Distinctive Doors

By: Joseph Truini (Page 1 of 2)

Photo: Jeff Kreuger

Photo: Bob Firth

Unscrew the metal door track from the header after removing the old sliding bypass doors.

nail a 1x4 to each side jamb of the closet

Photo: Bob Firth

To reduce the width of the closet opening, nail a 1x4 to each side jamb and then trim it with 3/4-in. cove molding.

Photo: Bob Firth

Fasten the metal door track by driving 1 1/2-in.-long screws up into the header or 2x2 mounting strip.

Photo: Bob Firth

Screw the jamb bracket to the side of the opening. The bracket supports the pivot guide on the bottom of the door.

Photo: Bob Firth

Attach the hinges after laying the doors facedown on a flat, clean surface. Each pair of doors gets three hinges.

shortening closet doors with a portable circular saw

Photo: Bob Firth

Shorten the doors, if needed, by clamping a straight-edge guide in place and cutting them with a portable circular saw.

Photo: Bob Firth

Screw a pivot guide to the ends of the doors. Position each steel guide exactly 5/8 in. from the door edge. Be careful not to strip the screw holes.

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Closet remodeling typically focuses on adding shelving, a second clothes rod, storage drawers, shoe racks and other interior improvements. By taking it one step further — replacing existing closet doors — you can make the closet space more functional and improve the look of the entire room.

The remodeled closet shown here started out like the thousands that still exist in homes built between the mid-1950s and '70s. Its original flush-panel, sliding bypass doors had about as much style and elegance as a velvet painting of dogs playing poker. They also were inconvenient: Only half the closet was accessible from the outside at a time.

Full-Access Upgrade
We replaced these sliding doors with two pairs of bifold doors that look great when closed — and collapse back out of the way when fully opened so the entire closet is accessible. In this case, we chose CraftMaster Natural raised-panel doors because they feature lightweight hollow-core construction and are affordable. The 21/2-ft.-wide bifolds cost about $45 to $50 per pair. The ones shown come prefinished in a light-oak stain. Other widths ranging from 1 1/2 ft. to 6 ft. are also available, as is a darker finish.

This particular type of bifold is known as a molded door. Its raised-panel face is formed out of a single sheet of Masonite to help eliminate excessive cracking, swelling, shrinking and other solid-wood drawbacks. Like most bifolds, it comes with all the necessary hinges and mounting hardware. We improved things here, too, by replacing the standard hardware with 1700 Series Folding Door Hardware from L.E. Johnson Products ($20). It's much stronger and more ruggedly built.

Placing Your Opening
To determine which size doors to order, measure the width of the closet opening, then — and this is very important — subtract 7/8 in. to create clearance space between the doors. Divide by two to come up with the width of each bifold pair. Because closet doors come in set increments, you will order doors that are either slightly too wide and plane them down to fit or a bit too narrow and then reduce the closet opening.

Whether you order too-narrow or too-wide doors, be prepared to do a little fine-tuning; it's unlikely you'll find doors that exactly fit your closet.