Bifold door on drywall. What to do with bottom corner?
Hello. First time posting and first time building a metal framed wall for a new closet with bifold doors.
All of the existing closets in this house are not cased. The closet openings are just wrapped with drywall, so I’d like to build the new closet with a drywall wrapped opening too, both for consistency and reduced cost. The jambs and casing alone will cost about $50.
I do plan to line the opening with wood blocking between the metal framing and drywall, so the bifold door mounting screws have something to bite into.
When installing drywall, especially in wet areas, I try to keep the drywall 1/2 inch off the finished floor (tile in this case) so spills and moisture from the concrete floor will not wick into the drywall. The gap is normally covered by baseboard.
So, I have two concerns…
1. How do I cover this wall-to-floor gap in the corners where the bottom pivot brackets go?
2. Since the mounting screws for the bottom pivot bracket will catch just the edge of the drywall, it seems like this drywall will be weak and liable to fall apart, especially with all the forces from the doors opening and closing. It wasn’t an issue with the old closet doors because they had two tracks…top and bottom. Nothing was mounted on the wall. The top track is mounted in the middle of the drywall, not at the edge, so the drywall stays intact.
I don’t think the bottom bracket will go anywhere because I will use long screws to penetrate into the wood blocking and I will tapcon the bottom leg of the bracket into the tile/concrete floor. However, the gap will be ugly and the drywall might crack and fall out.
Thank you!
Replies
Nick
Cut the "jamb" pc of drywall short 8" and fill in with a pc of plywood the same thickness. Tape that joint and corner bead the opening. Use real Durabond 20,45, or 90 as a first coat in finishing at least.
By the way, I'd look to using Johnson 1700 bifold hardware. Doors hang from the top and are merely guided by the bottom bracket. Way less problems later on with the doors. The cheap regular bifold hardware sucks at best for a lasting job. Rough opening is usually taller so plan ahead.
Thank you, Calvin. I noticed plywood is actually around 15/32 inch thick...1/32 inch less than the 1/2 inch thick drywall. Do you think this will show up after taping? I can't seem to find any wood that is exactly 1/2 inch thick.
If I stay with all drywall down the wall (to eliminate the butt joint), I thought about using some trim bead (J-bead or L-bead) that is designed to protect drywall edges, or even some common corner bead for the bottom of that narrow piece of drywall to stop it from cracking behind the bracket and falling out, but these beads may prevent the bracket from sitting flush on the wall. So, your idea would be better if I can just find a small piece of wood that is exactly 1/2 inch thick.
Nick
Don't worry about a 32nd.
your corner bead will make a bump out from the face of the drywall more than that. Mudded up, be beautiful. Remember to use real Durabond, not the easysand variety.
and, when the door pivots it will run into that base on the inside of the closet.
If you aren't going to have a door jamb, why would your base molding not wrap itself into the closet which would cover the gap just like it does on the rest of the wall.....do you not have base molding inside the closet????
Hi Cussnu2. You're right, I could put a short piece of molding on each side of the bracket (probably around 2 inch long), if it fits in that tight area...door doesn't rub against it. But, I still have the problem of the edge of that narrow piece of drywall busting out when I screw in the bracket...or the molding. I could always glue that short piece molding in place to eliminate another screw penetrating the drywall edge. Gluing the molding, if it fits, would keep the facepaper together, but the gypsum core would probably still crumble and fall out.
BTW, $50 for a simple jamb like that seems pretty pricey. I can get unfinished oak veneer jambs for less than $10 a piece at the big box store finger jointed paintable pine would be 1/3 cheaper than that at least.
much easier solution?
Forgive me for asking a stupid question...This seems so much easier, so I have to ask...
Why do I even need the thin strip of drywall on the end of the wall? The end of the closet opening is only 4-1/2 inches wide (3-1/2 inch stud + 1/2 inch drywall + 1/2 inch drywall). Can't I just install some corner bead on the vertical corners and cover over with setting joint compound. The corner bead has a raised corner for screeding so I can just run my 6-inch taping knife vertically along the raised corners and lay down a perfectly smooth layer of compound. Am I missing something?
Will the joint compound not stick to the wood?
Joint compound, by itself, is not very strong. It will crack into pieces if you try what you suggest.
Compound seems to stick better to drywall.....
and, being that the 2x4 is framing.......and can expand/contract in season......
we still cut the strip of d-wall for the end of the opening. I suggest adding the plywood at the bottom of the opening, taping as usual but definitely use real Durabond dry powder for at least the first coat (which I use everywhere for a first coat because it doesn't shrink much and drys HARD). Not for the novice finisher usually for that reason.
did I confuse you enough yet?
I'll qualify this stuff with the disclaimer that I've been at this trade for over 40 years. Take it for what it's worth, free on the Internet. And remember, easier isn't always long lasting.
Best of luck.
Thank you for your advice, Calvin. I think I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do.
We have the same scenario in our 40-year-old house -- bifold doors in 4 bedrooms and the entryway, all without trim but intead just drywall-wrapped.
Our builder was not known for going out of his way to make things fancy or robust. He simply carried the drywall around the jamb edge and all the way to the floor. The baseboard simply ends when it gets to the door opening. (The bedrooms are carpet, the entryway vinyl.) The bottom pivots for the doors are simply screwed through the drywall into the framing behind. The joint between drywall and floor is simply cut tight, with no extra treatment. (Though I suppose one could put some thin vinyl baseboard in there if it was deemed appropriate.)
This has worked for 40 years with no problems (other than the entryway door is a bit warped -- always has been).
Thank you, DanH. Always good to know what other people have. I could go knocking on doors, but then I might get arrested.
Transitioning from drywall to wood
In my may years in business I have occasionally found it necessary to transition from drywall to wood (solid or ply). This most often happens when I am extending a window jamb to where it meets drywall (trimless application). I follow with corner bead and tape (to prevent cracking). I ALWAYS use a compound specifically formulated for taping, such as USG "green". The "easy sand" taping compounds so often seen in box stores don't have the glue-like grab of USG "green". Dura90 and other setting-type compounds also work well for the first coat. Drywall compounds stick to bare wood, just as they do to drywall. You can prime the wood if you want. Don't apply compounds to finished wood (varnish or gloss paint).