Replacing
Bifold Doors
There is at least one
good reasons for replacing bifold doors, bifold doors are a
safety hazard. Builders use bifold doors because they are inexpensive and
easy to install. Most often they are used in speck
construction for bedroom and hallway closets. After
everything is said and done bifold doors are a safety hazard
for children and adults.
It is easy to pinch an arm or hand
in the folds between the doors causing severe injury or at
least a nasty bruise. In addition to being a safety hazard,
they seem to always need adjusting or they fall off their
tracks or pivot pins. They never seem to operate smoothly,
choosing the worst of time to be a problem, such as when you
are in a hurry. If you are a contemplating a remodeling home
improvement project I strongly suggest replacing bifold. Replacing bifold
doors with regular hinged pre-hung closet doors that are not
a safety hazard.
Unfortunately bifold door rough
openings are frequently odd sized that don’t match or
accommodate the recommended rough opening for a standard
pre-hung door. If that is the case, during your remodeling
project you will have to order special sized doors from your
supplier or adjust the rough opening to accommodate the door
you want to install. Special size doors are expensive. It is
a lot less expensive to adjust the rough opening.
Door
sizes are expressed by feet and inches, for example a 2-6 by
door is 2 feet and six inches wide, or 30 inches. Some door
manufacturers have changed their door sizes to standard
inches. Usually interior door openings are made two inches
larger than the door size to accommodate adjustment during
door during installation. A 30 inch door would have a rough
opening of 32 inches. If you need to decrease the rough
opening size of the old bi-fold door rough opening just add
material to each side or all of it to one side of the rough
opening.
The molding for a standard pre-hung door is 2-1/2
inches wide. If you add up to 1 ½ inches to each side of the
rough opening the door trim will cover up the added
material. If you need to add more than 1 ½ inches to
decrease the rough opening size then sheetrock will have to
added to cover the added material for the door to fit
properly. Another alternative rather than adding sheetrock
would be to use a wider molding around the door.
Pre-hung doors come in many different
types of material and styles. The light weight composite
panel door is the most popular door for interior use today
because they are inexpensive, approximately $120 each
depending on where you buy them and the manufacturer. They
take paint easily and are very attractive. Solid wood doors
such as pine or hemlock are very good doors but they tend to
expand and contract during weather changes making them a
little unsightly around the panels as the weather changes.
Solid hard wood doors are usually used when the doors are
stained rather than painted. A hardwood door is just too
beautiful to ever be painted any color. They can be stained
to match or accent floors and walls and are extremely
durable.
If you are planning a DIY project of remodeling the interior of your home get rid of
those miserable body biting bifold doors and install
regular pre-hung doors. They are much more attractive and
are easy to maintain.
Related articles:
Replacing
Door Knobs
and Lock Sets |
