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Bifold Closet Doors

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Topic by Robbi posted 06-06-2008 04:49 PM 12654 views 0 times favorited 8 replies Add to Favorites Watch
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Robbi

2 posts in 5482 days

06-06-2008 04:49 PM

Topic tags/keywords: bifold doors closet doors bedroom question planning

I am starting a new project this weekend and was wondering if anyone out there has ever done this and if you have any pointers about things I may run into.

I covered up my hall closet and opened it up on the other side, which happened to be a bedroom and enlarged the existing closet. Unfortunately, when I did it, I didn’t think about it not being a standard size, actually, I did, but had planned on putting in sliding closet doors so it wasn’t crucial….but…..I forgot about the nice drawers and shelves I put in the original closet and they land smack in the middle, so if I put in a sliding door, I will never be able to open the drawers again. That darn standard size would be nice right now. So I ordered the hardware for the bifold doors and I am going to build some non standard size doors this weekend.

Any advise would be much appreciated.

-- Robbi, If it's not broke, fix it anyway



View TreeBones's profile

TreeBones

6 posts in 5482 days

06-06-2008 09:33 PM

Robbi, Since you are also an LJ building the doors shouldn’t be a problem (just like a tall thin coffee table, nice project). If you have installed bi fold doors before then you should be familiar with the basic concept, if not then I would study up on them before making the doors. As long as you have all your door sizes figured out for your finish opening I wouldn’t worry to much, just plow ahead.

-- Ron Trout, http://westcoastlands.net

View tenontim's profile

tenontim

151 posts in 5546 days

06-06-2008 11:46 PM

When you build your doors, provided you’re going to do frame and panel, go ahead and make them with full mortise and tenon joints. This will help keep the doors flat, since bi folds press against each other and the frame. If you are just going to make plywood doors, make them out good cabinet grade plywood and face them with 1/4” hardwood plywood. That will give you a little over an inch of door thickness.

-- Tim

View Catspaw's profile

Catspaw

35 posts in 5530 days

06-07-2008 02:10 AM

Any store bought bifolds I’ve ever dealt with were cheap. hardware was shoddy at best. My first instinct is to make two doors that part in the middle rather than a bifold. Invariably the hardware (the way it’s made) is always hard to lock down at the hinge side to keep the door from coming out of it’s track (for a top only hardware system.) Hopefully you got a decent system. I’m sure there’s a whole range of quality out there.

-- arborial reconfiguration specialist

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Robbi

2 posts in 5482 days

06-07-2008 03:16 AM

Thanks for the confidence Ron, I just hope my calculations are correct! Tim, yes I am doing frame and panel with full mortise and tenon joints. And Catspaw, I have had the same experience with bifold doors, but the room is small and the closet is big, so two doors are not an option. I got the hardware from Johnson Hardware and the instructions look pretty straight forward. I wanted to wait for the hardware before I started the doors, so I guess I’m going to just dive in. Thanks for all the comments, wish me luck.

-- Robbi, If it's not broke, fix it anyway

View Jason22's profile

Jason22

5 posts in 3565 days

09-11-2013 04:19 AM

Well those folding door are little old now because now the sliding doors are more popular then those. Because there are thousands of ideas for sliding doors. I think you should consider about them.

-- http://www.thepoolfactory.com/swimming-pools/above-ground-pools

View Jace Clarkson's profile

Jace Clarkson

1 post in 3384 days

03-05-2014 02:46 PM

I am not familiar when it comes to woodworking specially with doors, but similar issue that I have for the closet doors, I thought it would fix after resizing and putting it back. Late to realize that this is not my expertise and it is always good to be true, learning from my mistakes may just be a learning process. My idea ended up calling expert woodworker.

-- Jace Clarkson, works @ http://caldwells.com/interior-doors/contemporary-doors

View Greg 's profile

Greg

32 posts in 3474 days

03-06-2014 12:48 AM

Build the doors it’ll be a fun project. Post some pics as you go. Freud makes a door raised panel bit set that is pretty nice and would make it a lot easier

-- Ferdinand and Son Construction. Do it right the first time. Like us on Facebook

View RJ2's profile

RJ2

4 posts in 2680 days

02-08-2016 03:57 PM

Go with Bi Part Barn Doors . I never like the way the pantry bi fold doors would stick out into the passage way , to walk around when left open . In my case it was kitchen pantry doors and always left open , except when company was over . Solved it with making BiPart barn doors . My wife likes them , but told me there to perky .

-- PLUM PLUM OR PLUM SOME

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