How To Transform Sliding Closet Doors For A Better Look And More Convenience

Sliding closet doors are a major space-saver in a small room, but they can be a major pain as well. You only get to peek at one half of your closet's contents at a time, and sticky doors or ones that just fall off the tracks can make you want to attack them with a blunt object. Instead of bashing those doors to bits, convert them into double doors with a few tools, a small amount of materials, and a bit of time. Slip those sliding bad boys out of their tracks, and with some hinges and a handful of steps, you'll be on your way to the perfect closet door for your space. Note that this DIY is meant for solid wood doors rather than hollow-core ones, as you'll be trimming down the material.

To pull off this upgrade, purchase three 8-foot pieces of 1-inch by 2-inch lumber, six door hinges, magnetic door closures, and 2-inch wood screws. Also, grab some sandpaper and paint in both the color of the doors and the wall or the trim around your door frame. The lumber will fill the gap left by taking out the upper track and add extra vertical framing where you'll attach the hinges to the door frame. You may also need new door handles; opt for non-turning, ornamental ones — also called dummy doorknobs — that you install on the surface of the door, and rely on something like this Better Home Supply Magnetic Door Catch to keep your doors closed. As for tools, gather up a saw, a drill or a nail gun, a screwdriver, and two sawhorses, and you're ready to go.

Start by taking down the doors, and move them to a separate work area. Also remove the doors' tracks. Measure the opening, and cut one of your 1-by-2s to match the opening's width. Cut two more pieces 1 inch shorter than the opening's height, since they'll meet against the 1-inch horizontal trim. Sand and paint them to match the area surrounding the closet. Once dry, secure them in place around the edges of the opening with either screws or the nail gun.

Set the doors on the sawhorses, and measure, mark, and cut off the excess from each door. Since sliding doors overlap, cutting away excess will make the doors' edges meet once they're hung. The combined width of your doors should allow enough space at each side for the hinges and the trim. Sand the cut edges and give it a coat of paint to match the doors.

Screw three hinges along the cut edge of each door, one at the top, bottom, and center of the edge, so that the hinge will open out away from the closet. Attach the magnetic plates from the magnetic door catch to the upper inside corners of the door. Have a helper hold each door ¼ inch from the floor as you screw the hinges to the wood frame. Once you've hung the doors, add the other half of the magnetic latch to the trim above its partner on each door. Affix the handles 36 inches up from the floor and about 2 inches in from the door's edge, and you're done! Who knows? This project may inspire you to stay organized.