Folding door hardware
 

The kitchen is next on the tidy up the house a bit list (ripping it all out and putting a decent one in will have to wait until my numbers come up on the lotto!)

It has a folding door that I quite like, but has just been attached to the door frame and doesn't fit it at all.

1) The door is slightly (2cm) too short. Is there a way of making it taller (e.g. gluing a strip of wood to the bottom). Or would making the door frame slightly shorter by attaching some wood to the header work better?

2) What kind of door hardware do you fit to that kind of door? I definitely want it to still be able to lie flat against the wall. Recessed handles for the inside bit when folded closed? Knobs on the outside either side of the fold? Roller catch to hold it shut?

The bit that sticks out used to contain a warm air heating unit for the house apparently. It's used as a place to store junk and the vac now. Next door ripped theirs out, which I might do - when the lotto numbers come up and a new kitchen is affordable!

Here is a pic: http://i41.tinypic.com/1zwersp.jpg

Philip

Folding door hardware
 

" grunted in
:

It has a folding door that I quite like, but has just been attached to
the door frame and doesn't fit it at all.

1) The door is slightly (2cm) too short. Is there a way of making it
taller (e.g. gluing a strip of wood to the bottom). Or would making
the door frame slightly shorter by attaching some wood to the header
work better?

I'd definitely glue a strip to the bottom of the door; it would be much
less noticeable being at ground level (a previous owner did it it to our
living room door and it really doesn't bother me (and I'm dead fussy,
me).

2) What kind of door hardware do you fit to that kind of door? I
definitely want it to still be able to lie flat against the wall.
Recessed handles for the inside bit when folded closed? Knobs on the
outside either side of the fold? Roller catch to hold it shut?

I have a bathroom door like this in a property I rent out. When I bought
the place, there was no form of handle/catch in place - I think the idea
was you just had to sing very loudly while on the bog - but I wanted to
put this right before letting the place, so had the same issue as you. I
ended up putting a pull-knob on the outside, on the panel furthest away
from the main hinge but positioned fairly near the overall centre of the
door (the door folds *inwards* so the pull knob doesn't impinge).

On the inside of the door I fitted a flush-fitting ring pull like this:
http://www.willowandstone.co.uk/cms-...ass-flush-fit-
ring-pull-_1.jpg - again, on the outer panel close to the mid-line hinge
(ISTR the two handles were almost back-to-back). My first attempt
involved a non-recessed handle, which was rubbish, as it prevented the
two door panels from folding properly. The slight 'gotcha' is the door
is a hollow, thin-walled MDF construction, and there's bugger all to
attach the recessed handle to (and it needs firmly anchoring to resist
pulling forces). Think I solved that one with copious quantities of car
body filler!

As for a catch, I just ended up using a brass hook-and-eye inside the
bathroom (so the door can't actually be latched shut from the outside).
That's probably inappropriate for a kitchen though.

HTH
--
David

Folding door hardware
 

" grunted in
:

It has a folding door that I quite like, but has just been attached to
the door frame and doesn't fit it at all.

1) The door is slightly (2cm) too short. Is there a way of making it
taller (e.g. gluing a strip of wood to the bottom). Or would making
the door frame slightly shorter by attaching some wood to the header
work better?

I'd definitely glue a strip to the bottom of the door; it would be much
less noticeable being at ground level (a previous owner did it it to our
living room door and it really doesn't bother me (and I'm dead fussy,
me).

2) What kind of door hardware do you fit to that kind of door? I
definitely want it to still be able to lie flat against the wall.
Recessed handles for the inside bit when folded closed? Knobs on the
outside either side of the fold? Roller catch to hold it shut?

I have a bathroom door like this in a property I rent out. When I bought
the place, there was no form of handle/catch in place - I think the idea
was you just had to sing very loudly while on the bog - but I wanted to
put this right before letting the place, so had the same issue as you. I
ended up putting a pull-knob on the outside, on the panel furthest away
from the main hinge but positioned fairly near the overall centre of the
door (the door folds *inwards* so the pull knob doesn't impinge).

On the inside of the door I fitted a flush-fitting ring pull like this:
http://www.willowandstone.co.uk/cms-...ass-flush-fit-
ring-pull-_1.jpg - again, on the outer panel close to the mid-line hinge
(ISTR the two handles were almost back-to-back). My first attempt
involved a non-recessed handle, which was rubbish, as it prevented the
two door panels from folding properly. The slight 'gotcha' is the door
is a hollow, thin-walled MDF construction, and there's bugger all to
attach the recessed handle to (and it needs firmly anchoring to resist
pulling forces). Think I solved that one with copious quantities of car
body filler!

As for a catch, I just ended up using a brass hook-and-eye inside the
bathroom (so the door can't actually be latched shut from the outside).
That's probably inappropriate for a kitchen though.

HTH
--
David

Folding door hardware
 

On Fri, 6 Dec 2013 05:01:09 -0800 (PST), wrote:


1) The door is slightly (2cm) too short. Is there a way of making it
taller (e.g. gluing a strip of wood to the bottom). Or would making the
door frame slightly shorter by attaching some wood to the header work
better?

Bit's on the bottoms of the doors won't be noticeable. Sticking bits
to the frame at the top may well look odd as the thickness of
sections of architrave varies around the door.

2) What kind of door hardware do you fit to that kind of door?

Bi-fold door set. Runner that fits to the top of the frame that takes
a slied attached to the outside top of the door and two pivots for
the top/bottom of the inside end of the door. A bi-fold set will only
allow the door to go to 90 deg when open.

Recessed handles for the inside bit when folded closed? Knobs on the
outside either side of the fold?

Yes but probably not both sides outside as the one against the wall
will stop the door going right against the wall. See above though you
may have a bit of clearance with only a 90 deg opening, skirting etc.

Roller catch to hold it shut?

Won't need it with a bi-fold set the door can't swing like a
conventional door, it folds and slides.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Folding door hardware
 

wrote in message
...

The kitchen is next on the tidy up the house a bit list (ripping it all out
and putting a decent one in will have to wait until my numbers come up on
the lotto!)

It has a folding door that I quite like, but has just been attached to the
door frame and doesn't fit it at all.

1) The door is slightly (2cm) too short. Is there a way of making it taller
(e.g. gluing a strip of wood to the bottom). Or would making the door frame
slightly shorter by attaching some wood to the header work better?

2) What kind of door hardware do you fit to that kind of door? I definitely
want it to still be able to lie flat against the wall. Recessed handles for
the inside bit when folded closed? Knobs on the outside either side of the
fold? Roller catch to hold it shut?

The bit that sticks out used to contain a warm air heating unit for the
house apparently. It's used as a place to store junk and the vac now. Next
door ripped theirs out, which I might do - when the lotto numbers come up
and a new kitchen is affordable!

Here is a pic: http://i41.tinypic.com/1zwersp.jpg



Philip, your pic doesn't look at all like a folding door. It looks like
a standard wooden door that's had some 4 or 5 inches sawn off
the right-hand side.
How exactly does it fold ?

Jim Hawkins

Folding door hardware
 

On Saturday, December 7, 2013 8:19:53 PM UTC, Jim Hawkins wrote:
wrote in message

...



The kitchen is next on the tidy up the house a bit list (ripping it all out

and putting a decent one in will have to wait until my numbers come up on

the lotto!)



It has a folding door that I quite like, but has just been attached to the

door frame and doesn't fit it at all.



1) The door is slightly (2cm) too short. Is there a way of making it taller

(e.g. gluing a strip of wood to the bottom). Or would making the door frame

slightly shorter by attaching some wood to the header work better?



2) What kind of door hardware do you fit to that kind of door? I definitely

want it to still be able to lie flat against the wall. Recessed handles for

the inside bit when folded closed? Knobs on the outside either side of the

fold? Roller catch to hold it shut?



The bit that sticks out used to contain a warm air heating unit for the

house apparently. It's used as a place to store junk and the vac now. Next

door ripped theirs out, which I might do - when the lotto numbers come up

and a new kitchen is affordable!



Here is a pic: http://i41.tinypic.com/1zwersp.jpg







Philip, your pic doesn't look at all like a folding door. It looks like

a standard wooden door that's had some 4 or 5 inches sawn off

the right-hand side.

How exactly does it fold ?



Jim Hawkins

It's in its folded position in the picture (where it spends 99% of its time) so halves are in the picture, one at the front, one hidden behind it.

There is a hinge attaching the back half to the door frame and another hinge in the middle of the door attaching the two halves together.

It's definitely designed to be like that, as it's a hollow cardboard in the middle type door and has wood around all the edges.

Philip