Pros and Cons of Bathroom Shower Doors

If you are considering replacing your old shower curtain with bathroom shower doors you should consider some of the details of the doors. Both curtains and doors have their pros and cons and it is up to you to decide which style outweighs the other. There are many aspects to these doors that curtains do not have such as allowing the beauty of the tempered glass to be part of your decor. Shower curtains are usually themed in some way; whether it is nautical, solid colors or designs. Glass can also be themed but you can also show your sense of style with doors.

bifold doors

Bathroom shower doors have many pros to them. The fact that they come in a variety of designs make them one of the most popular ways to enclose a shower. They can be framed or frameless, sliding or bifold and are easier to clean than shower curtains. Most curtains must be replaced periodically due to mold and mildew as well as fading where shower doors are easily cleaned with a cleanser and a sponge. They cost more to install but because they are durable they will last a lifetime with very little maintenance.

BIFOLD DOORS

One of the most popular styles of doors is the neo angle. The doors are not so much neo angle as the shower itself. The shower is designed to use the wasted space of a bathroom corner and the doors open close to the center of the room. This gives you much more space to move around and enter and exit the shower. You will find that these doors have higher prices. Neo angle shower doors come in a variety of styles just as many other types of doors. The most common are bifold shower doors.

Bifold doors can be used for any style of shower. Many homeowners are replacing their old sliding doors with bifold because they open wider than the sliding variety. They can be custom built to fit almost any size opening as well as to include the features you are looking for such as the door handle. You can purchase them in framed or frameless styles with frosted, textured or clear tempered glass. Shower curtains generally come in one or two styles; cloth or vinyl. Bifold doors will vary in price but can be inexpensive depending on the features you choose.

Which would you rather have hanging in your bathroom; custom doors or a molded, ratty shower curtain? Retailers can help you choose your shower doors and guide you to the ones that will best fit your style including the door handle. You will find that your choices in features will affect the prices. Neo angle doors may have to be special ordered by some local retailers due to the popularity of the style. The choice of bathroom shower doors is a no brainer. They are easier to maintain, won't promote mold and mildew and bring a whole new look and feel to your bathroom.

Pros and Cons of Bathroom Shower Doors

BIFOLD DOORS

Bathroom Folding Shower Doors

Folding shower doors have become more popular, as many homeowners are looking for ways to increase the value of their homes through updates. Updating your bathroom can be as easy as changing the depth of glass in your shower doors, or even changing from framed to frameless. Remember that when your home is appraised with folding shower doors, the frameless versions can add up to ,500 in equity overall to the home.

bifold doors interior

Folding shower doors have many options including framed and frameless, differing depths of glass as well as designs in the glass or even upgraded materials. Framed doors sit on a track much like sliding doors. The difference between the sliding and the folding types is that there is a hinge in the center of each piece of safety glass. The safety glass in folding doors comes in depths of 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8 inch variations. This makes a difference as to the type of frame that can be used, and the largest difference is in the prices. Retailers charge more for thicker glass, as well as differences in length of the hinged areas. The average width of one panel of safety glass used in hinged shower doors that only have two panels is 24 inches, while larger areas may require more doors panels be used to cover the area. For tubs or stalls that are wider than 48 inches, it is recommended that a professional be sought to complete the work as custom doors will be required.

BIFOLD DOORS

Glass used for these bifold doors ranges in designs from obscure glass, frosted glass to clear glass or even custom design etching. Smoked glass and unfinished glass are commonly found in more modern frames, while frameless models generally use clear glass. Framed doors have options for materials, as many less expensive models are made of anodized aluminum. Brushed nickel, brass, wood appearance or even plastic can be found as well as gold tone surfaces. For frameless doors in your tub or stall, there is no enclosure but the hardware used for support at the top and bottom of the doors can also be purchased in these same finishes and materials. However, the tracks used for the top and bottom of the frameless doors will be sealed, and therefore the interior of the shower tracks should be protected. The enclosure options vary, as many people opt to use the magnetic enclosures for folding doors. These enclosures consist of a magnet on the inside track and metal on the inside of the door matching up correctly to provide a secure match. Even when wet, these magnets work as well as they do in any other environment.

Folding shower doors add a new appearance to an otherwise updated bathroom, and the investment made to improve the bathroom will be seen for years to come. This style of shower door offers reliability found in the sliding glass doors, but is also good for those that do not have a lot of room in the bathroom. Using folding doors allows for a wider open area in small bathrooms, and still holds the same reliability and safety.

Bathroom Folding Shower Doors

BIFOLD DOORS

Remodelling - Partitions From Doors

These versatile barriers come in a bewildering variety of shapes, sizes and materials, but can be classified generally as accordion, bifold or sliding bypass doors. The accordion and bifold types make handier room dividers than the more cumbersome sliding bypass doors, which are usually used as closet closures, but all three types can be adapted to serve as room partitions.

bifold doors

The accordion door looks like the bellows of an accordion and is usually made of pleated fabric or vinyl stretched over a light metal or plastic skeleton. Closing the door stretches out the pleats into a substantial-looking partition; when the door is opened, the pleats fold compactly to one side. Accordion doors, which are hung on rollers from a single overhead track and attached at one side to a wall, are the easiest of the three types of track-mounted doors to install and once in place require little or no adjustment.

BIFOLD DOORS

Bifold doors consist of wood, plastic or metal panels up to about 2 feet wide hinged together lengthwise, usually in pairs. Pairs of panels can be linked together to form one continuous surface. A bifold door consisting of one or more pairs can be mounted at one side of an opening and closed by pulling it all the way across, or the doors can be installed at each side of an opening and pulled together in the middle. An overhead track guides the bifold door but the weight of the door rests on a pivot that is attached to the floor on the wall side. A pivot at the top of the door holds the assembly upright.

Sliding bypass doors usually consist of two large wooden panels, each hung by wheels from an overhead track. The panels overlap by about an inch and when closed are kept vertically aligned by a small floor-mounted guide. All overhead tracks - whether they support or merely guide a door - sustain considerable stress when the doors are in use and should be attached to a level, structurally supported surface.

Occasionally a track can be fastened directly to the ceiling. But since folding or sliding doors more than 6 feet 8 inches high are seldom readily available and since most ceilings are 8 feet high, installing such doors usually involves attaching the track for the door to a header suspended from the joists, the structural beams that support the ceiling and the floor above.

The location of the joists helps to determine the position of the door. After locating the joists and marking the proposed position of the door, carefully calculate the vertical space needed for the door and its track. Design and construct a header suitable for the type of ceiling involved to fit in the space between the track and the ceiling.

To calculate the height of header to be suspended from a permanently attached ceiling, measure from floor to ceiling at several points along the proposed line of the door. Subtract from the shortest of these measurements (thus allowing for any unevenness in floor or ceiling) the height of the door and its track plus the thickness of the wallboard or other covering to be applied to the bottom of the header. The result is the height of the header frame; its length is the distance from wall to wall. Attach the header to the ceiling joists, fasten the track to the header and mount the door in its track.

For a door that is hung directly from the ceiling, locate the joists and attach the track directly to them through the ceiling material.

Remodelling - Partitions From Doors

BIFOLD DOORS

How to Install Bi-Fold Doors

Typically used for closets, pantries, or other interior openings, bi-fold doors are two doors that slide together on a track in accordion fashion. With the right tools and a little bit of time, you can install bi-fold doors yourself without the trouble or hassle of having to call in a handyman.

bifold doors interior

The first thing you will need to do is measure the space where the doors will be. Use a tape measure to determine the height and width of the space, and do this twice to be sure of your numbers. When purchasing your bi-fold doors, the doors must have a combined width that is 1-inch less than the width of the opening, and 1 to 2 inches shorter than the height. This will give you the room to open and close your doors, and it also takes into consideration the track that they'll slide on.

BIFOLD DOORS

Before you begin to put on the doors on, you will first have to install the track at the top of the frame and also the floor brackets at the bottom which are in the shape of an "L." Once these are in place, you will need to find the pre-drilled holes at the top and bottom of the doors. At the top, the hole closest to the sidewall, place the dowel in that comes with the spring assembly. The dowel with the screw assembly goes in the bottom hole that is nearest the sidewall, and the dowel with no assembly goes in the top hole that is farthest from the sidewall. Using a hammer, tap the dowels into place.

Now it's time to install the doors. First put the dowels into the track at the top, and then push the door up until the bottom dowel is in the L-bracket. To adjust the door height, rotate the screw to raise or lower them until they are at the desired height.

The last step in the process is to install the hardware. At the center of the door panel farthest from the sidewall, make a mark with a pencil where the handle or knob will go. Drill the hole and then screw the hardware into place. Be sure to test the doors a few times by opening and closing them to make sure that they run smoothly on the track and that they are at the appropriate height. You've done it! Enjoy your bi-fold door(s)!

How to Install Bi-Fold Doors

BIFOLD DOORS

Closet Door Ideas That Are Affordable

Closets are a necessity in every home, in every bedroom and in most cases in the bathroom. Closet door ideas are easy to come up with to help make them both a functional part of your home as well as part of the decor. One instance of this is with mirror closet doors. Everyone knows that mirrors make small rooms appear larger. Using these can make your small bathroom or bedroom look larger, therefore giving it a more welcoming feeling.

bifold doors

For a more contemporary and modern appearance, you can use frosted glass, plexiglass or bifold doors. Plexiglass is great for a child's room because of the safety features. A master bedroom or guest bedroom can have frosted glass or bifold doors. These bring a contemporary style with elegance to any room. In addition to using these on closets, they can also be used as a room organizer or dividers.

BIFOLD DOORS

Many sliding doors can be purchased in kits or systems. This means they come complete with all the hardware that is needed to install them and they can be used in different ways. Some systems allow you to use them as room dividers or an organizer. These are usually attached to the ceiling by a track that spans the entire width of the room and one wall so it divides the space up into two smaller areas. When opened they allow you the use of the entire area while the doors are neatly stacked against one wall. Other sliding ideas include single doors with one track.

Louvered doors make an excellent choice for shoe, linen or utility closets. These are very affordable and can be purchased for interior use for closets, rooms or windows. Windows such as the patio sliding variety can have louvered doors attached to them so it blocks prying eyes from seeing into your home while still allowing the sun to filter through. These are easy to repair in case one or more louvers get damaged. You simply remove the damaged ones and use new ones as a replacement.

Many newly built homes have a walk in closet. These are the perfect spot for sliding mirror doors. They offer you hung doors without a bottom track for easy access to your closet. They also act as a divider between your bedroom and the closet, making it a separate entity from the rest of the room. These can be found at your local home supply depot. They are affordable and can greatly improve the function as well as the looks of your home.

Whether you are looking for replacement closet door ideas or a room divider, your local home supply depot can help. They can supply you with replacement hardware for an existing interior door system or an entire new system. The modern styles that are available can have your walk in closet looking new again in no time. Many local retailers also carry the necessities to repair louvered doors.

Closet Door Ideas That Are Affordable

BIFOLD DOORS

Closet Doors Dare To Be Different

You've just spent a considerable amount of money on the interior of your closet, installing a closet organizer to assure that your shoes, ties, belts, scarves, dresses, shirts and slacks are all easily accessible. As nice as the interior of your closet now looks, you don't want the effect to be spoiled by a door that doesn't do it, or the rest of your bedroom, justice.

interior glass bifold doors

How big is your closet?

BIFOLD DOORS

Of course the type of closet door you have depends in large part on the size of your closet. If it's a wall closet - very shallow - then of course you'll need a different type of door then if it's a walk-in.

The four types of closet door, therefore, would be the simple panel door that opens outward and lets you into the walk-in closet, bifold doors that let you view your wall closet, and the sliding doors which could be used for either version, depending on the length of the closet itself. The accordion door is also a choice.

Bifold doors would allow you to use over-the-door system to store shoes, for example - which would not work with a sliding door. Sliding doors can look more attractive than bifold doors, however.

Matching or contrasting colors?

Of course the first thing you'll have to decide about the door is its color. You'll need to find a color that will match your bedroom walls, or set it off in a striking manner. If you'd like to give your bedroom the illusion of greater size, than you'll want to get mirrored doors. And for that really elegant touch, you can even get sliding frosted glass doors.

And you'll have to give some thought to the future, of course. If you like to change the color of your bedroom every now and then, you won't want to have to change the closet door as well because it would clash with your new decor.

Vinyl or wood or what?

And what should your closet doors be made of? You've got a lot of varieties to choose from: stamped steel, hollow core, super-thin wood, or solid wood. Solid wood doors give you the most variety in their design, for you can have them hinged, folding, sliding or with pocket applications. These doors can have flat panels - to which you can affix mirrors or fabric, or louvers. (Kestrel Wood Closet Doors is one company that offers solid wood doors of high quality. They also do custom doors.) For mirrored closet doors, Fort Glass (fabricators of Stanley Mirror Doors) are one provider out of several that you can investigate on the web.

There are so many choices that you won't want to rush into your decision. Take your time investigating sources on the web, visit such stores as Home Depot or Menards or the specialty stores in your area. You can also take advantage of open houses in housing developments to go in and visit these houses and see the way those closets and bedrooms are designed. You'll then be able to make an informed decision.

Closet Doors Dare To Be Different

BIFOLD DOORS

Bi-Fold Doors Offer Better Connection With The World Outside

A lot of people choose bi-fold doors, as they provide a better view of the garden outside. When opened completely, such doors remove all barriers between the interior and the exterior of the house, thus allowing more space.

wood bifold doors

Suitable For All Kinds Of Houses

BIFOLD DOORS

Such doors are made of metal frames and glass, which allow a better view of the outside scenery. The entire structure consists of glass doors that are fixed on metal frames, which can fold at the joints. This enables you to fold the large structure into the size of a single door, so that there is no obstruction when the doors are opened. You can also leave bi-fold doors partially opened, like regular doors. The doors have an adequate locking system to secure each frame, so that you have the flexibility to open the door completely or partially. Such doors make the house look very attractive and allow a lot of fresh air into the home. You can install such doors in all kinds of houses, like bungalows and apartments. Those who have a lawn can install such doors to allow a better view of the garden, while those who stay in apartments can use such doors for a better view of the exteriors. Especially, if the apartment is near the hills, you can get a beautiful view of the surroundings by completely opening such doors. Also, closed bi-fold doors offer a beautiful view of the exterior as the doors are made of glass. It is a good idea to search on the Internet for manufacturers of such doors, as reputable companies have their websites where they provide details of their products. Interested clients can contact the manufacturer on the website, after which the company's customer service will immediately get in touch with the client to learn about their requirements. The client will be required to provide the measurements of the door, so that the manufacturer can make the desired product.

Installation By Experts

If a client requires a supervisor to check the site, a certain amount will have to be paid for such a visit. The company supervisor will then check the height and length of the door and accordingly, provide the measurement to the company for suitable bi-fold doors. While searching for a manufacturer, it is essential to clarify all details about the material that will be used for such doors. Generally, the frame is made of good quality aluminum, or non-rust steel or wood, while the major portion of the door is made of glass. It is essential to use good quality glass which is sturdy and can withstand bad weather like heavy rain and storms. There should also be adequate locking systems to secure the door, so that there is no scope for theft. Reputable companies use strong glass for such doors, which offers a clear view and also provides adequate protection. Once the door has been manufactured as desired, experts from the company are sent to the site to install the doors in the right manner.

By choosing bi-fold doors, you can ensure an attractive home and also a better view of the scenery outside.

Bi-Fold Doors Offer Better Connection With The World Outside

BIFOLD DOORS