Armored Murphy Door Bookcase

It shipped wonderfully. But the "wood" is very soft and breaks easily. Dont pay to get it painted. They do a horrible paint job. The top jam had fractures at all the clips. They sent a replacement and the replacement was also damaged. Highly disappointed.

Oh boy, I have been very excitedly looking forward to writing this review.

I’ve known what I’ve been wanting to do, and it’s obvious that Murphy is one of the most well-known brands in this space. I first tried to reach out to a customer using the Murphy scheduling portal. My appointment was confirmed, but no one was actually there – twice. Honestly, sounded like an awesome thought, but how many people would be available for free or have the product that I was looking for?

I still had questions, so I emailed. They respond – fast, and they’re friendly, and helpful, and all of the good attributes. I ended up getting a free book lock (c’mon, this is why we have hidden doors, right?) which I wanted to buy anyway, so worth it. Also was a little bothered by the price tag, and after talking, it was decided that the unfinished door was the way to go – for lots of reasons (ease of shipping, ease of staining, etc).

I almost immediately got a call from my Concierge – which was a nice touch. I figured that the exorbitant price tag may be worth it for this type of service. She confirmed everything, made sure I had her contact info, and then before I knew it, the parts arrived – literally within ~2 weeks.

It still took me another 10ish days to stain the pieces before assembly – and then still another 2 weeks to start installing in the opening. And that’s when things started to go downhill.

The gap between the top of the jamb top and wall opening is off by 3”. I measure my jamb, it’s 79” – mind you, this is for an 82” RO. No problem, right? I’ll just call my concierge – oh wait, she doesn’t answer. I’ll text, she responded like that last time, right? NO, STILL NO ANSWER. Ok, so I’ll call customer service – no problem, get a response, they tell me what’s up, we’re good.

Next problem, the instructions DO NOT MATCH the pre-drilled holes for the hinges, nor do the instructions show which hinge is correct. The instructions say to put the silver hinge on the bottom, which is the smaller one. Ok, so I’ll try my concierge again. Guess what? NO ANSWER. Great, do some online research. Found some random homemade video online and it directly contradicted the official instructions. Then found some MurphyDoor videos online that confirmed this random video was correct. Turns out, it was the correct move.

Oh and a funny tidbit – the instructions…they were 3d rendered. How do I know? Things are oddly placed – if the lines were present, it would be logical, but they’re just floating there, appears that they’re mounted …off. They’re not.

Next problem, some parts, like the Narrow Friction Door Catch, were different. Did the instructions indicate anything? NOPE! Got creative and things worked out.

Now it’s time for the book latch. It’s super cheap pressed wood that doesn’t stand firmly, nor does it have the designs that the instructions adamantly state are on the book. Instead, it’s just a solid blue box with some painted “pages.” The book doesn’t open like the instructions state, it’s just a box. Additionally, it would have been nice to not install the standard friction door catch stopper on the threshold. The book latch stopper (per the instructions) was supposed to line up exactly with the holes I drilled. Of course they didn’t, I mean, right? More new holes! Fortunately, the fresh, now unused ones, were covered.

Many of the holes weren’t routed/drilled out completely, so I had to spend some extra time cleaning them up. I didn’t have a huge issue with this; it was moderately cathartic with the other issues I experienced.

The front casing was an easy installation, but nothing in the instructions or any videos online, or really anywhere talked about the back casing. I did some thorough testing for gap checking and had to neatly cut the corner of the bottom of the vertical casing to get it to fit over the threshold. Hope this was the right thing to do, no idea!

I reached out on Murphy Door’s Subreddit to complain (I thought into the abyss), but Murphy actually responded. Apologized for the issues, admitted to having an updated process, but not updating the instructions, apologized for the concierge, etc. Said it’ll be fixed in the future. What good does that do me though? My door is installed – I have already paid full price. None of this is good for me.

Now, I know this sounds like a super negative review, and the reason it’s not 5 stars is because of the above, but overall, it IS a good product. The wood is solid and the hinges are mature and look like they’ll hold a pretty significant amount of weight. It’s very good looking and I’m VERY excited to show it off. Just make SURE to get a brad nailer. It’s my first time with one, and I’m very happy with it. Totally required for the casing installation.

Ultimately, if my concierge was available, This would have been a 4 or 5 star review, but flying blind at this price and the lack of QA makes this product a travesty.

I purchased the door in December with a promise of a 4 week arrival, step by step updates and a guarantee fitment with easy installation. We'll, almost 3 months later, with numerous calls made and a lack of communication received it finally arrived. No major damage, only a couple of dings in the alleged professional paint job and a missing item. The magnetic lock system doesn't work with my fitment, so that's a waist of money too. Overall, learn from my horrible experience. Don't go with the reps advice alone, and check options. I could've got something locally with less let down and for less money..

Dream come true, to be perfectly honest. I always wanted a secret room as a kid, and now I managed to justify it by pointing out to my wife that life would be a lot easier if our kids didn't know where my office was! I ordered direct and the customer service was 10/10; the door showed up ahead of schedule and was quite easy to install; and it looks great, holds my entire Timothy Zahn book collection, and swings easily and without any kind of wiggle or looseness. 20/10, would buy again.

Absolutely love this Murphy Door! It’s solid, heavy, and feels built to last. The book latch is such a cool feature makes opening it feel like something out of a movie. Looks great, works perfectly, and is hands-down worth it!

I'm still renting, but when I finally build my cabin, I'm looking forward to installing a Murphy Door! What a cool product! Time to play James Bond! 😄

I have some skill and experience with power tools, but honestly I did not need much to assemble and install this door on my own. It took me only a few hours and looks amazing. Murphy Doors made it easy with all pre drilled holes to guide you through the process! So pleased with the outcome, will no doubt be ordering another one!

As expected for a custom product, it took a long time for production and shipping. Shipping was amazing and protected the large door very well - only some minor scrapes. Install was much easier than I expected, even with limited instructions.

could not be any happier

Great door!

Fast delivery. Great customer service.

The door itself is of high quality; however, there were a few issues. I had reach out several times about the status of the door. It was about 7 - 8 weeks total. I only received one automated update when it was "in production". This was 1 week after ordering. The top rail did not completely cover the gap, and due to the click-and-lock system, there was limited room for adjustment. My primary concern arose from a misunderstanding during my purchase. I believed I had selected the option for a free book latch, but they state I entered the wrong code and received a different discount. Despite this, the Black Friday discount they said I ordered was not reflected in my invoice or confirmation email, though it was present in the company’s system, as they provided a screenshot as proof. I’m curious why this didn’t appear on anything I ever received. 
 
Additionally, when I reached out to customer service, the representative mentioned they would assist me in obtaining a discount and even noted a military/first responder discount if the former did not work. However, when I received a callback, neither discount was offered. Lastly, the door did not come with printed instructions, only online instructions, which were severely lacking in clarity.

"Installation instructions could be improved for less experienced users."

"Fit perfectly in the rough opening. Matches the decor beautifully."

Door arrived in perfect condition and met expectations.

"Wish there were more size options for smaller openings. Still very satisfied with the look and feel."

"Door exceeded expectations, sturdy and attractive. Installed as a hidden door for a game room."

"Elevates the overall aesthetic of my living room while providing hidden storage."

"Unfinished knotty alder looks amazing with the custom stain applied."

"Good quality door, but assembly instructions were difficult to follow."

"The hardware is top-notch. Operates smoothly even after months of use."

"Ball-bearing hardware makes it operate flawlessly even fully loaded with books."

"Installed in my basement as a wine cellar entry. Visitors are amazed!"

"Customer service was phenomenal. Helped me select the perfect door for my project."

Needed a Hidden Door lock; Carrie in Customer Service helped find an installation video and tracked order shipping. Very responsive.