How To Install Internal Bifold Doors On Carpet

How to Install Internal Bifold Doors on Carpet Flooring

Internal bifold doors are great for all rooms around the house. They have a nice lightweight feel to them while letting you view much larger areas than standard doors when they're open. For homeowners, they tend to be an increasingly popular choice. However, they can sometimes be a little tricky to fit, especially when on a carpet.

If you want to know how to fit bi-fold doors over a carpet then following this guide should see you through the process from start to finish.

Things You Will Need:

Measuring tape
Drill
Screws
Wood block x2 at 1” x 3”
Pencil
Felt-tip marker
Utility knife
Chisel
Clear silicone adhesive

How to Install Bifold Doors Over Carpet

The first step when installing internal bifold doors is to start with the top of the door. You will need to fit the tracking to the door frame and screw in the top of the door pins ready for installation.

Start with the tracking. Measure the width of your doorframe at the top where you will be installing the tracking. Leave a 1/6 of an inch of either side. Use a pencil to mark where you will be fastening the track to the door jamb. You will then need to drilll some holes where your pencil marks are and insert the screws.
Once the tracking is on the door jamb you can add the bumper - put this in the centre of the track. You will then need to put on the pivot brackets - you should have one for each end of the track.
When the top tracking is in place, align your bottom bracket on the floor and mark with the pencil where it will fit on the jamb. Leave half an inch between the carpet and the bracket.
Next you will need to cut two pieces of wood – both 1” x 3”. Place one of these blocks flat on the carpet where your bottom bracket would be and draw around the block. You will need to use the felt tip pen on the carpet in order to see the marks clearly. Use a knife to cut the carpet around the block – you will also need to remove any adhesive from the carpet that remains on the floor – you can this easily with a chisel. Once the area is clear stick the wooden block to the floor. This stage might not be necessary, if you choose a tracklesss door you shouldn't have to touch the carpet at all.
Get your bottom bracket and position this on top of the wooden block. Mark holes in the wooden block and the door jamb where the screws will need to go and then drill the holes as required. Then fasten the screws, repeat at the other side of the doorway and your fixings are all set.
The next step is to install the door. You should get three pins with the door – a smooth headed pin, a roller pin and a ridged pin. Put these in the predrilled holes in your door. The smooth head and roller pin fit at the top of the door with the smooth pin going at the side nearest the door jamb. The ridged pin fits at the bottom end opposite the smooth pin. Align the pins into the brackets and your doors should be fixed ready to use.

Bifold doors can be a little complicated to fit, especially when on a carpet. However, when they’ve finished the look and efficiency of them make them more than worth it. It is important to look after your doors, even if this means taking them off the tracks every once in a while, to clean the tracks but now you know how to install them, this should be a fairly easy process.

We also have a helpful guide to fitting bifold doors on laminate flooring so you can install bifold doors anywhere in your home without worry.

Now you know how to install your bifold door, check out our full range of internal bifold doors. If you have any questions, get in touch with our friendly customer service team who will be happy to help.

In Summary

Check out our full range of internal bifold doors. They make a great addition in any home and we've got great models available for great prices. For more choice on internal doors, we also have ranges of internal French doors and internal folding doors. If you have any questions about our products, then see if it hasn't been answered in our FAQs section. Make savings on some new bifold doors in your home today!

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Can you shave down the bottom of a bifold door?

It is usually possible to shave a few millimetres off the bottom of a bifold door, usually up to 10mm. This is because they are made with solid timber lippings, which are thick wooden frames that support the edges of the door. These lippings allow you to remove some of the doors without affecting its structural integrity.

How do you shave down the bottom of an internal bifold door?

If you don’t need to shave much off the bottom of your door, using a wood planer is a relatively cheap and straightforward way of doing it. Plane it from the outside of the door towards the center and take it slow but steady to prevent the door from splitting. If you need to shave a large chunk off, you may need to use a saw instead, however if you're able to avoid this you will avoid causing any issues with the stuctural integrity of the door.

How much clearance do you need between the bottom of the door and your carpet?

A clearance of between 19mm and 12mm should be enough to leave between the bottom of your door and your carpet. As long as your doors are correctly aligned, this will leave a small enough gap to minimise drafts while still leaving you enough space to open your door without catching or damaging your carpet.

How do you keep a bifold door from catching on the carpet?

The only way to ensure your bifold door doesn’t catch on the carpet is to make sure it is short enough and that it is aligned correctly. Even if the door is short enough to fit inside the opening, you may still find some of the panels catch and drag along the floor if the door is not aligned correctly. This is because the doors will hang at an angle, with its furthest point rubbing against the floor.

Do you install doors before laying your carpet?

In general, it is a good idea to install your carpet before you hang your internal doors. This applies to bifold doors as well. If you choose to hang your doors first, you will have to take them down again in order to make sure the carpet is fitted correctly and you find you need to plane some off the bottom of the door to avoid contact with the carpet. So, while it is possible to do the door first, it is something of a waste of time as removing and rehanging doors is not necessarily any easier than installing them after.