How to Fix Folding Closet Doors (Bifold Doors) in 6 Steps
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Kristin Hitchcock
- Last updated:
Bifold doors are a great option for closets, especially when you’re working with smaller spaces. They don’t swing out quite as much as regular doors so you don’t have to worry about the door hitting things in the room.
However, more moving parts also means these doors are more easily broken. In most cases, these doors will break at some point and need repairs. Luckily, they are pretty easy to fix.
Keep reading below to help troubleshoot bifold doors and get them working again.
How to Fix Folding Closet Doors (6 Steps)
1. Adjusting a Sticking Door
If your bifold door isn’t exactly opening and closing smoothly, you can adjust it in about ten minutes. Usually, this is due to a problem with alignment that causes the door to get stuck as it’s opened or closed.
First, you’ll want to unscrew the “setscrew,” which is at the top of the door near the track and bracket. Then, move the bracket back onto the position on the track it is meant to be. You’ll need to push and pull the door until it is parallel with the wall. If it is out of alignment at all, it can stick and come up against friction.
Continue to adjust the door until you’re happy. Then, retighten the setscrew to keep it in position. We recommend retightening this screw occasionally, as it can become loose and allow the door to slip out of position again.
2. Trimming a Door
If you add carpet to your home or change the flooring, then you’ll end up with a door that doesn’t fit. The bottom will be too thick, which will cause the door to bunch up against the carpet. Usually, you’ll need to trim the bottom of the door so that it fits the new flooring.
First, measure the doorway and leave about ½ an inch for clearance. Keep the top measurements the same. Then, you’ll need to pull off the door by compressing the top spring and swinging the door off of the lower bracket. Sometimes, this process is a bit complicated and requires messing with the door for a bit.
Not all doors are designed to easily come off.
Next, you’ll need to take a saw and trim the bottom to match the measurements you took earlier. Clean up the edge with sandpaper until it is smooth. You may have to redrill the bottom pivot holes, as trimming the door will make them shorter. Then simply reattach the door.
3. Fixing a Crack
These doors are usually quite thin, so they may crack fairly easily. Usually, the wood splits where the anchors are and a door may even fall off the track due to the crack. You can glue the wood back together, but this may not last as long as you’d like.
You’ll likely want to fix the problem permanently by adding corner braces to the door. These help the door withstand a bit more force and help keep the crack from occurring again. You’ll also need to purchase new anchor pins for this project, so be sure to have new ones purchased before you begin.
You can find cheap corner brace kits at most hardware stores and online. They should come with directions for adding them to your door, and you’ll want to follow them since all kits are slightly different.
4. Retighten a Loose Knob
Usually, bifold doors have knobs on the outside for opening and closing the door. However, they aren’t always on the door very firmly. Sometimes, they’re only glued to the door with a cheap glue, which causes them to fall off after a year or two.
Luckily, you can add some epoxy to the knob and then screw it back on, which will help it cling to the door for years. Let the epoxy set for at least 24 hours before using the knobs again.
5. Clean Often
You’ll need to keep the tracks on the doors clean. Otherwise, the dirt and debris can lead to extra friction and make it harder to open and close the doors. You’ll be surprised by the number of problems that can be solved by simply keeping the track clean.
You may need to lubricate the rollers from time to time too. However, we do not recommend lubricating the track, as it can attract dirt and debris. Just lubricate the roller when you need to.
If cleaning doesn’t help the door slide easily, then you’ll probably need to realign it or fix a similar problem.
6. Replacing Parts
No matter how well you take care of your door, you’ll occasionally need to replace parts. Luckily, the parts on a bifold door are usually pretty inexpensive and easy to come by.
We do recommend taking the old parts with you to your local hardware store for comparison as usually, this is the only way to ensure that you’re getting the right pieces.
Replacing the hardware is typically pretty straightforward. You’ll simply need to unscrew the old pieces and then screw on the new ones, but you may have to take the door off of the doorway for this. Otherwise, the door may fall during the hardware change.
Usually, the only thing you can fix on a door without taking it off the track is the doorknob.
How Do You Put a Closet Door Back on the Track?
Typically, this fix should be pretty quick. However, some doors cooperate more than others.
First, you’ll want to attach the pivot pin pack to the upper bracket. Then, lift the door slightly and swing it into place on the lower bracket. You always put the top back into place before the bottom bracket.
Be sure that the clearance on all sides of the door is good after you reattach it, as the process of removing and reattaching the door can sometimes mess with the placement.
Conclusion
There are many things that can go wrong with a bifold door. Hopefully, this article helped you zero in on the problem and fix it. Usually, trouble sliding is an alignment issue, which can be fixed by loosening screws, putting the door back in alignment, and then refastening the screws.
Often, these doors have the be reinforced with corner brackets, as they are usually thin and unable to withstand much force. This is especially true if you have children who don’t always understand their strength.
Doorknobs can easily be reattached with epoxy and are probably one of the easiest fixes. On the other hand, changes in flooring can lead to a door that needs trimming. While this process is pretty straightforward, it is one of the more time-consuming repairs you might need to make.
Of course, no door is going to last forever. Eventually, you’ll likely need to replace your door’s hardware, which is typically as easy as taking the old hardware to the hardware store and shopping for matching parts.
You may also be interested in:
- How To Install Bifold Doors In 9 Steps (with Pictures)
- How to Replace Closet Door Finger Pulls in 4 Steps
Featured Image Credit: Quality Stock Arts, Shutterstock
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