Any tips on installing a pocket door? Or, which one I should buy? (Home Depot, Lowes) - House -remodeling, decorating, construction, energy use, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, building, rooms - City-Data Forum

scottv · 08-23-2008, 07:10 AM

Right now, there is a regular swinging door on my master closet just off the bath....it takes up room inside my closet and is generally "in the way" so while I'm redoing my closet I figured I would put in a pocket door...Lowes sells the frame hardware and I'll probably try to find a construction book of some sort or online instructions to frame out the door, then add hardware and door but my main concern is buying a well designed system so thought I would ask on here for any advice...where should I buy the hardware? Is it better to get a complete already built unit or is building it myself going to work reliably? Thanks!

rubytue · 08-23-2008, 08:47 AM

Do they sell a pre-built unit? I haven't seen one.

Anyway, we put one in with the hardware kit you buy from Lowes or Home Depot. The biggest thing to realize if you will have to take down the drywall on one side of closet to open it up for the framing. The framing would just be to take out a few studs and add a header. So if you can do framing, drywall, and a little finishing work, it shouldn't be that hard

Using the kit gives you the flexibility to use whatever door you would like (we used solid doors to match the other doors in the house).

Ultrarunner · 08-23-2008, 10:44 AM

I have had good luck in limited use applications with the pre framed units and hollow-core doors.

With a heavy door and high traffic, such as a hall bathroom, I ended up buying heavy duty commercial hardware from McMaster... there is a difference in the track and roller system. The track and roller cost over $100 at the time.

jimboburnsy · 08-24-2008, 10:50 PM

Bison Building Materials. You can get anything you can get at Home Depot or Lowes, but well-made and you don't have to choose between paint grade 6 panel and paint grade flat slab doors. They may be Texas only, but I think they're nationwide.

BobKovacs · 08-25-2008, 05:10 AM

Johnson makes excellent pocket door hardware- there's a few different lines, so if there are several different price points, go for the higher one. The last thing you want to do is install crappy hardware just to save a few $$, and end up with a door that's constantly hopping off the track in the wall.