bifold door and standard sizes

I am currently having my basement finished. The contractor wanted to hire a cabinet maker to install custom cabinet doors for the linen closet. Sounded great until I got the estimate . I thought if I installed a bifold door I could save a lot of money. I measured the opening (which is drywalled and textured) and it is 31 3/4 inches wide. I do not know which size of door to buy for the opening because I do not know how much space I need to factor in for the casing and if I need to figure in any kind of space or gap between the casing and the door. Can any of you pros help me figure this out?

Thanks,
Penny Pincher

 

A 30" door should fit. What about your height? 80" is standard height and you would still need room for the top piece of the jamb.

 

A 32x80 bifold would fit best in your finished opening, because they are usually closer to 31 3/4" wide if you measure them exactly. So if you shaved off a bit from each side it would work fine without having to do anything to the opening. (provided the opening is square and is the same width at the top, middle and bottom.) Since you stated that it is a finished opening, drywalled and textured, you would not necessarily need a jamb or casing.

If you did want a jamb and casing for some reason, then as marksr stated, 30x80 would fit, but you would need to add the jamb, and maybe remove drywall from the top and one side of the opening.

 

Just an observation and fyi re: cutting down bi-fold doors and how much may be needed to be cut down.
Most bi-folds have holes for the pivots (top and bottom) drilled on the stile, so if you have to cut down too much, it may compromise the strength of the stile with the pivot in the hole.
May not be in this case, as not much has to be trimed..if you go with a 32" wide one.
Just a consideration.

 

XSleeper - I read the OP differently. It sounds to me that the dimensions given were a RO. I didn't see anything that indicated that jambs were installed. That would make a 30" door the correct size.

 

Wayne,

The part I was considering was his statement, "I measured the opening (which is drywalled and textured)"

So I'm not picturing a rough opening, but a doorway that is finished with drywall, not with jambs, but maybe that's not the case! An opening that is finished with drywall that is already 31 3/4 would be ready for a 32x80 door. In any event, I agreed that if that is NOT the case, 30x80 is the correct size that would allow room for the jamb. I guess it depends on what he meant when he said the OPENING is drywalled and textured. I suppose he could be referring to the surface of the wall around the rough opening... not the opening itself.

Regarding what jatco said re: trimming the bifold, he is absolutely right- I was referring to only shaving 1/8ths off the sides of a 32" door (which is really 31 1/2 or so) in order to make it fit an opening that is 31 3/4. Shaving off more than a little can result in problems, not only with the pivot pins but also with the integrity of the entire door, especially with louvered doors or those that are true mortise & tenon or dowelled rail and stile.

 

Sounds finished to me...(xcept for maybe paint)

 

Thanks for all the tips, we are all go on the bifold door.

Cathy

 

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