Internal Oak bi fold door set

[ProDave]

Looking for this for the pantry.  There is no room for a conventional width door to open or for a sliding door so we are going to use a bifold door set.

 

The best (aka cheapest) I have found is from Wickes, irritatingly not in stock to view has to be ordered on line https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Geneva-Oak-Cottage-5-Panel-Internal-Bi-fold-Door---1981mm-x-762mm/p/132012

 

It's almost half the price of a seemingly identical thing from Howdens.

 

Very mixed customer reviews from brilliant to rubbish.  And it says not suitable to be oiled (we want to use Osmo door oil like all the rest of our Oak doors)

 

Any opinions or other suggestions?

[wozza]

Cant comment on that door.

 

I spoke to these people about an unfinished Oak Bifold door to fit a 820 mm opening, but have yet to do anything else.

 

Made to Measure Oak Mexicano Bifold Door | Savoy Timber

[joe90]

In a previous house I made my own bifold to hide the washing machine and dryer, you only need a pair of narrow doors and hinges 🤷‍♂️.

[ProDave]

1 hour ago, joe90 said:

In a previous house I made my own bifold to hide the washing machine and dryer, you only need a pair of narrow doors and hinges 🤷‍♂️.

So re phrase the question:  Where can I buy a a pair of Oak very narrow doors, about 40cm wide each?

[joe90]

1 minute ago, ProDave said:

about 40mm wide

That’s not a door, that’s a plank 🤣🤣🤣(sorry) mine were cheap panel doors and I built the cupboard around two 24” doors.

[ProDave]

3 minutes ago, joe90 said:

That’s not a door, that’s a plank 🤣🤣🤣(sorry) mine were cheap panel doors and I built the cupboard around two 24” doors.

Typo corrected, about 40cm / 18" so the pair of doors is about the width of one normal door.

[saveasteading]

I looked at the one star reviews. Sometimes interesting. One person complaining the door is only 748mm..not 750 as advertised so returned.    Which reminds me that it is all a rather approximate fit, with big gaps,  to allow the hinge end to rotate.

It took me ages to fit, but all good once done. 

Where to fit an internal handle was a challenge. But you won't be shutting from inside I assume.

[ProDave]

Well I will build the frame to match the door to save trimming, so if it is 2mm too small so what.

 

I was hoping to read someone had used oil without problem.  Most of our doors are XL Joinery who also say do not oil, but when questioned were happy for us to oil them with Osmo and indeed there have been no problems and a very nice finish.

 

[Temp]

3 hours ago, ProDave said:

 And it says not suitable to be oiled (we want to use Osmo door oil like all the rest of our Oak doors)

 

Im not familiar with their Door Oil but if its a very thin low viscosity product like Danish Oil then perhaps their Poly-X oil might be safer ? 

 

[saveasteading]

8 minutes ago, ProDave said:

hoping to read someone had used oil without problem.  

I think people are being cautious because of what might be on it already. Should be oilable I think as it looks like the standard / ubiquitous American oak cottage doors.

[saveasteading]

18 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

approximate fit, with big gaps, 

The instructions should say, but I think you need +10mm at the hinge end. It would be a shame to build the frame and then cut back the doors.

[ProDave]

1 minute ago, saveasteading said:

The instructions should say, but I think you need +10mm at the hinge end. It would be a shame to build the frame and then cut back the doors.

I would be interested to see a diagram explaining why such a big gap at the hinge end?  I don't see why it should be any different to the hinge end of a normal door.

[joe90]

If you can’t find a pair of 400mm doors why cut cut a standard door in half then veneer the edges ? (if not solid oak already).

Edited May 11, 2023 by joe90

[saveasteading]

15 minutes ago, ProDave said:

such a big gap at the hinge

Mine were, and I think most are, on a pivot at bottom and top  and  it rotates on that. So the near edge turns towards the frame as it opens.  If the end was round it wouldn't catch  but as it is square it needs a gap.

[Temp]

33 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

I think people are being cautious because of what might be on it already.

 

I think oil can attack the adhesive of veneered doors.

[ProDave]

39 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

Mine were, and I think most are, on a pivot at bottom and top  and  it rotates on that. So the near edge turns towards the frame as it opens.  If the end was round it wouldn't catch  but as it is square it needs a gap.

I just expected hinges at the hinge end.

 

Back in the day, when they were in fashion, I made numerous sets of bifold doors with louvre doors (remember them) with just ordinary hinges at both the hinge end and between the doors, and the outer end of the folding one had a "pin" on it that ran in a guide.

 

I will of course study it carefully before detailing the framing.

[ProDave]

33 minutes ago, Temp said:

 

I think oil can attack the adhesive of veneered doors.

good point.  In the case of all the other doors XL Joinery approved the use of Osmo door oil, so perhaps that's a "good" one as in does not attack the adhesive?

[saveasteading]

46 minutes ago, ProDave said:

just expected hinges at the hinge end.

 

You could do that and forget the bifold thing and runner.

[ProDave]

1 hour ago, saveasteading said:

You could do that and forget the bifold thing and runner.

I will have to wait and see what running gear comes with it and either use it as is, or adapt it.

[saveasteading]

36 minutes ago, ProDave said:

use it as is, or adapt it.

Looking forward to following this episode.

[ProDave]

2 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

Looking forward to following this episode.

There will be some challenges that is for sure.  

[joe90]

10 hours ago, ProDave said:

I will have to wait and see what running gear comes with it and either use it as is, or adapt it.

I had no running gear with the ones I made, simply hinges and magnetic catches.

[ProDave]

22 minutes ago, joe90 said:

I had no running gear with the ones I made, simply hinges and magnetic catches.

This is one of the details I am going to have to work on when I start assembling it.  It is going to be a "corner door" to the pantry, by that I mean the pantry is a small rectangular room and the bifold door will be at 45 degrees cutting off that corner of the rectangle.

 

If it slides on some form of sliding gear, the open door will end up perpendicular to the track.  I would like the open door to fold right back against the wall.  I can't see that happening with the supplied track and gear.

 

So was yours free swinging?  i.e the far end not constrained by a track?  How did you find it?

[joe90]

49 minutes ago, ProDave said:

So was yours free swinging?  i.e the far end not constrained by a track?  How did you find it?

For me it worked very well, I had a chimney breast in the way of a “normal “ door so the bifold meant I could fold the door to get past it. I used parliamentary hinges to enable it to fold 180’ 👍

[Dave Jones]

pocket door better, I also really  like the pivot and slide kits from hafele, a little bit of fake stud to hide it.

 

https://www.hafele.co.uk/en/product/complete-set-for-pivot-sliding-cabinet-doors-soft-closing-hawa-concepta/P-01499149/#SearchParameter=&@QueryTerm=pivotslidingdoors&Category=fn0KAOsFhMoAAAFlTOecc.x0&@P.FF.followSearch=8593&PageNumber=1&OriginalPageSize=12&PageSize=12&Position=1&OrigPos=6&ProductListSize=19&PDP=true