Teach me about pocket doors

[Spectric]

I am now also looking at the concealed door as an option to resolve some issues if I use a normal hinged door. The main one is light, with a hinged door fully open it will block light from a window, with the concealed door it solves this and also the problem of a hinged door not fully opening due to the room layout. So a pocket door is just a concealed sliding door or is there more ?

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?

Surely even a top hung door could be concealed, looking at Pocket Door System - 70mm Frame -Pocket Door System and they seem to use a lot of metal framing, are they intended for the modern stud walls using top and bottom rails with metal uprights rather than more traditional stud walls made from wood ?

If you are not retrofitting into an existing wall but actually building the stud wall then are there systems for this and if so what brands do people recomend ?

Am I correct in assuming the door does not fully open so as it cannot become a swinging door and again if so do you fit a larger door to retain the required opening, ie add a few inches to it ?

 

[Jacob]

... So a pocket door is just a concealed sliding door or is there more ?

Yes. Ity's a door which slides away into a gap, box, whatever, out of sight

Surely even a top hung door could be concealed,

Top hung doors easiest to conceal because they don't need a bottom track on the floor

....

Am I correct in assuming the door does not fully open so as it cannot become a swinging door and again if so do you fit a larger door to retain the required opening, ie add a few inches to it ?

Just needs to be 12mm each side wider than the opening, just like a normal door in a rebate - held in the "pocket" one side and a rebate on the other.

 

[johnnyb]

here's one I did in a tiny bathroom. not tricky to do but I had to make L shape arcs

 

[Spectric]

So from this it looks like all you need is the hardware and none of that metal frame they want to sell and then you make the pocket in your stud wall, sounds an easy job but what hardware as you want somethingthat is going to last as it is concealed.

 

[Spectric]

here's one I did in a tiny bathroom. not tricky to do but I had to make L shape arcs

I assume you just used some hardware, track and wheels but some I have seen also show a bottom guide within the hidden part albeit only a 9mm slot in the door. What hardware did you use ?

 

[johnnyb]

it was a pocket rocket door. I recommend just buying a kit. it needs a little thought and following instructions but easy. it was neat and used a metal frame. the arcs were the only awkward bit but vital for a neat finish.

 

[Spectric]

I am actually building the stud wall, on one side is a cupboard and there is plenty of room so am thinking of just usng the track recessed into the studwork, the quality of the hardware is my next issue .

 

[johnnyb]

the problem with your approah is the overall thickness of the wall can be a bit clunky. using metal either side of the sliding door allows a thinner profile.

 

[Spectric]

Hi yes I can see that being an issue in some cases, especially with newer builds but this stud wall can easily lose a 35mm interior door as it is also the rear of a cupboard so I can easily borrow a few mm here as well.