How to Install a Pocket Door

What is a pocket door? And how do you set up a pocket door? Master the ideas and tips for putting in a pocket door to help save flooring space from a regular hinged door swing. An outstanding answer for little areas or uncomfortable door regions.

For much more little space options, consider these: Suggestions to make a little space truly feel open up, our Foldable Craft Table, and a Small space research or business station.

How to Install a pocket door from Remodelaholic

In advance of we present you how to set up a pocket door — let us reply the most prevalent concern:

What is a pocket door?

A pocket door is a sliding door on a track inside the wall. In which a sliding barn door and the barn door components are on the outdoors of the wall, a pocket door and pocket door components are installed inside the wall and absolutely hidden.

Hidden pocket doorways are excellent options for little areas and fifty percent bogs, considering the fact that they help save the flooring space from a regular hinged door swing, although nonetheless offering much more privacy than a barn door. Pocket doorways are also absolutely hidden when open up, so they really don’t involve any adjustment to your wall decor possibly.

Associated Looking through: Do it yourself Barn Doors and Barn Door Hardware

How To Install A Pocket Door by Remodelaholic

For our pocket door set up, we had a fifty percent bathtub at the finish of a hallway, with the door swinging out. We wanted a pocket door! You can see previously mentioned how the door opened up into the hall and, with kids, it was just generally open up. Across the hall was our bedroom doorway, so it was blocked and the photographs on the wall have been only fifty percent obvious.

Not the search and truly feel we have been going for (specially with our new board and batten wainscoting all-around the residence) and it was undesirable for the strolling targeted traffic circulation, so a pocket door was the way to go for us. I Highly advise a prebuilt pocket door kit and here’s how the course of action goes:

How To Put in A Pocket Door

*Try to remember, prior to starting any challenge that influences the framework of your house be certain to talk to with a structural engineer or architect!*

Update March 2019: We installed another pocket door in our present-day house and designed a movie to present you the course of action! Check out it out over on our YouTube channel:

Elements and equipment for pocket door frame set up

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Move 1: Opt for the locale

This good blank wall with no electrical or plumbing inside designed the perfect place for a pocket door.

Choosing the right wall for a pocket door. Remodelaholic.

Move 2: Remove the present door

Ahh… the change it can make to get off the door!  The excellent matter about putting in a pocket door is that when you get off the present door, you can see precisely how the space will truly feel when you are completed: good and open up, no door blocking your route!  Pocket door installation with Remodelaholic

Move 3: Hold drop cloths

In advance of starting any demo, put up some drop cloths to incorporate all. the. dust. (This drop fabric is hung in the space that shares the wall the pocket door is going into.)

Pocket door installation process by Remodelaholic

Move 4: Remove drywall

The pocket door will go in the wall that is involving the fifty percent bathtub and our grasp rest room shower, so we slash out the drywall on the fifty percent bathtub facet very carefully (We even saved it in one piece and reinstalled it! NO squander!). We scored the partitions deeply at all the corners, then slash through the other sections and used a crowbar to carefully pop the nails out of the again of the drywall (you can also use a reciprocating observed to slash the nails to get you begun).

Removing drywall to install a pocket door on Remodelaholic

In this article is the large piece of drywall when removed…

Remove drywall to install a pocket door by Remodelaholic

Move five: Remove studs

Upcoming, we taken out the studs and header where the pocket door kit will go.  (We did not create a non permanent wall due to the fact this residence has two parallel partitions inside 3 feet on possibly facet. If you do not have people supporting partitions, you could want to construct a non permanent wall prior to getting rid of the studs. Seek the advice of a contractor, if wanted.)

Removal of studs and header to install a pocket door on Remodelaholic  Removing studs to install a pocket door, by Remodelaholic.

We used a reciprocating observed to slash the nails so that the studs could be reused.

Remove studs but use them again later in a pocket door install. Remodelaholic

Move 6: Develop a door frame

Justin begun with a new header, and established the jack and king studs in place.  (Jack usually means the one supporting the header and the king is the total peak stud that sits outdoors the header.)

Pocket door installation, install a new header and jack and king studs on Remodelaholic.

Move seven: Increase the pocket door kit

Now that the door framing is in place, the effortless portion is introducing the pocket door kit. Generally, it is a slot (pocket) with space for the door to slide into and a track on best.

Pocket door kit installation by Remodelaholic  how to install a pocketdoor kit by Remodelaholic.

Use shims to guarantee it sits in the suitable place.

Using shims to ensure a proper fit for a pocket door, by Remodelaholic.  How to use shims to ensure a proper fit for a pocket door by Remodelaholic

Move eight: Get ready the present door, if wanted.

Increase the track components to the present door working with the directions that come with the pocket door kit. Also get rid of the previous door knob and hinges and set up a tackle plug, if you want one.

 Pocket door kit installation by Remodelaholic  Using a pocket door kit by Remodelaholic

Move nine: Hold the door

And the ultimate benefits?  Pocket door perfection… very well, almost!

Pocket Door Installation by Remodelaholic

It attained perfection when we installed all the door trim and a good coat of black paint to match the other doorways!

Pocket door kit installation on Remodelaholic

Glance how open up and unobstructed the space is now! I hung new loved ones photographs when all the wainscoting and trim was up… love it!)

Installing A Pocket Door, Tutorial From Remodelaholic

If you want to see the initial put up about the 1/2 bathtub check out it out here!

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And find much more excellent door tutorials, this sort of as:

How To Install A Pocket Door, a Tutorial From Remodelaholic

Posted Aug 22 2012 // Current Apr 20 2020

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