Wooden internal bifold doors: benefits, designs and specifications

Wooden internal bifold doors, also known as internal room dividers, are a popular way of increasing the amount of light and space in various rooms around the home. Internal bifolds come in a range of different styles and sizes to suit any taste or home design requirement.

Here, we outline some key considerations to help you find the best wooden folding door system for your home.

What are the benefits of wooden internal room dividers?

Vufold provides high-quality wooden internal bifolds that are designed to last. Choosing an engineered wooden bifold door can ensure your door won’t warp, twist, or split. Oak is a particularly durable type of wood, providing excellent reliability while creating an eye-catching addition to the home. At Vufold, we offer a 15-year guarantee on all our internal bifold doors.

Environmental benefits

Because wood is a natural material, it requires less manufacturing compared to synthetic materials. Less manufacturing means less carbon dioxide, which lowers your carbon footprint. Wooden doors are biodegradable and can be responsibly sourced. All of Vufold’s timber doors are FSC®-certified, meaning we only use responsibly sourced materials. Vufold is fully CE marked meaning we are compliant with environmental, health and safety protection requirements.

Enjoy increased natural light

Classic bifold doors are fitted with glass. When used as a room divider, you are giving sunlight a wider entryway into both the rooms separated by the door system. Find out more about the benefits of natural light here.

Utilise your space better

Internal bifold doors can help you to make better use of your space. For example, an unused part of a room can easily be turned into a private home office space or study area without compromising on aesthetics. Read our case studies to find out more about the benefits of investing in internal bifold doors.

Excellent sound absorption

Wood absorbs sound, which can help significantly reduce noise levels for additional comfort. This can be particularly beneficial to homeowners who live in noisy areas such as cities or on busy main roads. Wooden bifold doors also help to reduce noise between rooms, for example, between the kitchen and living room. Vufold wooden bifold doors also provide external grade draught seals, not only helping with heat retention but also to significantly help with soundproofing.

Can be installed without a threshold

Vufold’s internal timber bifold doors are either side or top hung and feature low thresholds that can be easily made to the same level as your flooring. Alternatively, some sizes can even be fitted with no threshold at all giving you seamless flooring throughout.

Like external door designs, internal folding doors can vary in size and design, so it’s worth taking the time to consider what type of door system you require for your home.

Find out more about the benefits of wooden internal bifold doors here.

EXPLORING VUFOLD’S WOODEN INTERNAL BIFOLD DOORS RANGE

Inspire

The unique design of fold flat doors allows the doors to fold 180 degrees against the wall, maximising the size of the opening itself as the doors aren’t stacked within it. This avoids obstructions as the doors don’t stick out into the room.

A single door can be opened for easy access, or the simple-to-operate to slide bolts can be unlocked to allow all the doors to be opened and folded out of the way.

Inspire comes in two styles:

• Unfinished oak

• White.

Find out more about bifold door finishes here.

QUICK INFO:

• Guarantee: 15-year product guarantee (full guarantee details).

• High-quality stainless-steel hardware

• Unique fold flat design

• Engineered wood core with real oak veneer.

Urban

Our Urban Inspire and Urban Edge bifold door ranges are perfect if you are looking for an industrial-style option for your home.

Urban Inspire

The Urban Inspire room divider door sets are an excellent choice for traditional or modern homes, featuring a contemporary 5 light design and one-of-a-kind stainless-steel hardware. The fold flat design maximises the opening space, and the doors can be folded back 180 degrees against a wall to give full and open access between rooms.

Quick info:

• Guarantee: 15-year product guarantee (full guarantee details)

• Black primed finish

• Black or Satin finished handle options

• Horizontal glazing bars and handle block for an industrial style design.

Shop our internal bifold doors in black.

Urban Edge

With its 4-light design, the Urban Edge internal bifold door sets look fantastic in any on-trend Industrial style project. Made to measure sizes can be requested or choose from a large range of standard sizes. Featuring superbly engineered hardware and roller system to ensure the doors have the smoothest operation, and with certain sizes available without a bottom track, what’s not to love?

Quick info:

• Unfinished oak veneer

• Can be finished with Vufold’s satin black finishing kit or a finish of your own choice

• Guarantee: 15 years

• Selected sizes available with no bottom track for a seamless transition between rooms.

Shop our industrial style bifold doors range.

Finesse

Finesse is a stunning range of bifolds that give your living space an elegance that never goes out of style. These large single-pane glass doors can brighten up even the darkest of rooms. They use a top-hung roller system which makes opening and closing the doors completely effortless.

Upon installation, you can choose whether the doors open to the left or right, depending on the layout of your room. There is also a daily access door (see image) that allows easy access between rooms, without having to open the whole set.

Finesse comes in three styles:

• Unfinished oak with clear glass

• Unfinished oak with frosted glass

• White internal bifold doors with clear glass.

Find out more about internal bifold door finishes here.

QUICK INFO:

• Guarantee: 15-year product guarantee (full guarantee details)

• Available in both clear and frosted toughened safety glass

• Available in unfinished oak or white.

• Selected sizes available without a bottom track.

Shop the slim internal bifold doors and the frosted bifold doors ranges.

Edge

The Edge internal room divider bifold doors range offers a beautiful contemporary look. Use them to divide one large room or combine two rooms into one. The glass panels are made from 4mm-thick clear toughened glass for added safety.

Similar to the Finesse slim internal bifold doors range, Edge uses a top-hung roller system for smooth opening and closing. Some sizes also come with a bottom track offering a natural break between different floorings.

Edge comes in one style:

Unfinished oak.

QUICK INFO:

• Guarantee: 15-year product guarantee (full guarantee details)

• Unfinished oak veneer can be stained or painted

• High-quality stainless-steel hardware

• Some sizes are available without a bottom track.

Choosing wooden internal bifold door sizes and specifications

There are several styles of wooden bifolds, so it comes down to a balance between your personal taste and some practical decisions. Your taste may influence the finish and colour of your door set while the interior space you have available will decide its width and number of panels.

The width of your bifolds is determined by the wall size and the space available. Vufold makes bifolds with widths ranging from 1.2m (double door) to 3.6m (five-door).

How to measure for bifold doors

You can measure your aperture for bifolds in three easy steps:

• Measure the width at three separate levels (bottom, middle and top)

• Measure the height from top to bottom at three separate places (left, centre and right)

• Subtract 10mm from the smallest measurements to ensure there’s enough space to fit the doors and the frame

• To check whether the aperture is a perfect square, measure the diagonals from corner to corner.

How many panels does your door require?

The number of door panels your bifolds require depends on the width of the door opening. The wider the space, the more doors you need. Standard wooden internal bifolds have two to five doors, but more than six doors are available for bespoke purchases.

Vufold’s wooden internal bifold door hardware

Vufold only uses the very best hardware manufactured in architectural grade stainless steel. All bearings are custom machined, and the wheels are individually precision ground to ensure silky smooth operation. Our hardware has been cycle-tested to the equivalent of 40 years of opening and closing. When you purchase from Vufold, all fixings are included. Vufold also offer hardware that is fully adjustable in height and width to ensure your doors operate the same for many years.

Top and bottom pivots

These are attached between the pivot door and frames to allow the doors to rotate and pivot outwards as they fold up. They are fully adjustable for fine-tuning after installation to keep your doors operating perfectly over their life cycle.

• Half offset hinges — These are used between the pivot and middle door of a bifold. Offset hinges allow the doors to fold together easily.

• Intermediate carrier — This is the roller assembly that glides smoothly along the top track allowing the doors to slide and fold together.

• Straight hinge — This attaches the access door to the middle door.

• Slide bolts — These are specially-made and easy to operate, used to fasten the doors in the closed position.

• Tubular mortice latch and keep — This is a simple closing device commonly used on internal doors where no lock is needed. The mortice latch is located in the door and the keep is in the frame.

• Installation bags — These contain all the fixings and drill bits that are needed to install Vufold internal bifold doors into your pre-prepared opening.

Seals

Vufold is unique in using seals/gaskets on all our internal bifold doors. We use a combination of rubber O gaskets between the doors and Q-lon or brush seals around the frames. They help reduce noise transfer between rooms and prevent annoying light gaps between the doors, and also help with heat retention.

Are you looking for a black internal room divider door to provide seamless transitions between rooms?

Our pick:

URBAN INSPIRE

The Urban Inspire room divider door sets are an excellent choice for traditional or modern homes, featuring a contemporary 5-light design and one-of-a-kind stainless-steel hardware. The fold flat design maximises the opening space. No threshold needed for a seamless transition between rooms.

• 15 Year guarantee.

• Easy Installation.

• Features horizontal glazing bars and handle block. Read our guide to choosing internal bifold door handles here.

• Engineered wood core.

• 4mm thick clear toughened safety glass.

• Includes a fixing kit and easy to follow instructions.

Shop our internal bifold doors in black.

Frequently asked questions

How do I maintain wooden internal bifold doors?

Maintaining wooden internal bifold doors is relatively straightforward:

• Regular cleaning: Wipe the doors with a soft, damp cloth to remove dust and grime. Avoid using harsh chemicals that can damage the wood finish.

• Lubricate the track: Periodically apply a light lubricant to the track and hinges to ensure smooth operation.

• Check for damage: Inspect the doors regularly for any signs of warping, cracks, or other damage. Address issues promptly to prevent further deterioration.

• Refinish as needed: Depending on the finish, you may need to re-stain or re-paint the doors occasionally to maintain their appearance.

What types of wood are commonly used for internal bifold doors?

Common types of wood used for internal bifold doors include:

• Oak: Known for its strength and attractive grain, an oak internal door is a popular choice for its durability and classic look. View our oak internal bifold doors here.

• Pine: A more affordable option, pine is lighter and easier to work with, though it may be less durable than harder woods.

• Walnut: This wood provides a dark, elegant finish that is highly sought after for upscale interiors.

Are wooden internal bifold doors energy efficient?

Wooden internal bifold doors offer good energy efficiency due to the natural insulating properties of wood. They help maintain indoor temperatures by reducing heat transfer. For improved energy efficiency, ensure the doors are properly fitted and consider adding weather stripping or seals to minimise drafts.