Alt Text: Aluminum doors installed in a home.
Bi-fold doors aren’t only stylish, they’re also low-maintenance and secure doors to add to your home. Of course, aluminium bi-fold doors are on another level of functionality, security, and style as well. If you think your home deserves this upgrade, then you’re in luck as we’re going to give you a guide on how to install aluminium bi-fold doors.
- Preparing The Door Frame,
For the most part, bi-fold doors are similar to regular doors. The only difference is that the door panels are connected to hinges and are hung on a track. This makes it possible for the door panels to move smoothly when being opened. That being said, you’re going to have to prepare a few more holes as compared to what you’d need when installing a new door.
You’ll start the process by installing the tracks on the door area. These are often attached with the help of a screw. You must attach the track properly as if you don’t, the doors won’t fully close or will have a hard time functioning. Adjusting the tracks is the hardest part of the process.
- Mounting The Hinges
Unlike, in a regular door, the hinges on an aluminium bi-fold door are placed in between the folds where the doors meet. In a regular door, the hinges are placed on one side only and are used to attach the door to the frame. Most doors will have the holesfor the hinges already. If not, you’re going to have to use a screwdriver again.
Find the jamb side door and then mark the inner edge around 11-15 inches from the bottom. Next, mark it 7 inches from the top. Ideally, the top hinge should be centred between the top of the door and the bottom hinge. Once the marks are there, place the door on its edge with its mark facing up.
Attach the hinges using the marks as a guide. Make sure that the hinges are properly attached and screwed down.
For aluminium doors, hinges don’t always have to be screwed. Some opt to weld the hinge to the door. This offers a more secure fit but if you don’t have the right tools, go for screws instead.
- Attach The Track Hardware
Lay down the door as it’s time to attach the track hardware. To put it simply, the track hardware is what you will use to attach the door to the track on the frame. The fit of track hardware varies from door to door. Make sure to consult with your instructions manual before you begin attaching the track hardware.
Alt Text: Aluminum doors installed in a home.
- Install The Floor Bracket
By now, the door frame has been prepared and the track hardware has been installed on your aluminum door. The next step is to install the floor bracket. This is usually the easiest part of the task as all you need to do is to screw in the bracket on the floor. Of course, you’ll have to make sure that the bracket is aligned with the door frame and the door jamb.
- Hang The Doors, Attach The Bracket
You’re coming close to fully installing your aluminium bi-fold door. The next step is to hang the door on the track in the frame. Since aluminium doors are light, this isn’t such a hard thing to do. Make sure that the track hardware is properly positioned in the track so that it doesn’t fall off.
Once the door is hanged, the next step is to attach the door to the floor bracket. You’ll need to first swing the doors back in place before you can attach the bracket properly. You’ll probably need a helping hand during this step as you’ll have to lift the door temporarily while attaching the bracket below.
- Install The Door Pulls
Of course, part of the job of installing aluminium brackets is installing door pulls as well. This is usually the last part of the task. As the doors are finally in a secure position in the frame, it will be a lot easier to attach the door pulls to them as well.
Once done, your door is fully installed. Don’t be afraid to make the necessary adjustments. The door should slide from side-to-side smoothly.
Installing an aluminium bi-fold door is a lot more complex as compared to installing a regular door. If you want to make sure that the job goes smoothly, Aussie Aluminium says that you should get experts to help you out. It’s not just the installation process they can help you with.
Again, installing bi-fold doors is a lot different compared to regular doors. Cases like these require the hand of professionals. You’d only want the best for your home after all.
