Bifold doors improve the function of small spaces. Bifold doors are common in many homes because they take up less space when open than a full-sized door. Cheaper doors are made of metal or plastic and they often have weak tracks or rollers that fail, leading homeowners to believe that all bifold doors have problems. a heavier, solid-wood bifold door with quality hardware can last as long as any door and work efficiently. The trick is to select a quality door in the first place. The second benefit to solid doors is that they are easier to trim to fit your jambs. Measure the width of the space between your existing door jambs. Purchase bifold door upper track 1/4-inch less than your width. Cut the non-pivot side of the track to 1/4-inch less than the width of your opening using a hacksaw. Slide the track hanger with wheels into the track. Slide the pivot socket into the track with the socket to the outside. Measure 1 inch from the front facing corner of the top jamb. Draw a horizontal center line across the full jamb length.
Position the track on the line with the pivot on the side you want to pivot. Screw the track into the top jamb using screws at every screw hole in the track. Drop a plumb bob from the center of the track at the pivot location. Slide the bracket under the plumb bob so that the bottom bracket's pivot is directly aligned with the top pivot. Trace the outline of the bracket on the floor. Screw the bracket into the floor. Some types may mount on the floor and jamb. Follow the directions of your manufacturer for the exact mounting for your hardware. Unfold your bifold door. Follow the manufacturer's directions for trimming the door prior to hanging the door. Typically you will remove material from the hinge sides of the solid doors using a table saw, and remount the hinges. Tap your pivot pins and roller into the top and bottom holes drilled into the ends of your doors. All doors pivot outward with the pivots close to the jamb. Insert the pivot pin into the upper track pivot location. Lift up the door.
Drop the bottom pin into the bottom bracket. Insert the pin into the track-wheel assembly by pressing down on the pin and releasing the pin when it is over the opening in the assembly. Adjust the door using the screws on each bracket and assembly. /Getty Images Suggest a Correction Tips on How to Size a Rough Door Opening for a Bifold Door By Mark J. Donovan When installing a Bifold door into a wall it is important that the rough opening for the Bifold door be sized correctly. If the rough opening is not sized correctly the Bifold door will either not fit if it is too small, or have wide gaps if it is too large. Sizing a Bifold Door Rough Opening with a Door Jamb OpeningTypically the rough opening should be sized 2 inches wider and 2 inches higher than the door itself. For example a four-foot wide (48”) by six feet, eight inches high (80”) Bifold set of doors, would require a rough opening width of 50 inches and a height of 82 inches. This sized rough opening will allow for either a doorjamb kit to be installed or for ¾” thick select lumber to be used to create the finished doorjamb.
Note that most bifold door assemblies do not come with a doorjamb kit so using ¾” thick select lumber to create the finished doorjamb is fairly common. The bifold door mechanical bracket assemblies actually screw into this finished doorjamb so it is important that the doorjamb be installed plumb and level. To complete the interior trim work associated with the doorjamb, when using ¾” select lumber, case moulding is wrapped around the perimeter of it. For best results, mitered cuts are employed. Sizing a Bifold Door Rough Opening for a Sheetrocked Wrapped Opening If the Bifold door is to be installed into a sheetrocked wrapped opening the rough opening width should be sized to the actual width of the Bifold doors (48” in the case of this example). The rough opening height should be the height of the door plus 3/4″ (80 ¾” in the case of this example). Note that these guidelines are typical framing standards that are employed in the home construction business.
You should always check with the manufacturer or product specifications to confirm the rough opening requirements for your particular bifold doors. ’s Home Addition Bid Sheets. Our Home Addition Bid Sheets provide you with the knowledge and information on how to plan a home building project, and what to look for when hiring contractors. They also include detailed cost breakdown tables and spreadsheets for estimating your own new home construction building costs. House Framing and Construction Advice How to Install Windows How to Install Interior Door Trim eBook Fill out our 3-5 minute quick and easy form, and receive a free price quote on a house addition from one of our prescreened and licensed home addition contractors. This process is free and there is no obligation to continue once you receive your home addition price estimate.200FD Bi-Fold Door Hardware 125lbs [57kg] Max Panel Weight Each 48" [1219mm] Max Panel Width Each 108" [2743mm] Max Panel Height
1-1/8" [29mm] to 1-3/4" [44mm] Panel Thickness Top Mount Hanger Type Commercial Grade Top Hung Bi-Fold Door Hardware 200FS Side Mounted Bi-Fold Door Hardware 1-3/8" [35mm], 1-3/4" [35mm], 2-1/4" [57mm] Panel Thickness Side Mount Hanger Type 100FD Bi-Fold Door Hardware 75lbs [34kg] Max Panel Weight Each 24" [610mm] Max Panel Width Each 1" [25mm] to 1-3/4" [44mm] Panel Thickness 100FS Side Mounted Bi-Fold Door Hardware 1-1/8" [29mm], 1-3/8" [35mm], 1-3/4" [44mm] Panel Thickness 111FD Bi-Fold Door Hardware 50lbs [23kg] Max Panel Weight Each 3/4" [19mm] to 1-3/4" [44mm] Panel Thickness 1700 Bi-Fold Door Hardware 40lbs [18kg] Max Panel Weight Each 96" [2438mm] Max Panel Height Residential Grade Top Hung Bi-Fold Door Hardware 1700FS Side Mounted Bi-Fold Door Hardware 3/4" [19mm], 1-1/8" [29mm], 1-3/8" [35mm] Panel Thickness 1825 "Tap-In" Bi-Fold Door Hardware 35lbs [16kg] Max Panel Weight Each