How to Make Paneled Doors from Boring Bi-Fold Doors

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A quick and easy cosmetic facelift turned these old flat doors into beautiful panel doors. This is such an easy makeover that makes bi-fold doors look expensive!

Bedroom closets don’t just hide the occasional wardrobe clutter or Santa’s Christmas presents for your kids. They make a statement – elegant, dependable but always practical.

I was not happy with the boring appearance of my double doors! I knew I wanted to improve the look of these bifold doors, but wasn’t sure how to squeeze this project into the budget.

Originally, I had several quotes to replace them but since they were custom-made (5-ft non standard height), new doors were going to set me back close to $400! Not to mention it would take a couple weeks before they could even start.

Updated Bi-Fold Closet Doors

One day, I was strolling around Lowe’s (isn’t that where we all hang out on the weekends?!). I was looking at trim for a DIY mirror project when I came across some ¼” thick trim.  It made me think of several ideas I’d come across on Pinterest for DIY closet door ideas.

Without even as much as measurements, I bought 15 pieces of the ¼” trim and took it home. The next five hours flew by as I measured, cut and painted….and finally, stared in amazement at my beautiful ‘new’ doors, for a fraction of retail price!

This DIY project is great for those on a budget or my fellow DIY enthusiasts that just can’t wait to get their hands on a new home project. This one really goes to show that you can transform just about anything without spending a fortune. Plus, it’s a great one to add to the list of first projects new homeowners could accomplish.

Now, let’s get into this DIY makeover! Luckily, you don’t need many materials.

Materials:

Tutorial:

Step 1: Measure the Door Panels

First thing, measure the height of your door panels to get the length of the vertical trim.  

To calculate the width of the horizontal trim panels, measure the width of the door panel; then, subtract the total width of both of the vertical trims. 

Step 2: Choose the Layout of the Panels

Decide how many square/rectangle “panels” you want on each door.  If you’re really detailed, you would do some math here.

I was too lazy and just eyeballed where I wanted them to go. 

Step 3: Cut the Trim Pieces

Cut lengths of the trim to match the measurements of your door with the power saw. It’s okay if these aren’t perfect. We’re going to fill in gaps later and sand everything out. Just get as close as you can to the measurements!

Step 4: Apply Trim Pieces to the Plain Doors

Using wood glue and some brad nails, secure the vertical strips in place. A brad nailer might come in handy here. Make sure you leave enough space between each panel for the doors to still properly swing open without any problems.

Then, attach the horizontal pieces with the layout you planned. You might want to use a level here or just eyeball it like I did. You could also use a tape measure to ensure they are the same height.

Repeat the above steps for all doors. Don’t worry about making it perfect, we’ll fix any holes or gaps next!

Step 5: Sand and Finish the Door Panels

Use wood filler or some caulk to fill in any spaces or nail holes that you may have. Even if it doesn’t look too pretty now, we’ll paint over all of this so don’t be shy in using the caulk. I’d rather it be smooth!

Sand down the caulked areas if necessary. You’ll want to ensure a smooth finish before we move on to painting. Next, apply a coat of primer (you probably will want a second coat, too!). I used Benjamin Moore Fresh Start primer, but any of your favorites should work. Let the primer dry for 24 hours.

The next day, paint. A fresh coat of paint works wonders in itself, but especially with your new design, you’ll start to see the entire look of the room change!

If you can find the same paint color the doors or walls are already, that’s a safe bet. Or, use this as an opportunity to bring in an accent or dark color!

Step 6: Install New Handles

Before we wrap up this bi-fold closet door makeover, we need to attach some fancy new hardware.  You’ll most likely need to buy longer screws than what is supplied with the hardware, since they are meant for cabinets.  I used these screws:

If you are not good at installing door hardware, make yourself a template using painter’s tape.  Put the tape on the hardware and punch through the holes with a pencil – instant template!

Drill from the outside of the door to prevent the wood from splintering. This is the perfect finishing touch, so don’t skip this step!

Final Thoughts

And that’s it! Sit back and enjoy your makeover with these updated closet doors!

I absolutely love how this project turned out. It was so rewarding to give a new look to these bi-fold closet doors and transform them into something stunning for our master bedroom.

I’m also glad I didn’t spend huge amounts of money to replace these doors – a few hours of glueing/nailing wood, a couple coats of paint, and a little elbow grease transformed them into doors that look a lot more expensive than your everyday standard bifold door.

*UPDATE* If you enjoyed this post, check out how I converted my bedroom closet bi-folds to french doors!