pocket doors

14 years ago

I am trying to put down a new vinyl in kitchen. Well we won't be able to use pocket doors. The doors are hollow, can you take some off the bottom? How do you get the pocket doors off? Their since we bought the house. I had originally wanted ceramic tile, but that won't fit under the dishwasher. Now this. What a headache this has become.

Comments (5)

bobismyuncle
14 years ago
Can't help with taking them off as I think they vary in style somewhat.

You can saw some off the bottom. There is a bottom rail and as long as you don't saw beyond that, you should be OK. If you do saw beyond it, take the cut-off, scrape off the veneer and re-glue it back in the gap left behind. Use ordinary carpenter's glue and clamps with a caul.
aidan_m
14 years ago
You need a finish carpenter. Any pocket door I have ever seen required the casing taken off from one side in order to remove the door.

Some styles have a release mechanism to detach the door from the roller hardware so the rollers stay in the track. Others styles lift out of the track completely. I strongly recommend an experienced carpenter...

On the other hand...who uses pocket doors in the kitchen anymore! I have only been taking out walls, pocket door and all, on every kitchen job I do.

Abandon the lousy pocket door and make it an open passage way. You can easily make the opening twice as wide with no framing work or drywall repair. A 30" pocket door has a rough opening framed for a 60" passageway. If the wall where the pocket door tucks in has no cabinets mounted on it, I would go for it.
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brickeyee
14 years ago
"Any pocket door I have ever seen required the casing taken off from one side in order to remove the door."

Bad installation if you have to remove anything beyond header trim to get the door out.
kudzu9
14 years ago
The bottom rail of a hollow core door is usually at least an inch or two high and I assume you only want to take off a fraction of that. It's not hard, but I suspect this is not a job that is within your skill level. Get some help from a carpenter or competent handyman to remove door trim, demount the door, trim it, and reinstall everything.
lindamarie
14 years ago
We just installed 2 pocket doors. They have adjustments at the top of the door.