We just reused our old door and had the opening converted to pocket. I just went and looked at ours. It seems fine, and I think you are over-thinking.

What is the "normal" dimension if the door that remains inside the cavity when fully closed? I assume the less overlap of the door and frame the more noise transmission.

While I know of no "normal," dimension, I have probably had about 6 pocket doors total in the homes I've owned over the years, and the amount of door trapped in the cavity when it's closed has probably ranged from 1/4" to 2". However, if you think that having more door trapped in the cavity will help with reducing sound transmission, you will be disappointed. Why? Because in a typical pocket door installation the bottom of the door will clear the threshold by at least a 1/4" and it is irrelevant how much door is inside the cavity. You would not want to try to make the threshold clearance less than this either, because houses settle and things get out of alignment over time. Having a very tight threshold clearance may prevent you from adjusting the pocket door properly if it ever needs it, and then you will indeed have a problem.

You need to be able to hang the door in the opening so I've seen pocket doors sized slightly smaller than the opening. Trim pieces are added after the door is hung so that there isn't a gap when the door is closed. If you ever need to service the door you pop the trim off. If the door was wider than the opening you'd have to tear the wall apart to service it.

One other thing. While pocket doors rarely if ever need to be removed for maintenance -- as long as you use high quality track, like Johnson brand -- having too much of the door in the cavity can make removal difficult or impossible if the door opening is much smaller than the actual door width. Typically, a pocket door opening is sized to be about the same width as the opening before the finish trim is applied. Then the door is put in place, and the trim is installed. So, if your finish trim is 3/4" thick, then the amount of door in the cavity is about 3/4". That way, if you even need to get the door out, you only have to remove the trim, rather than start tearing out the framing also. Really, the only objective with sizing the door to the opening is to have it in the cavity deep enough so you can't see the back edge of the door from any angle. When I mentioned above that I had a door that went 2" into the cavity, that was the door I worried about; fortunately, it never needed to be removed.

Hope that explanation makes sense.

Stan Z-

We're in heated agreement...you beat me to it by posting while I was typing :-)

There is a special pocket doors for pocket doors. I am using a three panel door in my home and Trustile, the manufacturer of my doors, offers the pocket door option. I have included a link to the website to show the difference. It is only important if you are using a paneled door. Flat panel doors don't show the difference. One of the stiles of the door is just larger than the other so that it looks even when the door is closed.

Thanks homepro01, I thought I remembered reading something about special doors for pocket applications. We're they terribly expensive?

I see that you're posting this in the bathroom section. Pocket doors are a great choice for rooms that're rarely closed (for example, a laundry room that's only closed when guests come over), but they're awful choices for bathroom doors, which are opened and closed multiple times a day. The hardware won't last, and you'll have an expensive repair on your hands.

That is why people need to make sure to buy quality hardware right from the start.

mrspete-

You're simply mistaken. In my current house I have 4 pocket doors that are for my bathrooms and toilet rooms. They are 15 years old and have not deteriorated, and they are not a problem to use. In my previous home -- which was built in 1952 -- there was an original pocket door that was still functioning perfectly when I sold the house 10 years ago.

Pocket doors have the advantage of not taking up space that is required for a regular door to swing into, so they are used in many applications, particularly smaller rooms like bathrooms. If one buys light gauge hardware for the tracks, like some budget track from a big box store that's possibly meant for a light door, like a sliding closet door, then you will have problems at some point. If you buy quality hardware, then the installation will last as long as that for any door, even if it is a heavy, solid core door. The last time I put one in, the track and hardware kit cost about $100 and it was rated to handle a door weighing up to 125 lbs. For a few bucks more you can get one that will handle 200 lbs.

numbersjunkie-

Let me point out that, if you size the door exactly to the opening before the trim is applied, and you put finish trim on both sides of the opening, then the panel placement will still be symmetrical. By putting the same kind of trim on both sides of the opening, you also have the advantage of having a little pocket for the door to go into when it slides shut, which will hide any minor alignment problem that might show up if the closed door just butts up against the jamb. (And you don't have to go hunting for a special, non- symmetrical panel door.)

Thanks for all your help everyone! Yes, I do plan to use good Johnson hardware and notice that they even have a new soft close/open option that I plan to get. We will need pocket doors on both the bedroom/bath and on the bath/toilet openings. One thing I have concerns about are the recessed pulls which seem awkward to me and I don't like the look. So I am thinking about making the doorways and door a little wider and using wider trim so the door doesn't recess all the way into the pocket when fully opened. That way I can use pulls on both sides like in this picture.

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numbersjunkie-

I have had had doors in the past that go fully into the pocket and used a recess pull on the door edge. There are ok if the hardware is sturdy, or you don't have room to make the door opening wider, but I prefer the design where the door doesn't go all the way into the pocket, like you show in your picture. You can either use a surface mount handle like that, or a recessed cup on the two faces; I prefer the handle. With the pocket doors that I have like that, the door edge only sticks out of the pocket about 2", but you can obviously have more if your layout allows. The main aesthetic issue you will face -- if it matters to you -- is if the open position of the door is such that you will see a portion of the panel.

Numbersjunkie,

There was a $50 difference in price for my door style and options with the Pocket door stile.

For hardware, I don't like the handles although they are technically more functional. I like the following options:

1. Accurate hardware
2. Linnea Hardware
3. Halliday Baille Hardware
4. No-Ha just for kicks

Thanks homepro01! I actually like the Haliday pulls - the longer length makes them more attractive IMHO.

@homepro01: I'd appreciate your advice. I'm considering Trustile for a pocket door - what pocket frame brand you'd recommend? The store I'm checking with are suggesting Jonhsons. It will be a conversion of a regular door to a pocket door. Thank you!

Dkotov,

You will love the Trustile. I am using the Hawa system for the pocket doors. There are other options apart from Johnson - Bourget and Cavkit being another. I selected the HAWA because of the soft close and soft open too. I will post links shortly.

Yes, they come primed but need to be painted.

Good luck!

May I follow up with one more question here?

if I use a pocket door on my laundry room entry (new construction), is a 4" wall ok or should it be a 6" wall?

thank you.

You can do either...just order the correct size kit. A 2X6 wall has the advantage of allowing a bigger wall cavity, which means you have room for mounting at least shallow electrical boxes, and more depth for installing anchors or blocking on the wall for things like towel racks. A thicker wall is also sturdier, although a quality kit, like Johnson hardware, has steel-encased pocket frame studs so even a 2 x 4 wall is reasonably solid, and stays flat and plumb.

homepro01 - where did you buy the Hava system and what is the model of the hardware? I'd need one for a brand new wall - new construction and the other one for an old wall that needs to be reconfigured/changed to a pocket door - thank you!

Dkotov,

I purchased my hawa from better building hardware. I purchased the 80z with the soft closer when opening and closing the door. Another option is the pocket wall creation by Bourget which uses the Hawa.

Good luck!

I traded email with Jason Bourget. Their frame is for 2x6 walls. They use the Hawa 80/Z and Futura for 2x4 walls.

You might want contact them if you're planning on buying the hardware yourself.

Thank you Kudzu. And all of the other great advice.