Follow these simple steps for seamless sliding closet door installation.
Time A few hours
ComplexityBeginner
Cost$100 to $500
Introduction
This step-by-step project on how to install sliding closet doors is a great way to update the look of your closet space.
Simple closet updates like installing new sliding closet doors adds style and value to any home. Doors, as a general rule, can be a complex installation project. However, manufacturers are now making sliding closet doors lightweight and easy to install with all the necessary hardware provided. New sliding closet doors can be installed in less than an hour, with focus and determination.
Before purchasing your sliding door, take precise measurements of the width and height of your closet opening. Ours was 60-in. wide x 80-in. tall. Use that information to select your door according to the manufacturer’s recommended height and width ranges. The doors we purchased fit openings between 58- and 61-in. wide and 80- to 80-1/2-in. tall.
Here are the steps to installing sliding closet doors, along with a few tricks to make the process even easier.
Tools Required
- Assorted drill bits
- Drill
- Level
- Measuring tape
Materials Required
- Sliding doors with hardware
Watch Don’t Hire a Pro: Here’s How To Install Sliding Closet Doors Yourself
Project step-by-step (7)
Step 1
Attach the sliding closet doors hardware
All sliding closet doors will have hardware that works specifically with the track it is created for. Some doors come delivered with this hardware already attached to the top of the door. Others, require you to attach the hardware yourself. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for hardware installations and spacing. Pre-drill pilot holes for the hardware so that it will stay exactly where you want it while you screw it in place.
Step 2
Install the closet door top track
Identify the center of the header of your closet opening and screw the top track into place. The location of this track will determine the vertical position of the closet doors. You may cheat the track forward or back in the opening – just ensure that the track edge is recessed at least 1/2-in. from the front or back edge of the closet opening so that the screws are embedded in the header framing rather than the drywall.
Step 3
Place doors on track
Start with the inside door (the one furthest inside the bedroom closet opening) and attach the wheels of the hardware to the track. Ensure that it is securely clicked into place so that it will not fall off the track. Test it to make sure it slides easily from side to side and stays on track. Once that’s done, do the same for the outer door.
Tip: It is extremely helpful to have another person around to assist you in getting the doors on the track. Particularly if the sliding closet doors are heavy or awkward to lift.
Step 4
Cut base board if needed
With the closet doors hanging level and plumb, slide them out to their outermost position. If the baseboard around your closet opening prevents the doors from landing flush against the sides, you will need to cut some of it out. Determine where each door will be positioned within the opening. Mark the baseboard and decide whether it can be removed, cut, and reinstalled easily or if you will need to use an oscillating tool or pull saw to do it in place. In some cases, it is easier to cut new pieces of baseboard, paint and install them rather than attempt to salvage a few slivers of the current one.
Step 5
Install door guide at the bottom center of opening
Install the door guide into the bedroom flooring on the bottom, center of the sliding door opening. Again, double-check with a level to make sure the doors are level and plumb when finalizing the placement of the guide. This will keep the doors in line and prevent them from falling off the track when sliding from side to side.
Step 6
Install trim piece to hide tracks in the opening
Most sliding door manufacturers provide a trim piece of wood to cover the top track once the doors are installed. If your doors don’t not include this piece, simply find a thin profile piece of trim that can be painted to match the door and installed.
Tip: If you choose to paint the doors, it is best to do it before you hang them. The benefit of having doors on a track is if you choose to paint them later on you can simply take them off the track, paint them on saw horses, and place them back on the track after the paint has dried.
Step 7
FAQ
Do sliding closet doors need a bottom track?
Regardless of whether it is a full track or a center-mounted guide, sliding closet doors must be supported by a bottom track to ensure alignment with the top track and to prevent sliding doors from swinging inward or outward, which may result in damage to the top track or the derailment of the doors.
How much should sliding closet doors overlap?
Most manufactures recommend a one inch overlap between the doors when they are closed. This allows the closet to have the widest opening possible for easy access into the closet and ensure they the sliding closet doors close the opening all the way around.
