Pocket Doors

I want to replace an interior door (bathroom) with a pocket door to gain more usable space.

Can you only install a pocket door into new walls or fit them into existing walls? I do not want to tear up the "bedroom side" of the wall. The whole bathroom is going to be remodeled so I don't mind tearing up the "bathroom" side of the wall.

Little Help Anyone?

 

To install a pocket door, you're going to have to re-frame, so both sides of the wall at that area will have to be re-done.
Good luck!
Mike

 

You can install a pocket door from one side with a little care. The only damage on the other side will be drywall screws. Take down the wall surface on one side. If the wall is weight bearing, erect temporary beams on BOTH sides. If the wall is not weight bearing you do not need the temp walls. Work a sawzall blade (metal cutting) between the face of the studs and the remaining wall and cut off all the fasteners holding the surface to the studs. If you have a plaster on gyp wall, just pry the stud off the wall carefully. Reframe the wall. If it is weight bearing you need to remove and add a new larger header. If the wall is not weight bearing you can either put in a new header, or install the studs flat in pairs with a gap between them for the door and track. The wall gets thicker either way for the door and track clearance. Fasten the old wall to the new studs. Fasten whatever wall you want on the other side. Watch out for light switches near the p[ocket side. You need shallow boes and if they have any wiring besides a switch loop you can get overcrowded.

 

Pionier66, I am assuming that you presently have a 2X4 that you want to install this pocket door in. Given that, everything brickeyee said is true, UNTIL he gets to "If the wall is not weight bearing you can either put in a new header, or install the studs flat..." From there on, forget it. Do the math. A 2X4 is 1-1/2" thick. So 2 of them will take up 3" of the space between the sheetrock on each side of the wall. A 2X4 which is what is presently in that wall, is 3-1/2" wide. To replace that stud with 2 2X4's flat will leave you 1/2" between the new studs. An interior hollow core door is 1-3/8" thick. How are you going to get it in that 1/2" space??

In a 2X4 wall, you will be installing a prehung pocket door. Purchase that before you start taking anything apart. The instructions that come with the door will tell you how large of an opening you need to frame in. It will be almost twice the width of the door opening that you end up with. This prehung unit will have the door installed and centered in its frame, with 1X2's on each side that the sheetrock will attach to. You won't be able to have ANY electrical inside the rough opening for the pocket door. Plan accordingly.

Yes, you can install it from just the bathroom side -- it will just require that you be gentle with the sheetrock on the bedroom side. And it will take a little longer.

 

I have turned them flat a couple dozen times now. The wall thickens up. No doubt about that. The prehung pockets (used those also) leave you with a flimsy wall. Even the ones that try to wrap the 1x with steel. If the wall area around the door is not large, I have been framing out the pocket side, and making up the difference on the other side with layers of drywall. The kitchen I just finished has 2 coat plaster walls (3/4 in) plus 2 layers of drywall (1 inch). And on this one I still added a header for weight bearing. The easiest one I have done had a wet wall with soil stack on one side. Door on the other side in a 7 inch plus thick wall was easy.
The other trick to pocket doors is to place a piece of 1 inch aluminum angle on the floor of the pocket and groove the bottom of the door. This keeps the door from swinging and scrapping on the jamb.

 

pionier66,

It's doable my way, and it's doable brickeyee's way. The question is what would you have to do in the bathroom to widen the wall if you do it as brickeyee suggested? Would you be able to gain the 2" necessary? It all depends on how the bathroom is layed out.

What is on the bathroom side of this wall at the moment?

 

Thanks for the info. First, I don't think the wall in question is weight bearing. However, I do have a TV bracket mounted on the bedroom side which needs more meat than a 1x prefab pocket door frame. I understand the idea of cutting out the 2x4 and turning sideways. Do you remove the drywall screws or just cut them off with the sawzall?

You mention a pre-hung pocket door. Is this an entire unit (door included) which simply slides into place? Is the frame 1x construction? I saw a 1x pocket door frame at Home Depot - it looks flimsy. Do you suggest purchasine a normal interior door and track hardware separately? Could you use finished plywood (oak/maple/etc.) as the door to keep the overall width down? I wonder if the plywood cost would outweigh the extra width.

Brickeyee mentioned an aluminum angle to keep the door from swaying. Is this in the pocket only or across the door opening as well? Could you use a suspended ceiling runner to do this?

 

The screws are hardened and really tear up sawzall blades. After they are cut, cut the nails holding the stud to the top and bottom plate. I do not re-use the studs. To many cuts from the screws. If you know that you will have a heavy load in a specific place, use 2x6s for the studs at that location.
Those frames you saw at HD are the ones I do not like. The wall gives if you just lean on it.
I usually work in older homes where the door is a double swinger. I re-use the door. In two places I did buy new doors. Evil Orange may have the track kits also, but Johnson Hardware makes them and sells on the web.
The aluminum is just in the pocket. The hardware that comes with a track, or in the prefab kits, are little plastic pieces that go down near the bottom of the pocket opening and keep the door from swinging. They scratch the door every time it moves. I groove the door 1/8 with a router. The angle sticks up into the groove. I attach a block of wood to the edge of the door that goes into the pocket so that when the door is fully out of the pocket, the wood block is still captive on the angle.
Johnson makes a privacy latch set I think. There are other vendors for them.
I will be putting my second floor bathroom door into a pocket in a few months. The bathroom is poorly set up and it will be a lot easier without a swinging door. I am going to steal the space for the pocket from the upstairs hall. The wall is only 8 feet wide witha 2 foot door opening. I do not want to disturb a mortar bed tile job in the bathroom wall. I will cut down the 2 coat plaster on gypsum lath and probably put it back up.

 

I just purchased track hardware for a 24" door from Johnson Hardware. My opening is actually 20" - I assume I can just cut the track to size. From your notes, I am imagining 2x4 studs turned flat on each wall with the track in the center. I know the wall gets thick but I'd rather have a solid wall. I am replacing the vanity with a pedestal sink to offset the smaller space anyway.

I understand the bottom track suggestion and will use.

 

The track is cut if you need to. Do not forget to leave the track about 2 inches short of jamb on the side opposite the pocket. This is to allow the trucks to be added/removed from the track. The Johnson hardware I have used has all been first rate stuff, with smooth running trucks and easy to adjust with the offset wrench they supply. The only thing I do not like is the door guides, but the aluminum ngle covers that. Good luck.

 

Hi,
I have a few follow-up questions. Do I need to take out both sides of the door jamb? Or, can I just remove only one side? The existing door has a marble saddle, which I don't want to disturb. Can it be done. Thanks for your help.

Kevin

 

You can take out only one side of the door jamb as long as it is the door side :-). You might need jamb extensions to get the wall surface even on the side you do not want to remove. I just finished another pocket between a dining room and kitchen. There are only screws showing on the dining room wall. It is 3/8 two coat plaster over 3/8 gypsum lath. Owner is freaked out how neatly it has been done. Kitchen was in a remodel anyway and they did not mind the slight loss for thickening the wall. Wiring is in 4 inch square box 1.5 inches deep with a plaster ring. I even left a plywood access panel behind the refrigerator that backs up to the pocket for access to the pocket stop and cavity to run the water line to the refrigerator. the only piece of trim still to do are the false jambs at the top of the opening. I fasten the door casing to the real jamb, then attach a false jamb at the top using dovetail keys and pockets in the false jamb. You slide it towards the track and it comes off the keys. It completely conceals the track hardware, but makes thing accesible for adjustement and maintenance if required.

 

Hi,
I finally bought the frame and Jamb kits (Johnson 1500 series) and took down the dry wall on the hall side. The other side is in the kitchen where the right side of the refrigerator and cabinet. It will be nice if I can leave the kitchen side wall alone.

I have been debating whether I should take down the other side of the wall. It will make my wife happier if I do not disturb the kitchen side but I wonder if it can be done in a reasonable time. Q: If I remove the studs, the drywall will be stable, i.e., won't buckle?

Q: Is Sawzall is the best tool to separate the 2x4 frame from the drywall?

Q: I don't understand what you mean by " the wall will be thicker? How is that possible? I tought the finished (Johnson) pocket door frame will be 4.5". Thanks for your help.

 

I have not receive a reply yet. Can any one help me? I bought the door kit (Johnson 1500) from Home Depot, but someone metioned it is flimsy? Should I retrun it and get some other brand? Thanks for your help.

Kevin

 

What is flimsy is a 4.5 inch wall ( 0.5 drywall + 3.5 stud + 0.5 drywall) with a pocket installed. The 'studs' must be reduced to 3/4 inch to fir the pocket door into a 4.5 inch wall. No electric boxes can be installed in the wall where the pocket is. The two solutions are to frame a 2 x 6 wall to gain 2 inches, or turn the 2x4 studs flat. If the entire wall is short you do not give up to much floor space and the wall will remain pretty solid. Look at the Johnson Hardware web site and the instructions with the pocket door to see what dimensions you wil have to deal with.

 

A Sawzall with a long (8" to 12") metal cutting blade is going to be the easiest way to cut the sheetrock nails or screws. You'll need to put a header over the pocket opening. Assuming that this is not a bearing wall, a couple of 2X4's will work just fine for that. And hopefully there is some means provided with this pocket door to reattach the sheetrock. Otherwise it might start to bucket, and at the very least the tape joints will probably crack.

 

I started this string last January and am finally starting the project. I removed the drywall on the "bathroom" side and now working on the studs.

HOWEVER, the contractor glued the studs to the drywall as well as screw/nail. Will a SAWZALL blade go through that? Any ideas? I've got both the metal cutting and wood cutting blades (~ 8" long). Also, did you use an extra long blade to fit around the stud without hitting the drywall? Removing the studs at the jamb was easy (no glue) but the other two are glued and I obviously cannot fit the SAWZALL at 90 deg angle to minimize contact with the drywall.

If I glue portions of the new studs (turned sideways) to the remaining drywall, instead of screw, will drywall still have a tendency to buckle? The bottom half of the remaining wall is wallpapered so I don't want to screw/nail through that if at all possible.

 

pionier66,

"I started this string last January and am finally starting the project."

Hey, the GOOD stuff takes time!!

Trust me, your Sawzall won't even know that the glue is there!

Use the metal cutting blade. It is thinner, and therefore more flexible. You will be flexing the blade -- the sheetrock will not allow you to get a straight shot at cutting the nails.

GLUE the new sheetrock to the frame of the pocket door.

You are GONNA tear up the back side of the sheetrock with the Sawzall. But using the thinner blade will allow you to cut the nails (or screws) without punching a hole in the FRONT side of the 'rock, where it's visible.

You are doing fine!

 

I can attach drywall to the Johnson 1500 frame kit (wrapped with steel) with drywall screws, can I? I suppose the metal wrapped fram support some weight, right?

Kevin

 

Don't see why not. Just make sure that you use SHORT screws, like 1"!! A 1-5/8" screw will either punch a hole in the door (if it is open when you drive the screws), or prevent the door from opening (if it's closed when the screws are installed!)