Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Do It Yourself Bifold Closets

Bifold closet doors are used in tight spaces.


Bifold doors can be installed on most closet frames. Since bifold doors can be custom sized by the manufacturer, they can be tailored to fit almost any closet opening. Bifold doors often are installed in areas where a regular door does not have the room to swing open, like a laundry closet in a hallway. You can install bifold doors with a minimal number of tools and limited construction experience. Does this Spark an idea?


Instructions


1. Examine the bifold doors from your kit. Take note of which sides of the panels will face inside the closet. Stack the two panels with these inside surfaces facing each other.


2. Mount the hinges on the edges of the door panels, following the kit instructions. The bottom hinge usually is installed 10 to 12 inches from the bottom of the door; the top hinge is installed 6 to 8 inches below the top of the door panel.


3. Attach the pivot plates to the top and bottom of the jamb side panel. Attach the locking arm to the top of the other panel. Each manufacturer has directions for the proper place to mount this hardware, so follow those directions exactly.


4. Mark a straight line with a pencil down the top of the door jamb, 1 inch away from the front. With the hacksaw, cut the rail to fit; mount the rail on this to the inside of the frame header with the screws and directions provided by the manufacturer.


5. Screw the floor bracket into the position called for in the manufacturer's instructions. Measure precisely and make sure the bracket is aligned with the top rail by using a plumb line, running it down to the proper spot on the floor.


6. Hang the doors, per instructions. There are many different types of hardware, so follow these directions to ensure you are hanging the door properly. Usually, you will insert a pivot pin into the pivot plate on the top and bottom of the jamb side panels, and these will be put into the top rail and bottom bracket. Next, the locking arm is usually inserted into the rail away from the jamb.


7. Screw in the door aligners, per instructions, from the inside of the closet on the panels -- usually 6-8 inches from the bottom.


8. Mount your pulls, per instructions provided by the manufacturer. These pulls are usually mounted in the middle of the leading door panels, approximately 36 inches from the bottom of the floor. Mark the door and pre-drill the holes, using whatever size drill bit is called for. Mount these pulls into the drilled holes.


9. If you are installing two sets of bifold doors into one frame, repeat the steps to install the next one.

Tags: bifold doors, from bottom, inches from, inches from bottom, away from, Bifold doors