Thanks -- this sounds like a "mortise" design for the latch/lock?

Our round pocket door locks are designed to fit a standard 2 1/8" bore in a door. You can see the door prep on the spec sheet.

We also carry square pocket door locks that require you to cut out the edge of the door.

Sugatsune makes some very nice choices

Just want to add some info I came upon this week, in case you are building new and have options.

Since I am dealing with aging parents, I have been reading up on remodels to improve the ability to age in place. Someone mentioned that it is possible to have the kind of pocket door where some kind of spring is located in the pocket at the back of the door. The person would push the door in the pocket more, causing it to bounce out a bit. This would make it easier to close the door with impaired hands.

Perhaps Stone Harbor Hardware could clarify better for me.

@disfromage, I can't find any latches on the Sugatstune website :S Do you know how they categorize them?

@tqtqtbw, the pocket frame is already installed so that's not an option for me, but it sounds like a really neat idea!

My contractor told me that there is a "soft-close" mechanism for pocket doors. That might be nice for an en suite if one person is still sleeping.

@tqtqtbw - unfortunately, that's not something we're familiar with, since we don't manufacture the pocket door frames / hangers. It does sound like a good option for someone who might struggle to grasp a pull on the edge of the door when it's in the pocket.

I have had many pocket doors in my various houses, and my main issue is that houses settle and jambs can go out of alignment. This means that a relatively minor movement from plumb can cause the door to not latch properly. I no longer go for expensive/sophisticated pocket door latches. Instead I have these simple ones for $12: Schlage lock

They are mortised into the face of the door next to the pocket when the door is closed. You close the door and then push on the top of the lock to pop it out: then the door can't be opened because the mechanism is up against the jamb. It's simple, clean, and installs easily...and it doesn't fail to work if the jamb shifts.

However, I only have these in public parts of the house. I don't bother for private bathrooms like the one in my master bedroom.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

@leela4,

That Linnea hardware looks really nice! I think I'll look into getting the same pull that you did

@kudzu9,

Thanks for the alternative lock suggestion -- that's clever! I have experienced the same misalignment issues in mortised locks in other homes. Since this is for an ensuite door (where privacy isn't so much of a concern) I think I'm just going to skip on the lock altogether. It seems that any of the locks that I like are a lot of money and for marginal benefit (as well as the potential of misalignment). I think I'm just going to get a Linnea pull like leela4 and call it a day :)

Thanks!