I am looking to frame my interior walls and was wondering if I should consider going with a pocket door to the bathroom in order to save space. What are the pros and cons I should consider?
Thanks,
mt
A bit problematic -- we have had a bit of discussion in the past.
Search "pocket door" here http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?action=search2
I'm not super fond of pocket doors, but I have one between my bathroom and bedroom due to the cluster of 3 doors so close together in my plan.
I haven't lived with it yet, but the framing is in place for it. I would not have chose it had I had room for doors to swing freely, but I think I might like it. It certainly answered a space problem for us.
Christina
IMO, if the door in question is going to be opened and closed with any frequency you do not want a pocket door. Picture yourself walking up to it, stopping sliding it open, stopping, turning a little to get a grip on the latch/recessed handle, then sliding it shut. Repeat when you leave.
We lived with a pocket door on a bathroom for a few months in one of our condos. We did not like it at all. Left it open most of the time.
YMMV
I don't like them because I cut a hole in one once in a home. They needed a electric outlet on this wall and I ran the wire up inside the wall from the basement, then I cut the wall for the cut/in box and noticed it seemed like something was in the wall?? Stopped cutting and investicated and saw the door!! Glad I was working for another guy the door had to be replaced. This was in my first few years as a electrician learning how to mess up stuff. Mark
rofl rofl rofl
Pardon me. I couldn't help it. :-[
When I went to see one at the lumber supply store, they had one in their office to a back room, and it had all of these horizontal deep scratches on it. I asked, and they explained that after the installation of the paneling, the pocket door mysteriously wouldn't open, so the just forced it open. Turns out, they had nailed it in there.
I wondered why they kept having to tell that story instead of fixing it, but it made enough of an impression that I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen when we put our in place.
I agree... for a door that gets a lot of use, it can be annoying. I have two in my house in areas that are fairly tight. I have noticed that one of the really annoying things is that the wall that contains the pocket feels very "soft" and flexes. If that wall is not very long, i would suggest covering the pocket door wall with OSB or plywood before you cover it with sheetrock.
I also have had some issues with the bottom of the pocket door coming loose from the floor. Make sure you anchor the base of the pocket framing very, very well.
One other thing.. this is probably standard practice, but being a noob I had to figure this out on my own when I built my addition. On the strike jamb for the pocket door, put two strips of wood on either side of the door to keep it centered up and secure when in the latched position. It makes it much more secure. I had some 3/8" X3" maple that I ripped, then beveled the edges. I closed the door and brad nailed it in place. Works like a charm.. I don't know if you can see very well in the attached picture:
(https://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q46/nm_longshot/pocket.jpg)
Do they have split pocket doors that are geared together so that you step on a plate and the two halves separate and go into the walls on ether side? The plate would bridge between the rooms, so that when you got into0 the room and stepped off of the plate, it would automatically close.
I suspect this could be done both with motors or just with mechanical means using your weight as the force to move the two light doors.
I hope I didn't confuse the issue too much.
Bruce
On the Enterprise, Bruce. :)
The wall flexes because there are no studs; just a 'pocket' with flimsy strips of wood to fasten the drywall to.
I wouldn't want to have the complexity required to have a auto-opening pocket door. No way. Reminds me of the pneumatically operated doors on the freezer and cooler rooms at the dairy I worked eons ago. You'd pull a cord and the door would fly open or closed with a whoosh and loud discharge of compressed air. Strong enough to knock you over.
So I was in London a while back and staying in a fairly typical older business hotel (small rooms, small everything) and they had a sliding door that was hung on the outside of the wall that led to the bathroom. It was quite attractive--solid wood with opaqued glass. The glides were quite smooth as I recall. I am thinking about this as an alternative to the pocket door. That way the wall could still be sturdy and the opening/closing problem might not be as troublesome....
Still just thinking about the options.
mt
You could easily repair it too. It may interfere with your plans for the wall space but something such as a bookcase could go in front of it.
Mike IF you have room to face / flush mount a door like that , you have room for a hinged door.
I have some tips on the interior finish trim tips thread.
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=1243.40
Johnson makes best (affordable kit) steel studs , pretty good instructions supplied with it.
http://www.johnsonhardware.com/2511.htm
They still are pocket doors and they still can have issues.
Yes they can get bored thru by plumber , electricians , heating / HVAC guys , nailed shut by finish carpenters , screwed thru / shut by dry-wallers , etc . I'm sure they are "more creative " ways to screw on up rofl
A few companies sell a "regular door" style handle for them now , at least a regular "bored" style handle that is . It inserts into a normal 2 1/8" bored set up so no more little screws to loosen up and drag on the door jambs . Just order your door "pre- bored " , they work pretty well , better then the old notch the door edge ones anyway.
Sometime a pocket door is all that well work.
If you have lots of room you could frame two "regular walls" on either side , but generally there's not that much space to play with.
Thanks, PEG. I am just exploring options. For me the wall and design in question is the bathroom door in the Victoria's Cottage design. I have two doors coming together at a corner (the bathroom and the bedroom to the left) and then on the right will be a spiral stair to the loft and basement below. The bathroom itself is only 8 feet deep and I have to have room for the vanity and toilet. I can get a door to open into that space and I know that is an option. I was merely thinking of a pocket door to save space or a face mounted slider that would open between the wall and the spiral stairs.
I think I have a sense of the options and will factor these elements into the decision.
High winds (80+ MPH) are blowing through right now, so I have other things to be concerned with....
mt
Only 50 to 55 MPH forecast for here, I hope we have power for the Hawks game tomorrow, now THAT would be a issue! :o
I will have the game on the radio while I am working on the house. I might get to see the end if I quit early or take an break. Skins are playing well of late, and who knows which Seahawk team will show up?
mt
How about a bi-fold door for an off the wall alternative suggestion? ???
Thanks, Don. I thought about that too. I will add it into the mix.
mt
Like this one. Much better than a regular swinging door, all the more so because it doesn't have to be airtight. It's just a storage room off the kitchen. A big closet. Garage thru the other door (it's airtight)
(https://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/djmillerbucket/oddsnends2/bifold.jpg)
I was also thinking along the same lines as Mountain Don, but I was thinking of two pairs of
bi folding doors that met in the middle. However, I am very much in favor of an enterprise solution
in terms of opening and closing. It really shouldn't be that difficult.
Bruce
Just wanted to toss in again on pocket doors since I've lived in two houses that had them.
My folks own a gorgeous, old Craftsman with a pocket door between the living room and solarium. (Sun room off the side of the LR). We used it often. It was about 8 feet tall and solid oak. At almost a century old, it still glides like new.
My husband & I lived in a 50s era house with a pocket door between the front porch and the kitchen. It also got used often. It drug and fell off the tracks periodically.
Anyway, what I've learned is that this is one of those cases where quality really counts.
With pocket door it is like everything else. "you get what you pay for". If it is off the shelf at a big builder store don't expect to get that much quality for a minimun price. They make good kits with ball bearings and heavy rails. Cost a little more but you don't have that constant reminder >:( when it hangs and scrapes. I had a site and it might have been Johnson for them. Will have to look some more to find it.
Quote from: Redoverfarm on January 05, 2008, 06:06:54 PM
. I had a site and it might have been Johnson for them. Will have to look some more to find it.
See post 13 the link to Johnson door hardware is there Red.
Yep Peg it was Johnson. I went back and found it which I had bookmarked but wasn't sure which catatgory it was under.
We have pocket doors between our bedroom and lav and between the 2 lavs and the shower. So far (only been in the house since April) they are just what we wanted. Haven't had any problems (now the bifold into the office space-another story)
(http://lh5.google.com/judy1270/R4LYUmstxeE/AAAAAAAABC8/huQXH25H3yc/s160-c/CSBSlideShow.jpg)
Judy
My parents bought their house in 1964 and the house was 10 years old then, and they have the same pocket door for their bathroom. The comments on quality are probably excellent advice.
For those who didn't notice I added a bit on pocket doors in the "finish trim tips" thread the stickie near the top.
Yep, noticed for sure Peg and just wished you'd posted it before I installed my 'cheap' pocket doors.
When I did, I forgot to cut the doors to allow for carpet and after the carpet was installed, I could not get the doors open. Of course I was on the wrong side and even taking off the trim did not allow me to take the doors down. So, I had to cut the bottoms off the doors....in place!! You can imagine what that looks like. Had I trimmed them the way Peg shows, it would have not been a problem!
Moral is, don't do nuttin unless you first clear it with Peg!!!(my hero along with Glenn and John)
Okie Bob