good source 4 french doors for bedroom - 36x80ish not $$$$

[masraum]

THe missus has us renovating our upstairs. We have 2 small bedrooms that are long and narrow. She wants to take the regular door that's offset to one side and replace it with a French door that's centered on the wall. I think we're looking for something that's approx 36x80 (no taller for sure, and doesn't need to be 48"). Is there a good source for doors like that, that won't cost a fortune, but will still be good doors?

I'm guessing that we can get cheap doors at HD/Lowes, or spend a ton on nice doors, and that's pretty much it.

Thoughts or recommendations?

I've also wondered about pocket doors instead, but I understand that those can be a PITA.

[1990C4S]

I made my French doors from two bifold doors glued together.

Question for the Carpenters and Builders

Post #32.

I'm shocked you don't remember Post #33.

[1990C4S]

So you want two doors, each one 18-24" x 80?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

So you want two doors, each one 18-24" x 80?

I think probably 2 doors that are 18". These rooms are small, so 24" x2 seems too big. But I don't know what the missus thinks.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 1990c4s

i made my french doors from two bifold doors glued together.

Question for the Carpenters and Builders

post #32.

i'm shocked you don't remember post #33.

LOL! Seeing it again, now I remember.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

I made my French doors from two bifold doors glued together.

Question for the Carpenters and Builders

Post #32.

I'm shocked you don't remember Post #33.

WHat sort of latch did you use? Just magnets?

I think I'd have to do something a little different since these would be bedrooms, so they'd need to lock, even if they didn't have to be a super secure lock.

[look 171]

Get these Steve https://www.cabinetparts.com/p/emtek-door-hardware-door-locks-EMT8502US10B-p88425?mtm_campaign=780262739&mtm_group=43589091591&mtm_source=google_ad&mtm_medium=cpc&gad=1

Hidden and clean. Cut a mortise and slip it in there. Use a drop of oil when you remember. One up top one on the bottom. Cheap, don't need to go fancy. I like Emtek, they make a good product. I suggest you get two 18" pre-hung doors and request they install these locks. I found pre-hung doors do not always have the best craftmanship they work at best. If you want to do it yourself, order two 18x80 doors and make your own jamb out of vertical grain Doug Fir. The one thing I strongly suggest buying or making a hinge jig to keep everything exact (three hinges,this is coming from a guy that's been doing finish carpentry since 19.

I like Emtek or Baldwin hinges but if you want to impress the Mrs, use ball bearing hinges. It is good stuff

[look 171]

Ball catch Steve. They are pretty hidden with just a plate on top. All its needed is a hold drilled to the top of the door with a little mortise to house the ball. I oil mine when I remember every 8-9 years. Works fine.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by look 171

Get these Steve https://www.cabinetparts.com/p/emtek-door-hardware-door-locks-EMT8502US10B-p88425?mtm_campaign=780262739&mtm_group=43589091591&mtm_source=google_ad&mtm_medium=cpc&gad=1

Hidden and clean. Cut a mortise and slip it in there. Use a drop of oil when you remember. One up top one on the bottom. Cheap, don't need to go fancy. I like Emtek, they make a good product. I suggest you get two 18" pre-hung doors and request they install these locks. I found pre-hung doors do not always have the best craftmanship they work at best. If you want to do it yourself, order two 18x80 doors and make your own jamb out of vertical grain Doug Fir. The one thing I strongly suggest buying or making a hinge jig to keep everything exact (three hinges,this is coming from a guy that's been doing finish carpentry since 19.

I like Emtek or Baldwin hinges but if you want to impress the Mrs, use ball bearing hinges. It is good stuff

Ball catch Steve. They are pretty hidden with just a plate on top. All its needed is a hold drilled to the top of the door with a little mortise to house the ball. I oil mine when I remember every 8-9 years. Works fine.

Thanks, Jeff. Good call on the lock above. Then you have one door manually "lock" at the top to the frame, and then the other door has a regular knob/lock into the other door. I've seen that setup before.

Another good call on the ball catch. Our old apt had 2 regular doors with a ball catch on each for the laundry closet.

These doors would probably be open 99.9% of the time. Then they probably wouldn't have to have a lock, but I'd like to put one in. I could see having a ball catch for 99.99% of the time, and then possibly the other sort of lock for the other 0.01% of the time.

[look 171]

Its called an active door. Ball catch keeps them shut without having to deal wind and such. Just push and they open up. Its nice to have a stop and keep them in place.

[masraum]

Still, I think the real question is where to get the doors that are not $1000 and not junk.

[Zeke]

Stain or paint grade? Assume this is interior. Not much variation in doors for interior use.

You may be asking about pre hung. That's a can of worms. 2 Doors, hardware, jamb material plus casing can't be more than $600.

Looking online it seems that buying a 'book' door is something no one considers or knows about. You go to a lumber yard and order a door or 3. "Book" means it's a door, no prep, just a door out of the rack.

Manufacturers like Simpson have made the classic 1510 door for ages. They must make 30 designs, all iterations of pretty much the standard. 1510's are in stock at most decent lumber yards in sizes of 24, 28, 32 and 36". An arch top could take weeks or months to get. Should be under 200 ea. So no need to even order.

Expanding an opening is another thing altogether. Pocket doors take 2wice the width in terms of the required header. So a set of door's 4' in total will take around a 9 foot header measuring the header end to end.

Having a 4 foot set with an active door and an inactive door pinned most of the time for the active to have something to latch to means you get to use a about 23" of walking space every day. The only doors that both swing open simultaneously are in movies. No one actually behaves like that.

Minimum for me inside is 30" each.

A decent door hanger here in CA would charge $500 to assemble a jamb, install in an existing rough opening, and install hardware and trim. If you can find a door hanger. The painter would be about the same over the course of 2 days if he is local and can get to another job during that period. If not, then 2 days pay which here is $300/day. For anyone that I would let paint anyway.

Rough opening is anyone's guess. 30 years ago I got $1000 for a RO patched in and did a few a month. I'm guessing 2K these days no electrical. There is always electrical.

I hate anything prehung. The product never seems to be as good as a good ol' book Simpson fir door.

[Alan A]

Did you think about barn doors? I can think of a couple of places recently I’ve stayed in where they work well.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by masraum

Still, I think the real question is where to get the doors that are not $1000 and not junk.

I really you should hang your own. Cheaper and the result is better and I know you have the ability to do this. Make sure you bevel the 2.5 degrees (I normally just do 2) on both edges to keep door from binding.

Our here, I always try to buy TM Cobb doors

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by masraum

What sort of latch did you use? Just magnets?

I think I'd have to do something a little different since these would be bedrooms, so they'd need to lock, even if they didn't have to be a super secure lock.

I used magnets, since they are closet doors. You need the latch that looked posted and a passage door knob.

It's not overly difficult to hang a door.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Stain or paint grade? Assume this is interior. Not much variation in doors for interior use.

Looking online it seems that buying a 'book' door is something no one considers or knows about. You go to a lumber yard and order a door or 3. "Book" means it's a door, no prep, just a door out of the rack.

Having a 4 foot set with an active door and an inactive door pinned most of the time for the active to have something to latch to means you get to use a about 23" of walking space every day. The only doors that both swing open simultaneously are in movies. No one actually behaves like that.

Minimum for me inside is 30" each.

These will be painted.

I'll look into 'book' doors, that sounds like possibly a good way to go.

I thought the same thing about the small opening and opening one door vs both and that sort of thing. I think these doors would be open 99.9% of the time, and probably only ever get closed if someone was visiting and staying the night which is usually the grandkids or adult kids and grandkids, so they can just open both doors and probably wouldn't need them to be locked. But yes, otherwise this sort of thing would be a nightmare.

Originally Posted by Alan A

Did you think about barn doors? I can think of a couple of places recently I’ve stayed in where they work well.

I don't like barn doors. The missus does.

Originally Posted by look 171

I really you should hang your own. Cheaper and the result is better and I know you have the ability to do this. Make sure you bevel the 2.5 degrees (I normally just do 2) on both edges to keep door from binding.

Our here, I always try to buy TM Cobb doors

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, that I do all of the installation, hanging, etc.... I think it's something that I can do.

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

I used magnets, since they are closet doors. You need the latch that looked posted and a passage door knob.

It's not overly difficult to hang a door.

Good to know, thanks.

[Zeke]

The only thing you need to know about hanging a pair of doors in one opening is hang one door, usually the inactive door, and then treat that door as a jamb while fitting and fussing with the 2nd door. Just leave it closed and take your measurements or scribe your lines like the other door is not a door.

Of course you have to get the first door in well enough to work properly. It's one, then two. Or rather one then another. if you think of them as a pair too soon, you will mess up.

[stevej37]

I know nothing about french doors.....but I'm getting hungry thinking about french toast.
Yummy.

[A930Rocket]

I would buy a prehung double hung door versus trying to fit two doors in a jamb.

[1990C4S]

For my laundry French doors I just bought a LH hung door and RH hung door, then combined them by cutting one jam off each. It was very easy.