For homes without dedicated mudrooms and laundry rooms, the two often meet, creating a messy, cluttered entryway. When a homeowner grew tired of this first impression, he called the team at Ask This Old House for help. Carpenter Nathan Gilbert got to work framing a partition wall and installing a set of bifold doors to dress up the space.
How to Install Bifold Doors
This project required the entire framing of a new wall. In some cases, you may already have a suitable opening for a bifold door. If that’s the case, skip toward the end of these steps for the installation guide.
- Find a suitable location for the new wall. Use a 360-degree laser to project a beam on the floor, walls, and ceiling, and mark those lines with a pencil. Mark them at the corners and several locations along the way.
- If there is any trim in the wall, use a framing square to mark the trim and an oscillating tool to cut it. Remove the trim with a prybar and hammer.
- Measure the distance between the walls and use this measurement to cut the top and bottom plates.
- Install the bottom plate on the ground with screws. Mark the stud layout for standard studs, king studs, and jack studs. Also, be sure to mark the opening. In our case, the opening needed to be 62 inches to account for the door jamb kit and shims.
- Place the top plate on top of the bottom plate and measure the distance between the top plate and the ceiling to get the full-length stud measurements. Cut these studs to length on the miter saw. Keep in mind that studs might not all be the same length if the home is older and has settled over time, so measure each stud separately.
- Place the top plate in place and temporarily brace it with the end studs. Adjust the end studs to ensure they’re plumb and screw them to the wall and toe-nail them to the top and bottom plates with screws.
- Screw the top plate to the ceiling.
- Install the other full-length studs by placing them at the layout mark and toe-nailing them at the bottom. Use the level to plumb them individually and screw them to the top plate.
- Install jack studs inside the king studs on either side of the opening.
- Measure the distance between the king studs and cut two boards to length. Sandwich these boards together to create the header and install it between the king studs, sitting on top of the jack studs.
- Measure the distance between the top of the header and the top plate. Cut cripple studs to this measurement and install them, spacing them 16 inches apart over the header.
- Cut the bottom plate between the jack studs with an oscillating tool and remove this section of the plate.
- Cut and install drywall over the newly framed wall. Apply joint compound and tape at any joints.
- Install the door jamb kit by applying a bead of glue at each rabbet and nailing the boards together with a finish nail gun. Place the jamb in the opening and use shims to ensure that it’s plumb. Secure the jamb by nailing it to the framing through the shims. Cut off the excess shims with the oscillating tool.
- Install trim around the door jamb, fastening it to the wall with the nail gun. Drive nails through the trim and into the framing behind the drywall.
- Depending on the kit, it may need to be cut to length. If so, cut it to length using a hacksaw or grinder (a miter saw may do the trick for aluminum tracks, as well). Install it under the top jamb according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Install the floor brackets on the floor following the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Assemble the bifold doors following the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the adjustable pivot in the bottom of the pivot door, the spring-loaded pivot in the top of the pivot door, and the track guide in the top of the sliding door. Seat them in place with the hammer.
- Install the adjustable pivot in the floor first, then tip the door upward. Hold the spring-loaded pivot down, position the door, and release the pivot to seat it into the top bracket. Repeat with the track guide. If there is another door, repeat the process.
- Install trim around the track and door to provide a finished look. Make sure to leave a slight reveal to allow the door to operate freely.
- Install the knobs. Find the center of the center panel (it will be different from the center of the door, as the stiles at the leading edge are thinner), as well as the center of the middle rail. Mark the door at this location and install the door knob according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Repeat on the other door.
Resources
Nathan helps a homeowner install bifold doors to hide a laundry and storage area.
To map out the project Nathan used a laser level. He then removed the interfering baseboard with an oscillating tool to make room for the frame. To cut the 2×4’s and drywall to size Nathan used a miter saw. To fasten the frame together Nathan used multipurpose screws and to fasten the drywall to the frame he used a drywall screw gun and drywall screws.
Nathan then assembled the bifold door kit which includes the jamb, door tracks, door handles, and the doors themselves. Nathan fastened the jamb into place with a nail gun. He then assembled the door hardware based on the manufacturer’s instructions and used screws to hold the door tracks in place.
Finally, Nathan added trim to cover the door tracks and blend the doorway into the rest of the house.
Materials
- 2×4 boards
- Construction screws
- ½-inch drywall
- Drywall screws
- Joint compound
- Drywall tape
- Closet door jamb kit
- Wood glue
- Shims
- Various trim boards
- Bifold closet kit
