Installing Folding and Sliding Doors

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Installing Folding and Sliding Doors Skill Level: Intermediate     Swinging doors require that objects be set well away from the doorway if the doors are to be used, but sliding and folding doors allow furnishings to be placed closer to the opening. They can also be installed in double-width door openings to divide rooms. The following information will help you decide which doors are most appropriate for your home. Detailed installation instructions will be included with the particular doors you choose. Lowe’s is happy to provide this information as a service to you.   Article Content Measuring the Opening Bypass (Sliding) Doors Bifold Doors Multifold Doors Measuring the Opening Measure the door opening in more than one place. Standard doors are 80" tall, but your door opening may be smaller than that. Measure the space before you go shopping — a door probably can be cut to fit if the opening is not standard. In a few cases you may have to place a special order for the size you need. Measure horizontally across both the top and bottom of the opening, as well as vertically on each side. When determining what size door to buy, use the smaller of each of your vertical and horizontal measurements. For example, if the left vertical measurement is 80 1/2" and the right vertical measurement is 80 1/4", use 80 1/4" for the vertical measurement when determining your door size. You may find that the door opening is not square. In that case, it will be necessary to bring it in line. This is not difficult and, unless the doorway is significantly out of square, will probably be taken care of simply by shimming and leveling the tracks used in the installation. You can cover small misalignments along the door jambs with decorative trim after you install the doors. Bypass (Sliding) Doors Bypass doors allow access to one side of the space at a time. Bypass doors work well for closets. They require no door swinging area, so there is no lost floor space. The doors may be made of wood, mirror or glass, and they are usually between 3/4" and 1 3/8" thick. Almost any door can be made into a sliding door by installing it with sliding door hardware. Bypass doors are hung from a track, which is installed below the head jam of the door opening. The track is hidden by a piece of decorative trim. Another track or guide is typically installed in the bottom of the door opening to guide the bottom of the doors. Installation of bypass doors is a simple procedure. The basic steps are: Fit and install the overhead track against the head jamb of the door opening. Use shims if necessary to level the track. Attach door rollers to the tops of the doors. The rollers, which fit within the overhead track, are adjustable so the doors will hang plumb. Install a track or a set of guides in the bottom of the door opening to keep the doors in line. Hang the doors from the overhead track. Adjust the tracking guides on the bottom of the doors to straddle the bottom track, preventing the doors from swinging inward or outward. Or fit the doors inside a bottom track or a set of floor-mounted guides: First set the doors inside the track or guides, and are then lift them and hang them from the top track. (Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.) Install decorative trim to cover both the hardware and any misalignment of the doors and jambs. Bifold Doors Bifold doors let you access both sides of the closet together. Bifold doors are ideal for situations in which you need access to the full width of the door opening — in a laundry closet, for example. These doors come in a variety of styles, including plain, raised-panel, louvered and mirrored varieties. Installation of bifold doors is simple and, in general, involves the following steps: Install the top track first. Install the bottom track on the floor directly below the top track. (Some bifold doors may not use a bottom track.) Install the doors by first putting the bottom pivot point into the lower track socket. Then put the top pivot point into the top pivot socket. Usually the top pivot point is spring loaded. To install, retract the pivot point, place it into position, and release it. Position the upper and lower sliding guides in the track channels. Space the panels evenly and fit them to the door opening by adjusting the track sockets. Raise or lower the panels by adjusting the height of the lower pivot pin. Multifold Doors Multifold doors are useful as temporary room dividers. Multifold doors are made of narrow panels that fold like an accordion. The panels may be made from wood, plastic or fabric. When closed, these doors resemble paneling or vertical blinds. When open, they take up little space. These doors are generally thin, and they do not usually provide much sound insulation. However, they are easy to install and can even be mounted along ceilings, making them convenient for use as privacy dividers between rooms or to close off spaces. Multifold doors hang from rollers that run inside a track along the ceiling or door opening head jam. Specific installation instructions will vary with the type of door you purchase. Installing Interior Doors Organizing Your Closet Installing Wire Shelving How-To Library Interactive Design Tools Project Calculators If you are not satisfied with the service we provide, we will make it right. Guaranteed. Learn More Click the button below to sign up for valuable offers and free, COOL informative newsletters for all do-it-yourselfers. Was this information helpful? Please let us know your do-it-yourself experiences. We’d love to hear from you! These How-To’s are provided as a service from Lowe’s, the Original Home Improvement Warehouse of How-To information for the World Wide Web. 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