Last Updated: 25 July 2016 Why would you need to make repairs on interior bifold doors? In the last four decades bifold doors have become very popular. They have replaced sliding doors in most closets. Bifold doors allow for access to the entire closet as opposed to just half with a sliding door. Always seems like what you want is on the side that is hidden with a slider. Do you have another type of closet door? See, 'Troubleshooting Closet Doors' and 'Residential Door Repair' for listings of related articles. Bifold doors are inexpensive and easy to install making them popular with builders. You may have several bifold doors in your home. With repeated use the doors can get out of alignment and hardware can wear out. Each pair of bifold doors is fixed in the opening by two pivot pins. A roller in the top of the second leaf keeps the door aligned as you open and close it. The pivot pins can get out of adjustment. Repairing interior bifold doors is a doable job for just about all homeowners.
Check the information below to determine if you want to tackle this home repair. Adjusting a bifold door when you know how, is an easy job. A carpenter or serviceman can take care of that in a service call. Cost you $50 to $85 depending on who you deal with. New doors range in price from about $40 to $125. If you get talked into a new door it will be another $75 to $125. Low end you could save $50 for a fifteen minute job. A new door could run as much as $250, more for a better quality door. Working on interior bifold doors is not that hard. With a little patience you can deal with most or all of the possible issues. Adjusting the bifold door is the simplest thing. Usually no parts involved, a screw driver, maybe a wrench and ten minutes. How simple is that? See Step One below for more information. Parts can break, screws can strip. You may damage something when you start working on it. If you do you will need to get a hardware kit. This could leave the door not working until you get the new parts installed.
Is it the guest room? Are they coming tonight? Better go to the hardware store now. Bifold doors have become very popular in residential construction. These doors are inexpensive and easy to install, making them a first choice with builders. Adjustment are the main problem. Four panel bifold doors can be a little challenging to adjust. The door has to align in several directions. The top of a bifold door has two important items that work with the track to held the door work properly. Equally important is the bottom pivot pin. The articles 'Adjusting the Bifold Doors' and 'Adjusting Bifold Door Hardware', cover all of the adjustments that can be made to the bifold doors. Another option to repairing bifold doors is replacing the door hardware. There are kits that include a complete set of door hardware. When the door is old, this may be a good choice. See the article 'Replacing Bifold Door Hardware' for information on the options available. 'Lubricating a Bifold Door' as the title implies, covered oiling the door to free up the hardware.
Hinges, rollers and pins can benefit from a little oil once in a while. You may decide that a new bifold door is what you want. Perhaps the old door is tired looking. In addition, you found out that a new one is not that expensive. Can you install the door yourself? Find out what you are up against by following the link above. This is something you can do yourself and save the price of a carpenter. Most homes have several interior bifold doors in them. From time to time it is likely that they will need some attention. In this article there is useful knowledge and links to other resources that should have helped with your door issues. Usually it is just an adjustment that is needed. Was repairing bifold doors a success for you? That's great if it was. You can move on to your next home repair. Don't feel like another repair project? Pick another easy one, it will inspire you. Most sliding closet doors hang by rollers from a track above. Bifold doors are anchored at the bottom and top of one side.
On the opposite side a guide pin slides through a top channel. Parts for these doors are readily available at home centers, hardware stores, or online. If you have a sliding closet door that glides on a bottom track, clean the track with a damp cloth to ensure smooth gliding. Lubricate the rollers but not the track, because lubricant will act as a magnet for dust. Remove a door by lifting and tilting the bottom out. If a roller is stuck, unscrew and remove it. If cleaning does not solve the problem, replace the roller unit. An hour or less for most repairs, once you have the parts in hand Screwdriver, adjustable wrench, pliers, drill Clear the area and make sure there are no obstructions hindering door operation. Closet door parts, which come with mounting screws and other hardware Bifold doors are light (some are louvered and some are hollow-core), so the hardware is not heavy-duty. A top pin, which is spring-loaded so you can lift the door up and out, inserts into a bracket that can be moved to the left or right.
The bottom pin rests in a bracket with a number of setting points for easy adjustment. The top roller slides through a track. Bifold doors should be parallel with the frame and each other when there are double bifolds in an opening. A bifold should close snugly but not too tightly. To adjust the door's position at the bottom, simply lift at the bottom and move the pin over to another position on the bracket. To adjust the top position, partially open the door. Loosen the bracket's screw, slide the door over, and tighten the screw. To adjust a bifold's height, use an adjustable wrench, a pair of pliers, or the wrench that comes with the hardware. Twist the nut surrounding the pin to raise or lower the door. If the bracket is too low (or sunk below carpeting), remove the door and the bracket. Cut a shim to fit under the bracket and reinstall the bracket. Repair parts are easily installed; some simply push into holes, while others attach with a screw or two. If a pin or roller hole is enlarged or the door is cracked, a replacement part may not anchor securely.