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. Sign up or log in to customize your list. At the hardware store I see bifold closet doors listed in sizes like 36x80, 48x80, 72x80. I'm not sure if these are nominal sizes or exactly which parts they're measuring from. How would I determine the correct size of rough opening to create for one of these standard sizes?
Bifold rough openings: to the hinge (pivot ) side add 3/4", to the other other side, 1/4" So for single 24" wide door, a 25" RO (which is really a finished opening for bifolds) is needed. You need a bit more clearance on the pivot side, because the pivot is inboard a bit and it needs clearance to swing through (pivot around) the thickness of the door. Similarly, any baseboard trim will need to be held back from the inside (of the closet) for door clearance. The closet doors are most likely listed in actual finished opening size. However it is a good idea to use a tape measure to check 100% for sure. Some doors are made a little oversize to allow trimming into final size for the specified opening size. Other doors may very well be made a small amount undersize to allow for the necessary clearances needed for a finish sized door within the specified opening size. The installation instructions that come with many doors will be your first go-to source of information regarding the finished opening size is applicable to the doors.
As far as the rough opening size . . . That is totally dependent on your individual situation. Some things that will affect rough opening size are: = The size and thickness of the door jamb material for cases where a jamb is used. = Style of jamb used and how the door itself will interact with the jamb. = Squareness and true of the rough opening. A rough opening that is out of square by some amount will require the jamb to shimmed away from the studs in a way to bring the jamb into square and plumb. This may increase the rough opening size by the amount of shimming that is required.Browse other questions tagged framing door-frame closet or ask your own question.Skip to main content. Home Guides Home Home Improvement Troubleshoot, Fix and Repair How to Determine Bifold Door Opening Size Bifold doors fold in half when you open them. A bifold door consists of a pair of panels attached to each other with hinges. When you open the door, instead of swinging in or out, it folds in half at the hinge and slides on runners to the side of the doorway.
Because the open door extends only half as far into the room as a swinging door does, bifold doors are suitable for closing off small spaces, such as closets and laundry cupboards. Wide closets might need two bifold doors side by side. Before you buy the doors, measure the opening to determine what size to get. Measure the width of the opening at the top, middle and bottom. Save the smallest of these measurements. Check whether the opening already has trim installed. If it does, subtract 1 inch from the width to determine the appropriate width of the door. If the opening doesn't have trim yet, subtract 2 inches from the width; the extra space gives you room to add the trim. Measure the height of the opening in three places. Use the smallest of these measurements. Subtract 2 inches from the height of the opening to determine the height of the door, if the opening does not yet have trim installed. If the opening does have trim installed, subtract 3/4 inches to find the height of the door.