Step-by-Step Build a Murphy Door Bi-Folding Bookshelf Secret Room Hidden Door
The Murphy Door Bi-Folding Bookshelf was designed to replace an existing door. Just remove the door, leaving the door jamb, base and trim.
Surface Mount Bifold Murphy Doors are surface mounted over an opening. They look like a wall unit, but they fold in the center and open. When they are closed, they just look like a bookcase. They easily pivot open to reveal a doorway.
Complete and detailed instructions are included with the Murphy Door Bi-fold Bookcase Secret Door Hardware Kit, but this overview will give you an idea if this project is really as easy as people say.
We do not recommend building doors less than our minimum of 48”. Due to the increase of angle on narrower doors the hardware does not work as intended.
Unless you have really unusual walls or trim, you shouldn’t have to make any other changes. Just build the bookcases, install with the Murphy Door Bi-fold hardware and that’s it!
The Surface Mount Bifold Murphy Doors Hardware Kit includes:
- “U” channel
- Lower track with a half round
Tracks are shipped at a 65” length
Cut your rails up to 8” short of your desired width - Piano hinge
- A small box containing the rest of the hardware components.
What size will the Bi-fold Secret Door be?
The door has to be at least 48” wide. If you don’t have enough space, use a single in-swing or out-swing Murphy Door.
- The door has to be 48” or wider.
- Leave at least 2.5” on either side for the door to pivot.
- Overall the door with trim should be 1” wider than the opening
- The base and case trim around the door must be .5” thick or less.
Base and case must be .5” thick or less. Thicker base and case will require modification for installation measurements provided in this manual to allow proper function of door.
Bifold Murphy Doors Cut List
This cut list is to replace standard 83” high doors 4-, 5- or 6-feet wide. To save time and miscalculations, make a template and mock up the dimensions of your opening and bookcase door. It is a lot better to find your mistakes on paper than after you have cut and assembled wood.
Once you have made your measurements and calculations and created a template that works, you can make your cuts.
- (4) Vertical side veneered or laminated on two sides
- (2) Back Panels Veneered or laminated on one side
- Threshold rack pre routed.
- Valance sides
- Valance front piece
- (6) Permanent shelves
- (8) Adjustable shelves
- (6) Shelf Aprons/ Toe Kicks
- Hardware Kit
- Valance filler
- Valance Back
- Valance Bottom
3/8” (thickness of track) up from bottom of valance sides hiding track
If you chose to incorporate finish facing and or crown molding on hardwood bookshelves it is up to you to determine size and application of costume trim.
Pre-drill evenly spaced holes for adjustable shelves. You can find simple instructions to make a shelf pin jig. If you are covering the bookcases in veneer, you don’t need to worry about the holes going all the way through.
The installation manual gives specific measurements for three door sizes.
- 49” Murphy Door Cut List
For 48”openings - 61” Murphy Door Cut List
For openings 48” to 61” - 73” Murphy Door Cut List
For openings 60”-72”
You can use these guides to work out more specific measurements yourself if you want to.
Murphy Door Bookcase Step-by-Step Assembly
Tools Required
- Rubber hammer
- 5/8”-3/4” Forstner bit or spade bit
- Power screwdriver or Philips screwdriver
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Level (minimum 4’ level preferred)
- Screw Gun (drill)
- Hack Saw
- Plumb BOB (not required but nice to line up your pivot points.)
You have measured and cut to match your template. Now assemble the bookcases that will be the doors.
For each bookcase, fasten the top and bottom of the bookcase and the fixed center shelf first to one side, then attach the other side using dowels and wood glue or wood screws.
Attach the back to each bookcase.
Attach the shelf aprons and toe kicks.
Build the valance.
Lay the bookcases face down. Attach the piano hinge. This minimizes the spacing between the two bookcases when they are closed. Alternately, the piano hinge can be attached to the sides of the bookcases.
Decide Fixed and Moving side.
Once you have your book case fully assembled now we need to decide which side you want the door to move to. We will use the term left hand and right hand swing. For this job we will say a left hand swing means the door swings from the left so you will open the right side of the door and the bookcase will fold to the left side of the door. A right hand swing will be just the opposite. You will open the left side of the door and the bookcase will stack on the right.
Install the lower pivot pin and lower trolley roller assembly. The kit includes a template to help.
Install the upper brass bushing and top pivot.
Install upper track guide wheel.
The valance holds the top channel the bi-fold bookcase moves on. The kit includes the installation details.
Measure and mark where your track will be on your threshold. The threshold will be under the bookcase when it is completed. Mark, but don’t install the track on the floor until you conceal the grabber screws below the track.
You are going to need help moving the door into the opening and finishing the installation. It is going to be heavy! Use some shims or spacers to help support the door for these final steps.
Measure from the DRYWALL 5 ¼” to the center of the track mark, insure that your measuring from the drywall not the casing. THIS IS CRITICAL!! Then measure the opposing side from the drywall to the center of the brass bushing.
Fasten the threshold to the floor at 5.25” from the drywall to center of track and bushing.
Set the lower pivot pin into the brass bushing. This is a very tight fit, it will take a bit of work to get the pin to slide but it will, raise the door to plumb and level to help facilitate the pin sliding into the bushing.
Then set the trolley onto the track.
While one person holds the door up against the wall, hold up the valance and mark where to pre-drill for lag bolts to secure the valance to the wall.
Center the track.
Set spanner brackets evenly throughout the valance.
The valance is going to be supporting a lot of weight, so make sure of this step.
Place the valance on spacers, centered to the holes into the studs and attach the pin to the bookcase. Make sure the bottom pin is still lined up and fasten the valance to the wall with the lag bolts.
The hardware kit includes an upper track, piano hinge and lower track. A small box includes the track guides, pins bushings and trolley and gussets and spanner brackets to reinforce the valance.
Surface Mount Bifold Murphy Doors are installed to the surface of the wall instead of being built into the wall, they don’t have to be as carefully sized.
Surface Mount Bifold Murphy Doors are surface mounted over an opening. They look like a wall unit, but they fold in the center and open. When they are closed, they just look like a bookcase. They easily pivot open to reveal a doorway.
Wall Unit that opens reveal a doorway up to 73″ wide
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