Closet Doors
USA: Closet Door Manufacturers
ABOUT CLOSET DOORS
The two most common types of closet door are
bifold folding and sliding also known as bypass. Bifold closet doors fold in on
themselves, and are fixed to sliding track at the top of the door. Closet doors take up less space, when opened,
than normal doors. Bypass closet doors take up even less space, as they slide
along double or triple tracks. Modern closet doors may be frameless, or may have frames
made from wood, aluminium, or steel. The panels may be wood,
glass, or steel. Glass is available clear, milky, frosted, or as mirror.
Wood panels may be of solid or molded wood. Slatted louvered doors have a
traditional look and provide ventilation of the closet.
CHOOSING THE BEST TYPE
The key considerations in are mechanism, materials, and
style.
Mechanisms
In terms of mechanism there are three main options: hinged, bypass
sliding, and sliding folding. Hinged doors are the
most traditional form. They are typically arranged in pairs, with timber
uprights separating the pairs of doors. This is a perfectly practical
arrangement, which has stood the test of time. Bypass doors slide in front of each other. The advantage over hinged
doors is that they do not take up any space within the room when opened; this is
particularly advantageous where space between the bed and closet is limited.
Their disadvantage is that only about half the closet can be opened at any one
time; this may be increased to two-thirds, if triple doors with triple tracks
are used. The third type of mechanism, sliding folding, overcomes this problem,
because the whole of the closet can be opened up by folding the doors back in
concertina fashion. The drawback is
that their mechanism is somewhat more complicated than that of hinged or sliding
doors, and is therefore slightly more likely to break down.
Materials
The most common materials for hinged and sliding folding doors are solid
timber, painted medium density fiberboard, or veneered medium density fiberboard.
Of these solid timber is the most robust, durable, and good looking. It is also
the most expensive. A wide choice of timbers is available, including hardwood
such as oak, maple and walnut. These doors suffer a lot of wear and tear, and
the disadvantage of painted or veneered medium density fiberboard is that it is
likely to chip and deteriorate, particularly at the corners.
Sliding doors are available in a much wider variety of materials
including glass panels which may be coloured, milky, or mirrored. Faux suede
finish is also available; this gives a soft warm feel to the room.
Styles
In terms of style, we strongly recommend that you take your cue from the style
of the room. A traditional style, with fancy panel designs, will not go well
with a modern house or apartment, and will never look right. In an older
property, we would recommend reflecting the style of
existing interior doors and windows.
LEADING MANUFACTURERS
The leading manufacturers selected by Abacus
Construction Index, listed below, have comprehensive websites, with online catalogs,
and information on specifications, colors and materials, and
care and maintenance.
Key points of difference between manufacturers of are the choice of
materials, and the method of construction. For example, manufacturers of wooden
doors differ in the range of woods offered. In terms of construction,
some manufacturers offer doors made of simple composite wood panels. Others
offer higher quality wooden doors with frames constructed
using pegged mortise and tenon joints.
Kestrel. Kestrel, based in Stowe,
Pennsylvania, has been manufacturing interior and exterior shutters and doors since 1989. Their wood shutters, doors, and folding
screen room dividers are made to order in the factory in Stowe. They are
made from hardwood, including Basswood, Spanish Cedar, and Mahogany. They are joined with deep pocket mortise and tenon joints, which are
pegged for greater durability. Floating panels allow for expansion and
contraction. Panel designs include Colonial and Traditional, Shaker Flat, and
recessed Philadelphia Federal. 3/8 inch louver blades are available in 1 7/8
inch, 2 1/2 inch, and 3 1/2 width, in both flat and tapered profiles.
Product categories in the Kestrel website
include: Exterior Shutters, Interior Shutters, Doors for Closets, Louvered Doors,
Board & Batten Shutters, Folding Screens, Plantation Shutters, Bifold Doors and
Sliding Doors.
Sliding Closet Doors
by IDRC.
The Interior Door Replacement Company (IDRC) has been operating since 1997 from
Fremont, California, and Mountain View, Huntington Beach, California. Its
specialty is replacing old doors with custom made doors. IDRC uses a digital measuring tool to measure the old door; this takes under one
minute. The measurements are then passed to a computer controlled door cutting machine
that cuts the doors to exact measurements and bores all the necessary holes for
handles and hinges. Existing doors are kept in place until the installation of
new doors, avoiding inconvenience and disruption. Materials include: oak, maple, mahogany, cherry, pine,
and alder. IDRC also offers a selection of handles, hinges, and paint finishes
to match existing color schemes.
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Craftmaster.
Craftmaster, based in Chicago, Illinois, manufactures a wide range of interior
doors including wooden and molded bifold doors. Its manufacturing plants
are based in Towanda, Pennsylvania, Christiansburg, Virginia, Ozark, Alabama,
and Garland, Texas. The wood doors are available in Pine and
Louver designs, with hollow core, semi-solid core, or solid core. Craftmaster
recommends solid core doors, which gives the feel of solid timber, and is
dimensionally more stable. Craftmaster molded bifold doors are available in four forms. Smooth, Textured, Pre-Stained and Pre-finished, and
Tall. Craftmaster also supplies mirror doors in both bifold and bypass sliding form. The bifold
mirror doors are frameless; the bypass sliding mirror doors have a solid pre-finished steel frame.
Dunbarton. Dunbarton Corporation, of Dothan, Alabama,
manufactures a wide range of doors including sliding and bifold doors for
closets. Dunbarton makes the Slimfold range of sound-dampened steel folding doors, painted
to automotive standard. These may have louvers and raised panels. The Collegiate
gives the look of a locker room. The Slimfold steel doors have a
non-pinch design that makes it impossible to trap fingers or toes. Slimfold
steel doors are available as two-panel units with total width of 2',
2'6", or 3', and as four panel units with total width of 4', 5', or 6'.
There is a range of mirror doors, which
may be bypass sliding (framed or frameless) or bifold. There is also a Markerdoor
for children's rooms; this has magnetic dry erasable marker panels in a
pre-finished steel frame, on which children can draw.
Lowes. Lowe's, founded in
1946, and headquartered in North Wilkesboro, North Caroline, operates more than
1700 retail home improvement stores in all 50 states of the USA. Lowe's supplies
a wide range of interior doors, including doors for closets. Lowe's
offers interior bifold doors, interior double prehung doors, interior mirror
bifold doors and interior mirror sliding doors. Manufacturers represented by Lowe's include ReliaBilt, KingStar, Manor Court,
Stanley, Spectrum, Sincol, and Jeld-Wen.
The Lowe's website enables users to search by price range, with options from $50
to $400. The website includes how-to articles and videos. Topics include:
Install Cabinet Organizers, Install Wire Shelving, Plan a Mudroom, Organize your
Kitchen, Install a Storm Door, Install an Exterior Door, and Install a
Replacement Window.
The Sliding Door Company.
The Sliding Door Company, which is headquartered in Van Nuys, California,
manufactures glass sliding doors for closets and room dividers. The frames may be made in aluminium, or in wood. The choice of woods
is Maple, Wenge, and Walnut. 5mm tempered glass is used as standard; a coating
is applied to resist fingerprints. The glass panels may be clear, frosted,
milky, or may be mirror. Solid wood-like panels can be provided as an
alternative. The floor tracks are designed to prevent tripping.
The Sliding Door Company website is divided into sections for home and
workplace, with further sections containing product galleries, and advice on
remodeling. The Sliding Door Company product range
includes Sliding Room Dividers, Pocket Doors, Swing Doors, Stationary Doors,
Loft Dividers, and Office Partitions.
Note: We are grateful to those websites that are placed above the line for
promoting Abacus Construction Index on their front page.
OTHER RELATED PRODUCTS
You may also like to visit our USA product guides on:
Bifold Doors,
Cabinet Doors, Door Knobs,
Folding Doors,
Kitchen Cabinet Doors,
Kitchen Cabinet Hardware, and
Kitchen Cabinet Refacing.
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Door Product Guides: Antique Doors, Back Doors, Bifold Doors, Cabinet Doors, Closet Doors, Country Doors, Dog Doors, Door Bells, Door Chimes, Door Handles, Door Hardware, Door Hinges, Door Knobs, Door Knockers, Door Locks, Entry Doors, Exterior Doors, Folding Doors, French Doors, Front Doors, Patio Doors, Pet Doors, Pocket Doors, Screen Doors, Security Doors, Sliding Doors, Sliding Glass Doors, Storm Doors, Wood Doors. .
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