A builder-grade bi-fold door serves a purpose. It covers your closet opening adequately. But maybe the style and clunky action of your old bi-fold door just aren't your thing anymore. Maybe you want something that is more stylish or something that will match the other doors in your home. Some alternatives to bi-fold doors take up less valuable floor space when they're open, while others take up more. Does this Spark an idea?
Sliding Doors
Door panels that slide on tracks secured to the floor and the horizontal edge of the upper door jamb are a sensible choice for a closet opening. Sliding doors are available in glass, mirror and wood finishes. When open, a sliding door takes up no floor space, but only half of the opening can be accessed at one time.
Pocket Door
A pocket door works in much the same way as a siding door, in that the door slides on a track. Instead of sliding to the opposite side of the closet opening and obstructing it, a pocket door slides into the wall. When open, the pocket door is completely hidden from view, and you have unobstructed access to your closet. Installing a pocket door is labor-intensive, compared with other types of doors, and best left to a qualified carpenter.
Single-Hinged Door
Interior hinged doors are available in a multitude of sizes and styles. You may be able to match your closet opening with a ready-made hinged door that matches the style of the rest of your interior doors. This type of door will give you unrestricted access to your closet when it's open. But a hinged door needs more clearance inside a room than other doors.
Double-Hinged Doors
Perhaps your closet opening is too wide for a single hinged door. In this case, you may opt for double doors that are hinged at the outside edges and open at the center. This gives you unobstructed access to your closet, but, as with the single hinged door, double hinged doors need a lot of clearance.
Curtains
This may sound like a temporary solution to a problem, but very attractive curtains can be mounted in your closet opening for a fraction of the cost of buying and installing doors. Once you find the drapes you want to use, hang them from a spring-loaded shower-curtain rod.
Tags: closet opening, your closet, hinged door, pocket door, your closet opening
