Bi-fold doors are among the most effortless doors to install, and they are a standard option for bedroom closets because they conserve space. Dual doors, each with a pair of hinged panels, mounted in a double-wide closet opening, form a traditional bi-fold package. In a smaller opening, however, nothing prevents you from adding a single bi-fold, and many homeowners do precisely that.
Bi-fold doors designed correctly can be a practical and space-saving method, but to be trouble-free, sophisticated systems and multi-panel structures require competent construction and careful door maintenance. In the first case, inadequate implementation is the most prevalent issue by far, with the door systems covering wide openings and depending on carefully designed mechanisms to ensure stable long-term service.
Misalignment results in the most common problems with bi-fold doors, and that’s because of 3 Common Reasons why your Bi-Fold doors aren’t working- doors have bent, or the pivot pins or guides have come off, or the wood has broken.
Door bends
When a bi-fold door bends, it can become challenging to open or shut the door, and the guide appears to shift out of the head route. Usually, this is easy to repair
Solution
- Start by resetting the guide inside the track if it comes out, then close the door and check the distance between the edge of the door and the channel. If the difference is not the same at the top and bottom of the door, the bottom pivot has to be realigned.
- If the bottom bracket is notched, lift the door and move the bottom pin to a new notch. If there are no notches in the panel, you would have to push the door down, remove the lock on the bottom bracket, slide the horizontal portion of the bracket, and move the pivot to a new position. This is a trial-and-error method, and you will always reach the same aim with less time by loosening the screw attaching the top pivot to the track and moving the bracket instead.
Carpet Scraping
Shag carpeting tends to grind bi-fold doors towards the bottom and making it difficult to open and shut them.
Solution
- The most apparent solution for this is to lift the handle, which you can always do by counterclockwise rotating the bottom pivot pin.
- If it’s connected to the board, you can do this by inserting shims under the frame. Unscrew it and lock it back in place about a quarter-inch higher if the bracket is fixed to the side jamb.
- If the distance between the top of the door and the header is less than 1/2 inch, draw a line, and then trim the door with a circular saw. Apply the masking tape on the bottom edge, trace the line on the tape, and cut through the tape to prevent chipping the door veneer.
Cracked wood
The bi-fold doors are made of lightweight materials, and therefore sometimes wood breaks along either or both of the pivot pins. When this issue arises, the door leans, and you will not be able to straighten it until you patch the cracks. Following are the solutions you can do with the carpenter’s glue and the C-clamp.
Solution
- Take the door down and force the pivot out of the door edge with a flat-head screwdriver or pin.
- Spread the gap slightly with the screwdriver and spread the toothpick on the carpenter’s glue.
- Lock the wood with a C-clip and keep the clamp on for 3 to 4 hours.
- Tap the pin back into the hole with the hammer and put the door in its braces.
The design and modification of these durable bi-fold doors are relatively easy and can be completed at home. If you split the rooms or let the outside in, a bi-fold door is a perfect option!