Closet doors!!! How do you tenant-proof them?

Rental Property Investor · Cleveland, MN · Member since 2017 · 518 posts · 354 votes

All of my apartments have bi-fold closet doors. It seems like I'm constantly replacing the pins on the tops and bottoms, and replacing/fixing the wood that they go into. Does anyone have any solution to these to keep them from constantly breaking? It's driving me nuts!

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Dawn P.

Rental Property Investor · Sumter, SC · Member since 2015 · 334 posts · 531 votes

I got tired of fixing bifolds in one rental so I made my own sliders, lol. Bunch of 1 x 6's, my Kreg jig, some plexi squares and hardware for sliders - ended up cheaper than what Lowe's wanted for their sliders. My plumber made me show him how to make the doors because he wanted some.

Not great pics, but you get the idea. Tenants liked them and they'd be really hard to break:

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Jennifer T.Pro Member
Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes
6y
You can always use particle board with handles screwed in, like the previous owner did for two duplexes I bought last year. Classy!

But seriously. I know exactly what you are talking about and despise bi-fold doors for exactly that reason. I always replace them with slider closet doors like the below picture...which is one of the "after" pics for that same property. They're still a low cost, but much better alternative to bi-folds, and can be found at your typical big box home improvement stores. I've learned it's a little more time and expense on the front end to replace the bi-folds. But more than worth the time and aggravation savings involved with fixing the bi-fold doors, multiple times a year.

5 Reply
Ned J.Pro Member
Investor · Manteca, CA · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
Bi fold doors just suck period..... awkward, cheap and flimsy ..... its more a design and quality of the product than a true tenant issue really. Best to replace with a sliding door and be less likely to have issue..... but tenant can knock them off the tracks too and bed rails..... NOTHING is idiot proof..... you just need to find the right idiot
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Jennifer Rysdam
OP
Rental Property Investor · Cleveland, MN · Member since 2017 · 518 posts · 354 votes
6y
@Jennifer T. OMG! Definitely classy, lol! I like the idea of just doing the sliders. You are right about it being worth the extra cost. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I could turn the bi-folds into sliders???? Hmmmm...I'll have to think about that one. Maybe with some flat brackets on the back, top, and bottom, and a nice thin trim piece down the middle front. Each apartment has 7 doors so it adds up so fast.

Thanks! :)
2 Reply
Taylor L.
Rental Property Investor · RVA · Member since 2016 · 5k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
Sliding doors on rails. I haven't found a way to directly turn bi-folds into sliders. The sliders aren't too crazy expensive, though.
2 Reply
Isaac S.
Member since 2018 · 563 posts · 562 votes
6y
Another vote for sliders...
But, if you want tenant proof doors, remove all the doors!
3 Reply
Chuck Fagala
Contractor · Marion, OH · Member since 2018 · 7 posts · 9 votes
6y
@Jennifer Rysdam
Slider are definitely the best option. However, 36” bi-fold doors can be purchased from Menards for approx $35 with all hardware included. As a contractor, we generally charge approx $100 to replace a door like that (that includes the material and fitting). Those doors are of course hollow but solid doors can be had and the screws changed out with longer ones to prevent the wood from splitting, or at least prolong them from splitting out.
2 Reply
Jared Shoemaker
Rental Property Investor · Berwick, PA · Member since 2019 · 18 posts · 6 votes
6y
@Jennifer Rysdam
I started putting regular door in Amy I change or install new. You could change the doors to French doors if there single bifold doors. (Have to take the hinges off and put new hinges on both sides of the jambs.) If there double bifolds you could put 1/4” lauan plywood on the backs and turn your existing doors into sliders. (The plywood wouldn’t allow them the hinge, and you’d have to install the sliding door hardware)
1 Reply
Jared Shoemaker
Rental Property Investor · Berwick, PA · Member since 2019 · 18 posts · 6 votes
6y
@Chuck Fagala
I love the solid doors but the hinges rub and get messy. I put bearing hinges on mine and no more mess. Almost have to put 3” screws in the door jamb hinge to keep them in place. And the solid sliders are heavy to move back and forth, wish I would of gotten them hollow.
1 Reply
Karen O.
Knoxville, TN · Member since 2019 · 111 posts · 57 votes
6y
Originally posted by @Jennifer Rysdam:
@Jennifer T. OMG! Definitely classy, lol! I like the idea of just doing the sliders. You are right about it being worth the extra cost. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I could turn the bi-folds into sliders???? Hmmmm...I'll have to think about that one. Maybe with some flat brackets on the back, top, and bottom, and a nice thin trim piece down the middle front. Each apartment has 7 doors so it adds up so fast.

Thanks! :)

Breaking the bi-fold is billable damages - so, when it happens, buy the sliders and bill the tenant the labor to install (if they really screwed them up, bill for the entire door). I've had places where be-folds last for decades and others where a single tenant screws up new ones. So, it is the tenant, not the door for the first few decades (at some point, the all metal ones rust up so bad they are the problem, at which point, replace them at no charge).
1 Reply
Dawn P.
Rental Property Investor · Sumter, SC · Member since 2015 · 334 posts · 531 votes
6y
I got tired of fixing bifolds in one rental so I made my own sliders, lol. Bunch of 1 x 6's, my Kreg jig, some plexi squares and hardware for sliders - ended up cheaper than what Lowe's wanted for their sliders. My plumber made me show him how to make the doors because he wanted some.

Not great pics, but you get the idea. Tenants liked them and they'd be really hard to break:

7 Reply
Ahmer ZaidiPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Orland Park, IL · Member since 2019 · 29 posts · 16 votes
6y
@Jennifer Rysdam Google "Prime-Line Products 827705 Bi Fold Door Repair Bracket" I used these when I was managing parents properties. Since they are metal brackets no need for constant wood repair when the holes get to big.
Additional, one other thing I would do is once the doors are properly aligned using the small screw that clamps to the rail on the top corners. I would take a dry wall screw and screw it snug in front of the top corner bracket to keep it from sliding and misaligning the doors if the clamp ever loosened which can cause other damage to the door.
Hope this helps.
4 Reply
Account Closed
Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Once upon a time I knocked out the 1/2” of blocking on the bottom and ripped a 2x4 to correct thickness to idiot proof a set. That was probably 9 years ago and they’re still working. And handyman can make it happen in an hour or less.
2 Reply
Kristin Smith
Vermont/Tennessee · Member since 2018 · 25 posts · 29 votes
6y
@Dawn P. Those sliders are fantastic! Did you stain them a little or just put a clear coat on the wood? Love the skills!
2 Reply
Account Closed
San Jose, CA · Member since 2015 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
What type of property is it? We didn't have doors on the closets. The owner of the property I managed's wife would buy random curtains when they went on sale that would fit the closets and we'd just put up a nice new one when we turned over the units. Tenants would often change them out. We just had them on a curtain rod. Nobody ever complained that there wasn't a closet door. We rented mainly to Silicon Valley techies and students and the location was great, but it wasn't a high-end building. No fancy upgrades, really old building.
1 Reply
Colleen F.Pro Member
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
If you go to sliders (which are not idiot proof either) you can just take the double door out and where it hinges nail a 1 x 2 ? to the back behind the hinge so it no longer hinges. I think we did like a T piece at the top. you don't see it from the front. When they need replacement get slab closet doors but until then, it works and looks fine.
1 Reply
Eddie T.
Rental Property Investor · NY · Member since 2013 · 844 posts · 350 votes
6y
I just remove them and never get a maintenance call amazing how that works.
1 Reply
Mark Fries
Contractor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@Jennifer Rysdam
I quit installing those years ago and I just leave the closets open and tell the new tenants they can do whatever they want..sheet with push pins is usually what they do...
2 Reply
Dennis M.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
6y
@Mark Fries
Same here . Any type of door will just be brutalized and abused so you just leave those open . Most tenants don’t have the mental capacity to understand how those doors function so it’s best to just rip them off the hinges yourself before they do
1 Reply
Jennifer Rysdam
OP
Rental Property Investor · Cleveland, MN · Member since 2017 · 518 posts · 354 votes
6y
Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the advice and ideas!

@Ahmer Zaidi Yes! Thank you! That's exactly what I need! I was just telling hubby that I wish someone made metal pieces for them so that the holes in the top and bottom don't get broken.

@Account Closed That's what we were thinking of doing this spring when we can get outside and make some cuts. There are just SO many doors, lol!

@Dawn P. Those are beautiful doors!

And to those that suggested taking the doors off, I definitely think I may do that in some of the units. Some people just aren't worth the effort to fix them when they are constantly needing things fixed that they "didn't break"!

1 Reply
Dawn P.
Rental Property Investor · Sumter, SC · Member since 2015 · 334 posts · 531 votes
6y
@Kristin Smith thanks! Yeah, I just put one coat of stain and some poly on top. Faster than priming and painting...
2 Reply
Account Closed
Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Jennifer Rysdam
If you do it, don’t use cheap glue or you’ll be doing it again.
1 Reply
Bryan Devitt
Contractor · Oxford, MA · Member since 2018 · 807 posts · 745 votes
6y
Those failures generally don't happen with quality doors, just the cheap ones that are usually particle board or MDF where the pin inserts. Sliding doors will fix the issue, but the cost of the removal, new door, installation and paint will add up. Replacing the bifolds with solid wood bifolds will solve most of the issues but most of the costs above are the same. Your best and cheapest bet is to modify them as stated above with a 2x4 as they break. The door can be pulled, cut, 2x4 glued and then clamped. Installed the next day. This spaces out the costs over time and chances are it is the same people breaking them over and over so you won't have to do them all.
1 Reply
BOB CRANEY
HIGHLAND, MD · Member since 2011 · 160 posts · 141 votes
6y
@Jennifer Rysdam
I use Bipass doors with some upgraded heavy hardware and a larger finger pull cup. Stronger roller wheels and heavy duty door divider at the bottom will last a lot longer than the cheap stuff many kits come with. Make sure the door slabs are adjusted level and hung correctly and they should be trouble free for years. FYI make sure your painters don’t paint the tracks or the metal parts.
1 Reply
Brian Ploszay
Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Bifolds are mediocre even for careful tenants. Sliders also have maintenance issues frequently. These are lumped into items that frequently break for landlords. Also on my list are ceiling fans and garage door openers.
1 Reply
Account Closed
Rental Property Investor · Twin Cities, MN · Member since 2019 · 122 posts · 150 votes
6y
@Jennifer Rysdam
Get rid of the doors. Just have the closets open. That's a battle you won't win.
1 Reply

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