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How to Install a Bifold Glass Shower Door (DIY Guide)

Bifold Shower Door

Bifold Glass Shower Doors are a great option for bathrooms and showers with limited space. Additionally, bifold glass shower doors are a huge improvement over shower rods and shower curtains.

To install a bifold shower door, mark the mounting frame location on the shower walls using tape and a pencil. Drill pilot holes into the shower wall and secure the mounting frame to the shower walls using screws. Assemble the bifold shower door and attach it to the mounting frame using screws. Finally, install the waterproofing strips along the bottom and sides of the bifold shower door glass.

If you are looking to install a glass bifold shower door, this article will explain every step of the process in detail. If you are more of a visual learner, you can also check out my “Bifold Glass Shower Door Installation” Youtube Video linked at the end of this article.

Let’s begin!

1. Prepare your Shower for Bifold Glass Door Installation

Before you can install a bifold glass shower door in your shower, you must ensure that that the shower has already been tiled and grouted. Basically, installing a bifold shower door should be the last step in your shower installation process.

For more information on shower tile installation, refer to the following instructional articles:

Ensure that your Shower is tiled and grouted before beginning your bifold shower door installation process
Ensure that your Shower is tiled and grouted before beginning your bifold shower door installation process

Once your shower is completely tiled and grouted, you can begin the bifold shower door installation process.

2. Determine the Mounting Hardware Location

At this stage, open up your bifold shower door and remove the components. For my bathroom, I installed the Aquafold Shower Door as Manufactured by Dreamline.

Most Bifold shower doors will include a metal mounting frame that attaches directly to the shower walls.

Most Bifold shower doors will include a metal mounting frame that attaches directly to the shower walls
Most Bifold shower doors will include a metal mounting frame that attaches directly to the shower walls

Position the metal mounting frame in your desired installation location and mark the screw hole locations on the tile. I recommend that you use a piece of painter’s tape to help you clearly see your marked location.

PRO TIP: Use a laser level when marking the screw locations to ensure that the metal mounting frame is perfectly level.

After Marking all of the the screw hole locations, remove the the metal mounting frame and prepare to drill your pilot mounting holes.

3. Drill Pilot Holes in the Shower Wall Tile and Install Tile Anchors

In order to secure your bifold shower door’s metal mounting frame to the shower wall tile, you will need to drill pilot holes into the tile.

When drilling into tile, use a carbide tipped drill bit. Again, painter’s tape is recommended to help you to see your mark and also because it prevents the drill bit from sliding around as you drill.

Use a carbide tipped drill bit and drill your pilot holes into the shower wall tile
Use a carbide tipped drill bit and drill your pilot holes into the shower wall tile

Drill through the tile using your drill and carbide tipped drill bit, ensuring that you hold the drill level. Apply firm, even pressure and avoid sudden movements and jerking motions which might cause your shower tile to crack.

Continue to drill pilot holes into the tile for all of the Mounting Screw locations.

Continue to drill pilot holes in the shower wall tile for all of the mounting screw locations
Continue to drill pilot holes in the shower wall tile for all of the mounting screw locations

Once all of your pilot holes have been drilled, you will likely need to install tile wall anchors. These are similar to drywall anchors and will help to ensure that your screws will be able to support the weight of the bifold shower door. In the event that you are drilling directly though the tile and into a stud, tile wall anchors can be omitted.

4. Secure Bifold Shower Door Mounting Frame to Shower Walls

Once your pilot holes have been drilled and your wall anchors have been installed (if applicable), it’s time to secure the Bifold Shower door mounting frame to your shower walls with screws.

Most Bifold shower doors include mounting hardware. However, ensure that the length of the screws is sufficient for your application and tile thickness.

At this point, secure the mounting frame to the shower walls by drilling screws through the mounting frame and into the shower wall tile anchors.

Secure Bifold shower door mounting frame to the shower wall tile with screws
Secure Bifold shower door mounting frame to the shower wall tile with screws

PRO TIP: Do not overtighten the screws. Overtightening the mounting screws can cause tiles to crack.

Continue to install screws for all of the mounting holes previously drilled.

5. Assemble the Bifold Shower Door

Most bifold shower doors will require a bit of assembly. Typically, this will involve attaching the two panels of shower glass together with a gasketed hinge.

Assemble the Bifold Shower Door in accordance with the Manufacturer's instructions
Assemble the Bifold Shower Door in accordance with the Manufacturer’s instructions

Follow the assembly instructions for your specific bifold shower door. Once the bifold shower door has been assembled, position the bifold shower door in place within your shower.

Position the Bifold Shower Door within your Shower
Position the Bifold Shower Door within your Shower

6. Secure the Bifold Shower Door to the Wall Mounting Frame

At this point, you will need to insert the bifold shower door into the wall mounting frame as shown below:

Slide the Bifold Shower Door into the wall mounting frame
Slide the Bifold Shower Door into the wall mounting frame

Once your Bifold Shower Door is inserted into the wall mounting frame, ensure that the bifold shower door is plumb, level, and positioned appropriately.

Once you are content with the bifold shower door alignment, you will need to secure the Bifold Shower Door to the Mounting frame.

To secure the bifold shower door to the mounting frame, drill pilot holes through the mounting frame and into the bifold shower door metal.

Using a drill bit suitable for metal, drill through the metal mounting frame and into the bifold shower door metal as shown below:

Drill through the mounting frame and into the bifold shower door as recommended by the manufacturer
Drill through the mounting frame and into the bifold shower door as recommended by the manufacturer

Continue to drill your pilot holes into the the mounting frame and though the bifold shower door metal as recommended by the bifold shower door manufacturer.

Continue to drill pilot holes in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations
Continue to drill pilot holes in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations

Your pilot holes going through the metal mounting frame and into the bifold shower door should look like this:

Sample pilot hole going through the metal mounting frame and into the bifold shower door
Sample pilot hole going through the metal mounting frame and into the bifold shower door

At this point, use the screws included with your bifold shower door to secure the metal mounting frame to the bifold shower door.

Secure the metal mounting frame to the bifold shower door with screws
Secure the metal mounting frame to the bifold shower door with screws

I recommend that you use a screwdriver (not a drill) for this step to minimize the possibility of overtightening.

Finally, install the decorative caps over the screws as shown below:

Install Decorative Caps over the Screws
Install Decorative Caps over the Screws

7. Install the Bifold Shower Door Base Track and Waterproofing Strips

With the Bifold Shower Door secured to the mounting frame, it is time to install the Bifold Shower Door Base Track on top of the Shower Curb.

To install the Base Track, use waterproof construction adhesive or silicone and apply it to the underside of the base track.

Apply Construction adhesive or silicone to the underside of the bifold shower door base track
Apply Construction adhesive or silicone to the underside of the bifold shower door base track

Next, apply the bifold shower door base track to the shower curb by applying firm, even pressure. Use a tape measure to ensure that the base track is positioned evenly across the shower curb.

 Install the bifold shower door base track to the shower curb and Use a tape measure to confirm positioning
Install the bifold shower door base track to the shower curb and use a tape measure to confirm positioning

I recommend that you use a piece of painter’s tape to hold the bifold shower door base track in place while the construction adhesive dries.

Use a piece of painter's tape to hold the bifold shower door base track in place while the construction adhesive dries
Use a piece of painter’s tape to hold the bifold shower door base track in place while the construction adhesive dries

Pro Tip: Clean up any excess Construction adhesive or silicone BEFORE it dries.

Next, apply the waterproofing strips along the bottom and sides of the bifold shower door. These waterproofing strips will prevent water from leaving the shower when it is in use.

Apply waterproofing strips along the bottom and side of the bifold shower door
Apply waterproofing strips along the bottom and side of the bifold shower door

7. Caulk Between the Bifold Shower Door and the Shower Wall

The final step in the bifold shower door installation process is to caulk between the bifold shower door and the shower wall.

Use a caulking gun to apply an even bead of silicone down the entire seam between the bifold shower door and the shower wall. This bead of caulk is very important in preventing water from getting between the bifold shower door and the shower wall.

Caulk the seam between the bifold shower door and the shower wall
Caulk the seam between the bifold shower door and the shower wall

For additional caulking tips and tricks, refer to my Youtube Video Linked Here.

Your Bifold Glass Shower Door Installation is now complete!


At this point, you know exactly how to install a bifold glass shower door. For additional bifold shower door installation tips, refer to my Bifold shower door installation Youtube video below:

Thanks so much for checking out ATImprovements! If you learned something from this project, you might also like these other DIY Projects:

How to tile a Shower Pan: How to Tile a Shower Pan (Kerdi Shower Pan Tile Installation) – AT Improvements

How to Install the Schluter Kerdi Shower System: Schluter Kerdi Shower Kit Installation (Everything you Need to Know) – AT Improvements

To see the full bathroom transformation time lapse, click here!

Thanks!

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