When you choose closet door, you must understand the relationship between the rough opening in the closet and the finished dimension of the closet. The rough opening is the opening in the closet door behind the drywall. The rough opening is larger than the finished opening of the closet because the rough opening must account for the thick of the drywall.
If you only measure the finished dimension of the closet, you may purchase closet door that dont fit into the closet. Therefore, you must measure the rough opening of the closet so that you can ensure that the door jambs and the closet doors fits within the closet. By accounting for both the rough opening and the finished dimension of the closet, you will ensure that the installation of the closet doors will be succesful, and the closet door will not stick.
Measure the Closet Opening and Choose the Right Door
The type of door you choose for your closet will determine the space that you need within the room. If you choose hinged doors for your closet, you must account for the swing arc that the doors will require to open and close. The swing arc can interfere with other furniture in the closet, so you must ensure there is enough space within the closet for the swing arc.
If you choose bypass sliding doors for your closet, you will not have to account for the swing arc because these type of doors will overlap on the tracks. Bifold doors will fold against the closet jamb, and these types of doors are useful for narrow hallways because they dont have a large swing arc. Pocket doors will slide into the wall cavity.
The pocket door will require that you cut a double-width framed space into the closet wall, which may require renovation of the closet structure. Therefore, you must choose the type of closet door that will work within the constraint of the available space rather than the appearance of the closet door. The material of your closet doors will impact the weight and function of the doors.
Solid wood door will be heavy, and they will require strong door hardware to accommodate their weight. Hollow core doors will be lighter than solid wood doors and be easier to install, but they will transmit more sound through the doors, and they are more likely to dent than solid wood doors. If you would like to use mirrored panel in your bypass doors, the doors will make the room appear larger.
However, the mirror will be heavy and require upgraded rollers to accommodate the weight of the heavy mirrored bypass door panels. Louvered doors will allow air movement through the closet, and they are useful in laundry room so that moisture does not build up behind the closet doors. If you use IKEA PAX closet door systems, the doors must match the width of the IKEA PAX closet door frames.
IKEA PAX door frames are modular and come with doors to match the dimension of the frames. You must ensure the rough opening of the closet to ensure the IKEA PAX closet doors will not become bound or leave gap between the closet doors. The hardware that you use will depend on the type of closet door that you select.
If you choose bifold doors, the closet door hardware will include top track, pivots, and bottom guides to support the doors as they fold. Bypass sliding doors will require double tracks and rollers that can support the weight of the bypass doors. Barn doors will require rail mounted on the wall and strap hangers that you secure into the closet studs.
The strap hangers should of not been secured to the drywall alone. You can identify the hardware that is required to install the closet doors before you begin to construct the closet. You must account for the space that each type of closet door will require.
Bifold doors will require space to the sides of the door to allow for the doors to fold. Barn doors will require space on one wall of the closet to which you will mount the barn door. The barn door wall space should be at least the width of the closet door and any overhang of the door rail.
Pocket doors will require an empty cavity within the closet wall of the same width as the pocket door. Finally, dont make the mistake of ordering closet doors before determining the rough opening and finished dimension of the closet. If you take the time to confirm the rough opening and the finished dimension of the closet before you order the closet doors, the doors will fit the closet correctly.
