Bifold doors are a good way to give your home a stylish entrance. It’s very easy to have bifold doors installed in your home. Order one online, and you can have it installed by the pros very easily. However, this isn’t always the case.
Most bifold doors come in 34 inches to 72 inches in width, with increments of 2, 6 and 12 inches. However, if you have a door opening that doesn’t fall within these sizes, then you’ll have to work on creating your own bifold door instead.
Again, this is something that the professionals can do for you. However, if you want to be handy and try it out for yourself, then we’ve got a guide on how you can do it in one afternoon.
Picking The Material
Let’s first start with the basics. Bifold doors are typically made from luann plywood or other wooden products. However, Aussie Aluminium Enterprise says that aluminium is also a great and versatile material to work with when it comes to bifold doors. These are lightweight and durable materials that can do wonders for your home.
Measure The Width of Your Door Opening
The very first step is to measure the door opening you plan on installing the bifold door in. Keep in mind that you are installing two panels for your bifold doors. That means if your door opening is 36 inches, you’re going to install a total of two 18-inch door panels to keep it secure.
Measuring tapes give you an accurate measurement of the door opening. It’s important that you measure the door accurately so make sure to do it more than once just to be safe.
Trim The Door
Once you’ve got your measurements secure, it’s time to make sure that the door panels are up to size. Trimming the door can be tough work and there should be no room for error. It would be best to use mechanical tools such as table saws so that you’re able to trim more precisely.
This is one of the toughest parts of creating a bifold door as any slight error in trimming could result in panels that don’t fit or panels that are too small.
If you want to be safe, trim off small amounts from the door panel at a time. It would be more practical to adjust as you go rather than to over trim and then lose your door panel in an instant. This process will also include splitting the panel into two equal parts. The good news is that this is the easier part of the ordeal.
Prepare For The Hinges
Now, it’s time to prepare for the hinges that will connect the two panels together, as well as the door from the opening. It’s vital that you leave at least a 1/16 inch space in the area where you plan on installing the hinge. This is there to ensure that the panels and the openings will still fit each other.
Once the spaces have been added, install the hinges securely with a screwdriver. Additionally, you can add wood glue for a more secure fit.
Installing The Door
Don’t connect the two panels just yet. Instead, pick up the panel that you’ll attach to the door opening and then install it there first. This will allow you to easily create the foundation of your bifold doors.
Doing this while the panels are already connected can be hard as it will be significantly harder to hold them because of the weight. If you see any discrepancies in the weight, slowly trim off parts at the top of the door until it’s able to fit perfectly on the opening.
Once the first panel has been installed, attach the second panel. Adjust the size of the second panel so that it fits the frame as well. Once installed, close and open the panels to check if they are able to swing open smoothly.
Use grease or adjust the hinges if there are struggles with this action.
Finishing The Project
Clean off any rough edges through sanding to make the door perfect. If you’re planning on painting the door, now’s the time to do so as well.
The last part of the process is installing the hardware such as the locks on the bifold door. This is the easiest part of the process as you only need to do what you typically do when installing knobs on a door. With the right tools, you can have it done in no time.
Doing this DIY project can be exciting and rewarding but of course, not everyone is up to for it. If you want to avoid the hassle of doing this on your own, make sure to call on professional help instead. Bifold doors are an exciting addition to any home and being able to have one is definitely rewarding.
