How To Install, Adjust Or Remove Bifold Closet Doors

Bifold doors slide back with ease, allowing you to keep the interior of your closet hidden and creating a clean look to any bedroom. Installing, adjusting and removing bifold doors is fairly simple because the doors connect to a track. Once the track is in place, the door can be moved and adjusted as needed. Installing the door is as easy as installing tracks and brackets, and removal is a matter of getting rid of the existing hardware.

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First things first: Clean out a work space and dust off the door frame. Depending on the color of your new closet doors, painting the frame to match the doors or refreshing the frame with a clean coat of paint is advisable. The top closet door tracks should be cut to fit the door frame with a 1/16-inch gap on both ends. You may have to cut it with a hacksaw to make it fit.

The track should be centered in the door frame. Measure and level the space, and mark drill holes before making any holes in the frame. The pivot bracket of the tracks should be by the door jamb. Securely drill the top bracket in place, ensuring each screw is tightly flush.

The bottom jamb brackets are next. These will be centered directly under the top track. Measure and mark the space where the jamb bracket will sit. Screw bracket and jamb into place.

The doors will need pivots installed at both the top and bottom to allow them to roll in the tracks. Gently hammer the pivots into the pre-existing holes, then align the pivots into the top track bracket. Rest the bottom pivot into the jamb, and insert the snugger guide – also known as the roller – into the top track. The top pivot will insert into the snugger guide. Test the door to make sure it opens.

If the doors do not open smoothly, you can adjust your bifold doors using a screwdriver. Make sure all screws are tightly flush into the hardware. A loose top pivot or bracket can cause the door to slip out sideways. Tighten all the screws and make sure that the snugger is not catching on anything as it rolls. The snugger may need to be taken off the pivot and readjusted or replaced.

Carpets can cause the door to stick. If the door is too low or comes in contact with the bottom jamb, the door is sitting too low on the pivot. (Or the door is the wrong size!) Lift the door up and rotate the bottom pivot to a desired height. Replace it back on the track and test. If the door still sags, tighten the screws on the bottom jamb and bracket. Rotate the pivot again and reinsert. Adjust the bottom pivot until the door no longer drags.

The removal of your bifold door requires the removal of the hardware, starting with the snugger. Since the snugger is spring-loaded, it can be pushed firmly down and out of the track. When pressed down, pull the door from the track. Once the top snugger is out of the track, simply lift the door up and out of the bottom jamb. Once both pivots are out of their tracks, remove the doors completely. Unscrew the existing top track and bottom jamb screws to remove the tracking and jamb brackets.