Give Dull Bifold Closet Doors A Modern Facelift Without Breaking The Bank

Come on. Do you really think those 1980s louvered bifold closet doors are going to come back in style? After years with no trend revival in sight, it's probably safe to assume they are best left in the decade of neon and Cyndi Lauper. To be fair, there are other types of bifold closet doors that aren't as ghastly. Yours might just be featureless and blah. Replacing them can cost well over $100. Plus, chucking perfectly useful — if unappealing — items takes a toll on the environment as well as on your pocketbook. Instead, reface them for a fraction of the cost of a new set by adding panels made from plywood. Six white-painted vertical boards cover uninspiring bifold doors, three to a panel, for a shabby-chic rustic effect that's easy to pull off. Finished with custom handles, this imaginative upgrade will rid you of boring closet doors asap.

To start your own door overhaul, you'll need an 8-foot piece of ¼-inch plywood cut into 12 slats of equal width. Measure each section of your doors before purchasing to make sure you have the right amount of plywood. Also, purchase 4 feet of 1-inch-diameter dowel and four 1-inch split-ring hangers to make the door handles. Pick up cans of white and black paint, some dark wood stain, a paintbrush or two, and some wood screws. Save some more bucks and resources by subbing the stain for coffee, an ingredient you can use to naturally stain wood. As for tools, you'll need a measuring tape, a saw, a nail gun, a drill, and a screwdriver with some wood screws.

Take the doors off their tracks, remove the hardware, and give them a coat of black paint; the application doesn't have to be flawless since the black will just peek through the spaces between the boards. Then, paint the four split-ring hangers black. If you want to keep with the rugged aesthetic without needing paint, these dark metal HIGHCRAFT Hinged Split Ring Pipe Hangers are a good choice. While those are drying, measure your plywood into what will be three cuts of equal width to cover each door panel. Cut them narrow enough to account for about ¼-inch between each slat. Paint the wood pieces white, including the edges. For final results that are more rustic than polished, DIY a distressed painted look for your new facing.

Tack the painted wood onto the doors with the nail gun and touch up the paint around the nails. Cut your dowel into two 24-inch lengths and stain them. Once dry, slide each dowel into two ring hangers, leaving about a 1½-inch margin between the ring and the ends. Drill into where the rings' screw holes touch. This way, the screws holding the handles to the door also go into the dowel. Affix your handles vertically on the two panels that will touch when the doors are closed. Mark 36 inches up from the bottom of the door and 1½ inches from the edge. Attach the top split ring hanger at this point, and secure the other ring. Rehang your doors and enjoy the results!

With different paint and some shiny new handles, the same door refacing trick can give you a few other unique looks. The slats resemble a shiplap that's attractive in any color. Edge your facing with trim or leave it as-is. Maybe you want to trick out your doors in the 2025 Pantone color of the year, mocha mousse, a dark yet natural tint that's hard to imagine ever going out of style. A pair of Goldenwarm Round Knobs in brushed brass will give your project a timeless appearance.

The vertical boards are reminiscent of barn doors, as well. Cut eight more pieces of plywood the same width as the vertical pieces and as long as each door panel. Treat them to the same paint or stain as the other boards, and attach them horizontally about 4 inches from the top and the bottom of each door section. Take extra care to place each horizontal addition so that when the doors are closed, they create a continuous line. A pair of barn door handles could be all you need to complete the look. Go all-in on the barn door look with the characteristic top-mounted sliding hardware. The SMARTSTANDARD Bifold Sliding Barn Door Hardware Kit comes in several sizes to fit varying door widths.