A small kitchen has a large door opening into it and the door always seems to be in the way. The options seem to be to convert it to a bi-fold or put it on a sliding rail ... sliding looks like the better option as there's a convenient recess that the door can slide into and be completely out of the way.
Can anyone recommend sliding door or bi-fold conversions that don't need a floor track?
I don't want to remove the skirting in the area that the door will slide into so plan to leave the architrave as well and just extend the door lining to be close to the door ... is there a better way of doing this?
I've installed one (B&Q - 2006) in the workshop that has the door hanging from an overhead rail. There's no floor track, rather a single peg that locates itself in a grooved slot attached to the bottom of the door.
My door sweeps just past the frame lining which makes it airtight when closed.
Sliding doors (not bi-fold) can work with a track (simple metal channel) recessed in the bottom edge of the door and a pin in the floor at one edge of the opening (the "open" edge if you see what I mean).
Usually there is a single pin on the floor engages with a groove on the underside of the door. The groove has a "kick" in the end that swings the door against the frame as it closes the last inch or so.. When you have the door hung, beads are nailed to the door frame to make it draught proof.
A student hovel I rented in the 80's had one for the bathroom door, it did a good job of increasing the usable space in a small room, but a bad job of staying on the runner with three blokes sharing a house.
Bi-fold is easier to the extent that the two halves together will be the same width as the existing door, so will fit into the rebates without having to fill them or remove the architrave. But if you cut an ordinary internal door in half, you'll just have cardboard honeycomb in the middle - so you'll have to construct two new vertical frame members, and glue them in place. Actually, your woes won't stop there! Whether sliding or bi-fold, you'll have to reduce the height of the door - either at the top or bottom, or both - resulting in more frame re-construction.
If you go for a sliding door, the door needs to be slightly wider than the aperture so - if using the existing door - you'll need to fill the rebates in the door frame.[1] You'll get a far better job if you remove the architrave and skirting, but you'll then have to beautify the wall from which it's removed - although it may not be urgent in the recess if if doesn't show. If you leave them on, the door will stand out a long way from the wall and you'll need a very odd section of timber to fill the rebates and come out flush with the architrave.
[1] I've just measured the sliding door in the room I use as an office, and that is a 30" door in a 28" frame - so, if you wanted to achieve a similar overlap, you'd need to do more than just filling the rebates.
Which is a huge hassle. Wouldn't have started if I'd known enough to realise that I'd have to cut out the honeycomb with a multi-tool, buy a small table saw to cut timber from 38mm down to 27mm (was amazed to discover that nowadays B&Q and the like won't cut small timber for you), glue in place with expanding glue, then samd the result to the precise width required.
They didn't! The doors were remade very accurately (I was nervous), but the 100 year old tenement building had an entire end wall rebuilt from the ground up some years ago, and as a result evrything is slightly lopsided. Not even trapezoid. And bifold requires accurate positioning. So more planing and sanding.
OTOH it doesn't block the opening as some sliding door arrangements would do, and there's now room for a bedside table.
Thanks, after a chat with the manufacturer I decided to use the Screwfix kit and I'm pleased with the result. I even managed to re-use the original brass handles by sawing-off the handle bit and turning down the central part into a large peg.
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