DIY Alternative to Bifold Closet Doors With Minimal Effort
Here’s an alternative to bifold closet doors. This is such a great and easy hack to update bi-fold doors with minimal effort. If you have an awful bifold closet door, I’ll show you how I changed it up. I used the same doors but rearranged the design so they looked fresh and closed better. I ripped down some hardwood, glued it, trimmed, primed, painted, and installed it. Here are the steps I took:
DIY alternative to bifold closet doors
Tools and materials
- Saw
- Clamps
- Hammer
- Nail gun (optional)
- Paintbrush
- Hardboard
- Liquid Nails (or similar adhesive)
- Trim
- Nails
- Wood filler
- Primer
- Paint
- Non-mortise hinges
1 Measure and cut hardboard
Measure the dimensions of the door panels to be installed and use a saw to cut the hardboard to fit. I used the old doors as the base of the doors.
2 Apply liquid nails
Evenly spread liquid nails all over the door panel to attach the hardboard.
3 Attach hardboard
Press the hardboard onto the door panel with the Liquid Nails. Make sure it's properly aligned and firmly pressed down.
4 Clamp it down
Use clamps to secure the hardboard in place. Don’t hold back on clamps; the more, the better! This will ensure a strong bond while the glue sets.
5 Plan trim detail
While the glue set, I planned out the trim details such as the style and placement of the trim pieces.
6 Attach trim
Apply glue to the back of each trim piece and press it onto the hardboard. Use nails or a nail gun to secure the trim in place. Ensure the trim is securely attached around the edges of the hardboard.
7 Fill nail holes
Use wood filler to fill any nail holes and gaps between the trim and hardboard. Smooth it out with a putty knife and let it dry completely.
8 Prime and paint
Once the filler is dry, prime the entire door. After the primer dries, paint the door.
9 Add hinges
Install non-mortise hinges onto the door according to the manufacturer's instructions. These hinges should fit right onto the “new” door without needing any mortising.
10 Hang the door
Attach the hinges to the door frame and make any necessary adjustments to ensure it hangs properly.
DIY alternative to bifold closet doors
With minimal effort and some creativity, I’ve transformed an old bi-fold door with this stylish, updated, and new door.I didn’t have to add a track, either! What do you think? Leave a comment below about this DIY bifold door replacement idea.
Follow @well_shetried on Instagram for more DIY ideas.
Frequently asked questions
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