Bi-fold Doors to French Doors Conversion

The picture really doesn't do this project justice. I really dislike bi-fold doors. They're loud, awkward, and a pinch-point risk. The bi-fold doors on our laundry/furnace room were so hard to open and close that they were often left open, leaving the junk behind them in plain sight. I went searching online for a solution and saw tutorials for converting bi-fold doors to French doors.

The process seemed easy enough, so I bought the hardware that I needed, dug out my cordless drill/screwdriver, and gave it a shot. It really was easy, and I couldn't be happier with the end result. No more squeaky, rough sliding, just smooth opening and closing. The doors also open almost completely out of the way now, allowing for the full doorway to be used for hauling things in and out.

I spent less than $20 to do this conversion and I'm already thinking about converting other bi-fold doors in our house this way. Different tutorials might tell you a bit different order to do things in - I did it in a way that was easiest for me, which was to leave the doors up while drilling and attaching hinges, then removing them one at a time. Read through my instructions and decide for yourself what works best for you.

MATERIALS
- existing bi-fold doors
- three pairs of door hinges (size depends on the size and weight of your doors)
- one double magnetic catch
- second door handle, if your doors only have one
- drill
- screwdriver(s)
- pencil
- measuring tape
- sandpaper
- drywall putty or wood filler, trowel
- paint, paint brush
- step stool/ladder (optional)

1. If your existing doors only have a single handle, you'll have to add a second one to the other door. I had a handle that matched the existing one, so I only had to add. If you can't find a matching handle, you'll have to get two new ones and add one and replace the other.

Remove the existing handle so you can measure the placement of the hole. Measure and mark the mirror-image spot on the other door, so they are equally spaced from the center of the doorway. Drill through the door, using a bit that is big enough for the bolt for the handle to pass through smoothly. Attach both handles securely.

2. Measure and mark the center of the doors along the edges where the hinges will be attached. Hold a hinge against the door, with the folding edge against the outside edge of the door, centered on your mark, and trace inside both circles with a pencil.

Measure and mark down from the top of the doors and up from the bottom of the doors along the edges where the hinges will be attached. I made mine 5" from the top and from the bottom. Hold a hinge against the door, with the folding edge against the outside edge of the door, above or below your mark, and trace inside both circles with a pencil.

Do the same for both doors.

3. Use a drill bit that is slightly narrower than the screws that came with the hinges, so the threads will bit into the wood. Drill into the doors inside the circles that you marked. Drill in as far as the screw will be going in.

4. Attach 5 of the hinges to the doors, leaving one of the bottom hinges off so you can use it to trace the hole placement onto the door frame. Make sure that the hinges are folded so that they will open and close the way you want them to.

5. This is when I removed one door (the one that moved completely, not the one with the stationary side). I removed the hinges between the doors, then popped it off the track and removed the bi-fold hardware from the end.

Once I had that door attached to the door frame (see below), then I removed the second door, the bi-fold track, and the hardware from the door. This kept my work area less cluttered and prevented me from mixing up which door went where.

NOTE: You may want to do step 9 while the doors are down.

6. You may want a second person to help you with this part. I did it myself, by resting the bottom of the door on a narrow wedge (use a piece of wood, a book, a slipper, a folded towel, whatever works).

Position the door about 1/4" down from the top of the door frame, making sure that it will close (not all door frames are exactly "square") the way you want it. Once you have it where you want it, mark the top and bottom of where the hinge needs to be attached to the door frame.

Lean the door aside and use your 6th hinge to mark the hole positions. NOTE: The hinges need to be positioned so the folding part is outside of the door frame.

Drill holes into the door frame inside the circles you marked. Re-position the door and screw the hinge in place, keeping your wedge in place for now (or having your helper hold it) so the weight of the door isn't all on the one hinge.

7. Press the middle and bottom hinges against the door frame where they need to be attached and mark the hole positions. Move the hinges out of the way and drill into the holes. Screw the hinges to the door frame.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 on the second door, attaching the 6th hinge to the bottom of the door while you have it down. When positioning the second door, line up the tops of the doors as best as you can.

9. Open the package for the magnetic catch and hold one of the metal plates on the top corner of each door and mark the hole. Drill the hole. (You can do this earlier, when the doors are down, or now once they're up.)

10. Attach the metal plates to the doors.

11. Stand inside the room and pull the doors closed while holding the magnetic catch up against the top of the door frame. Let both doors stick to it and get it positioned where you want it. Mark the holes with a pencil. Open the doors. Drill the holes then screw the catch in place.

12. The last step is to wash, sand, fill, sand, and paint the areas where the previous hardware was attached to the doors and door frame. DONE!

Enjoy your quieter, handier doors!

Top Bunk Bedside Tray

If you have bunk beds in your house, you know that it can be hard for whoever's sleeping on the top bunk to find a place to put a glass of water or book. I was looking for a solution to this problem and after considering a variety of options, I came up with this simple idea.

If you want to get fancy, you could use/build a wooden box and attach it to the bunk bed frame with metal clamps or hang it on hooks. I decided to use cardboard and zip-ties, since it's lighter and easier.

I decided on a "tray", with sides all around to prevent things from falling out, rather than a "table". You can make the sides of your tray however high you want. I just went with the height that the sides were on the box that I used, which were about 4" high. My box is about 9" wide by 12" long, but you can use whatever you find/prefer.

MATERIALS
- sturdy cardboard box, extra pieces of cardboard
- scissors, exacto knife
- pencil, ruler
- zip-ties
- glue gun and sticks
- duct tape, contact paper, fabric/glue, or similar items to cover/decorate the box, if desired

1. Remove any labels or extra tape from the box.

2. Glue down the flaps inside the bottom of the box.

3. Glue the top flaps to the sides of the box, either on the inside or the outside.

4. Measure the size of the inside of the bottom of the box and cut a piece of cardboard to fit it. Check the fit.

5. Cover this piece of cardboard, if desired.

6. Cover the sides (inside and outside) and bottom of the box (outside), if desired.

7. Glue the inside bottom piece into the box.

8. Hold the tray up to the side of the top bunk and determine where you want to attach it to the rails. I attached it in three places at the top and bottom.

9. Carefully cut holes through the side of the tray and insert the zip-ties.

10. Loop the zip-ties around the rails and tighten them. Trim away the excess tail.

DONE!

DIY Captain America Shield from a Pizza Pan

Whether you're looking for a great costume accessory or a unique decor item for a room, Captain America's shield is an eye-catching and easily-recognizable item. There are a variety of styles of the shield available to purchase, from small, plastic toy ones to expensive, screen-accurate metal replicas, but it's not that difficult or costly to make your own.

The base for the shield is an inexpensive and readily available item: a metal pizza pan. I purchased mine at a dollar store for a few bucks. The size of the pan determines the size of the shield, so you can make it whatever size you need for your intended use.

For the back of the shield, decide what you intend to use the shield for to determine what to attach. If you want the shield for a costume prop, use strong glue to attach handles made of belts, fabric strips, ribbon, or even cardboard. If you want to hang the shield on the wall, you can attach a loop of string or wire for hanging it and pieces of foam to keep it parallel to the wall.

MATERIALS

- metal pizza pan

- blue and red spray paint (for metal)

- contact paper

- painters' tape

- scissors, exacto knife

- pencil, ruler

- circular objects to trace around (optional)

- 5-point star stencil or cookie cutter or similar, or protractor for drawing the star

- strong glue and belt/string/similar for holding/hanging (optional)

1. Remove any stickers/residue from the pizza pan. Thoroughly wash and dry the pan.

2. Trace around the pan on the back of a piece of contact paper. Draw three circles inside, smaller each time. Inside the smallest (center) circle, draw a 5-point star.

Cut out the inner circles and the star.

3. Center and stick the second largest onto the pan.

4. Stick the third largest circle to the pan.

5. Stick the star in the center of the shield.

6. Stick the largest circle to the pan and wrap the edges of the contact paper around the edges of the shield.

If there are any gaps in your contact paper, use painters' tape to cover them.

7. Spray the circle around the star with blue spray paint, following the directions on the paint for drying time. Use thin layers of paint. For some reason, my paint didn't adhere to certain areas of the pan, but I like the "weathered" look.

8. Once the blue paint is thoroughly dry, use an exacto knife to lightly cut the paint around the outside of the circle, ensuring that the paint isn't stuck to the contact paper.

Peel away the contact paper circle closest the star and the contact paper around the edge.

NOTE: Follow the directions on the paint and painters' tape for drying time between this step and the next.

9. Lay strips of painters' tape on a cutting mat, slightly overlapping them. Trace a circle the same size as your blue circle onto the tape and cut it out.

10. Stick the painters' tape circle over your blue circle and star.

11. Spray paint the second and outer circles with red spray paint, following the directions on the can for drying times. Use thin layers of paint.

12. Carefully peel away the contact paper circle and painters' tape circle.

13. Carefully and lightly, use an exacto knife to trace around the star so the paint doesn't stick to the contact paper. Peel off the contact paper star.

14. Add some "weathering" and "battle damage" marks by scratching the paint off in a few places, if you want to.

15. Attach your belts or string to the back of the shield, as desired. DONE!