I installed a pocket door this week, the hard way.................. that meaning the door kit/enclosure had been installed a year ago, but the home owner had not chosen a door style yet.
The sheet rock had of course enclosed both sides of the door track making the pocket cavity unacessable.
I cased the door plumb and square with materials provided, then screwed the hardware to the top of the door, and adjusted it so that it closed nicely against the door jamb. OK, all was well and good at this point.
.............and then I slid the door into the pocket.
Houston, we have a problem!
The bottom of the door was a full 3/4 of an inch further in than the top of the door.
I ended up cutting out a 2 foot by 3 foot section of sheetrock to gain access inside the wall to allow the track to be shimmed square with the finished door jambs. Wow, now I know why contractors hate installing pocket doors.
What came to me after this messy episode, was this.......... The guy that installed the door kit a year or so ago, should never have allowed the sheetrock to be finished until the door style was decided on, and the door was on site so that it could be test fitted to make sure the track was installed correctly..
Being an hourly job, I did some custom work to make the door more fun to use and more appealing to look at.
Idea #1 was to add two stiff springs on the inner side of the door. They are more substantial looking than they appear to be in the photo below. Instead of using the factory nylon bumper stop inside the wall cavity, I put these two, 2 inch long springs into the door. They act like the factory door stop to make sure the door stops perfectly flush with the door trim when in the open position. I used a Forstner bit do make the holes.
If you push and release the door quickly, it will pop out of the door casing an inch and a half so that you can grab it and pull it closed. This is more appealing visually, than looking at one of those large, brass handle thingys where you push in a lever, that flicks out a narrow tab to grab onto.
Idea #2, was that I always thought door guides look crappy because the screws show on the finished surface of the door trim............... so I hid em behind the finished trim.
This is a laundry room door in a highly trafficked area of the home, running between the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room. The door will be open 99% of the time, and only closed when they have guests in the house.
I think my springs and hidden guide systems ought to last 20 years longer than the door rollers will.
It's fun project I'm working on. When I get back to the stairs some day, I'll let ya know.
The sheet rock had of course enclosed both sides of the door track making the pocket cavity unacessable.
I cased the door plumb and square with materials provided, then screwed the hardware to the top of the door, and adjusted it so that it closed nicely against the door jamb. OK, all was well and good at this point.
.............and then I slid the door into the pocket.
Houston, we have a problem!
The bottom of the door was a full 3/4 of an inch further in than the top of the door.
I ended up cutting out a 2 foot by 3 foot section of sheetrock to gain access inside the wall to allow the track to be shimmed square with the finished door jambs. Wow, now I know why contractors hate installing pocket doors.
What came to me after this messy episode, was this.......... The guy that installed the door kit a year or so ago, should never have allowed the sheetrock to be finished until the door style was decided on, and the door was on site so that it could be test fitted to make sure the track was installed correctly..
Being an hourly job, I did some custom work to make the door more fun to use and more appealing to look at.
Idea #1 was to add two stiff springs on the inner side of the door. They are more substantial looking than they appear to be in the photo below. Instead of using the factory nylon bumper stop inside the wall cavity, I put these two, 2 inch long springs into the door. They act like the factory door stop to make sure the door stops perfectly flush with the door trim when in the open position. I used a Forstner bit do make the holes.
If you push and release the door quickly, it will pop out of the door casing an inch and a half so that you can grab it and pull it closed. This is more appealing visually, than looking at one of those large, brass handle thingys where you push in a lever, that flicks out a narrow tab to grab onto.
Idea #2, was that I always thought door guides look crappy because the screws show on the finished surface of the door trim............... so I hid em behind the finished trim.
This is a laundry room door in a highly trafficked area of the home, running between the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room. The door will be open 99% of the time, and only closed when they have guests in the house.
I think my springs and hidden guide systems ought to last 20 years longer than the door rollers will.
It's fun project I'm working on. When I get back to the stairs some day, I'll let ya know.
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