Pocket Door Question

[jmc]

Used 5 sliders in a new house 30 years ago. Architect noted that most people end up leaving them open most of the time. He was right in our case. Now the rollers need to be lubed so the doors need to be disassembled somehow. Hope it doesn't require removing the trim...

 

[dstig1]

A bit more on the soft open/close that I did not state earlier. It does what it says, obviously, and makes it so you can't slam the door which is pretty significant on heavy pocket doors all by itself. But the other key advantage is that the mechanism also HOLDS the door in both positions (at least my higher end heavy duty Johnson hardware does). So if it is one nanometer out of level it won't drift open or closed by itself. And it is very hard to get them that perfectly dead level...and then the house can move/settle over time too.

I used the hardware on slider doors for 2 closets each with 2 doors that bypass slide that are 36" wide each and made from solid White Oak so are very heavy. The slider hardware is functionally the same as the pocket door hardware, just a different track style and no framing for the wall pocket. I also have one pocket door for the laundry room and that went in during framing, years ago. At the time Johnson did not have soft close hardware for that line so it is not soft open/close and you need to be very careful when you open it so it doesn't slam as a 36" wide white oak door is very heavy. The closets only were finished a year or two ago, so I was able to use the newer hardware with the soft close as that did not require anything special for framing. They do now make a retrofit kit so I could add it to the pocket door now, but it does require cutting a hole in the drywall which I never like as I can't make a decent drywall repair to save my life. Even still, I am considering it given what a PITA that door can be for slamming.

Pic of the pocket door

 

[dstig1]

Used 5 sliders in a new house 30 years ago. Architect noted that most people end up leaving them open most of the time. He was right in our case. Now the rollers need to be lubed so the doors need to be disassembled somehow. Hope it doesn't require removing the trim...

Yes, it will almost certainly require removing some trim...at least from one side of it.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

So @dstig1 has talked me into the soft close metal framed variety, made by Johnson. I stopped at HD and got 3 of them at on my way home. I think I am going to instantly buy a set of extra rollers, because in my heart I know they are going to fail at some point. The 2 metal studs feel a little flimsy and they rattle a bit where the stud and the floor piece meet. Hoping drywall stops that from happening.

 

[dstig1]

I think you will greatly appreciate having the soft close...

Be very careful when doing drywall and trim that you use nails or screws that are short for anything that goes over the wall pocket or you will destroy your door. It can be very easy to forget that the nail gun has 2" or 2.5" trim nails in it and you go mindlessly shooting along...

I used trim head screws on my trim around the pocket so I could remove it later on if needed for access to the hardware, at least on one side.

 

[2manyrocks]

If trim hasn't been caulked in place to the drywall, usually the modern stuff shot in place with thin trim nails will come off pretty easily if you gently and patiently work it loose with a couple of painter's tools. Older homes that have hand nailed trim may break if you try pulling it.

If you anticipate removing the trim later to work on the pocket door, cut the trim in a way so you only have to remove a section to access the pocket door area and use trim screws for installation.

If there's some rattle in the stud assembly, you might take a further look at stopping it before you install it because it could be the one thing that bugs you every time you hear it.

BTW, you are going to cope your trim so the joints don't open up, right?

 

[jmc]

View attachment 1288561

Beautiful door, Dave.

 

[dstig1]

Thanks! There were 23 total doors (I count 2 for the double doors) and it took a few years to make them all in between many other tasks on the build. I made the first door in 2016, I think and finished the last one 2 years ago this month. Here is one of the double bypass sliders that used the soft close hardware. The one side is sitting slightly open with the closet light on. If you push it any farther from here the soft close mechanism takes over and pulls it shut.