TRIM OUT: BI-FOLD DOORS
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1 Preparation and Materials
1.1
1.2
Gather all necessary tool and materials.
Bi-fold doors
Bi-fold door jambs
Casing
Shims
Bi-fold door hardware kits
and tracks
½” shims or extra
baseboard pieces
6’ level
4’ level
16 gauge 2 ½” finish nails
16 gauge finish nailer
1” narrow crown staples
Finish stapler
Chop saw
Tape measure
Pencil
Square
Rockwell oscillating tool
Utility knife
Combination square
Compound miter saw
Driver and #2 Phillips bit
Drill
Hammer
Check to make sure you have the right door for the opening.
1.2.1 Each panel of a 4’ opening is 11 ¾”.
1.2.2 Each panel of a 5’ opening is 14 ¾”.
1.2.3 Each panel of a 6’ opening is 17 ¾”.
1.3
Cut off any drywall that protrudes past the jack studs.
1.4
In areas that will receive carpet, place ½” spacers on the floor to hold up the jamb and
casing during installation.
1.4.1 Helpful Tip: Scrap pieces of baseboard work well as ½” spacers.
Figure 1: If the door is in a carpeted area, rest the door jamb on a
1/2" spacer during installation.
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2 Bi-fold Door Jambs
2.1
Cut the jamb pieces.
2.1.1 The bi-fold door jamb pieces come with a small notch at one end.
2.1.2 For each of the two side pieces of the door jamb, cut ½” off the end without the
notch.
2.1.3 Cut the top piece ¾” longer than the door size marked on the rough opening. (e.g.
4’ ¾” for a 4’ door, 5’ ¾” for a 5’ door, etc.) Cut the notch off, leaving a square cut
at both ends of the top piece.
2.2
Lay out all three pieces out on the floor, smooth side facing inward. Fit the top piece into
the notches on the side pieces, square the corners, and carefully staple together with 18
gauge 1 5/8” crown staples.
Figure 2: Lay out the bi-fold door jamb and staple it together.
2.3
Place the whole jamb in the rough opening. In carpeted areas, place it on top of the ½”
spacers. In areas with vinyl, install the bi-fold directly on top of the vinyl.
2.4
Center the jamb in the rough opening.
2.4.1 Shim near the top of both sides to keep the jamb centered.
Figure 3: Shim the tops of both sides to keep the frame centered
in the rough opening
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2.4.2 Make sure the frame is flush with the wall on both sides, then attach it with a 16
gauge 2 ½” finish nail through each shim.
2.5
Work down one side of the door frame at a time.
2.5.1 Shim each side as necessary to make it plumb.
2.5.2 Make sure to keep the necessary width in the opening between the door jambs.
For example, when installing the door jamb for a 4’ bi-fold, the space between the
door jambs should never be less than 4’.
2.5.3 Maintain flushness with the wall and nail through the shims.
2.5.4 Shim and nail in 4-5 places.
2.6
Once both sides of the jamb have been shimmed for plumb, add two more finish nails to
each shim.
2.7
Shim the top in two or three places so the top of the frame is level. Nail through each
shim into the header with three 16 gauge 2 ½” finish nails.
Figure 4: Check the top of the door jamb for level.
2.8
Cut the excess off the shims using the Rockwell sonic oscillating tool, a utility knife, or a
chisel.
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3 Bi-fold Door Trim
3.1
In carpeted areas use ½” spacers under the casing to hold it up. In vinyl areas, place the
casing directly on the vinyl.
Figure 5: In carpeted areas, use 1/2" blocks
under the casing to leave room for the carpet
3.2
Mark the reveal.
3.2.1 Set a 1/8” reveal. Make marks all around the door jamb 1/8” from the inside edge.
Before nailing the casing, make sure it is lined up with these lines.
3.2.1.1 Helpful Tip: A combination square is especially useful for this task.
3.2.2 Mark the corner with a 1/8” reveal on the sides and top of the jamb.
3.3
Cut the casing to length with a 45˚ angle at the top.
3.3.1 Bring in a piece of casing and hold it up to the corner. Transfer the top 1/8” reveal
to the casing and cut a 45˚ angle upward from this mark.
Figure 6: Cut the side casing with a 45 degree angle from
the 1/8" reveal.
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3.4
Repeat the process for the casing on the other side.
3.5
Line up the cut casing with the corner reveal marks.
3.6
Attach the casing to the wall with 16 gauge 2 ½” finish nails near the outside of the casing
and 18 gauge 2 ½” finish nails near the inside.
3.6.1 Make sure to keep the casing lined up with the 1/8” reveal marks as you nail.
3.7
Cut the top to fit between the side pieces and attach it as you did the sides.
4 Bi-fold Door Installation
4.1
Center the top track on the top jamb in both directions.
4.2
Pre-drill pilot holes, and then attach the track to the jamb using the long screws provided.
Figure 7: Screw the track to the top of the bi-fold
door jamb.
4.3
Attach the bottom jamb bracket in line with the track. Attach it directly to the floor in
rooms with vinyl, and shim it ½” in rooms with carpet.
Figure 8: Attach the bottom bracket directly to vinyl. Place a 1/2"
block under this bracket in areas with carpet.
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4.4
Into the pre-drilled holes, place the two pivot pins at the jamb side of the door and the
guide (wheel) in the middle.
Figure 9: Install the pivot pins and the
guide wheel.
4.5
Put both doors into place by first inserting the top metal pivot into the track, and then
lowering the door so that the bottom pivot sits in the bottom bracket. Finally, insert the
guide pivot into the track.
Figure 10: Insert the pivots into the track
4.6
Adjust the doors so that there is a consistent reveal on all sides.
4.6.1 Screw or unscrew the bottom adjusting wheel to raise or lower the door.
Figure 11: Screw or unscrew this
adjusting wheel to adjust the door height
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4.6.2 To adjust vertical reveals: Move the bottom adjusting wheel (See Figure 21)
forward or backward in the bottom jamb bracket to widen or narrow the reveal.
4.6.3 To adjust track bracket: Loosen the screws, slide the bracket, then re-tighten the
screws.
4.7
Double check that all the reveals are consistent.
Figure 12: This reveal is not consistent along the
top of the door and requires adjusting.
Figure 13: This reveal is consistent along the
top of the door.
4.8
Drill holes for the bi-fold door knobs in the center of the middle panel.
4.9
Install the doorknobs into the pre-drilled holes, using the screws provided in the
hardware kit.
4.10 Insert the coiled spring from the hardware kit in the middle of the track.
Figure 14: Insert the coil spring in the middle of the track between the doors.
5 Bi-fold Louvered Door Installation
5.1
Installation steps for bi-fold doors and louvered bi-fold doors are identical except for
installing the top track.
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5.2
To install the top track of a louvered bi-fold door, center the two pieces of track in the top
of the door jamb. Butt the bracket side of the tracks to the jamb, leaving a gap between
the pieces of track in the middle.
Figure 15: Leave a gap between the two pieces of track in the middle of the door jamb.
5.3
Insert the track slides.
Figure 16: Insert the track slides
5.4
Using the screws provided, attach the track to the top of the door jamb.
5.5
Follow steps 5.2—5.7 for installing bi-fold doors.
* Because each build is unique, a member of the construction staff may ask you to deviate from
these instructions due to special circumstances.