Discover the Ins and Outs of Pocket Doors
Get both sides of the pocket door story to figure out if it's the right space separator for your house
Natalie Myers
February 6, 2013
Pocket doors will infuse an average space with architectural charm and can be great space savers — but they have their downsides, too. Here's some coverage of both sides to help you decide if pocket doors are right for your new house or remodel.
Many people adore pocket doors. Whether traditional or modern, they are a sneaky detail to enjoy every day and show off on your home tour. Hardware accents and facade finishes can dress up a plain pocket door panel and help it mesh with any interior design.
The pocket door is an ideal solution for a tight bathroom where the wall space simply isn't there to accommodate a full swinging door.
In addition to bathrooms, they’re good for closets or as connections between the two areas. Cladding the pocket door panel with a mirror for such applications further justifies the choice.
Find a local glass and mirror company to update your pocket door
Find a local glass and mirror company to update your pocket door
Pocket doors are good for giving a space physical privacy within a larger area, such as an office nook off the kitchen. The wood stain of this door is a nice contrast against all the white of the kitchen cabinets, and it marks the separation of spaces.
Pocket doors are space savers in the bathroom, as already mentioned, but the way they sit on their tracks means they don’t seal as tightly as a conventional door.
They will not create acoustic privacy. As gorgeous as these modern extra-wide doors are, the sounds of children playing are sure to be heard in the adjacent spaces. That's not so good if you're working or sleeping, but it's very good if you're taking care of small children.
A partial-height pocket door offers an elegant solution for keeping dogs or kids safe in one space.
Talk to a nearby door dealer to get this look
Talk to a nearby door dealer to get this look
Pocket doors allow you to play with textures and new materials without making a big statement, as the doors will remain tucked away some of the time.
They also offer an opportunity to incorporate architectural salvage and period-specific details to a historic house. They're heavy, so install them on sturdy hardware.
Extra-tall doors look amazing, but they can be difficult to roll, hard to lock and challenging for smaller family members.
Pocket doors can help to regulate access to the outdoors in a breathtaking manner. But having an intricate system of multiple sliding pocket doors means that the structural integrity of the wall can be reduced, because the door cavity sits where wall studs would be located. Be sure to discuss your vision with an architect or engineer.
If you have a say in the wall thickness, try to install your pocket doors in walls thicker than 4 inches. It will make for a sturdier wall and door system overall.
Tell us: Do you have pocket doors? What do you think of them?
Tell us: Do you have pocket doors? What do you think of them?
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houseideas987 - your builder sounds like he just doesn't want to put them in. There is a way to put sweeps on them and also they can just 'drop a 12"x12" return' in the closet and there is no way that will happen. Or if it's a large walk-in closet, it will have a vent (or 2) in it and even if the door is shut it won't be 'air tight' and the air will circulate. Plus, I would think if the bathroom has adequate exhaust ventilation (and you use it - we just put the preset timers in place of a switch for them so they turn off after whatever time you choose when you turn it on) that will NEVER be a problem.
Your builder must be my builders twin ... I hope your experience in building was better than ours! But, I do love my pocket doors. The guys who installed them could have been 'more craftsman' and 'less beginner' and then I wouldn't have had to go and putty up around the pulls, etc.
I hope you won with the pocket doors. I wish I had known that my builder didn't listen to us and 'line the pocket itself' with plywood and make the walls with 2x6's instead of 2x4s' in those areas. If he had done that (like we specified) then nailing into the walls wouldn't have even been a second thought. He also scammed us on sheetrock with 1/2" instead of 3/4".
tbear2 - people hate pocket doors because builders just don't know how to install them anymore and they use the 'bare minimum' when it comes to the pocket door hardware. It's all about the $$$. If they can cut corners and you can't see it then they will. We experienced it first hand. I'm grateful that I was able to watch that particular part of our house build because our builder skimmed quality in so many places that are easily hidden and we are still finding those things 4 years later. I LOVE pocket doors too. Swinging doors take up tons of room and I can totally 'get' the 'child on knees throwing up'. Had one I had to put in an empty garden tub once because he was so small and the builder of that house had put carpet EVERYWHERE, including the toilet areas. Haven't had carpet in a house ANYwhere since. Hardwood floors are beautiful, warm and really easy to care for if finished with oil based urethane. Lots of 'living and learning' took place to know what we wanted in this house. lol
If you're Canadian you might like our pocket doors from Carlo Porte, located in Toronto.
Just pick any door from our collections and they can be installed as a pocket door with our special hardware.