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berryjam

Opinions on bifold doors

berryjam
10 years ago

Hi GWers!

I saw at one of these home shows an upper cabinet bifold door that lifts up. They were beside a hood and I thought it was the solution to the cabinet doors that always open into the hood. Anyone have these? Do you like them? Can they come in 42" high? I've tried to search houzz but there doesn't seem to be many out there, especially in a shaker style, or that they just look like a lift cabinet and that they don't reach the ceiling. I've seen one picture where they stacked 3 of these "horizontal" cabinets to reach the ceiling but I think it looks weird. Tia!

Comments (14)

  • CEFreeman
    10 years ago

    They're not bi-fold doors, which when searching will get you a lot of closets. I think you need to search for lift-up, or overhead cabinets. I can't remember.

    I've seen them before and I think they're great. The problem for me would be that lifted up, I could no longer reach it to pull it down.

    You can buy the hardware on Rockler and Lee Valley, if you wanted to use your own cabinets and doors.

  • sena01
    10 years ago

    You mean this?

    I have them, and I love them. They can be used with 42" cabs.

  • berryjam
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes Sena, that's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm glad you love yours. Are you tall? Do you have trouble pulling them back down? Have you revealed your kitchen yet? I'd love to see your kitchen.

  • sjhockeyfan325
    10 years ago

    I couldn't reach them to pull down either - I'm 5'2-1/2".

  • sena01
    10 years ago

    I'm 5'9" and easily reach my 37" uppers bare foot (actually 90 cm uppers with 50 cm b/w counter and uppers, so did some conversion here assuming you'll have 18" b/w counter and uppers). I think I wouldn't have any problem with 42" either.

    My kitchen belongs to pre-GW era so didn't make a reveal, but here are a few pics.

    The uppers on the last picture are not uplifting.I have some tall things stored there so thought regular doors would work better for them.

  • berryjam
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Wow Sena! Love your kitchen and the purple colour. My friend just recently painted her place purple and it looks really fresh. I'm also divided between the transitional shakers vs the sleek modern slab. I know, very different styles but theres something about that clean and sleek feeling thats so attractive, plus I have a bleached oak flooring which calls for the more modern look. How do you find the "double" sink? Is there a reason why you did it that way?

    I guess I'm going to have to find a showroom with this door. I'm 5'4" so a bit on the vertically challenged, however DH is 6'2" so not an issue. Sorry for asking so many questions, but when you open the cabinets, do they open all the way all the time, or do they stay where you leave them? Thanks again

  • kirkhall
    10 years ago

    It appears, the "problem" for me with them is that I wouldn't be able to install the cabinets all the way to the ceiling. The door seems to lift higher than the height of the ceiling.

    Is that true? Something to consider in your design if it is.

  • berryjam
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Kirkhall, you have a point. Thanks. Actually I was hoping they come in 42" so that I still have 3" until it reaches a bulkhead. One gc I was talking to wants to see if we can remove them but if I'm going with the bifold cabinets, I don't want to open up to the ceiling anyways.

  • deedles
    10 years ago

    I saw some at a local cabinet shop that had an automatic opener with a remote control. It was kinda nifty...

  • berryjam
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I also saw another electrical one where you pushed on the cabinet door and it lifted 90 degrees and then there was a small button by the bottom of the cabinet that you press (like the automatic car trunk close feature) and the door closes so it doesn't matter if you can't reach the door. However, it costs $1000 just for that gadget

  • sena01
    10 years ago

    EDITED TO ADD SMALLER PICTURES.

    I took some pictures, I hope it helps.

    Unless you open them very fast, they stop wherever you want them to stop.

    There's a soffit over the cabs (apartment so couldn't get rid of it) so they don't reach the ceiling. But where soffit makes a corner DH put some silicone thingy (don't no what they're called--look like large tear drops) so door doesn't hit the soffit.. Those white/yellow dots in the picture. I'm OK with that one cab, but if all your uppers would be close to the ceiling then it is something to consider.

    You don't have to open them all the way to reach the highest shelf.

    I didn't know about the closing buttons, remotes. I.must save money for those, people get shorter as they grow older you know ))

    I like the double bowls. One of my must haves was an under counter double bowl sink, with one bowl big enough for my biggest pan. Where I live kitchens are much smaller I think, so couldn't find a double bowl one the size I wanted, so preferred the 2 separate bowl option (I fell in love with stages but was too expensive and too big for my kitchen) After using them for 2 years, I think two separate bowls are better than a double bowled sink, because I buy most of my veggies from a farm and they need a lot of washing, soaking. I didn't know about prep sinks when we did the reno, but the 2 separate bowls sort of serve that purpose.

    This post was edited by sena01 on Fri, Jan 31, 14 at 8:47

  • bpath
    10 years ago

    Do you ever bump your head on the corner?

  • sena01
    10 years ago

    Do you ever bump your head on the corner?

    I don't bump my head anywhere in the kitchen, and my 6' 1-1/2" son doesn't either. But when cleaning lady who's abt 6" shorter than me comes, I'm extra careful if she opens the uppers.

  • andreak100
    10 years ago

    What you are looking for is by Blum - it's their Aventos lift hinges. Blum also makes servo-drive units which are slick - they will open and close these units very easily for you...for a price. So, it depends on your wallet.

    Here's a YouTube link to let you see the servo-drive unit in motion:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE__QLibUdg

    And here's a photo of one of the Aventos hinge units in place...if you know to search for Blum Aventos on Houzz, it helps you to find them a little more easily. We had considered this option at one point, but decided against it. In retrospect, it may have wound up working for the one area where I had considered it for our cabinet.

    [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Columbus Interior Designers & Decorators Susan Brook Interiors