4 Types of Bifold Doors Explained

There are many different types of bifold doors each of which can work in a slightly different way. Bifold doors are commonly used for closets, cupboards and occasionally as dividers between two rooms. There are four main types of bifold doors and we'll look at each of these individually.

Number of Doors

All bifold doors consist of a set of two doors which are connected together using hinges. When the doors are opened the doors fold back on themselves to save space and allow access. It's also possible to use bifold doors together. This means that there will be two sets of folding doors or four doors in total. These are ideal for closets, it's also often much better to have four smaller doors rather than two much larger doors.

Type 1 - Room Dividers

Sometimes you can also find bifold doors which are fitted with glass, these are known as French bifold doors and are suitable for a number of different applications. The common use for French bifold glass doors would be as room dividers to split a room up into two separate sections. French doors can either be made yourself or bought off the shelf to fit common openings.

Type 2 - Closet Doors

The most common use of bifold doors are as closet or pantry doors. In this case, the bifold doors are normally made out of solid wood panels or louvered doors. Closet doors can be made yourself, or bought from a hardware store. Closet doors typically have two sets of two doors.

Type 3 - Raised Panel Doors

Raised panel bifold doors are made with a number of sections of solid wood. A router is used to give detail to certain pieces of the wood which will in turn create a nice design for the wooden doors. Raised panel doors are normally used for closet doors. When they are finished in white they have a modern appearance.

Type 4 - Flat Panel Doors

Flat panel bifold doors are another popular type of bifold doors. These are made out of flat panels of wood and can be purchased off the shelf, or made to measure. Flat panel bifold doors are suitable for use as closet or pantry doors and occasionally as room dividers.

Materials

Bifold doors can be made out of solid wood, or reclaimed wood products such as MDF or plywood. Natural wood doors can be finished in paint or wood stain. MDF doors however need to be painted because they aren't suitable for wood stain.

The different types of bifold doors are essentially the same but look different. The type of bifold door that you decide to use will generally depend on what you want the doors to look like.