Types of Closet Doors
There are dozens of different types of closet doors if you consider every feature and its variants, but all of them can be broadly categorized into ten types based on design and style of functioning. Learn the types in this article for your next home project!
The most prevalent types of closet doors are swinging, sliding or bypass, folding, barn style, and French. Plus, you may opt for custom closet doors that combine features of different types using materials you prefer and other specific attributes you might want.
Each of the common types of closet doors is available in custom and standard sizes, covering all the popular materials. Also, you may explore unique ideas beyond conventional options. Read on to know what is the best type of doors for closets!
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1. Classic Swinging Door
The classic swinging door has a regular design and form with hinges. You may choose a single or double swinging door. Additionally, you can swing this classic door into or out of a closet, subject to the available space in the room and your preference.
While this classic closet door has many advantages, including complementing your interiors and contributing to the value of your property, the swinging function demands sufficient space, which may be an issue in many homes, especially small apartments, and condominiums.
2. Closet Barn Door
Closet barn doors require a special mount for the sliding function, which makes use of the following hardware:
- Door guides
- Hangers
- Jump blocks
- Rollers
- Standoffs
- Stops
- Track
Most of the hardware will be visible unless you conceal the mounting setup, which will increase the cost. Besides, not all closets have sufficient wall space on either side for all the hardware for a door that basically slides beyond the closet’s outer frame.
That said, some people love the aesthetics and distinctness of sliding barn closet doors, especially for large walk-in closets.
3. Closet French Door
French doors have been a common or almost default option for decks and patios among many homeowners, but they are now becoming quite popular as one of the best types of closet doors. Of course, you need enough space for a closet French door as it will swing like the classic style.
4. Custom Closet Door
Almost every closet door manufacturer or reseller you contact will likely offer you custom sizes, but some may also have customized configurations. For example, a manufacturer can combine the elements of a barn-style sliding door with the overall design and panels of French doors.
5. Folding Closet Door
A folding closet door doesn’t exactly slide or swing. The door folds into half or several panels, depending on the design. A bifold closet door is a door style with two panels. An accordion door, named after the musical instrument, has many panels that can fold and stretch as you open and close.
A folding closet door is one of the most suitable types of closet doors for bedrooms that don’t have a lot of space and if a sliding installation is unfeasible. It’s also a more lightweight type of door! Folding closet doors may be ideal in bathrooms and kitchens, subject to their designs and layouts.
6. Pocket Closet Door
The pocket closet door is a version of the traditional sliding door with one difference: it slides into the wall, almost disappearing within the installed frame. Available as single and double doors, the pocket style is probably the most complicated option due to its installation.
Pocket doors aren’t space intensive, so they can be suitable for almost any room, but the installation demands building the compartment, frame, or wall space around the door for it to slide into. Not every wall may have the required thickness to accommodate a door sliding into it.
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7. Slab Door for Closets
A slab door is a flat, rectangular panel cut to fit the dimensions of your closet. Slab doors don’t usually have any hardware included in the purchase, and most come without pre-drilled holes or other prefabrication that can otherwise make installation easy and quick.
8. Sliding or Bypass Closet Door
A bypass closet door is a sliding door, but it doesn’t use a pocket or the visible mounting system of the barn style. Bypass closet doors are mounted on tracks and slide within the frame. Such a design and function eliminates the space criterion that’s unavoidable with swinging doors.
However, a bypass closet door with two panels will always have one side closed when you slide and open the other. Also, narrow closets aren’t suitable for such doors. But the bypass styles are the best types of sliding closet doors, especially compared to barn and pocket styles.
9. Closet Doors with Specific Features and Materials
While retaining the core functional and structural elements, different types of closet doors can be made of distinct materials with varying specifications. For instance, closet doors may have one or more of the following features:
- Flush, flush with grooves, flush with lines
- Hinged, louvers, panels, stile and rail, etc.
- Classic, luxury, modern, shaker style, etc.
You may classify different types of closet doors based on the material, such as the following:
- Glass (frosted, mirror, tempered, etc.)
- MDF, plywood, reengineered wood, etc.
- PVC, vinyl, and other such materials.
- Wood (hollow core, solid core, solid wood, etc.)
Homeowners and manufacturers can segregate different types of closet doors based on the purpose or specific room, including but not limited to the following:
- Bathroom
- Bedroom
- Cabinet
- Children’s room
- Kitchen
- Laundry
- Living room
- Pantry
Furthermore, you will find companies, whether manufacturers or resellers, categorize the types of closet doors based on certain collections or editions and features, such as the following:
- 1-panel
- 2-panel
- 3-panel
- Pre-finished
- Prehung
- Primed
- Standard
- Unfinished
Most of these specific features, materials, and other specifications aren’t limited to any one type of closet door. Hence, they don’t really classify the broader types based on function.
10. Unique Closet Doors
Unique closet doors may be a customized or innovative version of a traditional type. Also, there are some closet door alternatives. Here are a few examples:
- Bookcase doors or shelving doors (swinging)
- Curtains, doorway beads, macrame
- French screen as a closet door
- Open closet, which has nothing in front
Many alternative propositions aren’t closet doors by definition, but they may be suitable in some settings. Still, the best types of doors for closets are the classic swinging, folding, and sliding styles. The French closet door is undoubtedly among the best. A custom closet door might be a fitting option if the standard closet doors aren’t practical or suitable in a given setting.
