Last Updated: 19 May 2016 Troubleshooting closet doors and fixing the associated problems is common. You probalbly have many closet doors in your home. They may vary in style and size, but they all have one thing in common. Closets are meant for storing things and the doors hide the stored items from view. Closet doors do need attention and quit working correctly periodically. When that happens you need to do some repair work. Frank Lloyd Wright refused to include closets in the homes he designed. He said that they promoted clutter. Clutter or not, we all have things that we want to store. Thus, closets are very popular. In fact 'lots of closet space' is a selling feature for a home. Closets and closet doors are a standard feature in homes. The doors differ in size and type. Since they do not get the use that regular door get they tend to be a little less sturdy and can get knocked out of adjustment. Adjusting the doors on closets is often the repair that is needed. Fortunately, it is not that hard to do.
There are three popular styles of closet doors. Each style can have different types of doors, such as mirrors or louvers. A few decades ago most closet doors had sliding doors. Then an innovation came along and the bifold door is the undisputed king of closet doors. Regular swing doors are also used for closets. Troubleshooting Closet Doors – Finding Help Below you will find some common problems. There is a brief description and a link that will lead you to additional information. Our evaluation sections of the pages will help you to decide if you want to make the repair. The "What Can You Save?" and "How Hard Could It Be?" sections give you a quick overview of the repair. This will help you decide if it is using good judgment to make the repair yourself. The "Check the Simple Things First" section will clue you in to easy fixes to check for. Many times something easy will eliminate a problem without the aggravation of an involved repair. In an effort to warn you about what you are in for, there is the "What Can Go Wrong" section.
Forewarned is forearmed as they say. Knowing what to watch out for is always helpful. Repairing Bifold Closet Doors 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. 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. Mirrored Bifold Closet Doors Similar to normal bifold doors, these doors have mirror units on the door panels. They serve as a full length mirror in addition to hiding the contents of the closet. They are a little heavier than a normal bifold.
The have the same problems as regular bifolds, adjusting being the biggest one. Troubleshooting Closet Doors - Summary Troubleshooting and repairing issues with closet doors is a simple task most of the time. It is often just a matter of adjusting the door or replacing some inexpensive parts. A few minutes work and your door will be quiet and smooth. Now that you have reviewed the information on troubleshooting closet doors, you are ready to research other home repairs. Do you have a list? Or is it a job jar? Whatever your tracking method, you can go to the next item. Unless you have earned a break.Electric Water Heaters | Gas Water Heaters | Basic House Wiring | Fixing Pocket Doors | Adjust Bi-fold Doors on the Closet Bi-fold doors move on rollers sliding at the upper track, and, pivots at the outer top and bottom. There may be door aligners at the center where the two doors meet and, a spring bumper at the center track that absorbs the closing. To adjust the vertical position on the doors, it is done by a combination of two ways:
At the bottom pivot; this is done by opening a half set of doors. Lift the pivot door slightly at the outer base and move the bottom position in its bracket - in the direction of the center or toward the wall. Note that some of the lower pivot brackets have clip-ring inserts used for adjusting - if your brackets have these be careful, the plastic clips break off. Also, if central aligners are being installed, these should be put on last - after the doors are To adjust the top pivot as needed, tape measure how much distance the door should be shifted from below. Untighten the top pivot screw and slide the pivot bracket into position, level with the pivot below, steadying the door and this may take a secondOnce into position, re-tighen the screw. Also, when working on the interior section, a flashlight may be needed for finding the If you need more access to the upper bracket, depending on your design, you might have to remove the whole double door section by depressing the upper pivot which is spring loaded, along with the accompanying roller.
Transfer the lower door-edge to wall distance, to the top. As the door is adjusted, there must be a turning void at the door edge. The doors should have about the same distances for both outer door edges, left and right, and a small gap at the center, that does not not bind the two when closed. To adjust the door height alone, with the doors already in level, simply raise or lower the doors at the lower pivots by rotating the adjusting nut(s). As the doors wear, and especially for masonite doors, some have a tendency to begin wobbling when they swing. If your doors are unstable at the pivot, and the brackets are secure, pull the door sections completely off and check the pivot mounts in the ends. Frequently this means replacing the doors, or, replacing the internal door plug(s). Then installing new pivots. To replace the door plug - typically the plug width is 1 1/8" which is not dimensional stock so this will have to be ripped. First remove the current plug (pull on pre-drilled screws).