Our house has quite a few pocket doors including one for our pantry. I find them very convenient.

I've had one in just about every house I've lived in my whole life. I like them a lot for the exact reason you mentioned. No door swing issues. I don't find them at all annoying except when the kids play with the one we have now.

I have a regular swinging door on my corner pantry and don't find it to be in the way at all. If my hands are full I sometimes give the door a tap with my foot on the way out to close it. Well, the door doesn't latch that way, but it comes very close. Besides, I'm not shutting the door now because I still haven't decided on a handle for that door. It's a chore to open the door without a handle. :-/

I have had them, and while I do find them nice for the above reasons, I find them harder to use, and end up leaving them open 90% of the time, and only closing them for "company", etc.

We have one in a new bathroom that we added. The bedroom that it is attached to is very small. Although putting the pocket door was difficult, it was worth it for the space saved in the room.

We have a pocket door from our kitchen to the laundry room and for us it makes sense, since our laundry room is small and not having the door take up space is very helpful. The door is open most of the time, but it's easy to close when needed.
If space is an issue, a pocket door is a great solution.

I really like my pocket doors, and we have several in our new home. The only thing I would change is the hardware. There's a small button thing that you push in, and it pops out to grab and pull the door. It's about the size of a nickel, and has sharp edges. I would choose different hardware if I had the option now.

Our pantry in our new build will have a pocket door. I love them. I will probably keep it open most of the time though.

Hi.

We will have three pocket doors in our renovated home: pantry door (with magnetic chalkboard panel), half bath off mudroom, and master bath. All are for space savers and avoiding loss of space due to "door swing". I'll let you know soon, but I'm excited about them. I got some polished nickel Benson hardware from "Rejuvenation" to spice them up...

Katie

Most pocket door hardware requires eyes and good coordination + agility. Then you heed the leverage to pull the door straight outward while standing at an angle to it. Not good for handicap usage generally I think.

I lived in a modern minimalist house that had all sliding doors to rooms. That little spot where the hardware is located was always a sore point--had to be able to finagle out that puller even when in a hurry or in the dark &c.

Given all that, we have installed two pocket doors in our new project and I wish we'd had a sufficient wall for one more. These stand open most of the time. I ask myself whether I should have put one one my pantry closet and then I remind myself that the hinged door can be nudged or closed with my foot or my fanny when my arms are full.

Rebuilding after a fire, we put in all pocket doors. Fifteen of them. You gain 9 SQ of floor space eliminating a swinging door. If you only close it for company, there's a good chance a regular door would stand open, too, until a visit. You have to fuss with it, sweep with it, worry about handles making holes in the walls, blah blah blah.

If you're open construction, you can EASILY build them yourself using the Johnson hardware. You do not need those huge, difficult pocket door kits. I know. I've done it myself and I'm a construction idiot.

If you're not doing new construction, opening a wall and furring it out a bit for the door isn't difficult, either. Construction people don't want to do them because they're different than regular doors, but they are not harder.

As for hardware. You can buy different size pulls for different size fingers. You don't need that button thing mentioned, either. Most pocket door pulls simply require you sticking your finger against the top of the pull and it swings out underneath your finger, which you can easily ... pull. Doors are centered with those fiberglass pads that guide them, keeping them in line. Done right, there isn't any concern about how you pull the door out. It'll only move one way.

I wouldn't have my house any other way. I'm even going thru right now and replacing my modern, unfinished, 6-panel maple doors with antique doors from the reuse center. I'm 5'2", probably 130 lbs and am doing it myself. Heavy, but pocket doors are well worth it. You could say you can change them with your decor! [LOL] Altho most people aren't that nuts.

Closets, laundry, offices, etc., Why do they need to waste space with swinging doors?

Definitely go for it.

Christine

The only thing Johnson does not have well done are the 'door guides' they supply.

The plastic eventually scratches the face of the door.

A small piece of aluminum angle in the floor of the pocket and a groove on the bottom of the door are much better.
If you stop the groove before the exposed edge of the door nothing even shows, but the door cannot sway.

Adding wood to the concealed edge of the door helps with sound and makes sure the bottom of the door stays on the floor mounted guide.

If the door has any kind of detailing you have to remember to adjust the width of the door so the detail remains centered on in jamb when the door is closed (the door needs to stay in the pocket by at least a few inches when closed).

We have several pocket doors, and I really like them.

One other thing to consider -- depending on how the door is constructed, you might not be able to hang anything heavy on the "pocket" wall. So, if you were planning pantry shelves along that wall, be sure to build the door so you have a place to anchor your shelves.

Oh, excellent point, chompskyd! I had to do that with a closet I built. I wanted to be able to hang something between the two doors, so put another stud in there.

Brickeye, that's a very interesting idea.
I've never had trouble with the plastic guides. Even being smooth, you've had them mar the door? I also put three glides on the track, vs. just the two. Amateur overkill, but I figure it never hurts for strength. Plus, I'm using exterior doors.

And since I'm installing "new" (antique) doors, I could route a line along the bottom. Mine aren't even framed out, so I have alot of leeway. I like this idea. Anything that makes thing sturdier, the better! :)

Would you mind showing me a pic of the aluminum angle you're describing? Then I figure how you've set it.

I have some 30" doors I'm loving, but currently have a 32" door in there. I've been trying to figure out how to pad the hidden side of the door to accommodate these.

Ooooo!
Always good info!
Christine

We installed all pocket doors throughout our new home, and we absolutely love them. No more swinging doors in the way or blowing shut when the windows are open, which I find extremely annoying.

However, we stiffened all of the walls with an MDF layer sandwiched behind the wall, since I wanted a very firm feel to my walls, and purchased the most expensive Johnson pocket door hardware (aprox. $300 apiece). We have solid wood doors. They glide like butter and most people have never used a pocket door that works so nicely. We have no scratching problems whatsoever. If the doors are installed correctly, your doors will not get scratched.

It was a somewhat scary decision at the time, but I would never go back to a traditional door that swings.

Be sure to find someone that knows what they are doing when the doors are hung, if you decide to go with them.

You won't be able to put an electrical ouitlet in the wall with the pocket door.

You can hang things but they need to be braced differently than something that just nails into the wall. I think they may be called cleats. The other option is a free standing shelf unit on that wall.

I counted this morning. We have 9 pocket doors from the original construction of our ~37 year old house. They glide easily even after all these years. We did have to repair the track on one of the 9 which I put down to abuse from teenage boys growing up in the house.

One of the doors is in our master bath so it has been opened and closed at least twice a day with no issues.

Ours have the kind of lever for closing where one pushes on the top and the lever hinges out. I don't need to look at them to use them. The one that we repaired was getting hard to move before the repair, but other than that, ours don't require any particular strength or agility to operate. I don't think that they are any harder to use than a swing door with a knob - though both require more hand mobility than the lever type door handles.

Sandy, that's not correct about the electrical outlet.
They make shallow boxes. I have some.

I think the Johnson hardware works so beautifully.
My doors are currently solid Maple, 6-panel, unfinished exterior doors. They're quite substantial.

I'm changing them to the antique, 5 or 6-panel horizontal panel box doors. Most are very heavy although I think they're all interior.

Love them!
Christine

We currently have 3 pocket doors in our house - one for my LR, one for my DR, and one for a bedroom closet. We plan to change our swing door between hallway and kitchen to a double pocket door when we remodel the kitchen. I love my pocket doors for all the reasons already stated.

"Sandy, that's not correct about the electrical outlet.
They make shallow boxes. I have some. "

The shallowest legal box is 1.25 inches deep (and 4x4, requiring a mud ring), and does not fir into a 2x4 wall with pocket hardware behind it.

If you can tolerate the small loss in floor area you can make the walls 'wet wall' (2x6) thickness and then things fit a lot easier.

Switches can easily enough be installed using low voltage wiring and relays, but receptacles are a major problem.

Remember you are likely to need receptacles on both sides of the wall.

I have had the plastic 'guides' scratch painted doors until I stopped using them and switched to hidden guides under the door in the pocket.

I have even bult and installed converging pocket doors that operate together for a lot less than the commercial kits cost.

Some steel pulley used for sliders, mounted inside the track on bolts and thin aircraft cable forming a loop do the job.
The doors are attached on opposite sides of the loop concealed in the track so they move in opposite directions.
The left door moves left to open while the right door moves the same amount to the right.

It makes for a very nice way to close off a larger opening.

I have two pocket doors in my kitchen area, and I put plywood over the frames of both so I could install upper cabinets in the area. I also made the walls 6" so they would be very substantial and sturdy. It works beautifully.

Like others, we have several (9) to save sq footage that would've been useless except for door-swinging room. Maybe you'd end up leaving it open, but if you do, I'm guessing it's because you don't think it's a big deal.

I was hesitant when we first planned them, remembering wimpy hardware and hollow core doors from the 60s/70s. But we have sturdy hardware and order our choice of fir, solid-core, 5 panel (raised panel) doors to suit our Craftsman-inspired house. I have no regrets.

They do, however, as pointed out, require door width plus an inch of intersection-less and (most easily) electrical-free wall, and you have to watch where you hang things.

wow! lots of pocket door fans! thanks everybody for all of the feedback!
i love the space savings, but i just need to make sure they are installed properly to function well. so thank you also for the installation tips!

i currently have a bad, cheap pocket door in my master closet so i leave it open 100% of the time because it is so difficult to open and close. another thing that i find hard is the little tab that you have to lift up to pull it closed. has anyone put a handle on a pocket door? you cannot close it all the way, but it would be easier to open maybe. also, would you do a glass door for a pocket door? or would this be a bad idea?

I'm another fan of pocket doors in general, but I dislike the cheap readily available ones for the reasons mentioned here - difficult to open and close, and they don't look good at all.

Anyone have any ideas for attractive pocket doors? Perhaps with different hardware?

We love our 9 pocket doors (Johnson mid-grade), including one that needed an electrical outlet in the wall by the cooktop. We added an extra sheet of OSB, and used the shallow electrical box. Then we had to adjust the door jamb.

Anne

I think I mentioned I just installed an antique French door as a pocket door. So glass, yes.

They still make that god-awful J channel type hardware, but why would anyone use that!?! when sturdy stuff is available!

I made my pocket doors in 6" walls.
I simply turned the 2x4s flat, and the door slides in and out between them.

I have electrical outlets on many door walls, and they're evidently legal as per the inspector. I can't speak to their depth.

I can't wait until I get these doors cleaned up and installed. It's too cool to see these discarded antiques in a place of honor!!

C.

CEFreeman, when you said you installed an antique french door, i was thinking it came from france! i now see what you mean. lol! i would love to see pics of your pocket doors. they sound really unique.

i would love everyone's recommendations on where to buy the johnson hardware and sturdy pocket door pulls too.

I like them.

I don't THINK I'd like it on a pantry though. I prefer them for mostly-open applications. A pocket door on a pantry here would mean the pantry was always open.

Even my cabinet doors only get closed because they're in the way when they're open--pocket doors would never be in the way which means they'd stay open.

We also have French-door style (glass, 10-lite) pocket doors for both entries to our kitchen.

has anyone put a handle on a pocket door? you cannot close it all the way, but it would be easier to open maybe.

Door handles on the face of the door would keep the door from opening all the way, and the handle would bang into any casing around the opening. Maybe you could get in the habit of leaving it open just a couple inches and it'd be easier to grab the face hardware or edge of the door to pull it closed.

I'm not CEFreeman and ours aren't as unique, but here are some pics...

Glass pocket door:

And a 5-panel solid pocket door and our hardware:

fori, good point about leaving them open. i will have to think about if i want to leave my pantry open more often than not..

rhome, thanks for the pics. your doors are really nice. i like the darker hardware on them. is that oil rubbed bronze or brass?

Antique pewter

I'm in the custom door business and we do quite a few pocket doors.
Instead of the channel in the floor with a guide on the bottom of the door, we do the kerf in the bottom of the door and the guide mounted on the floor. Reason being that over time, dust and debris will fill the channel on the floor and the door won't glide as easily. This is a very inexpensive way to keep you door straight and not risk scratching the door's surface.

Kudos to whomever mentioned a wider stile on the pocket edge of the door so when the door is closed, the same amount of stile is visible on both sides. You can only accomplish this with custom doors, but it's an attention to detail that is frequently missed.

What fori said! I've always loved pocket doors, even chintzy hollow core ones with lousy hardware. That's how much I love em.... imagine latter day good stuff. We have heavy cherry on poor hardware (junk got installed when I wasn't looking. grrrrr) and, again, I still love em.

But I do agree that if I had to open and close these doors many times a day, encumbered, I might be less enamored. Application matters.

Come to think of it, I just had a flash of the perfect closet door -- it would be a wrap-around pocket door like a roll top desk's at 90-degrees, and way larger. That is, pocket doors that wrapped around the perimeter of the closet.

I love the idea of pocket doors, but how do they work for bathrooms? Can you lock the door from the inside for privacy?

I was thinking of starting a thread about this, but I'll post here first since its all about pocket doors!

I'm looking for a metal and glass pocket door but can't find one anywhere. Does anybody know where I could get this type of door?

Why metal and glass you ask? This door will be between our mudroom and kitchen. We have two dogs that we'll be feeding in our mudroom and would like to be able to keep them in the mudroom sometimes. These doggies are cute, but they like to scratch at the door! We currently have a metal exterior door that they will sit at and lightly scratch at until they're let in and I think they'll do the same thing to the mudroom door once we get it in place.

In response to the original poster, I do love pocket doors and think they can be a great space saver especially when you'll leave the door open a lot.

Scootermom, yes, pocket doors can lock from one side for privacy. The close up of hardware in rhome's post shows the outside side of locking hardware similar to ours. There is a small knob on the other side that one turns and a little latch comes out of the slot on the edge of the door. The thing that looks like a big flat head screw top on the outside of the door allows the door to be unlocked from the outside. (Most inside door locks have some kind of override from the outside like that.)

In my old house, I had a regular door going into my pantry. I could never get anyone to close it...ever. When I had company, I tried, but it inevitably ended up opened. In my new house, I installed a pocket door going into my pantry. I love it...nothing to get in the way. We just had our first large party for 45 people and I had it closed when they all first came in. Then we were going in and out so much to retrieve things, I just left it opened. But even though it seems to be open more than 80% of the time, I much prefer pocket over regular in this application.

hi bodhi, it sounds like it might be difficult to find a metal and glass pocket door for interior use. maybe you can get another exterior door and use it for the interior? or maybe look into those wine cellar doors or storm doors? i know a lot of them are made out of metal and glass. or alternately, look into adding those metal kick plates to a wood door?

thanks everyone for the feedback on pocket doors. i am leaning towards getting one for the pantry and making sure i use good hardware, and also ask the builder to add an extra layer of osb so i can have n outlet and hang things on the wall too.

Before my DH bailed, he jury-rigged a metal and glass door between the mudroom and the kitchen. He simply used a normal screen door. He just changed the hardware. Actually he took it off and was going "to get it later" so I just have a hole there, but as always, I can live with it. It's even the kind where the top glass portion slides down, so the screen can be open between the rooms. Someday, I'll put in a regular door.

Why would you need kick plates, michoumonster? You never use your feet to shut them... LOL!

Also, my doors aren't all that unique, actually. I love the doors like rhome has, with the 5 panels. I've found old ones at the reuse centers that even have 6 panels.

To be honest and fair, my existing doors are just fine. Solid, exterior, modern 6-panel maple doors. I just don't like them. In the name of not settling, I am going with the older doors with more character. I'm even saving to have some of them dipped (I know, careful of veneers, glue, etc.) so I can fix them up without ruining them.

At this point, most are lying against the living room wall.

I love them, though. :)

gypsy_jazz, what do you use the the guide? I'm in a position to install these doors well, so I want to explore all the options.

Thank you!

I forgot to mention this.
Do a search for pocket door hardware. There are some gorgeous pulls out there, with and without locks.

I love this Baltica pull that's the Dalia series. Actually, I love the whole series. I find them very graceful. Unfortunately, that will not be gracing me, I don't foresee, because they cost about A MILLION DOLLARS!

Restoration hardware, Anitque Hardware.com, and a whole bunch of other sides have beautiful "jewelery" for your doors. Since pocket doors seemed to hit their heyday in the late 1800s, early 1900s, lots of the hardware is Victorian or deco. Gaw-geous!

Here is a link that might be useful: Baltica Pulls