays untouched.
Pair of black steel pivot doors with glass between hallway and living room, on an oak herringbone floor
Pair of black steel pivot doors with glass between hallway and living room, on an oak herringbone floor

In short

  • The pivot hinge is fixed 4 cm deep into the floor with plugs, the second hinge sits in the ceiling.
  • You need solid floor at that spot that the plugs can grip.
  • With underfloor heating or pipes, check where they run first.
  • If it will not work, choose a hinged door or a sliding door.

Frequently asked questions

Which way does a pivot door open?

Both ways. The soft close pivot hinge lets the door close gently whichever side you push it from.

How is a revolving door different?

On the revolving door the hinge sits in the middle of the door and it turns a full 360 degrees. The hinge is then anchored 4 cm into the floor and fixed to the ceiling.

See our steel pivot doors made to measure, or our steel sliding doors if your floor rules out a pivot.

Written by Tom Wegter (team leader IT) and Marc Westerhuis (team leader communications) at Hardwood Discount· last updated: 26 October 2026· Facebook · Instagram · YouTube · Pinterest

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