Sliding Closet Door Design

The Japanese may actually be the first people to use what we refer to today as sliding closet doors. These doors essentially follow the commonly accepted definition of a door that moves sideways or in an up and down motion. They still serve the same purpose as they did then, to manage space, provide ease of use and highlight or disguise internal or external features of a structure.

The horizontal doors used on closet sliding doors move along a track mounted overhead and a floor guide for stability. To manage the smooth movement they'll have cushions and buffers on the ends to prevent damaging adjacent construction to ensure a smooth gliding motion when operated. Closet sliding doors of the vertical variety are seated in a groove, much like dresser drawers to ensure they glide in one direction.

Once relegated to bedrooms, the versatility and creative use of sliding closet doors have found their way into many uses. Some include beautification of the exterior of homes, interior room dividers, decorative storage areas and even garages. The variety of finishes, colors and configurations of closet sliding doors makes them even more useful when you consider the finishes and materials that are available for nearly every application imaginable.

Glass is one of the most popular materials used today because of its availability, versatility, ease of use and cost. Simply panes of glass are often used as the sole material in some designs because it can be used safely and provides many of the aesthetic features that lend well to design.

Glass can also be used for sliding closet doors that include some sort of mechanization inherent to the design. Some of these applications found in modern construction include:

Closet sliding doors consisting of glass panes, with different degrees of opacity for partition walls
Automatic sliding closet door designs used as entry and exits for high traffic areas such as malls and hospitals where the hands are not always free
Revolving circular doors which are merely sliding closet doors designed to permit hands free entrance used at airports
Composites such as aluminum, PVC and wood used to create eye-catching designs for external entrances
Kitchen options for commercial refrigerators and freezers where speed and accessibility are the key design features.
On a more practical level most home owners want to control light, dark and other features while extending the living space. Additionally, a homeowner may use sliding closet doors with mirrors to make the inside a room appear larger or create perceptions to control the ambiance of the space.

Closet door manufactures are becoming more in tune with the desires of the homeowner. Glass closet sliding doors can be controlled with top mounted hardware to help the user control track and hardware problems that seem to be a major concern with floor track mounted systems. The building industry has embraced this concept to the point that entire home designs are built around these concepts.

Homes today have a variety of materials used throughout. Manufactures recognize this and have expanded options to include materials that fit nearly any placement. Some of the more popular materials today include wood, metals, aluminum, vinyl, iron resins and man-made surfaced materials.

However, the challenge many homeowners have today come down to which closet sliding door will best serve their purpose. Here are some rules of thumb to consider when selecting your sliding closet door.Victorian style closet sliding doors are best used when there is an existing style to the home. Contrasting styles is not very appealing.
Stucco and masonry style homes can be defined by sliding doors. They are more open to installing contemporary style doors to help give the home a unique look or feel.
Mediterranean style sliding closet doors work well in and on homes whose exteriors are constructed using stucco. The covered porch entrance would be well suited to this application.