Are Pocket Doors Right for Your Home?

When considering whether to install pocket doors versus regular doors, it's important to understand the difference between the two. Pocket doors differ from standard hinged doors that open by swinging back and forth. Instead, the pocket door slides into "pockets" on the walls on either side of it via rollers on overhead rails.

When it's fully open, the pocket door disappears completely. This design eliminates the clearance required for standard hinged door operation. Pocket doors were very popular in the Victorian era as people looked for stylish space-saving ways to add doors to libraries, dining rooms, and living rooms. While not as popular as standard swing doors, today's pocket doors are a great way to add privacy and elegance to a space without the clearance required by traditional doors.

Pocket doors are making a comeback, especially in smaller living areas like apartments and townhomes, where a square foot cannot be wasted. If you are considering installing this type of door, keep in mind the following advantages:

Pocket doors eliminate the space required for traditional doors to open, saving valuable floor space.

Since the pocket door slides into the wall, you need to leave enough clearance for the door in the wall frame to accommodate the door when pushed into the wall pocket. More importantly, there must be no internal obstructions on that stretch of wall - no light switches, electrical outlets or plumbing.

The pocket door hangs from a ceiling-mounted track, no floor track is required. This allows them to create boundaries between rooms without having to install thresholds or floor rails to disrupt the flow from one room to the next.

The most common pocket doors consist of a 36-inch wide solid panel that slides into the wall on rails. While this single-pocket door is probably the most common type, it's not the only style. There are also dual pocket doors for wider entrances as well as refined pocket French doors.

The dual-pocket door functions the same as the single-pocket door, just with two doors instead of one. With dual pocket doors, two doors slide into pockets in adjacent wall door openings. To close them, the door extends from a pocket in the wall to the middle of the doorway, like an elevator door.

Double pocket door openings accommodate wider dining and living room entryways that don't have enough room in the room to swing French doors. Double pocket doors come in a variety of styles, including solid wood doors and glass doors. Since dual-pocket doors require two door pockets, they are only suitable for entryways with ample wall space on both sides (and no electrical outlets or light switches).

French pocket doors are similar to double pocket doors in that they use two door panels that extend into the wall from both sides when opened, then meet in the middle of the entryway to close. Unlike double pocket doors that cover wide entryways, french pocket doors fit standard 36" wide doorways. Pocket doors of this type can be constructed from solid panels or glass panels.

Pocket french doors are a great way to add elegance to an entryway. They're also a great solution for homeowners who want to install a 36-inch pocket door but don't have enough wall space on one side to accommodate a stowed door. Because french pocket door panels are narrower than standard pocket doors, homeowners need more than 18 inches of wall space on either side of the entryway, rather than the full 36 inches on one side.

Before you start installing pocket doors, it's important to understand the requirements of the job.

Installing pocket doors requires extensive renovations to the walls themselves. First, you need to expose the wall framing by removing the drywall on both sides of the wall. You'll then need to cut out the wall studs to create an open pocket that the door can slide into when it's in the open position. Since you will be removing the wall studs, you will need to install a header above the pocket door to transfer the load carried by the wall to the remaining studs around the pocket door.

After installing the door, you will need to replace the drywall you removed with new drywall, then mud and repaint the wall before installing the new door trim.

Keep in mind that walls with wires or pipes are not suitable for pocket doors. You also can't install pocket doors on walls that are at least twice the width of the door.

Adding a pocket door to an open entryway or replacing an existing one with a pocket door is a great way to add privacy and elegance to a living area while saving space. For some homeowners, installing pocket doors is a viable DIY project, but before you start tearing down the drywall, make sure you're comfortable with the demolition, reframing, and finishing required to install pocket doors. By following the tips in this article, you can swap out a traditional door for a sophisticated and elegant pocket door. If you want to customize or buy pocket doors, please contact us.

Wekis is a professional custom sliding door hardware manufacturer. We have been focusing on the research and development, design and manufacture of furniture hardware and sliding door hardware for 18 years. The 10,000-square-meter factory has automated production lines including a laser cutting center and a robotic welding center. We provide professional customized solutions for various hardware products to customers from all over the world.