DIY: Stylish doors just the trick

Bi-fold wardrobe doors are a good way to maximise space. Photo / Michael Craig

Greig Morgan makes the most of storage with bi-fold wardrobe doors.

Holidays give you the chance to relax and unwind, as well as change things around in your bedroom, as my teenage daughter will tell you. She wanted to maximise the room space by getting rid of her chest of drawers and desk so, by using wardrobe organisers, we managed to achieve this. This week I'll show you how to make bi-fold doors to modernise your bedroom.

Step 1
Measure the width and height on the inside of the wardrobe opening, then measure mark and cut along the waste side of the pencil line x 4 MDF panels to fit the inside opening, allowing about 10mm overall clearance top and bottom and 2-3mm clearance to stop binding of doors.

For instance if your door opening is 1200mm make each door about 297mm, finished door with edging tape.

Step 2
Measure and cut a length and width of MDF to fit the top door opening and pre-drill evenly spaced 5mm holes - before fixing in place, measure back 17mm for the door to fit to, this acts as a door jamb. For the top track, measure and cut to fit the top door opening using a sharp saw, then fix the front of the track 20mm back from the front of the MDF to 50mm at either end and 160mm or no more than 200mm of evenly spaced 3mm pre-drilled holes in the centre of the track.

Step 3
For the placement of the bi-fold hinges, place the two outer doors flush top and bottom on your work bench together, then measure and mark with the aid of a square 100mm down from the top and up from the bottom and evenly spaced apart for the two centre hinges, then measure in 20mm for the centre points when carefully drilling a 36mm hole to the correct hinge depth.

Step 4
Once you have cut one side edge and one bottom edge on each of the four panels you will need to replace with some new edging tape. This is done by simply placing the edging tape flush on one edge and end with the glue side down and using an iron to melt the glue as you work your way to the end, then file off the excess tape flush at the end and rub the tape down using a scrap piece of wood, with the edging tape now fixed down, run the file on a downwards angle to remove the overhang and smooth off with a piece of sandpaper.

Step 5
Place the outer pre-drilled door face side down and flush top and bottom with the inner door, then measure and mark 60mm down from the top and up from the bottom of the panel hinge then evenly space the two centre hinges, place the hinges to the pencil lines with the hinge knuckle flush with the outer door. Then using a push drill if you have one, drill pilot holes for the screw fixtures. If not, use a 1.5mm drill bit to the screw gun, careful not to drill right through. With the two doors now fixed together measure and mark on the top of the inner door 50mm down and 25mm in for the centre point when drilling a 36mm hole for the top track runner hinge on each door, then fix in place with the 15mm screws.

Step 6
Use a level and scribe a pencil line from the front of the top MDF door jamb down either side of the door frame, then cut x 8 pieces of MDF to about 120mm x 50mm wide as packers for the bi fold hinge placement, then fix these in place with the front flush with the pencil lines. Fit the top track runner hinges to the top track and lock in place. Now using a packer to help support the weight of the doors, fit the hinges flush with the door packers. Once the doors are hung in place the hinges are adjustable, and you can adjust the hinges until you're happy with the gaps between the doors.

Step 7
For placement of the handles, I measured and marked mine using a square to the same height as the bedroom door handle, then pre drilled in 30mm for the first hole then along for the next handle fixing point on the hinged door.

Tip: Use a straight edge clamped at either end as a saw guide to run the skill saw along when cutting panels to size.

And place a piece of tape on the drill bit to achieve the correct depth.

Materials

MDF easy panel x16mm
Edging tape
Top track with 25mm screws
Top track runner hinges x2
Panel hinges x8
Wardrobe handles x2
Bi fold door hinges x 8
45mm screws

Tools

Skill saw
Handsaw
Tape measure
Pencil
Straight edge
Clamps
Level
Square
Screw gun
36mm drill bit (Bi fold hinges)
5mm drill bit
2.5mm drill bit
Push drill or 1.5mm drill bit
Iron
Flat file
150grit sandpaper
Phillips screw driver