Sliding Door Conversion for Dummies - The Freelance Files MMCXLIII

Our staffers long ago learned to read do-it-yourself instruction at places like eHow.com with a jaundiced eye. While some (but not all) of the blogs about DIY projects are real and include useful information, rubbish that some J-school grad pounded out in a few minutes based on partial understanding of the question is often full of misinformation and outright crap. Take, for instance, the post that J-school grad and wannabe med student Nat Fondell scribbled down for HomeSteady.com claiming to explain "How to Change Sliding Closet Doors to Swing Doors."

There are several blog posts online from DIYers that explain the process, but it's a safe bet Fondell didn't pay much attention to them; if only because he omitted a critical step; one that was obvious to the staffer who found his post. According to Nat, though,

"The process of switching sliding doors to swinging doors is straightforward, requires only basic tools and can be done in just a few hours."

We disagree: we figure that doing it RIGHT will take a weekend, but then what do we know? We actually have "Experience installing doors," a qualification Fondell seemed to be missing. Whatever the case, here's what Nat said to do:

• "Remove the sliding doors from their track by unscrewing the frame from the doorway using a drill." – Chances are pretty good you can lift the doors from the track and then remove the track from the doorway.
• "Position the two doors within the cleared-out frame. Set two door hinges between the doors and the closet frame... Screw the hinges into the door with 1-inch wood screws. Screw the hinges into the door frame with 3-inch wood screws." – Uhhh, Nat? Aren't door hinges typically mortised into the door jamb? And where is the door jamb?
• "Set the doorknobs against the central side of each door." – WTF is the "central side" of a door?
• "Drill another hole through the end of the door and into the previous doorknob hole." – Did you mean edge of the door, Nat?
• "Position the doorknobs into the drilled holes and attach them in place with the included attachment hardware." – Does this moron not know how doorknobs stay in place? Apparently not...
• "Position a 1-by-2-by-4-inch block in the center of the top frame, directly behind the doors' closed position. Attach the block to the frame with 3-inch wood screws to block the doors from swinging into the closet." – Guess that negates a need for stop molding...

So, those who know how doors are hung, what are Nat's problems? Here are some of them:

1. A pair of sliding doors is usually an inch wider than the door opening. Nat never mentioned trimming the doors to size.
2. Because of the hardware on the top, sliding doors are generally an inch or so shorter than the opening. Any suggestions for stretching them, Nat? We thought not.
3. Nat wanted you to put a doorknob on each door. Did he not realize how door latches work? Where's the strike? Oops...

Clearly, young Mr. Fondell was utterly unprepared to attempt to perform this retrofit and, as a result, completely botched the instructions. Small wonder he's picking up a Dumbass of the Day award.

DDIY - DOORS