Is there such a thing as a good bi-fold door?
August 14, 2015 6:43 PM   Subscribe

The last time I had a bi-fold door, I got so frustrated that I took it down and destroyed it with a hammer. My wife, who is generally an extremely sensible person, wants to replace the regular hinged doors that cover our washer-dryer area with a bi-fold door. I have reacted strongly to this suggestion. I am willing to entertain the idea that I'm wrong. Has the quality of bi-fold doors improved? Do other people dislike them as much as I do (and, therefore, be turned off by them when we eventually sell our place?)
posted by Bongotrance Rabbitfriend to Home & Garden (14 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
You're not alone. I hate bi-folds in almost every application I ever saw them in. That said, they are such a staple in homes, I don't think anyone would consider them a negative when looking to buy your home.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:51 PM on August 14, 2015 [1 favorite]


I also detest bi-fold doors. They never seem to stay on-track well and it's a struggle to deal with them as they age. Plus, I find them to be aesthetic garbage. I appreciate the desire to replace a hinged door as they really block space when open. I'd either go for a barn door or a pocket door. Both can be pushed out of the way without blocking a path and are far more pretty to look at.
posted by quince at 6:52 PM on August 14, 2015 [1 favorite]


Barn doors may help, but only if you have somewhere to push them. I have bifold doors on half my closets and sliding doors on the others. One of the advantages is that, with bi-folds, you can open the entire closet. With the sliding doors or a barn door, something is always going to be covered. Yes, the bi-fold does swing out and take up some space in front of the closet. But if you want full access to the entire closet at once, it is a good solution. If you want full access to the path in front of the doors, it isn't so good.
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 6:59 PM on August 14, 2015 [4 favorites]


Only get a pocket door if you like periodically dismounting all the trim from around the door so that you can fish the thing that actually runs on the track out from the cavity and then precision-manhandle the door-peg-hooky-onny back onto the track-rider. Pocket doors are really only useful for openings that you only need to close off occasionally.

Also you can't just install a pocket door, AFAIK. You have to remove the wall it will pocket into and rebuild that wall as basically two half-thick walls with, well, a pocket between them.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:07 PM on August 14, 2015 [7 favorites]


If you can fit a regular door on something, and it doesn't get in the way when it's open, keep it. But if the choice is between bi-fold doors and and sliding doors, I prefer bi-fold doors hands down. Most of the sliding closet doors I've seen have looked cheap and come off their tracks easily.

Bi-fold doors are also really easy for most people to take down (and destroy with a hammer, if so inclined), so it's not going to be a dealbreaker for anyone interested in buying your place.
posted by Metroid Baby at 7:30 PM on August 14, 2015


the bifold doors that you buy at the big box stores fall apart in short order. I am a (very) small time landlord. If you mount them using hinges instead of those infernal pivot pins, they do much better, I haven't replaced any in a few years now. The biggest failure now is simply coming unglued.
I did some architectural work for a local public housing authority. They use narrow regular solid core wood doors and just install hinges to make them work like bifolds.
One thing to keep in mind is your dryer may need the louvers for air intake.
posted by rudd135 at 7:45 PM on August 14, 2015 [4 favorites]


I detest bifold doors. I'm seriously considering taking ours down and replacing them with a curtain. With them, depending on which way the washer and dryer are scooted, there is no way that I can access both of them without hitting the bifold doors. I've been waiting for that kitten of ours to tire of climbing curtains...
posted by stormyteal at 8:08 PM on August 14, 2015


Bifold doors are indeed the devil, however, I have seen many installations where that is especially the case because whoever put them in was an idiot.

1. The handle should be in the centre (or towards the centre of centre, if that makes any sense) of the panel furthest from the pivot thingies and closest to the opening. Not the middle of the whole door (I've seen some with a flat little handle in the crack, which, no), and not off to the side like a regular door. Getting this wrong will cause weird leverage issues that make smooth operation impossible.

2. No contact between the door and the wall, ever ever ever, or it'll bind up and put pressure on the pivot thingies and they'll go all screwy and/or you'll get that springs-back-open-by-itself problem. Make sure the opening is big enough for the door. There should be a big hideous gap all the way around.

3. The pivot thingies need to be stationary! Screw them super-tight!
posted by Sys Rq at 8:30 PM on August 14, 2015


Have you considered "accordion" or "multifold" doors? I have a salvaged Pella multifold door that closes off the laundry equipment. It was probably made in 1960 or so and it works very well. Around 2003 Pella sold me a kit with about a hundred of the springs that hold the sections together and a hook-like device that helps you put the new springs in. This is everything bi-fold doors are not - tweak-free, look great, compact.
posted by jet_silver at 8:31 PM on August 14, 2015 [4 favorites]


I also loathe bi-fold doors. Seconding that a curtain can work very nicely.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:04 PM on August 14, 2015 [1 favorite]


I would suggest, if you go the bi-fold route that you make sure you get high quality tracks and parts. I think it makes a difference. And then, don't be an animal when you open them. If you yank the hell out of them, they'll get torqued.
posted by amanda at 12:58 AM on August 15, 2015 [1 favorite]


I thought I wanted bi-fold doors for our laundry closet and my husband had similar qualms. But the area that it's in is quite small and I didn't want a huge footprint from normal double doors. Our carpenter suggested sliding doors (mirrored) and he was right and it's perfect for us. But my washer and dryer are stacked so I have access to them both without a lot of sliding around.
If you do use bifold I would also nth the point about making sure the handles are in the centre of each door where they split.
posted by like_neon at 1:10 AM on August 15, 2015


The louvers also let air circulate so your washer tub dries out, and doesn't get gross/mildewy.

That said, bi-fold doors do indeed suck.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:15 AM on August 15, 2015


Yes, bifold doors are an annoyance. I have sliding closet doors in my place now that seem to suck equally, but maybe it's just an issue of quality. As a renter I'm inclined to just suggest a curtain rod and a curtain, but that sounds like it may not fit your aesthetic.
posted by shortskirtlongjacket at 6:43 AM on August 15, 2015


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