Pocket door Question

**Bigbobdallas** · 03-14-2007, 09:54 AM

Which is the best brand of pocket door frames to buy that will last and best all around.

**jadnashua** · 03-14-2007, 04:42 PM

I put one in by Johnson (if I remember correctly). They had a bunch of options. I got one with ball bearings rated for up to a 200# door (although mine isn't). Get dual track ball bearing and one spec'ed for at least the weight of the door - a heavier duty one isn't that much more.

**Alvarto** · 03-19-2007, 11:16 AM

I am remodeling my master bath and would like to use a 3/8" glass shower door. It would have a door and a fixed panel, both combined totaling about 60". The glass door portion would mount to a wall to the left which would have a stud behind it in the required location and therefore not be a problem. The fixed panel would mount to the curb underneath and a perpendicular wall to the right which would have a pocket door sliding into it... and therefore not a traditional stud to secure the fixed glass panel to.

There is a pic attached (assuming I did it right

) so above makes more sense.

So my question is, will the framework of the pocket door wall be sturdy enough to support the weight of the glass panel? It seems to me that if I use a U channel mount for the panel, the force would be distributed over a larger area, and possibly work better than smaller brackets.

Thanks

Tony Alvarez

**jadnashua** · 03-19-2007, 01:28 PM

The fixed panel doesn't need anywhere near the support as does the heavy swinging one, especially if it doesn't have a stop that would get banged by the door. All the weight would be on the curb. The hassle might be if that wall flexed, but depending on whether it was attached with a channel or brackets it may not be a big deal. You might want to check with the manufacturer and ask their recommendations. Will the glass be going to the ceiling or stop short?

**Alvarto** · 03-21-2007, 07:25 AM

Thanks for the reply. What you said makes sense. I was planning on having the glass stop short of the ceiling, which I assume will potentially cause more stress on the wall if we bump the panel when stepping in and out. Sounds like as long as nothing is bumping into the panel there shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks again,
Tony

**Mike50** · 03-27-2007, 09:14 AM

Is a pocket door something that good handy man (with carpentry skills) could do?
Are "kits" available?? I could really use one of those.....in my small bathroom adjoing a bedroom.

Mike

**jadnashua** · 03-27-2007, 09:29 AM

I've looked at several company's pocket doors, and I liked, bought, and installed one from here: http://www.johnsonhardware.com/pdindex.htm. You should be able to find the installation instructions there, and decide for yourself. Note, you probably wouldn't want to tile a wall with one of these unless you built a normal 2x4 wall on that side (which is what I did). It makes that end stick out further than the rest of the wall, but that's the price you pay. Get the full ball-bearing version for a heavier door than you plan to use, and it glides smoothly and quietly. I'm sure their version designed for lighter doors works, too, but the cost differential isn't much. You don't need their super heavy duty version unless you've got a massive heavy door, though.

hj · 03-27-2007, 09:52 AM

1. If you want a watertight seal, you will have to use a "U" channel anyway.
2. If it is like most door/panels, there will be a top rail integrating everything which will minimize any stresses.

**Mike50** · 03-29-2007, 09:18 AM

thanks Jim....
My handy guy says he can do it.....
sLowes big box carrys them apparently...

Mike

**jadnashua** · 03-29-2007, 12:55 PM

HD carries a Stanley one, but I wasn't impressed. the Johnson hardware ones come with steel reinforced nailers for the faux studs - much sturdier than the all wood on most of them. They don't warp, either which can be a big deal for the sliding door.

**Alvarto** · 04-02-2007, 09:15 PM

Jadnashua,

I noticed you mentioned that the pocket door framed wall wouldn't be able to support the weight of a tiled wall too well. I was looking into using the Schluter-Kerdi process for tiling my shower. Are you familiar with this process? There would be substantially less weight involved... do you or anyone think this would work? My bathroom is too tight to build the wall out further as your described. Please see my diagram earlier in this thread to better understand my layout.

Thanks again,
Tony

**geniescience** · 04-03-2007, 05:31 AM

and to get even less weight, and a lot more structural strength, buy 2' x 8' Wedi panels and tile them. Search and you will find. Read up on it. Call the company and ask where to buy it. Tell us what you learn. Have a great day.

david

**Alvarto** · 04-03-2007, 07:10 AM

David,

Thank you so much for your reply. The Wedi panels are something I've never heard of, but after just a couple minutes research sound like the way to go. They're light weight, easy to work with, and save time in the installation. Here is a helpful link:

http://www.gstallc.com/documents/FAQ.pdf

I gotta start getting ready for work now, but as I find out more, I will post more.

Thanks again,
Tony

**jadnashua** · 04-03-2007, 09:48 AM

The hassle with framing a pocket door AND retaining the standard wall thickness, is that the small supports need to be installed on their wide side, rather than having say a 2x4's long edge between the walls. Otherwise, there'd be no room for the door! This gives much less strength, since it is across the narrow width of the support. Johnson uses moderately heavy gauge metal wrapped wood studs as opposed to those I saw on a Stanley pocket door, which were just plain pine 1x3 wood. The Johnson metal wrapped studs are much stronger and almost immune to warping. Your tiled wall would be supported by these relatively flimsy supports. On mine, Instead of using their studs, I built the wall out using standard 2x4's. This made that wall thicker, but also made for a standard wall both in thickness for the plumbing, and for strength.

For tile, you don't want any chance of movement, it will either crack the tile or the grout. Once you get tile on a thick piece of Wedi, it would probably work fine, but a strong wall and a pocket door often don't go in the same picture. For less money, and about the same thickness, you could do what I did. The Wedi board is a good product, but you pay a lot for shipping it from Europe to the US distributor.

**geniescience** · 04-03-2007, 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by Alvarto

... a door and a fixed panel .... The fixed panel would mount to the curb underneath and a perpendicular wall to the right which would have a pocket door sliding into it ....

you don't need "support". The glass panel is so strong all by itself that it will help keep the wall strong! At least, each perpendicular piece at that 90 degree angle will strengthen the other one. I siliconed a glass panel onto a painted drywall surface that has flimsy 26 gauge metal studs behind it. No channel ! Looks good.

david