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How To Install Pocket Door

Measure the Space. Once you’ve chosen your interior door style, you’re ready to get started installing your pocket door. Determine Wall Type. Remove the Old Door. Remove the Drywall. Cut the Studs. Install a New Header. Install Pocket Door Slider Kit. Install Door on Track.

Can you install a pocket door in an existing wall?

The pocket door system can be installed against the existing wall. After the quick and easy assembly you just have to screw a sheet of plasterboard to the side that butts up to the wall. This gives the system extra strength and rigidity.

How difficult is it to install a pocket door?

If you have simple tools, you can install the pocket door frame and hardware with little difficulty. Installing the door into the pocket is also fairly easy to do. The rough opening is the wide and tall archway created with regular framing wall studs that houses the pocket door track and thin studs.

How thick does a wall need to be for a pocket door?

The existing wall should also be thicker than 4 inches, as the standard pocket door thickness is about 2 inches.

Can a pocket door go in a 2×4 wall?

Pocket doors are really convenient when you are tight on space, but they aren’t always the easiest doors to use. This is especially the case on pocket doors that are taller than the standard 6’8″. The reasoning is a 2×4 wall really has no room for framing other than a 1×2 or 1×4.

Do pocket doors cost more than regular doors?

The cost of a pocket door is not much different since it is simply a slab rather than a pre-fitted interior door with a cut handle hole. The major difference between the two is the price of having them installed. It will cost you between $1,000 and $3,500 to have a pocket door installed in an existing wall.

Are pocket doors good for bathrooms?

Pocket doors are a great solution for smaller spaces that lack the wall space for a full swing door. This makes them perfect for small bathrooms, closets and connecting those two areas, for example between a master bath and the walk-in closet.

Why did pocket doors go out of style?

Pocket doors were popular in the late 1800s, especially in Victorian houses. They had a resurgence of popularity in the 1950s. But because pocket doors from the past ran along raised tracks on the floor, the tracks were a tripping hazard, so builders and homeowners avoided pocket doors when possible.

What is the rough opening for a pocket door?

Determining what size to make rough openings for single pocket door framing is a simple process. Almost all hardware manufacturers state in their instructions, width of the rough opening is two times that of the door plus one inch and the height is seven feet one inch.

Do pocket doors have a bottom track?

Typically, pocket doors have an upper track only, but if you plan ahead you can have a bottom track. This gives the sliding door a robust fixing and makes it less likely to flap about when in the open position. It involves fixing the track into the floor — one way to do this is with a router in a timber floor.

Can you put a pocket door in a wall with electrical?

The pocket door literally fits into a pocket inside the wall and typically slides on rollers on a track above the door. One downside to the pocket door is that it often leaves little room for anything else in the wall, such as plumbing or electrical (such as outlets or switches), so careful planning is required.

How long does it take to install a pocket door?

It’s important for the size of the pocket door to match the pocket frame size. How Much Time Will It Take? After the door opening has been created, it should take about half of a day to install the door, drywall and door frame, the wall and installation, it could take another one or two days.

Can you use a slab door for a pocket door?

As long as the measurement is correct for the pocket opening, the door is the right thickness, and the door hasn’t been pre-drilled for a standard door lockset or hinges, you can use any kind of door for a pocket door.

How do you strengthen a pocket door on a wall?

A few extras can add strength to underframed pocket areas. One is to apply the covering wallboard with glue and screws for extra stiffness. Another is to trade up from standard 1/2-inch to beefier 5/8-inch drywall. The most helpful is to frame the wall and buy a pre-framed kit for 2-by-6 instead of 2-by-4 construction.

Can Pocket doors be locked?

Pocket doors locks are generally available in two functions: passage (non-locking) or privacy (locking). Round and square pocket door locks are the two most common types of pocket door locks. (Fancier, mortise-style pocket locks do exist, but they are often more expensive and more complicated to install.)May 8, 2017.

Can you replace a regular door with a pocket door?

To hang a pocket door, you need a rough opening that is twice as wide as the door itself. This means taking down the old swinging door, removing the jamb and disassembling the wall framing. You’ll also need to remove drywall and relocate any electrical wires that are in the way.

Can you install a pocket door where there is a light switch?

If new switch is for existing pocket door, the switch can be surface mounted with surface conduit carrying wire to switch. If switch is to be installed inside the wall, then the drywall must be removed to ensure wiring is carefully fit inside the narrow space and cannot rub against pocket door. Use shallow box.

Are pocket doors loud?

Noise. A pocket door, no matter how carefully you roll it, will make some noise as it moves along the tracks. Aluminum tracks with nylon rollers minimize the noise, but don’t eliminate it. If you’re a light sleeper, think twice before installing a pocket door anywhere near your bedroom.