Sliding / Bypass doors how to

[bigangelman]

I am making a large laundry closet where the door will be 8' wide. ( It will contain washer, dryer, freezer, & recycle bins) I would like to have doors covering the opening but I would also like to be able to open to have at least 2/3rds of it open. Bi folds would be nice if they didn't protrude into the hallway. Say 4 - 24" doors when open will block the hallway when open. The best alternative I've come up with is 3 32" doors on 3 tracks so they can all be move to one end. Anybody got any better ideas?

Tom

[cabinetman]

Bypass doors would work. HD sells a Stanley track that you could use 3/4" or 1 3/8" doors. You may have to get 2 double track assemblies.
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[pelligrini]

A floor plan would be a big help to see what's exactly going on.

Pocket doors might be able to be used, but the walls end up a little flimsy and there isn't room for plumbing or electrical in them.

[LarryG]

Three doors on three tracks will yield the largest possible net opening, and you can "move" the opening anywhere across the overall opening's width ... far left, far right, or anywhere in the middle. However when the doors are closed there will be a "stepped" arrangement that I personally wouldn't like.

Four doors on two tracks would net a maximum opening just slightly less than half the total width (due to door edge overlap), but you could only have the maximum opening at the far left, middle, and far right. This arrangement would have the most balanced look with the doors closed, though.

Pros and cons either way. I don't have a lot of love for bypass doors.

[steve-norrell]

We have a similar problem, but three sliding doors would still keep too much of the space (behind the doors) blocked.

We have looked at those folding (accordian) type doors but haven't yet made the decision to go with them. If we did, we would probably get two doors that met in the middle. Would that work for you?

Regards, Steve

[Mr__Bill]

I expect that you have already thought of pocket doors and ruled them out. To me the ideal solution would be a tambour door. It could roll up or slide to each side. If you did the sliding door you could hang each segment off of a trolley and us a heavy duty curtain track to support it. Track would be from an industrial supply place and would look something like this The track would be hidden in a cavity above the door and when the door was open the door would wrap around to the back of the closet.

The slickest solution would be a holographic image of a door in the opening......

Bill

[bigangelman]

Bypass doors

I have committed to 3 doors, thanks for all your thoughts. Pocket doors wouldn't work because there is no wall in which to create a pocket. The accordion is a no go, due to wife. I framed the openning with 2x6" to make the jamb thick enough for the hardware & doors. I found some stanley hardware for the hanger trolleys, so each door will have a track & 2 trolleys. I am still trying to figure out the bottom guides though. I'm thinking t-nuts into the bottoms of the doors, then make some "pins" that will thread into them. Then install wood threshold with 3 dado's for the pins to run in.

I also had thoughts about bifolding doors (3 doors each side) with the ends hinged normally. I could get away with 6 - 16" doors in the open position protruding into the hallway. How would I hang inner most doors and work the hardware so that everything works smoothly?

Tom