How to Measure a Door Frame for Bi-Fold Doors
Many homes come with sliding closet doors. Sliding doors take up no floor space when open, but only one-half of the closet opening can be accessed at one time. If the doors overlap at the center, it may be hard to reach items in the middle of the closet. Bi-fold doors are hinged at the center and fold open at the vertical edges of the closet opening, giving you full access to the closet. Measure your closet door opening before purchasing bi-fold doors to ensure a more trouble-free installation. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Circular saw (optional)
- Pencil (optional)
- Straight edge (optional)
- Trim lumber (optional)
- 8D finish nails
- Hammer
Instructions
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1
Measure the door opening from the finished floor vertically to the top of the opening. Note that the opening should be 1 1/2 inches taller than the bi-fold doors.
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2
Trim up to 3/16-inch from the tops and bottoms of each panel of the bi-fold doors with a circular saw to bring the height of the doors to 1 1/2 inch less than the vertical measurement of the door opening. Scribe a line across the door with a pencil and a straight edge to use as a guide for cutting, if desired.
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3
Choose a thickness of trim lumber that is equal to the distance needed to bring the vertical height measurement of the opening to 1 1/2 inches higher than the door if the opening is too high. Cut the trim to the exact width of the door opening. Center the piece to the trim that is already present at the top of the opening and nail it in place with 8D finish nails.
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4
Measure the width of the door opening with a measuring tape. Note that this measurement Must be 1/2-inch wider than the width of the bi-fold doors. The vertical edges of each panel of the door can be trimmed up to 3/16-inch to reduce the width of the doors to fit the opening, or trim pieces can be added to the vertical sides of the opening to decrease the opening width in the same fashion as previously.
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Tips & Warnings
The opening for the bi-fold doors must be measured on a trimmed opening, not a rough opening. A rough door opening is an opening that is constructed from framing timbers. Measuring the opening before the opening is trimmed will result in a bi-fold door that is too large for the opening once it is trimmed.
Usually cutting more than 3/16-inch from the top, bottom or vertical edges of a hollow core bi-fold door could damage it. Check with the manufacturer of the door to see how much can be safely trimmed from your doors before cutting.
