Pocket Door for Bathroom - Brickeeye, and Others

11 years ago

Help me determine if I can put a 2 pocket doors in the bathroom. I have 2 questions.

1) The first one is, I want excellent hardware for the doors. What is recommended? These will be doors that will be in a bathroom and carry wooden doors. I want to protect the finish from injury, as it slides back and forth over the coming years. I had planned on getting cherry doors with lumber core and mdf panels.

2) Second question is about the walls that will hold the door. One is in a non load baring wall and is drawn as a 2x4. The other one, on the left of the image, will be behind the shower wall. I had planned to tile this wall, so It will be sheathed in cement board, connected to the studs. But as I think about it there will be no studs because the cavity that is formed. There wont be electrical or plumbing in this wall. This wall may be a load baring wall as it was an exterior wall until the 70's when an addition was added. From the basement side of this wall, it looks like it sits on the original basement exterior wall.

Can I put a pocket door here?

I did a search on google about pocket door hardware and there was a GW post from fall 2012 where Brickeeye stated that there might be a problem "If you go up to a 'wet wall' (2x6) thickness things are MUCH better".

I have my wall drawn as a 2x4 currently, but I can make it a 2x6. Of note, this is an old exterior wall that is clad in diagional boards along the hall side of the bathroom. I have taken the lathe and plaster off of the bathroom side. The clad side is in the hall and is covered in drywall.

Here is my drawing with the 2x4 stud wall:

Here is a link that might be useful: post from sept 2012 about johnson pocket door hardware.

This post was edited by enduring on Fri, Apr 26, 13 at 8:58

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Comments (7)

southerncanuck
11 years ago
You can put pocket doors within a load bearing wall, you create a header above to carry the load and build the pocket wall.

Have you considered the door sliding on the outside of the wall. Actually saw it done just yesterday, the plan was pocket doors but the homeowner thought it a shame to hide these beautiful birdseye maple custom doors in a wall, ans she was right, I think it looks great with antique hardware.
enduring
Original Author
11 years ago
Hey, thanks for the information. I have thought about a barn door installation. The door would be on the hall side of the room. Then there would be no need to tear everything out. I just might do that. I had originally thought that the hardware of the barn door would take up too much of the hallway as it is only 37" wide. But upon closer examination I don't think it would be a big infringement into the space; what 3"? by the time you get the door and hardware in place.

It sure would be easier to do than putting up a header, and taking all of the wall down to build the pocket.

The east wall, for the other pocket door, is already down as an expansion into the bedroom (3.5'). This wall will be easily adapted, I believe, for a pocket door. Or, I could install another barn door there too.
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geoffrey_b
11 years ago
Just my opinion, but a barn door seems really crude - especially for a bathroom.

I think you're going to have a hard time selling the idea to the next perspective buyer.
enduring
Original Author
11 years ago
Geoffrey, thanks for your input. I too think they can look a bit crude, and a bit trendy. BTW there probably wont be another buyer because this is a family house that is on the family farm. But, that said, after a day out and about, I have determined that the pocket doors are what I want to have. I have priced some solid doors, looked at Johnson hardware stud wall units, talked to them on the phone to problem solve wall weight, and flex issues. I now need to talk some more to the carpenter.

The carpenter tells me that he is used to using the preformed pocket door units that have 1x's horizontal on a frame. I asked that he look on the website at Johnson, because they have wood members clad in steel, that are installed as studs. Unless I can be convinced of a better way, this is the way I will ask the walls to be made. It looks way stronger than the prebuilt pockets that I saw. Those just looked like packing material.
brickeyee
11 years ago
Just wathc out for electrical.

you cannot put boxes in the pocket wall if you stay with a 2x4 wall.

you need to go up thick enough to fit 1.25 inch deep 4 x 4 boxes with a plaster ring (ends up about 1.75 inches from the face of the plaster ring/wall to the back of the box).

That is about as shallow a box as you can do much with under wire & device fill rules.
enduring
Original Author
11 years ago
Brickeyee, thanks for responding. No plans for electric in the pocket areas. I'll be able to have electric on the north wall and to the south of the door openings.

QUESTIONS:
1) can we keep the old exterior sheathing of 1x6's on the studs and build the pocket door on the bathroom side of the wall? This could mean essentially a 2x6" wall when finished. I don't see why not. There would be a header put in to accommodate the opening needed and go from there. Just pretending the wall on the hall isn't there.

2) Have you used the Johnson split studs that are clad in steel? that function as the stud wall for the pocket door? I saw an open box at the lumber store yesterday and it sure looks stronger than the pre made kits that have horizontal 1x's. What I like about it is that there would be a stud every 16" as typical and the wall wont be so flexable.

3) I called Johnson yesterday and was told that on walls with tile they recommend a sheathing of 3/4 plywood to be placed over the pocket door studs, before the cement board. I think this sounds adequate. What do you think?
enduring
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, to update this thread. I ordered Hafele hardware for the rolling part of the pocket door. Boy does it look wonderful I will order solid wood doors. They will be lumber inside with a thick veneer of hardwood over the lumber (I believe). No particle board. I have talked to the carpenter and I have added some inches to the walls where the pockets will go. I asked if he could build these pockets with the studs on their sides, as I do not want a wall that flexes. He didn't say anything to that request of mine. He thinks that he can keep the old 1x cladding and build the one wall inward. Regarding the other wall, as I said, he didn't comment.

What do you guys think of my thicker wall idea and laying the studs on their sides so that I can have an actual stud wall? I do not want flexy walls. We have a pocket setup from the 70's and it is very flexy, I can take the door jamb and squeeze the two sides together with my fingers and thumb. I do not want to be responsible for putting something like that in this remodel, it would be a nightmare. I can have a better system than that can't I?