I want to remove existing sliding doors (bedroom closet) and replace with 2 pair of bi-fold.
The opening is very wide, so I need to put in a "T" frame, with each pair of bi-folds installed on each side of the "T". There is no set of bi-folds wide enough to cover the 86" opening.
Can I just nail the frame onto existing drywall on sides/ceiling, or should drywall be removed to get a more secure fastening?
If I am not mistaken you will need to reduce the opening to 72" in order to use bifolds. Maybe a 36 and 48 would work.
By-pass is so much more friendly. Are you sure you want to do this? I have owned and installed both and would always choose by-pass.
Bi-folds work on pivot pins at the top and bottom. No support at the sides is required.
"Pat Coghlan" wrote
My closet is 90" wide. It has 3 pairs of bi-folds. There is no framing. There is a metal groove (guide?) all along the top. On the bottom, each pair has an L shaped bracket. The doors all meet each other when they are closed. No framework separates them.
Clear as mud?
nancy
"Pat Coghlan" wrote
Personally, I think it would be far more difficult to try framing them in. The way mine look, it would seem they'd be hung from that metal track at the top and you would then align the L brackets at the bottom. The bracket just keeps them from swaying in and out like curtains, really.
nancy
No, it isn't hard. Each bifold door section has pivot points at the top and bottom edges near the outside vertical edge. The doors have metal studs that fit into holes in carriers in the top track and on the floor. The carriers are moveable laterally. That means you can move the door sections a bit horizontally and you can tip them off vertical if needed.
To line them up, start with one section nearest a wall and align it vertically, leaving enough space next to the wall so it can open. Then set the next section in place, aligning it to the first and leaving enough space between the two so it can open. Repeat with all other sections.
You may have to increase the space between sections to avoid a large gap between the last section and the wall. If there is too little space for the last section you either have to get the sections closer together or cut off a little. Once all are to your liking, you lock the moveable carriers in place with the integral bolts. There will always be a space between the outboard doors and the walls as they must rotate to open...that space can be covered with a small board attached to the wall.
The next job is to lock the doors into the carriers so they can't jump out. That is done by screwing out the bottom stud of each door with a small, thin, included wrench. You need to raise the doors so they will be above any carpeting. While doing that, keep an eye on the tops of the doors and align them horizontally.
Well, even with the one pair I have on the downstairs closet, the bottom pivot always seems to jump over 1-2 notches, putting the doors out of alignment.
I'd rather T-frame the > Pat Coghlan wrote:
Then you need to tighten the bottom carrier so it can't move. ____________________
No. Not unless there is wood behind the drywall. If not, you'd have to use molly bolts. Or toggle bolts. Or similar.
These are the Stanley-style pivots (post sitting in a grooved slot). They just lift out with the door.
There is wood behind the dryway. Okay to just nail/screw through the drywall?
How else? Personally, I'd use screws.
Remove the drywall and nail/screw directly onto existing frame.
Over time, I thought drywall could break down/soften, weakening the attachment between new/old framing.
Geez, man...you are putting up bifold doors. Bifold doors put just about zero stress on anything except the pivot points and not much on those. You don't need a "T" frame but if you want one just fasten the freakin' thing through the drywall into wood, don't turn it into a monumental project.
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