When compared to conventional sliding doors or French doors, bifold doors are clearly superior. There is a growing interest in bifold doors because of their modern aesthetic and practical space-saving features, but many people still have questions about them. Let’s compare and contrast bifold doors to learn their strengths and weaknesses and find out what sets them apart.
Explanation of the operation of bifold doors
Bifold doors can be understood by visualising a concertina being folded in half. Bifold doors have multiple leaves that fold back on each other to reveal a wider opening.The doors are mounted on runners, so they slide and fold simultaneously when opened. This means that unlike standard hinged doors or French doors, you won’t need as much clearance on either side of the door in order to open it.
It’s common for bifold doors to include a “traffic” door, depending on the layout you go with. If you don’t want to waste time folding and sliding open each leaf of a bifold door, this is the solution. This is helpful in high-traffic entrances that you use frequently.
Sliding doors vs. bifold doors: what’s the deal?
It’s easy to get the two types of doors mixed up because of the similarities in their primary functions—sliding is integral to bifold doors, which means they need runners, and the two types are often used interchangeably. However, standard sliding doors cannot be folded inward. Only one of their two leaves is mobile, but that’s all there is to them.
The sliding leaf pushes the stationary leaf in front of it. This means that when you use sliding doors, you will always have to live with a partially blocked opening. In contrast, when opened, the door has zero impact on the interior or exterior space around it.
Bifold doors can open nearly completely because they slide and fold at the same time. In comparison to conventional hinged doors, the folded leaves take up much less room when open. Bifold doors combine the space-saving benefits of sliding doors with those of traditional French or patio doors.
Importance and operation of bifold doors in outdoor settings
Having a bifold door as an exterior door is fantastic because it allows you to fold back the wall between your home and the outdoors with ease. Ideal for summer get-togethers and outdoor meals, or just keeping tabs on the kids as they play in the yard. These doors are perfect for small apartments or balconies, as they don’t encroach on your indoor or outdoor space when they’re open.
Putting in Folding Interior Doors
If you prefer an open floor plan and lots of mobility, bifold doors are the way to go. When closed, they provide excellent soundproofing and thermal insulation between two rooms, and when opened, they create a much larger space.
Adding large glass doors to a room is another way to bring in more natural light, especially if that room has limited window space or is otherwise too dim.
Modern commercial properties that require adaptable office, meeting, or event spaces can also benefit greatly from the installation of internal bifold doors.
If you ever need to section off a large room into smaller ones while still maintaining complete privacy, look for a bifold door manufacturer that includes built-in blinds with their doors.
You should talk to a professional if you want to instal internal bifold doors. Internal doors can have runners or thresholds installed to keep them flush with the floor and out of the way of foot traffic. Consultation will help you evaluate your options and select a layout that works best in your home.
How big are the foldable door options?
The flexibility of bifold doors to accommodate openings of varying sizes is one of their many impressive features. As an example, we provide standard leaf sizes ranging from 400mm to 1200mm wide, which enables us to tailor a bifold door setup to a wide variety of doorways. If you want to make a large glass wall that can be opened up completely to your outdoor space, a large number of leaves is also acceptable.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Bifold Doors
The biggest advantage of bifold doors is that they can open up nearly the entire entranceway (typically 90%).
A minor drawback is that you’ll need a little bit of clear space to allow the leaves to stack up when the doors open, but otherwise they’re much more space efficient than French doors that swing open.
Sliding doors may be preferable if you want to minimise the amount of space lost between your indoor and outdoor areas when the doors are open. Sliding doors, on the other hand, will cover the entire opening, which isn’t ideal if you’d rather have a wide-open foyer.
