One of the easiest ways to completely change the look of your porch, patio, and living space is to install porch folding doors. They’ll completely open up your living space by allowing greater amounts of natural lighting, and you’ll be able to open up the entire system, creating a seamless transition between your home’s interior and your outside patio.

If you’re reading this article, then you (like many first-time shoppers) are probably confused about the difference between exterior folding doors and your everyday closet bi-folds. Unfortunately, the terms “bi-fold” and “folding door” are often used interchangeably, which can be more than a bit confusing if you’ve never purchased folding doors before.

In today’s post, we’ll give you a quick breakdown of the key differences between exterior folding doors and closet folding doors. Check it out!

What’s The Difference Between Exterior Folding Doors And Closet Bi-Folds?

The most obvious difference between exterior folding doors and closet bi-folds is that one type of door is designed to function as an exterior porch/patio door while the other is designed to function as an interior closet door.

For research purposes, you may want to stick with the keywords “porch folding door, multi-fold door, or exterior folding door” when searching for patio folding doors. Unfortunately, if you enter “bi-fold doors” into the Google search bar, then you’ll mostly just be presented with a bunch of closet door systems.

So, with the obvious difference aside, let’s take a minute to discuss some of the key differences in material, design, and size of exterior and interior door systems.

The Type Of Doorframe Material

For the most part, closet folding doors and exterior folding doors feature the same design principle. They involve multiple door panels that can be folded to the side of the doorway accordion-style. This method of opening the doors means that you won’t have to rearrange your furniture every time that you want to open the doors.

One of the biggest differences between exterior folding doors and closet folding doors is the doorframe material that’s used. Exterior folding doors typically utilize high-quality stainless steel tracks on the top and bottom, which support the weight of the heavy door panels and allow them to slide freely along the track.

The Amount Of Glass

Generally speaking, closet folding doors don’t have any glass. They’re almost always made from cheap, lightweight particleboard. While closet doors will feature some built-in ventilation, they’re mainly designed to hide whatever mess you have behind your closet doors.

In contrast, exterior porch doors feature huge panes of tempered, energy-efficient glass that’s designed to withstand the elements and prevent your inside air from escaping when the doors are closed.

The Size And Weight Of The Doors

Most closet folding doors weigh less than 20 pounds and can easily be installed without professional help. However, exterior folding door panels can easily weigh between 180 and 200 pounds each. Due to the complex, detailed measurements required for these systems, they’ll always have to be professionally installed.

Locking Mechanism

Most closet folding doors don’t have a locking mechanism. If they do, it’s usually just something rudimentary designed to keep your toddlers from opening and closing the doors like a toy. Since exterior folding doors serve as a main entrance to your home, they almost always feature heavy-duty multi-point locking mechanisms designed to prevent burglars from breaking in.

The Price

Last but not least, the biggest difference between the two types of folding doors is the price. Most folding door systems cost anywhere between $1,500 and $10,000, while closet folding doors can be purchased for around $100 or so.

Do They Make Interior Folding Doors?

Now, let’s just say that you like the look of exterior porch folding doors but you want to install them inside your home as a room divider or to create an office space. In this case, you can purchase a set of interior folding doors.

What’s The Difference Between Interior And Exterior Folding Doors?

For the most part, they look and function just like exterior folding doors. However, since they’re designed for inside use, they don’t require the same heavy-duty materials or expensive low-emissivity glass. The door panel themselves aren’t as large and the tracks are usually flush with the ground so as not to be a tripping hazard.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this post was able to help clear up any confusion you might have regarding the difference between exterior folding doors and closet folding door systems. If you’re looking for more in-depth articles about how folding door systems work, and how to custom order your own porch folding doors, then we encourage you to check out the rest of our blog and get educated!