Pocket Door Buying Guide

As the cost of buying, building, and remodeling homes continue to soar, architects, home builders, and homeowners are looking for strategies to get more out of less space. In the world of home building, space is money.

Building a new home or adding to an existing home typically costs $150 or more per square foot. Add in the cost of heating, cooling, and maintaining that space, and it's easy to see that every inch counts. This is where pocket doors come into the picture.

Instead of swinging like a hinged door, a pocket door slides into a cavity or "pocket" in the wall. It is a sliding door consisting of a conventional door mounted on rollers that slide along an elevated track. With a folding door, the space normally required for the swing of the door (10 square feet or more in total) becomes available, unobstructed floor space.

This type of door not only saves space but also solves problems, especially in tight places. For example, a small half bathroom might use a folding door because it simply doesn't have enough room for the door to go in and out. There, using a folding door can eliminate the need to build an unnecessarily large bathroom or steal space from an adjacent closet or similar area. This is a great reward!

Another typical location for pocket doors is where regular doors have wiggle room but get in the way when opened. This is common in bathrooms, closets, and laundry rooms. Almost anywhere an open door can be a hindrance, a pocket door might make sense.

For double-width gates between two rooms, such as the dining room and living room, a pair of folding doors can function elegantly and practically. When closed, they separate the two spaces. When opened, they combine two rooms into one. This is a classic setup that has been in use for centuries.

Unlike swing doors, pocket doors do not clutter or block the area around the doorway when open.

Today's pocket door hardware is much more advanced than the hardware that used to be installed on older doors.

Older types ride on steel rollers that are noisy, unstable, or rail-jumping. Today's systems feature smooth, quiet, shaft-mounted nylon or ball-bearing rollers and metal tracks designed for smooth, trouble-free operation.

You can get types with soft-close hardware, as described below.

Almost any type of door—swing doors, panel doors, shutter doors, glass doors—can be installed on pocket door hardware, as long as the hardware can handle its size and weight.

Most hardware will accommodate 1 3/8" thick hollow doors weighing up to 75 pounds. You can purchase a pocket door frame with heavy-duty hardware that supports 1 3/4-inch thick solid hardwood doors weighing up to 175 pounds. In fact, you can even buy hardware that can support very heavy glass doors.

A manufacturer may offer several options; for example, WEKIS makes different roller/track combinations for doors of various sizes and weights.

Pocket door systems are available in kits or pre-assembled units. Pre-assembled types sold through logging yards and home improvement centers include a pocket door frame and jamb, hanger rails, and prefab cages that become pockets when complete.

The cage is constructed of lightweight wood, which is thinner than traditional 2×4 framed walls. The installer simply installs the unit into the pre-installed rough holes, holds it in place, paints the wall, finishes the opening with the enclosure trim, and hangs it on the track.

Kit types only require slightly more installation work. Steel-reinforced split studs can reinforce most types.

Also, because the kits are disassembled into flat packs, they are easier to transport and handle than pre-assembled types.

Complete instructions make the installation of the kit a manageable job for the do-it-yourselfer. Standard sizes are available with doors up to 3 feet wide and 6 feet 8 inches high. You can special order other systems for larger doors.

Since pocket door hardware is inside the wall, you should do everything you can to avoid problems that may occur over time when installing a folding door.

Purchase quality hardware that meets the weight and size requirements of the door. Choose rollers that don't jump out of track. In fact, you might want to choose the type that can be released from the door with the flick of a small lever. Also, look for a track that you can remove without tearing down the wall if something goes wrong.

Hire a qualified installer, or, if you're installing it yourself, follow all best practices and don't damage load-bearing walls. Make sure the header is level and the jambs are vertical. Leave a 3/16" gap between the jamb and the door so that if the door warps slightly over time, it won't get stuck in the jamb.

Last but not least, be careful when painting the doors and jambs so that the paint doesn't build up and cause the door to stick.

The above is a brief introduction to the purchase guide for pocket doors. If you want to buy pocket doors or pocket door hardware, please contact us.

Wekis is a professional custom sliding door hardware manufacturer. For 18 years, we have been focusing on the research and development, design and manufacture of furniture hardware and sliding door hardware. 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.