Pocket Doors and How to Install Them

Pocket doors are not actually new innovations in architecture or are they the latest home improvement fad. They have been around for a decade or so and only now did they start to emerge as interesting architectural elements in homes. Pocket doors are doors that are not attached by hinges but rather they are opened by sliding the door into a pocket or space in a wall.

Pocket doors come either as singles, which basically means the door can be slide open and shut from either the left or the right, or they can come in doubles which means the doors slide together and meet in the middle from both the right and left sides. Space it the primary consideration when installing pocket doors. Since a hinged door can easily take up to 10 square feet of floor space, a hinge door might be the solution you're looking for to maximize your available space.

Aside from the need for more space, people are installing pocket doors to accommodate people who have disabilities. An ordinary swing door proved to be more tasking to a person sitting on a wheelchair or using a walker. Sliding doors increase the mobility and maneuverability of people with disabilities.

Pocket door kits can easily be bought in any home improvement store. The first thing that you will need to do before even attempting to install pocket doors, is to find out the contents of your wall. If the wall adjacent to the doorway is a load-bearing wall which basically means that it contains loads of wirings, pipes or cables, then it is highly recommended that you abandon the project. Unless you are willing to tear down the wall and rearrange the pipes and wiring, installing a pocket door is impossible.

However, you find the walls clear of such obstacles then by all means, buy a pocket door kit and you could hire a professional to install them or do it yourself. The latter method is quite manageable since it entails little expertise to install one, although experience and skill can result to a quicker installation.

You need to construct a frame or reframe the rough opening according to pocket door maker's specifications. Make sure that the rough stud at the door opening is plumb. Measure the specific length that you need and cut the pocket door header-and-track assembly exactly with your trusty hacksaw. You can already install the assembly using the usual fasteners and brackets that are part of the kit. Ensure that the assembly is level.

Next is to attach the jamb stiffeners to the floor brackets. Place them at the direction of the header. You plumb them well using a level. Afterwards you nail the brackets to the floor. Repeat the procedure for the other set of stiffeners that you will be installing in the middle part of the pocket.

You should be able to install the door bumper by this time. Place the bumper in the face of the stud which is at the back of the pocket. Put the two 4-wheel hangers in the track. Hang the door on the two hangers while adjusting it accordingly.

Then what you should do is start installing the door guides. These go on the inside and outside of the door at the mouth of the pocket. You should be able to adjust the guides feely. In installing them make sure that they should be at the center of the door, allowing just enough clearance for the door to slide smoothly. Install the jambs next.

You are basically through. All you need to do is trim out the door. You install the door casing and add wood glue to the miters. You also need to add a bead of construction adhesive to the backside of the door. This will compensate for the light nailing.

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