Bifold doors – options, advantages and disadvantages

Bifold doors. This type of doors is quite often recommended by designers for installation in small apartments since the closing mechanism can significantly save space.

As for the varieties, the choice, frankly, is not great. Such doors, due to a very specific design, differ from each other only by minor deviations in technical terms and decor features.

You can learn more about the various options for the execution of such doors on our website, in the section Bifold Doors.

Types of bi-fold doors

Most often, manufacturers offer:

• deaf models – made of solid wood, which makes them opaque on both sides;
• bifold doors with glass inserts – they win in aesthetic terms but are significantly inferior to deaf ones in terms of technical performance and service life.

Different models of such doors may also differ in the number of folding parts and their sizes. At the same time, the fewer parts a folding door has, the more reliable it will be.

Different options for folding doors differ from each other and the materials from which they are made, although there is not much diversity here either. Manufacturers offer:

• Natural wood is a more durable and practical option, which is also characterized by a presentable appearance and reliability of structural elements.
• Plastic – as a rule, they are installed on hinges made of the same not very durable material, and therefore the service life of such doors is much shorter, and their only advantage is their low price.

Advantages and disadvantages of an accordion door

First of all, let’s talk about the benefits. They include:

Significant space savings. Estimate by yourself: swing models need a free area for opening, the radius of which is equal to their width (which is at least 600mm), while accordion doors can be content with an area of ​​​​only 100-150mm.
Easy installation. It is impossible to disagree with this – their installation is no more difficult than fixing a curtain rod. The installation of such models will save you from having to embed the door frame and foam it, while these works require appropriate skills.
Affordable price. Such designs are really inexpensive, but this is due to their technical characteristics, which are significantly inferior to swing doors in many respects.

All these advantages, alas, cannot cover the disadvantages, the main ones being:
The almost complete absence of sound insulation is due to the presence of many gaps formed between the elements of the door, as well as its loose fit to the opening from above and below.
Weak protection against the spread of odors – such a door will not be able to protect against the penetration of unwanted odors, so it is highly recommended not to install it in the kitchen.
Short service life – due to the large number of moving elements and complex fittings, accordion doors quickly fail.
The occurrence of defects during operation – such doors often require repair, since they are often jammed.
In fact, accordion doors are more of a kind of screens, and you should not hope that they will be able to match their swing competitors in terms of performance. But they have proven themselves well when installed in non-residential premises, such as dressing rooms and storage rooms, as well as in zoning large areas.