I had a pocket door installed for my bathroom but I found the recessed pull difficult to use and generally annoying. I finally bought two Schlage dummy door knobs and installed them just above the existing pull set so I can still use the lock if I need to but I can use the knobs to open and close the door. The knobs don't turn - you just use them to push or pull the door sideways.

The knobs prevent the door from completely closing but it hasn't been a problem. There's still plenty of room for passage.

Claire

What a wonderful idea to add the handles to your pocket door!
That is exactly the help we were looking for. Thanks so much for the pictures as well!
2 questions:
1. Do the handles ever become loose from knocking into the casing?
2. Any problems with the handles hitting against the casing when the door is open?
Again, thank you for the info and pictures.!

It WILL mark-up and damage the casing over time, no question about that and kind of defeats the purpose of a pocket door when it can close and leave 3-4" of the door in the opening. Why not use an edge pull as that is what they are designed for?

Central79: The door knob itself (the part you grasp) doesn't hit the casing - the base (the part that attaches to the door) has a bigger diameter and that is what hits the casing. It does make a small notch on the edge of the casing but there are no dents in the middle.

I used extra long wood screws to attach the knobs and they haven't come loose. It's only been a few years though. I don't think pocket doors are as prone to being slammed as are swinging doors but I suppose if you're mad enough you can slam them too.

My first plan was to use cabinet/drawer handle pulls but I wanted a deeper pull than the usual, for ease of grasping, and when I saw the knobs I decided that would be easy for anyone to use.

millworkman: I installed the knobs because the edge pulls that came with the door are very poorly designed and difficult to use. There is no easy way to grasp them even with non-arthritic fingers (mine are OK now). The indentation is too shallow and too slippery to get a good grip with your finger tips, which is all you can use.

There probably are better designed ones but I didn't want to go to the trouble of replacing what I had.

My own feeling is that a door should be easy to open and close and the method should be intuitive so anyone visiting can figure out how, and be able, to use it. A visitor shouldn't have to call for help to get out of the bathroom.

Claire

Claire, I do not disagree with you and they work fine for your application. I was not looking to argue any point just imparting my opinion and a generalization and certainly did not mean it any other way.

This post was edited by millworkman on Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 11:06

millworkman: No offense taken, I was trying to answer the OP's questions and yours and generalizing a bit for the sake of lurkers who might have similar questions.

If I had the edge pull you showed I probably would not have made any changes. It looks much better than mine, but to install something like that now would probably have meant cutting into the door - something I wouldn't try myself - so I would have had to hire a professional. I can handle a few wood screws but nothing much more complicated than that.

The issue reminded me of the problems I had trying to choose pulls for the kitchen drawers. Lots of great looking hardware but when you tried to actually use them many of them just didn't work well.

Unfortunately, the internet doesn't show whether you're smiling or snarling when you post.

Claire (smiling)

This post was edited by claire on Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 12:25

We have similar edge puller hardware on our pocket door. It is a awkward to use now while our fingers are nimble and our grasp ability is good. I can see that in later years, if arthritis should strike, it will indeed be a problem.

I have thought several times that a good hardware solution would be a graspable handle like one on a kitchen cabinet door attached to the edge of the door for easy pulling when it has been opened completely. Then a corresponding receptacle could be installed in the door frame to receive this handle when the door is completely closed. There does not seem to be anything on the market like this. I have looked without success.

Rosefolly

These are not to bad either!

Thanks Everyone for your responses and pictures and suggestions.
I am in sync with Claire about the usage of edge pulls. I ordered the above two edge pulls that Millworkman pictured, because they looked like they might be better than standard pull (Orginally on Claire's door).(and they are pretty inexpensive). So only a few dollars lost if they do not work for us.

Does anyone have any experience with a pop-out edge pull such as pictured below?

With any of these, I would still need an easy to grab flush pull.
So I may still be better off using the regular door knobs.
Thanks!
l

Those re very nice probably $150 though as they are solid brass.

Those re very nice probably $150 though as they are solid brass.

Millworkman, much nice than the pull out tab on our doors, but they still require a precise grasp. Arthritic hands need something that is always ready.

I hate to hijack this thread, but Millworkman, you seem very knowledgable with these. I have two pocket doors in our new construction house, with one that should have a lock on it. My brother in law has this pocket door lock and I really don't like it. It is hard to get the little lock to turn because it's kind of small.

But I found the one below. I'm not sure if this functions any better than the one above? It looks like it would function better and I think it looks nicer than the one above:

Or is there other locking pocket door hardware out their that I'm missing?

Thank you!

Those two are about the same quality wise, and really there is not another option without going to the mortise type lock shown above by Von Morris at about $150 ea approximately. Unless something has changed in the years I have been out of the residential market but I have not seen anything show up sorry to say. Pretty much all the brands will be the same quality as those two types as they are all made by the same companies and private labeled from what I recall as well.

I have the Omni 3911. The turn knob is large enough to use comfortably. It works well and is under $100.

Mrs.Hunter, I have the exact one you are asking about. It works ok as far as I can tell. The lock itself works fine, but the pull mechanism can confuse people who haven't seen it before. I try to remember to leave the pull lifted up so people know where to grab.

patriceny - are you talking about the second picture I listed? If so I'm not sure I'm following about the pull mechanism? Thanks!

Just to let everyone know: I ordered the Von Morris edge pull and flush pulls shown in my post above. The cost was $113+ ( a little better than $150 but still very pricey for a pocket door as Millworkmen implies) Unfortunately, I just cancelled my order, when they informed me it was backordered for 12 weeks. House will close well before that.
So we are still looking and open to all and any options anyone uses and can recommend.

Thanks to everyone for their responses and the discussion.

Yeah $113 is better than what I thought I remembered as it has been a few years, lol.

dam duplicate posts

This post was edited by millworkman on Tue, Sep 10, 13 at 15:25