I had a pair of incredibly heavy oak pockets doors in my 1908 house. They were fantastic, rolled smoothly, looked incredible, sealed off the living room from the after-dinner table mess, & didn't take up a lot of room space with a swing path. I guess back in the day, carpenters didn't mind a little extra framing & having to make the structure sturdy in order to do things right.
I'm familiar with 1900 era pocket doors. Yeah heavy. The house framing isn't anything special for those. No extra lumber needed for a 100 lb door. The reason these can work so well is #1 the hardware. They use impressively large thick hardware. Partly because back then they didn't have today's manufacturing techniques. #2 Doors would have solid wood inside and 1/4" oak veneer. Even the veneer added a lot of structural stability. Warp is less likely so the door is less likely to bind. Again I assume the thick veneer was because of a lack of manufacturing thin veneer. However a door used in a pocket is likely to have almost no solid wood. Fiberglass surface, carboard core and MDF, chipboard perimeter. Nothing to warp.
Did the 1908 construction have double thick walls? Most pocket doors from the turn of the century didn't set the door into the wall but used a second wall to cover the door. This eliminated the need for heavier specialized framing at the cost of a few inches of room width. This construction also allow for significantly more space for the door and hardware.
You'll also notice what the rolling mechanism was made out of and how it was built for the antique ones. They usually didn't hang on a thin double sided grooved track with plastic inserts. There was a solid steel beam above the door that a chunky metal carriage rolled across. If it was a system more like a modern one it was still built out of heavy rot iron. The things didn't break. Oil them every now and again and the mechanism will outlast the door. The mechanism often weighed more than the door hung on it. The track could be hit with a sledge hammer and the anchors attaching it to wood would give first. In really nice ones it'd be a double system. The same overbuilt and over-engineered mechanism above but built out of solid brass as well as a solid brass track inlayed into the floor so the weight of the door is supported from above and below. They literally do not make them like they used to. Getting anything like the old system is paying a machine shop to design and fabricate it. Nobody makes them. Granted, if you did get a modern machine shop to fabricate you one to the old standard of durability it would probably be the smoothest most reliable pocket door ever created. So there is that.
I love my pocket doors. I can close off the downstairs in the winter so I only have to heat the main floor. I can shut out the after dinner mess from the living room & keep the smell of fish or similar stinky food from permeating the upstairs bedrooms & can corner my cat in 1 room when I need to catch him to go to the vet, lol. My only quibble with them is you can’t hang pictures on the wall (with mails) where the doors are or they’ll get a big scratch across the top. Ask me how I know. 🤦♀️🤷♀️😄
At 75, retired carpenter and untold number of pocket doors installed, I have repaired many with the same problem of doors warping. In my own designs rather than 'normal' 2 x 4 walls, I always used a 2 x 6 wall. The normal hardware purchased at stores usually has metal studs which are very flimsy. I used the head tracks, but always substituted regular 2 x 4 wood studs. By using a 2 x 6 wall, which is 5- 1/2 inches wide vs 3- 1/2 walls the available free space between the studs is now 2- 1/2 inches. Deducting 1- 3/8 for the door thickness, the free space is 1-1/8 which allows much more space for normal and somewhat expected warping over time. Therefore, when the final face split trim is applied with minimal clearance desired, the space behind where the door resides is not as likely to ever rub on the side studs. That is the most common complaint with pocket doors; the door rubs and may mar the door finish. Another reason for using this method, the wall itself is much more sturdy.
You Sir, are an amazing carpenter. The way you install the pocket doors is based on experience and dedication; your method should be the standard! Thank you for being the best !
@chelin7023 Experience, dedication, care, and honestly a little bit of common sense. I built a house with a class in high school, and we used a couple pocket doors. I instinctively knew from the moment we installed them that they would be an early failure of the new home. Just thin, weak, and overall cheap feeling compared to the rest of the house.
It's great to hear they can be repaired! I have one between my kitchen and dining room that is broken and almost impossible to open most of the time. I think there's something wrong with the track. Does the wall have to be taken out to fix it?
@@brainfloss9710I ran into that my whole working years. The purchase 'door in a box' is a problem waiting to happen, but they are less expensive and more or less snap together. To do it the way I always suggested to my customers was to use the 2x6 method I described. I knew that any door warping could be corrected and doors rubbing within those 2x4 systems was almost always a gripe. My method is by far not the normal installation, but I never had complaints, even though I am sure some of the doors eventually warped some.
I have a pocket door that is slightly warped and scrapes the paint when closed! Mine is in a place that doesn’t really need a door, so it just stays open though.
Happened to me too! I forced the door open only to hear a 2" 16g finish nail gouge the entire length of the door. Maybe these doors should come with warning tape to apply to both sides wherever baseboard will be later nailed. But yes, doesn't reflect well on the trim carpenter who wasn't the door installer.
lol I put a pocket door in my tiny bathroom 21 years ago and have had no issues with the door. I've changed out the bath tub twice and the tile twice and now have a lovely walk in shower with beautiful subway tile over a waterproof Schluter System and still no issues with the pocket door. You need a pocket door in your bathroom Scott! 😊
I may someday be using a wheelchair, so when we remodeled the bathroom for a roll-in shower, we made all the bedroom doors and the bathroom door 36” wide. We were able to use a pocket door because we could rebuild a bedroom closet wall so the pocket simply slides into the space there, slightly narrowing the closet (but it also got deeper due to the deeper shower). We had to angle two walls to get the space for the wider doors, but I can easily wheel into every room in our house now, except the half bath. Unfortunately, my carpenter thought I wanted to save money, so all my doors are hollow core! I envy that Scott Brown put in a solid one.
When I completely remodeled my kitchen I had enough room to put up a wall to add a laundry/ pantry room. After a few designs I decided I wanted didn’t want to deal with a swinging door so I had my contractor build put a packet door with a frosted glass panel into the new wall. Best feature of my kitchen. I can leave it open and it’s a clear walkway when doing laundry and cooking. But when I have guests or parties I can close it and it hides my laundry room and muffles the sound of the dryer. Packets doors are awesome in the right places. Loved the video!!
Hey Scott, something I came up with myself to insulate cavity sliders. What I use is rigid foilboard and cut panels which slot into the cavity bays. They fit perfectly hard up to the moulded steel, I then use stud adhesive to firmly secure the board at the top, bottom and sides and it helps A-LOT with reducing noise and increasing thermal efficiency.
Better idea: replace every door in your house with a secret hidden door. You walk in, and the entry room appears to be a room without a single exit except the front door. All rooms are like this!
I found a few French Colonial and Plantation homes with 'pocket doors', where the wall has a pocket door? It often has a decorative cornice that is intentionally held in with decorative screws that blend in with the wall and cornice, and the baseboard is removable as well, occasionally the entire wall is just a big removable panel so you can gain access to doing maintenance on the sliding door and its hardware.
My 1903 house has two sets of massive pocket doors. It isn’t necessary to remove the wall to service them. Instead, the wall is over a foot thick. Removable trim boards provide access for hanging alignment. Though they still float effortlessly so I haven’t tried that.
Given the other option is likely a standard hollow core door, a pocket door without slow close is gonna be a lot more bang to properly signal your uncontrolled anger.
@Scott Brown Carpentry. No Scott. You're not a worrier. You're a detail person which I appreciate. Thanks for another exciting and educational video. Hope you and your family stay safe and well.
It's always interesting to have another take on those things. Over here in Europe, semi structural or structural dividing walls are quite rare, most of the framing is done with metal rails and it's much easier to install, except for the fact that it makjes for a much thicker dividing wall than the standard 7cm. So all in all, still a lot of framing to install them, but no load bearing headaches. Good job, and thanks as usual for the quality of your videos!
Interesting video, well worth watching... by which I mean I don't agree with everything in it. 😜 * There are places where a pocket door make for a really tidy solution. * Some of those places have little requirement for sound (or thermal) insulation... bedroom / ensuite, or bedroom / walk-in wardrobe for instance. * If there is a need for insulation, increasing wall thickness is often an option. The same applies where the wall needs bracing. I have replaced tracks without damaging any finishes, although it was a challenge. Where I could not access the innermost screws, cutting access holes is all I have ever needed. You end up with small repairs, similar to those left by a Sparky, and if you make them on the least visually important side of the wall, making-good will probably not involve a complete wall repaint. Admittedly your ply layers on both sides would add complication, but I have never come across this particular challenge. I sound like a "Pocket Door Fanboy"... I'm not! They are a faff to use, much slower and more fiddly than a normal hinged door. Finally, a plug: I have recently installed pocket doors using the units in your video. (I think; mine came from Bunnings?). They were fairly lightweight, but worked OK, easy to install, reasonably priced, and are smooth and almost silent in use... far removed from the machine-gun clatter of twenty years ago. Many thanks for the video.
Love the pocket door on our master bathroom. The main challenge for our contractor was adding some thin plywood to the outside of the frame so we could hang floating shelves on the wall. Space was very tight and we had to use little screws 😅
Can't really do much about that anyways... You need an exhaust of the ventilation system or a dedicated exhaust fan in the bathroom to get rid of moisture and smells, so that air has to be made up. Over here we blow fresh (preheated through heat recovery) filtered air into bedrooms and living rooms, leave gaps under the doors so that air can travel to adjacent rooms and hallways, and put exhausts in kitchens and bathrooms. You could give the bathroom its own inlet, but the sound will travel through the pipes anyways. Buying a separate heat recovery ventilation box for the bathroom is expensive, so the only economical ways to have proper ventilation in the bathroom is by putting an inlet vent in a wall or window to the outside, which brings in cold air in the winter, right in the room where you'll be naked most of the time and wet half the time...
We did a pocket door for our small bathroom. Do not regret it at all. No tiles on that side of the wall. All the best Jess with convincing Scott 😂 I convinced my hubby
Made my own pocket door! In a 70mm wall! Started with a Henderson sliding track which I had replaced the roller bearing wheels - they had done 50+ yrs! Used 17mm plywood each side rebated on the lounge side so same as gib board. On the other side there is only 1m of wall so packed up gib with 6mm MDF. Made opening size 20mm bigger than necessary and will pack open jamb out by 20mm and screw into stud. On to this piece will add the bits the door will engage when shut and to that the architrave's will be added but NOT nailed to the stud! Result is you can take this jamb off which will allow the door to be a) off the guide at the bottom and b) able to be lifted of the track! The ply on this side will be screwed on and hidden by skirting and a head board/architrave. So far works a treat!
Canadian here. Call them ppcket doors here. I can't stand them myself. Finicky to set and adjust. As you said, if you want to take out the pocket door to make it a swing door, it is a much more involved process.
As a remodeling contractor I have installed a lot of pocket doors. Unsealed, hallow core doors will warp inside the pocket once the dry wall mud is applied to the outside of the pocket. The pocket acts like a sauna on warm days causing bare wood to warp. Solid core doors properly sealed (top, bottom and both sides) avoids this.
When we put in the pocket door in our down stairs toilet room, the pocket is right next to the toilet. I wanted to allow for later addition of grab bars sincewe are not getting any younger and will probably need the extra support. Before adding the dry-wall, what you call gib-board, I fitted pieces of plywood into the horizontal spaces in the framing about half way up the wall. So far we have not added the grab bars but the toilet-paper holder is securely attached to plywood so the screws will never pull out of drywall mounts. Regarding the rollers wearing out: I have seen pocket doors restored on some of our home improvement shows. The homes were over 100 years old and the rollers still worked. Yes, they were made of iron but the doors were much heavier than the ones you and I have installed. Thanks for the video.
Having worked with pocket doors, and reusing them or replacing just the door slab, the system installed can allow for the door to be removed with only the trim being removed on the side the knob lock into. The height nut can be adjusted without the trim to allow for better access to removing it if access is the issue. When it comes to the track it’s typically if it is next to a bathroom and a lot of dust is being kicked up as the wheel bearing grease gums up, which even when it is never seen one entirely stuck unless someone used a longer then realistic screw on the drywall into the slats… keep up the good work!
I have a pocket door on my ensuite, tiled and all. Also put compression springs at the end of travel and you just push the door into the spring and it bounces back/opens.
My parents house had them installed during construction in the 80s. They were extra-wide for wheelchair access and of the 9 used throughout the house only one ever had a problem. Not so easily fixed by re-hanging the roller (after 35 years of use)
I know nothing about carpentry, but I really enjoy your videos. I find them a short, relaxing escape from the daily grind. I also know nothing about you, your wife, or New Zealand, but you seem from your videos to live a charmed life in a paradise. Please don't change the tenor of your videos to make it more "real" if my impression is wrong. Keep up the good work.
Having just done a pocket door installation for my office in the garage. It's nice to see we both came up with a similar solution for the insulation of the space. I'm also planning to get some sort of sealing kit for it so that when it closes there are no gaps. If I could have I would have gone for a regular door too. Pocket doors suck but they do serve a purpose.
I build new homes in NZ, and every single one has at least one of them. The last one had 4 cavity sliders. I don't really have an issue with them, they are easy to install and most problems come from not knowing the tricks to get them installed and functioning correctly, as well as not designing around them properly. One thing that annoys me is painters spraying all through the track. They never run smooth after that. Honestly I can install a cavity slider faster than a standard door these days.
Once, I was helping finish a house with a friend. There was a pocket door on a bathroom entry. The homeowners were there, hanging pictures and laying down rugs. The wife instructed the husband to hang a large mirror on the wall, adjacent to the pocket door. (See where I'm going?) Well, he worked on it for a bit, worrying a lot about getting it level and equi-spaced, left to right. I wrapped up in the bathroom and he said, "Perfect timing I gotta go!" Then he discovered that he had driven screws into the pocket door while it was in the pocket. 😂
The weather looks lovely there. It is currently -16C and there is still a meter of snow in my yard. Cheers from my snowy little corner of western Canada. ~ulrich
Pocket doors, each install is an adventure into its self. I found when it comes to sound reduction, the easiest is a double layer of drywall with sound reduction glue on both the drywall onto the framing and then in between the drywall to drywall connection. Strapping the wall can give you a space to put something in there. Hardest install I did was in a 100 year old beach house that was a sears kit. I had to reuse the original door so everything was scribed to get uniform gaps along the bow in the door slab as well as the sagging floor. Made a pretty penny on that one.
Hi from North Canterbury, NZ. After watching FAR TOO MANY home renovation programmes on TV, mainly American, on the discovery of a pocket door in very old house, the people renovated are very excited and there doesn't seem to be much trouble with them. I have concluded that they last a long time, but I might be deluded!
I put the same brand of door in 10 years ago. I am not a builder but it went in easy. I screwed gib on rather than try and hammer nails into those thin bits of timber on the sides. It has never given a problem. You can change out the rollers without removing walls. My one came with built in architraves and the gib fitted in behind them.
Before fixing the pocket base to the floor near the opening check the door runs parallel first as you can move the jams slightly side to side to get it perfect before fixing.
This video has unbelievable timing, just picked up a 2nd hand cavity slider with a large solid rimu door I'm going to re purpose for a barn slider. I ended up with the CS branded door. I have had to resize it to fit a standard 1980 X 910 door, but have just noticed this cavity slider is designed to be square stopped in, so no architraves around the door. I was lucky, I didn't need to cut out a wall as there was a ranch slider in place before.
Mattteeee, insulation, yeah, I did a bit different. I removed all for piece of a timber which hold the aluminium frame and replaced them with a whole sheet of plywood. Which gave me the opprotunity to add one layer of GIB board on top of the plywood sheet. So in total I have two full sheet on both sides.
yeah idk am going too been doing this too my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover use ing a barn style Sliding doors for my hang out spot an chilling out spot in my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover with some pretty cool paints an stuff ive got for my dream bedroom makeover in my shed bedroom with some renovation work too been done every soon with the back shed off my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover with 2 sliding barn style sliding doors open ing upp too the main room off my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover where the new beds an few tables an decks chairs bedroom stuff too buying an getting few bean bags for the hangout spot an chilling out spot too hang out with my mates an few freinds or for myslfe too muck around coughs an few another coughs too have in there too as well an few stuff for storeing gear or what have yo there too etc and walk way into the games room an man cave where the main bar fridge for drinks an snack food for movies an coughs an few another coughs few big JVC 58INCH TVS SETUP IN THERE TOO AS WELL WOULD TOP IT OFF FOR ME HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH
Yea idk well been going too building a PLYWOOD BOX FOR STOREING STUFF IN AN FOR MY JVC 58INCH TVS BEEN SETUP ON AS WELL TOO AND HAVE 2 BARN STYLE SLIDING DOORS TOO OPEN UP INTO MY DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER INTO MY SHED BEDROOM AKA DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER AND SOME WORKSPACE AS WELL TOO AND GYM WORKOUT ROOM SETUP FOR ME AS WELL TOO IN MY DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER AN FOR MY MOTOCROSS GEARS AN MOTOCROSS GEAR BAG AN MOTOCROSS BOOTS AN DIRT BIKES FOR STOREING IN MY SHED BEDROOM AKA DREAM BEDROOM AND HAVE A PUB AN BAR SETUP MADE FROM PALLET WOOD FOR DRINKS BAR FOR THE GAMES ROOM AN MAN CAVE AN HANGOUT SPOT OR CHILLING OUT SPOT TOO AS WELL
i well been doing some renovation working on my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover an doing some shopping lists for some brand new bedroom stuff too buying an getting for my dream bedroom makeover in my shed bedroom aka play room as ive needed my dream bedroom makeover for 20 past years ive been whatting for it too been done an its still not been fucking done soo ive got myslfe an few mates an few freinds too helping out with some off the renovation work too been done and move ing the sidewalls few back too make it abit bigger space too working with on the upcoming renovation working too been done an ive got too cleaning upp the back shed bedroom aka for my dream bedroom
for my dream bedroom makeover in my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover i need new beds an few tables an decks an chairs some power outies coughs few another coughss an few bedroom stuff an PLYWOOD BOX STORE ING STUFF SOO ITS NICE AN TIDYING AN CELANING LOOKING DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER IN MY SHED BEDROOM AKA DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER
I’ve done quite a few pocket doors over past few years. You’ve definitely got it easier in NZ Scott, as here in the UK most kits come flat packed in a tube or box, so some additional work before you get to installing
Nice work. The one comment I would make is I never secure the jamb until the door is hung (similar to hanging a standard swinging door). This insures a perfectly parallel jamb.
I have a small pocket door for my bedroom closet and it's perfect, a normal door would've gotten in the way of the bedroom door - the main issue is it's just always generally ajar because it doesn't lock close and I don't bother being precise about it
We ended up using barn doors for the reasons you had for disliking them - easier to service if something goes wrong, or if minds are changed. Something we're considering is changing them for an articulated barn door too, which would be a nice way to make them disappear
Your videos are so motivational. They inspire me to take an apprenticeship in carpentry. Although I was told to peruse electrical or plumbings/pipe gas fitting due the industry in Edmonton Alberta Canada. Maybe I’m in the wrong country. :/ Thank you for your content. I appreciate it a lot.
Pocket doors are a brilliant way to open up a small apartment. We had one in first 1 bedroom place. Only issue was it was massive. At least 1500mm wide. First door needed replacing as it was not solid core and warped!
Scott, The next pocket door you install for a client, I highly recommend the homeview brand, a bit more expensive, but can buy pre-assembled, which offsets the time spent assembling on site They are easier to maintain, and move alot smoother 🤙🏻 Peace of mind for you and the client
I love pocket doors, and just stuck one in my ensuite. So that made me laugh when your wife said can we put one in the bathroom. I m interested to see how you trim the frame now that the gyp sticks out
I had a normal door in my small kitchen which opened into the kitchen, and it made the space uncomfortable and annoying. I changed it to a barn sliding door, and it made a massive difference to the overall space and enjoyment. In the right space a barn/cavity door is definitely worth it. I'd personally use a barn door as it fixes most of your problems for accessibility to repair.
I design a lot of renos and houses for residential clients here in Wellington, and it’s amazing how many people want a pocket slider! I just don’t get it!? I warn them how tricky it is to design and install by builders. And when they can’t have one, they tend to get confused as to why it’s not possible. And having lived with a cavity slider, they feel more of a minor nuisance to use, with the handle and pushing and pulling (gimme a door any day!) Thank you Scott for confirming how much I don’t like pocket sliders as well 😂
Its a good idea to create a opening near the top on one side of the wall, so you can access the hangers inside the pocket with a wrench in case it starts to drag, so you can adjust the height of the door over time. I just cover the access opening with like a plastic cover plate like for a junction box, although you can do something more finished looking as well. Also, Inside the paneling you put up you can tack on some automotive soundproofing to get a lot more sound insulation in the pocket side when the door is closed.
I am 61. Four years ago, I had a sudden unexpected spinal injury. I had back fusion surgery, which unfortunately left me with nerve damage and a right dropfoot. I now have to use a cane or rolling walker to walk, and cannot lift more than 10 pounds. I am also developing osteoarthritis. It is so much easier to have pocket doors in a home, not only does it keep doors out of the way when trying to access areas, but opens up that area for moving and mobility. I would also like to suggest widening doors, as I need more room when walking through with a rolling walker, or others with a wheelchair. It is good to consider what will benefit you as you grow older, especially as you want to age in place in your own home. A pocket door is especially good when you want privacy in your bathroom or toilet area. As I am aging, I see the wisdom in having a ranch home with zero entry and no decks with steps in back, and having a patio you can directly access, instead of a deck with stairs where you can fall. Plus, replacing a deck is almost prohibitively expensive these days, especially if you are living on a retirement income. Please consider doing more videos like your pocket door video, or pull down closet or kitchen shelves, or kitchen cabinet rollout shelves, that can be beneficial no matter your age. Thank you for this video!
I installed a bunch of pocket doors during our remodel. I dealt with the insulation issue in three ways: 1.) Solid doors 2.) installed glued automotive insulation (that's just thin enough not to interfere with the operation of the door) in place of every opening 3.) installed two sheets of drywall on one side of the wall. With those measures the sound insulation is pretty great. It'll totally block the sound of a washing machine on a spin cycle on the other side of the door.
I HAVE experienced failure of a pocket door on two occasions. One case the track screw came out of the wood inside the back of the cavity and the wheel cart went of the track inside the cavity. I used a 90 degree impact attachment and tons of extensions to chuck a new screw into the framing to hold the track back in.
for sound insulation, you can always make the wall on one side extra thick and use that space for insulation. It would take away far less floorspace than a door swing does.
One of my favourite vidoes thus far. Great carpentry, perfect story line and amazing way to end it all. Totally rooting for the second pocket door however 🤭
When designing my next house, there were some places where a pocket door makes sense if the wall can accommodate it. Any door that will rarely be closed is a perfect candidate for a pocket door. Ensuite bathroom, toilet room, or walk in closet are the best examples. They have their place and I will use them in my next house.
Best avoided for so many reasons and only use where you have no option to. Acoustic dampening of the pocket door cavity would be enhanced by having mass between the horizontal wooden ribs - a layer (or two if it can fit) of plasterboard glued to the back of the ply between the ribs internally *both* sides would be significant a significant help.
Pocket doors for my gym room in my dream bedroom makeover an pocket doors for my store room or another style off doors etc too fit out in there etc Scott Brown CarPentry for rorys dream bedroom makeover ideas for him etc
We have 5 pocket doors, 2 of our doors have Soft Close. where we were not limited to 820mm we went to 920mm. biggest problem is if there is weight on the wall of the cavity as it tends to bow. that issue should be on your list of things that cause issued in bathrooms with the weight of tiles.
My pocket door failure point, was those horizontal board on the pocket frame. One came loose. Not. a pretty fix, but behind a wardrobe door. Out of sight out of mind.
I’ve never had any problem with pocket doors, but we had them built with the new house. We didn’t try to fit them into an existing house. I put in one between the kitchen & laundry room because a swing door would have hit appliances on one side and a standing cabinet on the other side.
As a man with a Scottish born father, I think worrying is in the Scottish blood... I am also a Carpenter who is (as I like to say) a recovering perfectionist.
Did an addition to our house in 1980’s, added two bedrooms, bathroom (with a darkroom about size of a large closet separated from the bathroom by a pocket door) and a “playroom” with total of six pocket doors, no hinged doors. Pocket doors on bathroom/darkroom had special trim to make them light tight. Still happy with the choice. Pocket doors give more usable space in each room. When kids were little they would knock the door off the slide and it was a hassle to get it back on. Our cat once learned how to open a closed pocket door by grabbing the bottom of it with her claws.
Job we did once had 2 oak doors bisected together to make one big pocket door. They got fitted then pushed in the wall while they plastered the house. The moisture got to the doors and they bent so much that they wouldn’t slide back out the pocket!! 😂
I had a pair of incredibly heavy oak pockets doors in my 1908 house. They were fantastic, rolled smoothly, looked incredible, sealed off the living room from the after-dinner table mess, & didn't take up a lot of room space with a swing path. I guess back in the day, carpenters didn't mind a little extra framing & having to make the structure sturdy in order to do things right.
I'm familiar with 1900 era pocket doors. Yeah heavy. The house framing isn't anything special for those. No extra lumber needed for a 100 lb door. The reason these can work so well is #1 the hardware. They use impressively large thick hardware. Partly because back then they didn't have today's manufacturing techniques. #2 Doors would have solid wood inside and 1/4" oak veneer. Even the veneer added a lot of structural stability. Warp is less likely so the door is less likely to bind. Again I assume the thick veneer was because of a lack of manufacturing thin veneer. However a door used in a pocket is likely to have almost no solid wood. Fiberglass surface, carboard core and MDF, chipboard perimeter. Nothing to warp.
Did the 1908 construction have double thick walls?
Most pocket doors from the turn of the century didn't set the door into the wall but used a second wall to cover the door. This eliminated the need for heavier specialized framing at the cost of a few inches of room width. This construction also allow for significantly more space for the door and hardware.
You'll also notice what the rolling mechanism was made out of and how it was built for the antique ones. They usually didn't hang on a thin double sided grooved track with plastic inserts. There was a solid steel beam above the door that a chunky metal carriage rolled across. If it was a system more like a modern one it was still built out of heavy rot iron. The things didn't break. Oil them every now and again and the mechanism will outlast the door. The mechanism often weighed more than the door hung on it. The track could be hit with a sledge hammer and the anchors attaching it to wood would give first. In really nice ones it'd be a double system. The same overbuilt and over-engineered mechanism above but built out of solid brass as well as a solid brass track inlayed into the floor so the weight of the door is supported from above and below. They literally do not make them like they used to. Getting anything like the old system is paying a machine shop to design and fabricate it. Nobody makes them. Granted, if you did get a modern machine shop to fabricate you one to the old standard of durability it would probably be the smoothest most reliable pocket door ever created. So there is that.
I love my pocket doors. I can close off the downstairs in the winter so I only have to heat the main floor. I can shut out the after dinner mess from the living room & keep the smell of fish or similar stinky food from permeating the upstairs bedrooms & can corner my cat in 1 room when I need to catch him to go to the vet, lol. My only quibble with them is you can’t hang pictures on the wall (with mails) where the doors are or they’ll get a big scratch across the top. Ask me how I know. 🤦♀️🤷♀️😄
At 75, retired carpenter and untold number of pocket doors installed, I have repaired many with the same problem of doors warping. In my own designs rather than 'normal' 2 x 4 walls, I always used a 2 x 6 wall. The normal hardware purchased at stores usually has metal studs which are very flimsy. I used the head tracks, but always substituted regular 2 x 4 wood studs. By using a 2 x 6 wall, which is 5- 1/2 inches wide vs 3- 1/2 walls the available free space between the studs is now 2- 1/2 inches. Deducting 1- 3/8 for the door thickness, the free space is 1-1/8 which allows much more space for normal and somewhat expected warping over time. Therefore, when the final face split trim is applied with minimal clearance desired, the space behind where the door resides is not as likely to ever rub on the side studs. That is the most common complaint with pocket doors; the door rubs and may mar the door finish. Another reason for using this method, the wall itself is much more sturdy.
You Sir, are an amazing carpenter. The way you install the pocket doors is based on experience and dedication; your method should be the standard! Thank you for being the best !
@chelin7023 Experience, dedication, care, and honestly a little bit of common sense. I built a house with a class in high school, and we used a couple pocket doors. I instinctively knew from the moment we installed them that they would be an early failure of the new home. Just thin, weak, and overall cheap feeling compared to the rest of the house.
It's great to hear they can be repaired! I have one between my kitchen and dining room that is broken and almost impossible to open most of the time. I think there's something wrong with the track. Does the wall have to be taken out to fix it?
@@brainfloss9710I ran into that my whole working years. The purchase 'door in a box' is a problem waiting to happen, but they are less expensive and more or less snap together. To do it the way I always suggested to my customers was to use the 2x6 method I described. I knew that any door warping could be corrected and doors rubbing within those 2x4 systems was almost always a gripe. My method is by far not the normal installation, but I never had complaints, even though I am sure some of the doors eventually warped some.
I have a pocket door that is slightly warped and scrapes the paint when closed! Mine is in a place that doesn’t really need a door, so it just stays open though.
I understand your apprehension. I watched a team of "carpenters" nail baseboards in a renovation thus sealing two pocket doors in the open position.
😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Happened to me too! I forced the door open only to hear a 2" 16g finish nail gouge the entire length of the door.
Maybe these doors should come with warning tape to apply to both sides wherever baseboard will be later nailed.
But yes, doesn't reflect well on the trim carpenter who wasn't the door installer.
@@LauraSchiavi This honestly doesn't sound like the Products fault, just the trim/skirting installer not being observant enough.
ahahahaha classic
lol I put a pocket door in my tiny bathroom 21 years ago and have had no issues with the door. I've changed out the bath tub twice and the tile twice and now have a lovely walk in shower with beautiful subway tile over a waterproof Schluter System and still no issues with the pocket door.
You need a pocket door in your bathroom Scott! 😊
Agreed! Way better looking and sealing than those sliding barn doors, especially for bathrooms.
I may someday be using a wheelchair, so when we remodeled the bathroom for a roll-in shower, we made all the bedroom doors and the bathroom door 36” wide. We were able to use a pocket door because we could rebuild a bedroom closet wall so the pocket simply slides into the space there, slightly narrowing the closet (but it also got deeper due to the deeper shower). We had to angle two walls to get the space for the wider doors, but I can easily wheel into every room in our house now, except the half bath. Unfortunately, my carpenter thought I wanted to save money, so all my doors are hollow core! I envy that Scott Brown put in a solid one.
When I completely remodeled my kitchen I had enough room to put up a wall to add a laundry/ pantry room. After a few designs I decided I wanted didn’t want to deal with a swinging door so I had my contractor build put a packet door with a frosted glass panel into the new wall. Best feature of my kitchen. I can leave it open and it’s a clear walkway when doing laundry and cooking. But when I have guests or parties I can close it and it hides my laundry room and muffles the sound of the dryer. Packets doors are awesome in the right places.
Loved the video!!
I love the idea of a frosted glass panel 😀
"But can he hang a pocket door?" 😏
He may drive a Toyota van🤔
Well done. I thought the same thing when I saw the title.
it turns out, yes!
A lot better than he hangs sheetrock.
Hey Scott, something I came up with myself to insulate cavity sliders. What I use is rigid foilboard and cut panels which slot into the cavity bays. They fit perfectly hard up to the moulded steel, I then use stud adhesive to firmly secure the board at the top, bottom and sides and it helps A-LOT with reducing noise and increasing thermal efficiency.
"Day's not over yet." Words of wisdom.
Jess is now on a mission to convince Scott to replace every door with a Pocket door. 🤣
That look towards the camera at the end when he says "I don't have a fear." 🙄
Better idea: replace every door in your house with a secret hidden door. You walk in, and the entry room appears to be a room without a single exit except the front door. All rooms are like this!
If your wife is happy, you've succeeded!
I found a few French Colonial and Plantation homes with 'pocket doors', where the wall has a pocket door? It often has a decorative cornice that is intentionally held in with decorative screws that blend in with the wall and cornice, and the baseboard is removable as well, occasionally the entire wall is just a big removable panel so you can gain access to doing maintenance on the sliding door and its hardware.
My 1903 house has two sets of massive pocket doors. It isn’t necessary to remove the wall to service them. Instead, the wall is over a foot thick. Removable trim boards provide access for hanging alignment. Though they still float effortlessly so I haven’t tried that.
The most important thing, when you are mad, slamming a pocket door doesn't have the same impact.
😂😂😂😂
Excellent way to break the sliding door, and then ... Scott was right!
Given the other option is likely a standard hollow core door, a pocket door without slow close is gonna be a lot more bang to properly signal your uncontrolled anger.
Like in the days when you could slam down an old 500 series telephone in anger and hear the bell ring.
If you can slam a door you have drafty windows. That air has to go some where!
@Scott Brown Carpentry. No Scott. You're not a worrier. You're a detail person which I appreciate.
Thanks for another exciting and educational video.
Hope you and your family stay safe and well.
I love when people ask about pocket doors but think the door just vanishes from existence when it goes into the wall.
that's the appeal!
Yep!... I think it's about this point that many people learn what is actually inside their walls, and what the walls are actually holding up! 🥴
Duh, it goes into a pocket dimension until you need it and then you summon it from the either.
It's always interesting to have another take on those things.
Over here in Europe, semi structural or structural dividing walls are quite rare, most of the framing is done with metal rails and it's much easier to install, except for the fact that it makjes for a much thicker dividing wall than the standard 7cm.
So all in all, still a lot of framing to install them, but no load bearing headaches.
Good job, and thanks as usual for the quality of your videos!
Not the RYOBI track saw in the attic XD.
Comes out at night to play
I'm surprised its not leaning up outside on the garage 🤣
@@maaaateyourrekidding6918 spontaneous lithium fire 🔥 🏝️🇨🇦
😂
Keeps Gaston out of the roof ...
Interesting video, well worth watching... by which I mean I don't agree with everything in it. 😜
* There are places where a pocket door make for a really tidy solution.
* Some of those places have little requirement for sound (or thermal) insulation... bedroom / ensuite, or bedroom / walk-in wardrobe for instance.
* If there is a need for insulation, increasing wall thickness is often an option. The same applies where the wall needs bracing.
I have replaced tracks without damaging any finishes, although it was a challenge. Where I could not access the innermost screws, cutting access holes is all I have ever needed. You end up with small repairs, similar to those left by a Sparky, and if you make them on the least visually important side of the wall, making-good will probably not involve a complete wall repaint. Admittedly your ply layers on both sides would add complication, but I have never come across this particular challenge.
I sound like a "Pocket Door Fanboy"... I'm not! They are a faff to use, much slower and more fiddly than a normal hinged door.
Finally, a plug: I have recently installed pocket doors using the units in your video. (I think; mine came from Bunnings?). They were fairly lightweight, but worked OK, easy to install, reasonably priced, and are smooth and almost silent in use... far removed from the machine-gun clatter of twenty years ago.
Many thanks for the video.
Love the pocket door on our master bathroom. The main challenge for our contractor was adding some thin plywood to the outside of the frame so we could hang floating shelves on the wall. Space was very tight and we had to use little screws 😅
Those shelves better hold little more than toilet paper.
Pocket door also has privacy issue in bathrooms and as you stated they let out a lot of noise. Thank you and have a great week.
Can't really do much about that anyways... You need an exhaust of the ventilation system or a dedicated exhaust fan in the bathroom to get rid of moisture and smells, so that air has to be made up. Over here we blow fresh (preheated through heat recovery) filtered air into bedrooms and living rooms, leave gaps under the doors so that air can travel to adjacent rooms and hallways, and put exhausts in kitchens and bathrooms.
You could give the bathroom its own inlet, but the sound will travel through the pipes anyways. Buying a separate heat recovery ventilation box for the bathroom is expensive, so the only economical ways to have proper ventilation in the bathroom is by putting an inlet vent in a wall or window to the outside, which brings in cold air in the winter, right in the room where you'll be naked most of the time and wet half the time...
Why is there a privacy issue?
Fit a lock.
If you don't like the noise coming through fit a brush underneath
I remember calling around and asking for a quote to install one in my shop, no one called me back 😂😂😂
I like the hiding place you found for the Ryobi. Seems like a good spot to keep it
I hope he moves it about like a running gag. Would be funny to see it turn up in the crawl space.
@@mrsarkey that would be funny
Also your videos have this subtle humour that’s come off naturally. Thanks again!
Love how the Ryobi track saw if hiding in the attic 😂
We did a pocket door for our small bathroom. Do not regret it at all. No tiles on that side of the wall. All the best Jess with convincing Scott 😂 I convinced my hubby
Great video thank you for your hard work keep it up😊😊😊😊😊
I went top of line Cavity Slider with soft open and close on my 900 wide bathroom slider. No loud bangs or finger traps!
Made my own pocket door! In a 70mm wall! Started with a Henderson sliding track which I had replaced the roller bearing wheels - they had done 50+ yrs! Used 17mm plywood each side rebated on the lounge side so same as gib board. On the other side there is only 1m of wall so packed up gib with 6mm MDF. Made opening size 20mm bigger than necessary and will pack open jamb out by 20mm and screw into stud. On to this piece will add the bits the door will engage when shut and to that the architrave's will be added but NOT nailed to the stud! Result is you can take this jamb off which will allow the door to be a) off the guide at the bottom and b) able to be lifted of the track! The ply on this side will be screwed on and hidden by skirting and a head board/architrave. So far works a treat!
Awesome work. Make sure to not glue one side of the top architrave and only pin the bottom so you can remove the door if needed down the track. 👌👌
I've sound insulated the pocket hole cavity with mass loaded vinyl sheets and it works really well!
Thanks Scott changed my mind on using a pocket vs normal door for my tiny home project many cons for pocket vs standard cheers
Canadian here. Call them ppcket doors here. I can't stand them myself. Finicky to set and adjust. As you said, if you want to take out the pocket door to make it a swing door, it is a much more involved process.
As a remodeling contractor I have installed a lot of pocket doors. Unsealed, hallow core doors will warp inside the pocket once the dry wall mud is applied to the outside of the pocket. The pocket acts like a sauna on warm days causing bare wood to warp. Solid core doors properly sealed (top, bottom and both sides) avoids this.
When we put in the pocket door in our down stairs toilet room, the pocket is right next to the toilet. I wanted to allow for later addition of grab bars sincewe are not getting any younger and will probably need the extra support. Before adding the dry-wall, what you call gib-board, I fitted pieces of plywood into the horizontal spaces in the framing about half way up the wall. So far we have not added the grab bars but the toilet-paper holder is securely attached to plywood so the screws will never pull out of drywall mounts. Regarding the rollers wearing out: I have seen pocket doors restored on some of our home improvement shows. The homes were over 100 years old and the rollers still worked. Yes, they were made of iron but the doors were much heavier than the ones you and I have installed. Thanks for the video.
Having worked with pocket doors, and reusing them or replacing just the door slab, the system installed can allow for the door to be removed with only the trim being removed on the side the knob lock into. The height nut can be adjusted without the trim to allow for better access to removing it if access is the issue. When it comes to the track it’s typically if it is next to a bathroom and a lot of dust is being kicked up as the wheel bearing grease gums up, which even when it is never seen one entirely stuck unless someone used a longer then realistic screw on the drywall into the slats… keep up the good work!
I have a pocket door on my ensuite, tiled and all. Also put compression springs at the end of travel and you just push the door into the spring and it bounces back/opens.
My parents house had them installed during construction in the 80s. They were extra-wide for wheelchair access and of the 9 used throughout the house only one ever had a problem. Not so easily fixed by re-hanging the roller (after 35 years of use)
thank you for the best bit of the background music at the end
Another great Ep, you guys keep me entertained and educated in such a cool way. Cheers fro the English south coast.👍
Why would you have to pull the wall cladding on both sides if something goes wrong?
Adding a comment just to get the notification, if any. I wonder why too.
Is the pocket door in the room with us now, Scott?
for my dream bedroom makeover in my shed bedroom feature walls would been pretty awesome too have as well too bro etc
I know nothing about carpentry, but I really enjoy your videos. I find them a short, relaxing escape from the daily grind. I also know nothing about you, your wife, or New Zealand, but you seem from your videos to live a charmed life in a paradise. Please don't change the tenor of your videos to make it more "real" if my impression is wrong. Keep up the good work.
Having just done a pocket door installation for my office in the garage. It's nice to see we both came up with a similar solution for the insulation of the space. I'm also planning to get some sort of sealing kit for it so that when it closes there are no gaps. If I could have I would have gone for a regular door too. Pocket doors suck but they do serve a purpose.
Have installed many in nz and where I live now. They have their place when space is tight and have thought things through. Pretty standard.
I build new homes in NZ, and every single one has at least one of them. The last one had 4 cavity sliders. I don't really have an issue with them, they are easy to install and most problems come from not knowing the tricks to get them installed and functioning correctly, as well as not designing around them properly. One thing that annoys me is painters spraying all through the track. They never run smooth after that. Honestly I can install a cavity slider faster than a standard door these days.
Once, I was helping finish a house with a friend. There was a pocket door on a bathroom entry.
The homeowners were there, hanging pictures and laying down rugs.
The wife instructed the husband to hang a large mirror on the wall, adjacent to the pocket door. (See where I'm going?)
Well, he worked on it for a bit, worrying a lot about getting it level and equi-spaced, left to right.
I wrapped up in the bathroom and he said, "Perfect timing I gotta go!"
Then he discovered that he had driven screws into the pocket door while it was in the pocket.
😂
The weather looks lovely there. It is currently -16C and there is still a meter of snow in my yard. Cheers from my snowy little corner of western Canada. ~ulrich
That colour at the rough 11:00 mark 💯👌🏽
Pocket doors, each install is an adventure into its self. I found when it comes to sound reduction, the easiest is a double layer of drywall with sound reduction glue on both the drywall onto the framing and then in between the drywall to drywall connection. Strapping the wall can give you a space to put something in there. Hardest install I did was in a 100 year old beach house that was a sears kit. I had to reuse the original door so everything was scribed to get uniform gaps along the bow in the door slab as well as the sagging floor. Made a pretty penny on that one.
Hi from North Canterbury, NZ. After watching FAR TOO MANY home renovation programmes on TV, mainly American, on the discovery of a pocket door in very old house, the people renovated are very excited and there doesn't seem to be much trouble with them. I have concluded that they last a long time, but I might be deluded!
I put the same brand of door in 10 years ago. I am not a builder but it went in easy. I screwed gib on rather than try and hammer nails into those thin bits of timber on the sides. It has never given a problem. You can change out the rollers without removing walls. My one came with built in architraves and the gib fitted in behind them.
You two are Great.
Before fixing the pocket base to the floor near the opening check the door runs parallel first as you can move the jams slightly side to side to get it perfect before fixing.
Scott, my grandparents house has pocket doors in various spots around the house and they haven't failed in 50 years.
This video has unbelievable timing, just picked up a 2nd hand cavity slider with a large solid rimu door I'm going to re purpose for a barn slider. I ended up with the CS branded door.
I have had to resize it to fit a standard 1980 X 910 door, but have just noticed this cavity slider is designed to be square stopped in, so no architraves around the door.
I was lucky, I didn't need to cut out a wall as there was a ranch slider in place before.
Brilliant Scott. Informative and entertaining! TH-camrs take note...that’s how it’s done.
Ray deserves his own program- maybe on NZ breakfast television.He reminds me so much of my old man with that deadly Dutch humour.
Sliding barn doors are nice too and you don't have to worry about beams, just other things on the outside.
Mattteeee, insulation, yeah, I did a bit different. I removed all for piece of a timber which hold the aluminium frame and replaced them with a whole sheet of plywood. Which gave me the opprotunity to add one layer of GIB board on top of the plywood sheet. So in total I have two full sheet on both sides.
We used a barn style sliding door in the recent renovation, looks pretty cool, much easier to maintain and paint and to insulate.
yeah idk am going too been doing this too my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover use ing a barn style Sliding doors for my hang out spot an chilling out spot in my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover with some pretty cool paints an stuff ive got for my dream bedroom makeover in my shed bedroom with some renovation work too been done every soon with the back shed off my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover with 2 sliding barn style sliding doors open ing upp too the main room off my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover where the new beds an few tables an decks chairs bedroom stuff too buying an getting few bean bags for the hangout spot an chilling out spot too hang out with my mates an few freinds or for myslfe too muck around coughs an few another coughs too have in there too as well an few stuff for storeing gear or what have yo there too etc and walk way into the games room an man cave where the main bar fridge for drinks an snack food for movies an coughs an few another coughs few big JVC 58INCH TVS SETUP IN THERE TOO AS WELL WOULD TOP IT OFF FOR ME HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH
Yea idk well been going too building a PLYWOOD BOX FOR STOREING STUFF IN AN FOR MY JVC 58INCH TVS BEEN SETUP ON AS WELL TOO AND HAVE 2 BARN STYLE SLIDING DOORS TOO OPEN UP INTO MY DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER INTO MY SHED BEDROOM AKA DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER AND SOME WORKSPACE AS WELL TOO AND GYM WORKOUT ROOM SETUP FOR ME AS WELL TOO IN MY DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER AN FOR MY MOTOCROSS GEARS AN MOTOCROSS GEAR BAG AN MOTOCROSS BOOTS AN DIRT BIKES FOR STOREING IN MY SHED BEDROOM AKA DREAM BEDROOM AND HAVE A PUB AN BAR SETUP MADE FROM PALLET WOOD FOR DRINKS BAR FOR THE GAMES ROOM AN MAN CAVE AN HANGOUT SPOT OR CHILLING OUT SPOT TOO AS WELL
i well been doing some renovation working on my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover an doing some shopping lists for some brand new bedroom stuff too buying an getting for my dream bedroom makeover in my shed bedroom aka play room as ive needed my dream bedroom makeover for 20 past years ive been whatting for it too been done an its still not been fucking done soo ive got myslfe an few mates an few freinds too helping out with some off the renovation work too been done and move ing the sidewalls few back too make it abit bigger space too working with on the upcoming renovation working too been done an ive got too cleaning upp the back shed bedroom aka for my dream bedroom
for my dream bedroom makeover in my shed bedroom aka dream bedroom makeover i need new beds an few tables an decks an chairs some power outies coughs few another coughss an few bedroom stuff an PLYWOOD BOX STORE ING STUFF SOO ITS NICE AN TIDYING AN CELANING LOOKING DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER IN MY SHED BEDROOM AKA DREAM BEDROOM MAKEOVER
Just about to do one next week and your old video on them made it look so easy. Oh dear 😂
I’ve done quite a few pocket doors over past few years. You’ve definitely got it easier in NZ Scott, as here in the UK most kits come flat packed in a tube or box, so some additional work before you get to installing
You’re so brave, Scott!
Nice work. The one comment I would make is I never secure the jamb until the door is hung (similar to hanging a standard swinging door). This insures a perfectly parallel jamb.
You guys have something great going on here. Subscribed!
You and your partner are both great communicators.
You’ve done them before Scott,so why worry. Nice job as usual. Thanks for the latest exciting episode.👍👍
I have a small pocket door for my bedroom closet and it's perfect, a normal door would've gotten in the way of the bedroom door - the main issue is it's just always generally ajar because it doesn't lock close and I don't bother being precise about it
We ended up using barn doors for the reasons you had for disliking them - easier to service if something goes wrong, or if minds are changed.
Something we're considering is changing them for an articulated barn door too, which would be a nice way to make them disappear
Your videos are so motivational. They inspire me to take an apprenticeship in carpentry. Although I was told to peruse electrical or plumbings/pipe gas fitting due the industry in Edmonton Alberta Canada. Maybe I’m in the wrong country. :/ Thank you for your content. I appreciate it a lot.
Brilliant great to watch as a carpenter here in uk but have been subscribed for must be 3 years now hope you’re both well x
Scott no worries we got cavity sliders in the states
What a delightful couple. Blessings!
Pocket doors are a brilliant way to open up a small apartment. We had one in first 1 bedroom place. Only issue was it was massive. At least 1500mm wide. First door needed replacing as it was not solid core and warped!
With a Hume cavity slide, if you use a solid core door you should use a 3rd car in the track… the weight can cause a flat side on the wheel rollers..
I have 5 Cavity Slider pocket doors and I love them. The hardware is heavy duty and the 8' solid doors I have slide effortlessly.
Scott, The next pocket door you install for a client, I highly recommend the homeview brand, a bit more expensive, but can buy pre-assembled, which offsets the time spent assembling on site
They are easier to maintain, and move alot smoother 🤙🏻
Peace of mind for you and the client
Great job, Scott. Love your work 😁😁👌👌👌❤️❤️
I love pocket doors, and just stuck one in my ensuite. So that made me laugh when your wife said can we put one in the bathroom. I m interested to see how you trim the frame now that the gyp sticks out
I had a normal door in my small kitchen which opened into the kitchen, and it made the space uncomfortable and annoying. I changed it to a barn sliding door, and it made a massive difference to the overall space and enjoyment. In the right space a barn/cavity door is definitely worth it. I'd personally use a barn door as it fixes most of your problems for accessibility to repair.
the sign in the hall : " goal, complete home in 2023 " might need an update (6:35)
Well spotted
I design a lot of renos and houses for residential clients here in Wellington, and it’s amazing how many people want a pocket slider! I just don’t get it!? I warn them how tricky it is to design and install by builders. And when they can’t have one, they tend to get confused as to why it’s not possible. And having lived with a cavity slider, they feel more of a minor nuisance to use, with the handle and pushing and pulling (gimme a door any day!)
Thank you Scott for confirming how much I don’t like pocket sliders as well 😂
I feel the same way. I'd much rather have a normal door and call it a day :).
Its a good idea to create a opening near the top on one side of the wall, so you can access the hangers inside the pocket with a wrench in case it starts to drag, so you can adjust the height of the door over time. I just cover the access opening with like a plastic cover plate like for a junction box, although you can do something more finished looking as well. Also, Inside the paneling you put up you can tack on some automotive soundproofing to get a lot more sound insulation in the pocket side when the door is closed.
10:55 I see you found the Ryobi Track Saw too powerful, so you had to contain it in the attic.
Love the "goal" on the whiteboard ;)
I am 61. Four years ago, I had a sudden unexpected spinal injury. I had back fusion surgery, which unfortunately left me with nerve damage and a right dropfoot. I now have to use a cane or rolling walker to walk, and cannot lift more than 10 pounds. I am also developing osteoarthritis. It is so much easier to have pocket doors in a home, not only does it keep doors out of the way when trying to access areas, but opens up that area for moving and mobility. I would also like to suggest widening doors, as I need more room when walking through with a rolling walker, or others with a wheelchair. It is good to consider what will benefit you as you grow older, especially as you want to age in place in your own home. A pocket door is especially good when you want privacy in your bathroom or toilet area. As I am aging, I see the wisdom in having a ranch home with zero entry and no decks with steps in back, and having a patio you can directly access, instead of a deck with stairs where you can fall.
Plus, replacing a deck is almost prohibitively expensive these days, especially if you are living on a retirement income. Please consider doing more videos like your pocket door video, or pull down closet or kitchen shelves, or kitchen cabinet rollout shelves, that can be beneficial no matter your age. Thank you for this video!
I installed a bunch of pocket doors during our remodel. I dealt with the insulation issue in three ways: 1.) Solid doors 2.) installed glued automotive insulation (that's just thin enough not to interfere with the operation of the door) in place of every opening 3.) installed two sheets of drywall on one side of the wall. With those measures the sound insulation is pretty great. It'll totally block the sound of a washing machine on a spin cycle on the other side of the door.
I HAVE experienced failure of a pocket door on two occasions. One case the track screw came out of the wood inside the back of the cavity and the wheel cart went of the track inside the cavity. I used a 90 degree impact attachment and tons of extensions to chuck a new screw into the framing to hold the track back in.
for sound insulation, you can always make the wall on one side extra thick and use that space for insulation. It would take away far less floorspace than a door swing does.
One of my favourite vidoes thus far. Great carpentry, perfect story line and amazing way to end it all.
Totally rooting for the second pocket door however 🤭
When designing my next house, there were some places where a pocket door makes sense if the wall can accommodate it. Any door that will rarely be closed is a perfect candidate for a pocket door. Ensuite bathroom, toilet room, or walk in closet are the best examples. They have their place and I will use them in my next house.
Best avoided for so many reasons and only use where you have no option to. Acoustic dampening of the pocket door cavity would be enhanced by having mass between the horizontal wooden ribs - a layer (or two if it can fit) of plasterboard glued to the back of the ply between the ribs internally *both* sides would be significant a significant help.
yeah ive come upp with few ideas for my dream bedroom makeover in my shed bedroom with some DJ GEARS ETC FOR MAKEING SOME MUISC SONGS TOO PLAY ETC
Pocket doors for my gym room in my dream bedroom makeover an pocket doors for my store room or another style off doors etc too fit out in there etc Scott Brown CarPentry for rorys dream bedroom makeover ideas for him etc
We have 5 pocket doors, 2 of our doors have Soft Close.
where we were not limited to 820mm we went to 920mm.
biggest problem is if there is weight on the wall of the cavity as it tends to bow. that issue should be on your list of things that cause issued in bathrooms with the weight of tiles.
My pocket door failure point, was those horizontal board on the pocket frame. One came loose. Not. a pretty fix, but behind a wardrobe door. Out of sight out of mind.
I’ve never had any problem with pocket doors, but we had them built with the new house. We didn’t try to fit them into an existing house. I put in one between the kitchen & laundry room because a swing door would have hit appliances on one side and a standing cabinet on the other side.
As a man with a Scottish born father, I think worrying is in the Scottish blood... I am also a Carpenter who is (as I like to say) a recovering perfectionist.
Did an addition to our house in 1980’s, added two bedrooms, bathroom (with a darkroom about size of a large closet separated from the bathroom by a pocket door) and a “playroom” with total of six pocket doors, no hinged doors. Pocket doors on bathroom/darkroom had special trim to make them light tight. Still happy with the choice. Pocket doors give more usable space in each room. When kids were little they would knock the door off the slide and it was a hassle to get it back on. Our cat once learned how to open a closed pocket door by grabbing the bottom of it with her claws.
Cavity sliders can be a major source of air leakage. Spiders come in from the roof from these things too.
There is so many higher end pocket door hardware kits. Éclisse is popular here made in italy. The other cavitysliders
Job we did once had 2 oak doors bisected together to make one big pocket door. They got fitted then pushed in the wall while they plastered the house. The moisture got to the doors and they bent so much that they wouldn’t slide back out the pocket!! 😂