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[westie1961]

hi,

we have a opening approx 7ft wide between our lounge and dinning room.

we want to put a set of french doors with glass side panels, wickes call the side panels demi panels.

have i got this in the correct order,

what size wood would you recommend to make the external frame that will hold the demi panels? + the door frame. i guess i can use ssome sort of wooden beading to give it a nicer finish between the panels and the frame.

i would like the doors to open back flush against the demi panels so that they fold right back.

what sort of hinges will i need

cheers

[Oddbod]

Hi, I think the issue is going to be the flush opening. If you think about it you can't have anything protruding out further than the hinge point or the door will foul. If the door and side panes are the same thickness that means the whole lot's got to be flush. In which case the size of wood for the frame is chosen for you! In turn that means a pretty thin frame which is likely to be fragile – it wouldn't survive an argument with granny after too many guinesses, that's for sure.

I can't really solve this problem for you I'm afraid. The principles are pretty simple. Build a door carcase which divides the gap into three, for a side panel at each end and the doors in the middle. The uprights need to be strong enough to support the doors. Beyond that what sort of architrave you go for (if any) is really a matter of aesthetics. It's the carcase that does the work.

A decent quality standard door hinge would be fine.

Sorry, not been much help here. This is one of those situations where a neat solution is very dependent on the details. Generally obvious when you're confronted with it, but not otherwise.

[westie1961]

hi, thanks for the info and help.

you advice re the frame is spot on.
i just wondered if there was a specialist type of hinge that would allow the doors to fold back on themselves.

cheers

[Oddbod]

Hi. There may be such a hinge; can't say one immediately springs to mind! The reason is that a conventional hinge will do the job just fine provided the pivot point lies outside the plane of the door.

Go and have a look at any old door in your house. What stops it opening flush? Chances are it'll be the architrave (the wood surrounding the door frame). Now imagine the architrave wasn't there. The door would open all the way until the door handle eventually hits the wall..

It almost certainly isn't the hinge the stops it. And even if it is, just imagine moving the hinge out from the door another mm or so.

Just check the hinge will open more than 270 degrees (most do).

[droylsden18]

the hinges you require are called parliament hinges, these will allow the doors to fold back flush

[thedoctor]

See our project on types of hinge