How to Install Bifold Closet Doors

Bifold doors slide open from the center and fold against the closet frame. They are easy to open are a space-saving option in smaller areas like bedrooms, pantries, and hallways.

If you live in a home with sliding closet doors, consider switching them to bifold doors for better access to your closet.

The first step is to measure your closet to determine which size doors you will need. We purchased two sets 30″ wide of bifold closet doors from Lowe’s. There were a lot of choices, but we chose doors that were unfinished pine.

The next step was to prime and paint the closet doors. I first removed all the hardware from the doors. Painting was an easy but time consuming job because each closet door got a coat of Kilz followed by three coats of paint.

After the painting was complete, it was time to install the closet doors.

Tools Needed

In addition to the hardware that came with the closet doors, we used these tools for the installation:

• Laser Level
• Drill (and bits)
• Impact Driver
• Hand tools: screwdrivers & hammer

Installing bifold doors begins with the track which is positioned in the centerline of the closet header. We used a laser level to help with this step.

It doesn’t look like it is in the center of the header but you’ll see that it is in the next picture.

Using the lines created by the laser level, Mr. SP held the track in place for the first set of doors (left side), and I marked where the screws were to go with a pencil. We repeated the process on the opposite side of the closet.Now the two tracks are installed, one for each of the pair of doors. They will hinge on the sides and open from the middle.

The next step was to screw the floor brackets into place. The laser level made this step easy to insure the doors are vertical.

To install the doors, having a partner to help is a must. My husband held the doors in place while I lined up the top posts into the track. The hinge side pivot/post is a fixed hole in the track. The post on the opening side of the door fits into a nylon slider that fits into the track.

Then insert the bottom pivot into the floor bracket. Visit my blog post for more pictures and detailed directions.

The closet doors came with plain wood knobs but I wanted something pretty to coordinate with the bedroom’s chandelier.