Difference Between Framed Bifold Door & Frameless Bifold Door

Bifold Doors

• Bifold doors provide an alternative to swinging doors. These doors contain hinges in the middle and attach to wheels or other sliding mechanisms at the top or bottom. When you slide a bifold door, it folds in half – hence the name bifold – to reveal an opening. Bifold doors intrude less upon a space than swinging doors, making them ideal for areas like bathrooms or bedrooms where space means everything. They also provide an alternative to those who experience trouble opening doors toward themselves, such as individuals in wheel chairs.

Framed vs. Frameless

• Framed bifold doors sit in frames, while frameless bifold doors do not. This seems like a obvious difference, but the difference proves less obvious in appearance. While frameless bifold doors do not attach to a frame, they must attach to some sort of mechanism either on the bottom or top in order to stabilize them and to slide. Without such a mechanism, these doors don’t work. Frameless bifold doors, then, attach to a framing mechanism only at the top and/or bottom, while framed bifold doors attach at the top and on the sides.

Installation

• Framed bifold doors require installation within the structure of the wall. A frame built within the wall, which resembles a standard door frame, provides a point of attachment for the side of a bifold door, while a track built into the top of the frame holds the rolling or sliding mechanism that allows the door to fold and move aside. Frameless bifold doors require installation in areas without walls, though they must attach to either a ceiling or a floor. Small or medium bifold doors sometimes require only bottom support, allowing for installation in areas with high ceilings by attaching the sliding or rolling mechanism to the floor and building the door up from this mechanism. Large frameless doors may require support from above and below.

Applications

• Framed bifold doors appear in numerous applications throughout the home, primarily as closet doors and room dividers. They are also used in bathrooms and other spaces with small inlets or cubbies, such as an area housing a washer and dryer. You can install framed bifold doors in any doorframe or other open area, such as the space opening between a connected living room and dining room, within the home. Frameless bifold doors require open space and rarely appear in the home. Usually, frameless bifold doors only appear in the home as sliding glass shower doors in shower stalls without frames. In commercial settings, frameless bifold doors provide exterior protection for stores afterhours by sliding around the exterior of a space as a barrier.