“A bifold door is a space saving door that can fold at multiple joints”

Bifold doors are folding doors connected by hinge joints that allows for multiple doors (panels) to fold or “Stack” upon one another. Bifold doors do this because they were originally designed for space saving and were generally used in smaller applications including wardrobe doors.

Over the last decade, bifold doors have become more popular as a feature in a house, even smaller properties can really benefit from this type of door as they appear stylish and allow for separation between much wider areas / rooms.

With the mechanism, the doors can stack either to the left or right or can split in the middle and go either direction, the doors themselves are generally on a rolling mechanism which allows the doors to travel, hinges allow for the doors to fold away meaning that much of the space used by conventional doors is no longer used thanks to the space saving benefits of folding doors.

The application of folding doors has become more diverse, some homes separate entire living spaces using this type of door, from conservatory to orangeries, from living rooms to lounges, kitchen and hallways, bifold doors are a fantastic choice.

Door height and width however can impact on the overall weight of the mechanism, so new, lighter components are used to help make opening and closing the doors much easier, some panels can weigh up to 75kg which, multiplied can become incredibly heavy.

New, more modern bifolding doors weigh much less, some even use a lighter internal material followed by a laminated outer layer to help save weight and maintain strength, some composite versions of these doors are also available however hardwood tends to be the preferred choice thanks to the style, appearance and quality of the material.

Bifold doors can often be referred to as bi-fold, bifolding or folding doors and come in aluminium, hardwood (oak) or composite materials such as PVCu. The frame of the doors usually incorporates 28mm glass panels, however, glass arrangements can be diverse, some can even incorporate internal blinds operated through a separate mechanism.