Teach me about pocket doors

[stuckinthemud]

I want to partition a bathroom. I need to use a pocket door as there is very limited space. I have hung plenty of doors and constructed stud partitions but never built a wall to house a pocket door. The wall will only be about 6inches deep. I have no idea how to proceed. It will be built over floor boards .

 

[Dee J]

Buy a pocket door kit from screwfix or elsewhere - has the wall studwork as well as the sliding mechanism.

 

[Setch]

I got a kit from ironmongery direct for about £100, which allowed me to accommodate a 44mm door in a finished wall thickness of 100mm.

 

[Jameshow]

https://www.screwfix.com/p/henderso...D3RpIwaXnIJeYIwpkv0aAiTGEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.dsI used something like this, worked well!

 

[stuckinthemud]

Thanks, but what is a good approach to framing out the stud work- the way I have framed out studwork in the past is a lattice of 2x2 and plasterboards over the top, but that won’t work for the pocket?

 

[Jacob]

Thanks, but what is a good approach to framing out the stud work- the way I have framed out studwork in the past is a lattice of 2x2 and plasterboards over the top, but that won’t work for the pocket?

Why not just a top-hung sliding door? The point of a "pocket" door is to hide a sliding door, for architectural reasons - a visual thing. Do you need to hide it?

 

[Sachakins]

You can ready-made partition kits
See this Pocket Door System - 70mm Frame -Pocket Door System

And door kits to suit that framework.

 

[Sachakins]

There are good instructions here
https://www.pocketdoorshop.co.uk/information/installation

 

[stuckinthemud]

The bottom of Top-hung doors can swing back and forth if handled clumsily so if the door doesn’t fully leave the pocket it will seem a bit more sturdy wouldn’t it? Especially as I won’t be using a bottom track

 

[stuckinthemud]

I think a penny dropped, it’s just 2 sets of studding side by side, boarded like normal to make a wall deep enough to house the door. What would the smallest dimensions for the stud timber that you could go to?

 

[Jameshow]

Thanks, but what is a good approach to framing out the stud work- the way I have framed out studwork in the past is a lattice of 2x2 and plasterboards over the top, but that won’t work for the pocket?

My wall was only 4" thick stud work and a small wall dividing a large bedroom into 2 for the kids. I assembled the frame work and attached some 2x1 either side of the plaster board half lapped top and bottom so the door runs into a 2" slot.

 

[Jacob]

I think a penny dropped, it’s just 2 sets of studding side by side, boarded like normal to make a wall deep enough to house the door. What would the smallest dimensions for the stud timber that you could go to?

Or it's a wall with a sliding door, boxed in. But the idea is to disguise it so that it disappears when open.
Sometimes done with window shutters - sliding horizontally, or vertically - suspended with pulleys and sash weights into a "pocket" and quite out of sight.

 

[MikeJhn]

The bottom of Top-hung doors can swing back and forth if handled clumsily so if the door doesn’t fully leave the pocket it will seem a bit more sturdy wouldn’t it? Especially as I won’t be using a bottom track

The bottom of a top hung does not have to swing, the bottom of the door needs a groove that rides over a guide at what would be the hinge end so the threshold stays clear.

The one thing that is never thought about with pocket doors is the way to open and close them, usually a hole in the door for a finger, if the door goes too far into the pocket it can be very painful.

 

[Kayen]

I think a penny dropped, it’s just 2 sets of studding side by side, boarded like normal to make a wall deep enough to house the door. What would the smallest dimensions for the stud timber that you could go to?

6" - 2" (door + clearance) - 3/4" (2 x 3/8" plasterboard or MDF) = 1.5/8" studwork either side of the pocket.
You should have a groove in the bottom of the door and a guide positioned on the floor at the mouth of the pocket to stop the door from swinging and scraping on either side of the pocket opening.

 

[TomGW]

I think a penny dropped, it’s just 2 sets of studding side by side, boarded like normal to make a wall deep enough to house the door. What would the smallest dimensions for the stud timber that you could go to?

A full pocket door kit includes the framework (metal studding) that goes on either side of the door to create the pocket - no timber stud needed. Ironmongery Direct have kits to create walls from only 100mm upwards.
https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk...0bDwM8w7KYaCf7D6ZnI9ipx1JXtvYNJMaAsIkEALw_wcB

 

[Sideways]

Also interested :
Ironmongerydirect sell kits by Klug and Eclisse.
The latter are a lot more expensive.
Anyone have experience to say if the dearer product is significantly better ? And if so, how ?
Thx.

 

[Tom K]

The bottom of a top hung does not have to swing, the bottom of the door needs a groove that rides over a guide at what would be the hinge end so the threshold stays clear.

The one thing that is never thought about with pocket doors is the way to open and close them, usually a hole in the door for a finger, if the door goes too far into the pocket it can be very painful.

You can buy a spring kit you just bounce the door out of the pocket like a push to open drawer.

 

[ColinDeVelen]

My thoughts. I personally think a visible sliding door adds more character, I have made some for colleagues in the past and they work really well where they don't want a hinged door. They also did a hidden door, from a kit, for an en-suite kids bathroom ( i ended up making that door for them as well, as their kit came without the door). They went with the hidden door because they wanted to mount things to the wall on one side. and did not have room for a sliding door on the other because of a set of bunk beds. So I think it depends what you want to do with the wall you build to house the door in. One thing I sometimes do is take a picture of the area, and then draw in the different options. Doesn't need to be perfect, just enough to get a good idea of the final design.
It gets frustrating when you do something like this and then hear 'I just saw a different door at my friends house, I wish we had done something like that here'.

 

[2sheds]

I've had Eclisse pocket doors in our previous house, they worked really well. The problems we had were that the carpenter the main contractor got in had no clue how to fit them. I had to go through the instructions with him.

The single door kits are much easier than the double door kits, but you just need to take your time. Basically make the stud wall but leave space for the sliding door kit, so for a single door kit you stud as normal but leave space for a double door. The kit then fills in the big hole. The kit tells you the size of the hole you need.

I haven't tried other makes of kit but can vouch for the Eclisse ones, especially with the soft close option.

There is one alternative if you need to fit into a small space. An Italian outfit called Celegon do two types of door for small spaces, a folding door that folds right back to the wall, and a swing door that is hinged almost in the middle and can be opened from either side. They are distributed in the UK by Barrier Components Ltd.

https://www.celegon.it/en/products/compack-living/compack-living-180https://www.celegon.it/en/products/ergon-living-line/ergon-livinghttps://www.barrier-components.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/index/?o=elcon&q=ergonhttps://www.barrier-components.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=compack
Good luck

Steve

 

[XTiffy]

In one house I built twenty years ago I installed a pair of pockethole doors between rooms. I bought all the fittings from Hafele and they still list all the variations. Best thing with Hafele is that proper engineering drawings etc. are available. and their prices are usually reasonable. The real avantage of pocket doors is being able to use both sides of the wall, another point is that they close up. Surface doors always have (air) gaps around them.