Ive been looking for a way to close off a finished closet opening nearly 48 inches wide. It is near our main entrance and a set of doors there will be very noticeable. Traditional sliding barn doors would require another several feet of track and space beyond the woodwork, and there is not enough room for that. Double bypass barn doors were an option, but had some disadvantages such as double tracks. And of course, traditional big box store bifold doors are cheap and are an insult to almost all your senses. Theyre flimsy, noisy, the tracks are weak, and usually theyre not real wood.
With one exception, hardware in this kit is made to bear a heavy load. Thats good because my four doors weigh a total of about 50 lbs. I like the industrial look of the matte black. The track is about 1/4 thick (actually 6 mm), the steel hangers are heavy, as are the stands that hold the track off the wall. (The wheels are nylon and quiet). The design is made for relatively thick doors so I had my carpenter make panel doors of bead board fir in frames that began as 1.5 before planing and finishing. The doors stand off the closet finished opening by about an inch. It could be closer if you go with a thicker door, but some of that space is needed when in outer door pivots.
My only caution to purchasers is about the four most important fasteners that stand off the track from the wall. In case you want to mount your doors over a sheetrock opening, they provide these stupid little plastic inserts that expand behind the wall as the screw goes in. This set up would last only a few days before my doors, which are pretty typical, would pull it off the wall. In my installation, the standoffs for the track are screwed to the 1 x 5 trim. Four lag screws are provided, but when installed they protrude less than half an inch beyond the trim, and into the sheetrock. In other words, the door trim is bearing the load of the doors. If the lag screws were 3.5 long then they would anchor in the header behind the sheetrock.
If this bifold sliding barn door kit fits your need, I recommend purchasing, but I would also head to the local hardware store to buy some lag screws, probably 1/4 but could be 5/16 and a little bottle of flat black to make them match the other hardware.
heavy duty and well made
Ive been looking for a way to close off a finished closet opening nearly 48 inches wide. It is near our main entrance and a set of doors there will be very noticeable. Traditional sliding barn doors would require another several feet of track and space beyond the woodwork, and there is not enough room for that. Double bypass barn doors were an option, but had some disadvantages such as double tracks. And of course, traditional big box store bifold doors are cheap and are an insult to almost all your senses. Theyre flimsy, noisy, the tracks are weak, and usually theyre not real wood. With one exception, hardware in this kit is made to bear a heavy load. Thats good because my four doors weigh a total of about 50 lbs. I like the industrial look of the matte black. The track is about 1/4 thick (actually 6 mm), the steel hangers are heavy, as are the stands that hold the track off the wall. (The wheels are nylon and quiet). The design is made for relatively thick doors so I had my carpenter make panel doors of bead board fir in frames that began as 1.5 before planing and finishing. The doors stand off the closet finished opening by about an inch. It could be closer if you go with a thicker door, but some of that space is needed when in outer door pivots. My only caution to purchasers is about the four most important fasteners that stand off the track from the wall. In case you want to mount your doors over a sheetrock opening, they provide these stupid little plastic inserts that expand behind the wall as the screw goes in. This set up would last only a few days before my doors, which are pretty typical, would pull it off the wall. In my installation, the standoffs for the track are screwed to the 1 x 5 trim. Four lag screws are provided, but when installed they protrude less than half an inch beyond the trim, and into the sheetrock. In other words, the door trim is bearing the load of the doors. If the lag screws were 3.5 long then they would anchor in the header behind the sheetrock. If this bifold sliding barn door kit fits your need, I recommend purchasing, but I would also head to the local hardware store to buy some lag screws, probably 1/4 but could be 5/16 and a little bottle of flat black to make them match the other hardware.