Pocket doors

I have a remote switch that I use for my backyard lights. The rear of my
house has 3 exterior lights all switched separately (deck door, patio door,
& garage service door all have a light outside that is switched just inside
their respective door). What I did was get 2 remote control switches (they
replace the switch at the patio & service doors) and then I put the remote
(which looks like a 1" thick light switch) near my deck door. This way,
when my dogs won't come inside at night, I can switch on all three lights
from the deck (which is where they go in & out from) to see what kind of
trouble they're getting in. It works really slick for our needs!

Just my $.02

Michael (LS)

Posted by Kris Krieger on July 30, 2007, 5:21 pm

> When is it appropriate to use a pocket door?

IMO? As often as possible. A lot of space is IMO lost to nothing more
than swing-space for doors; I'd like to replace all my regular doors with
pocket doors, given my 'druthers (and a large Lottery win <L!>)

Personalyl, I'd ttake it even further and have sliding "walls" wherever
structurally possible - IMO, it'd be great to be able, for example, to
close off the kitchen during cooking (esp. stuff like fish, and high-
garlic dishes), combines with a fna that actually ahve a motor that
*pulls air* as opposed to mostly just making noise.

But I digress...

I think pocket doors can be as nice as any other door when closed; it
mainly seems to depend upon the strangth of the frame that the door is
mounted into. THere are also frames that seem to slip pretty much right
into existing "normal-sized" wall spaces - I don't know whetehr those
dampen sound very much, tho'.

If what you mainly want to do is hide a view, you could use a louvered
door so as to still allow air circulation.

> I have a corridor that will remain open 90% of the time as a corridor,

> but 10% of the time I may close off the corridor on both ends to form

> a closed off room.

> Right now it is serving this function by using two swing doors. Since

> I am doing some remodeling in the adjacent rooms, I thought may be I

> should consider using pocket doors for both to make it look cleaner

> when the doors are not necessary they are out of sight. Is this a

> proper use of a pocket door?

I don't think of it as "proper"; that word seems INMO to be misplaced.
Basically, some people see it as a stylistic choice - IOW, I don't know
that a pocket door would "go" well with a "Victorian" style house. But
they're certainly good in 20th-century "contemporary" style houses.

To me, a hallway would be a good place to use 2 small opposed pocket
doors, because you would have no doorframe/doorjamb sticking out into the
hallway, meaning that it'd be much easier to move things (and
yourselves...) through the hall, which, really, is the purpose of a
hallway: transit.

Sometimes, hall doors are used for privacy (close teh BR area off from
the entertainment area, to provide more quiet and privacy for kids when
the parents are entertraining), but it's just a big annoyance IMO to have
doorjambs sticking into the hall space.

Also, those teeny "mini-walls" and added corners end uop beign just one
more PITA place to have to dust.

ANyhoo, to me, both aesthetically (since I prefer contemporary or
"tropical" and otehr "streamlines" styles), and practicality, teh
"proper" use of a pocket door would be pretty much anyplace where the
walls adjoining the doorway would accept the framing for them.

> Where would you locate the light switch since 32" of the wall would

> have to be dedicated to the cavity of the door, I have to move it to

> the other side right? but if the other side is an exterior wall with

> practically no room due to a window being there, I don't see an easy

> solution.

> MC

COuld you send a sketch? I don't understand what you mean.

Posted by eds on July 30, 2007, 9:06 pm

>> When is it appropriate to use a pocket door?

> IMO? As often as possible. A lot of space is IMO lost to nothing more

> than swing-space for doors; I'd like to replace all my regular doors with

> pocket doors, given my 'druthers (and a large Lottery win <L!>)

> Personalyl, I'd ttake it even further and have sliding "walls" wherever

> structurally possible - IMO, it'd be great to be able, for example, to

> close off the kitchen during cooking (esp. stuff like fish, and high-

> garlic dishes), combines with a fna that actually ahve a motor that

> *pulls air* as opposed to mostly just making noise.

> But I digress...

> I think pocket doors can be as nice as any other door when closed; it

> mainly seems to depend upon the strangth of the frame that the door is

> mounted into. THere are also frames that seem to slip pretty much right

> into existing "normal-sized" wall spaces - I don't know whetehr those

> dampen sound very much, tho'.

> If what you mainly want to do is hide a view, you could use a louvered

> door so as to still allow air circulation.

>> I have a corridor that will remain open 90% of the time as a corridor,

>> but 10% of the time I may close off the corridor on both ends to form

>> a closed off room.

>> Right now it is serving this function by using two swing doors. Since

>> I am doing some remodeling in the adjacent rooms, I thought may be I

>> should consider using pocket doors for both to make it look cleaner

>> when the doors are not necessary they are out of sight. Is this a

>> proper use of a pocket door?

> I don't think of it as "proper"; that word seems INMO to be misplaced.

> Basically, some people see it as a stylistic choice - IOW, I don't know

> that a pocket door would "go" well with a "Victorian" style house. But

> they're certainly good in 20th-century "contemporary" style houses.

Really? I lived for 27 years in a brownstone (built in 1859) that had very
impressive pocket doors between the Living room and Library (which we made
into a kitchen). They were double, and opened up a space 7' wide X 8' high.
Each door had 2 panels of frosted glass with a climbing rose pattern. Each
weighed over 200 pounds and was 2" thick mahogany. They rode on several
recessed wheels on a bronze floor track and operated very easily. As far as
I could see there were at least 1,000 houses in our district similarly
equipped. There were also smaller pocket doors in some locations upstairs.
The pull hardware was very nice, installed in the ends, with push buttons to
pop out the pulls, allowing the doors to be completely hidden.

> To me, a hallway would be a good place to use 2 small opposed pocket

> doors, because you would have no doorframe/doorjamb sticking out into the

> hallway, meaning that it'd be much easier to move things (and

> yourselves...) through the hall, which, really, is the purpose of a

> hallway: transit.

> Sometimes, hall doors are used for privacy (close teh BR area off from

> the entertainment area, to provide more quiet and privacy for kids when

> the parents are entertraining), but it's just a big annoyance IMO to have

> doorjambs sticking into the hall space.

> Also, those teeny "mini-walls" and added corners end uop beign just one

> more PITA place to have to dust.

> ANyhoo, to me, both aesthetically (since I prefer contemporary or

> "tropical" and otehr "streamlines" styles), and practicality, teh

> "proper" use of a pocket door would be pretty much anyplace where the

> walls adjoining the doorway would accept the framing for them.

>> Where would you locate the light switch since 32" of the wall would

>> have to be dedicated to the cavity of the door, I have to move it to

>> the other side right? but if the other side is an exterior wall with

>> practically no room due to a window being there, I don't see an easy

>> solution.

>> MC

> COuld you send a sketch? I don't understand what you mean.

I worked in an office that had a sliding door entrance with no trim. We
re-spacked it about every 2 weeks and repainted. Don't do it!!
EDS

Posted by Michael Bulatovich on July 31, 2007, 8:25 am

>>> When is it appropriate to use a pocket door?

>> IMO? As often as possible. A lot of space is IMO lost to nothing more

>> than swing-space for doors; I'd like to replace all my regular doors with

>> pocket doors, given my 'druthers (and a large Lottery win <L!>)

>> Personalyl, I'd ttake it even further and have sliding "walls" wherever

>> structurally possible - IMO, it'd be great to be able, for example, to

>> close off the kitchen during cooking (esp. stuff like fish, and high-

>> garlic dishes), combines with a fna that actually ahve a motor that

>> *pulls air* as opposed to mostly just making noise.

>> But I digress...

>> I think pocket doors can be as nice as any other door when closed; it

>> mainly seems to depend upon the strangth of the frame that the door is

>> mounted into. THere are also frames that seem to slip pretty much right

>> into existing "normal-sized" wall spaces - I don't know whetehr those

>> dampen sound very much, tho'.

>> If what you mainly want to do is hide a view, you could use a louvered

>> door so as to still allow air circulation.

>>>

>>> I have a corridor that will remain open 90% of the time as a corridor,

>>> but 10% of the time I may close off the corridor on both ends to form

>>> a closed off room.

>>>

>>> Right now it is serving this function by using two swing doors. Since

>>> I am doing some remodeling in the adjacent rooms, I thought may be I

>>> should consider using pocket doors for both to make it look cleaner

>>> when the doors are not necessary they are out of sight. Is this a

>>> proper use of a pocket door?

>> I don't think of it as "proper"; that word seems INMO to be misplaced.

>> Basically, some people see it as a stylistic choice - IOW, I don't know

>> that a pocket door would "go" well with a "Victorian" style house. But

>> they're certainly good in 20th-century "contemporary" style houses.

> Really? I lived for 27 years in a brownstone (built in 1859) that had very

> impressive pocket doors between the Living room and Library (which we made

> into a kitchen). They were double, and opened up a space 7' wide X 8'

> high. Each door had 2 panels of frosted glass with a climbing rose

> pattern. Each weighed over 200 pounds and was 2" thick mahogany. They rode

> on several recessed wheels on a bronze floor track and operated very

> easily. As far as I could see there were at least 1,000 houses in our

> district similarly equipped. There were also smaller pocket doors in some

> locations upstairs. The pull hardware was very nice, installed in the

> ends, with push buttons to pop out the pulls, allowing the doors to be

> completely hidden.

>> To me, a hallway would be a good place to use 2 small opposed pocket

>> doors, because you would have no doorframe/doorjamb sticking out into the

>> hallway, meaning that it'd be much easier to move things (and

>> yourselves...) through the hall, which, really, is the purpose of a

>> hallway: transit.

>> Sometimes, hall doors are used for privacy (close teh BR area off from

>> the entertainment area, to provide more quiet and privacy for kids when

>> the parents are entertraining), but it's just a big annoyance IMO to have

>> doorjambs sticking into the hall space.

>> Also, those teeny "mini-walls" and added corners end uop beign just one

>> more PITA place to have to dust.

>> ANyhoo, to me, both aesthetically (since I prefer contemporary or

>> "tropical" and otehr "streamlines" styles), and practicality, teh

>> "proper" use of a pocket door would be pretty much anyplace where the

>> walls adjoining the doorway would accept the framing for them.

>>>

>>> Where would you locate the light switch since 32" of the wall would

>>> have to be dedicated to the cavity of the door, I have to move it to

>>> the other side right? but if the other side is an exterior wall with

>>> practically no room due to a window being there, I don't see an easy

>>> solution.

>>>

>>> MC

>>>

>> COuld you send a sketch? I don't understand what you mean.

> I worked in an office that had a sliding door entrance with no trim. We

> re-spacked it about every 2 weeks and repainted. Don't do it!!

There's the voice of experience....see my other post about traditional
buildings being thicker where they get pounded.

Posted by Kris Krieger on August 2, 2007, 4:50 pm

>>> When is it appropriate to use a pocket door?

>> IMO? As often as possible. A lot of space is IMO lost to nothing

>> more than swing-space for doors; I'd like to replace all my regular

>> doors with pocket doors, given my 'druthers (and a large Lottery win

>> <L!>)

>> Personalyl, I'd ttake it even further and have sliding "walls"

>> wherever structurally possible - IMO, it'd be great to be able, for

>> example, to close off the kitchen during cooking (esp. stuff like

>> fish, and high- garlic dishes), combines with a fna that actually

>> ahve a motor that *pulls air* as opposed to mostly just making noise.

>> But I digress...

>> I think pocket doors can be as nice as any other door when closed; it

>> mainly seems to depend upon the strangth of the frame that the door

>> is mounted into. THere are also frames that seem to slip pretty much

>> right into existing "normal-sized" wall spaces - I don't know whetehr

>> those dampen sound very much, tho'.

>> If what you mainly want to do is hide a view, you could use a

>> louvered door so as to still allow air circulation.

>>>

>>> I have a corridor that will remain open 90% of the time as a

>>> corridor, but 10% of the time I may close off the corridor on both

>>> ends to form a closed off room.

>>>

>>> Right now it is serving this function by using two swing doors.

>>> Since I am doing some remodeling in the adjacent rooms, I thought

>>> may be I should consider using pocket doors for both to make it look

>>> cleaner when the doors are not necessary they are out of sight. Is

>>> this a proper use of a pocket door?

>> I don't think of it as "proper"; that word seems INMO to be

>> misplaced. Basically, some people see it as a stylistic choice - IOW,

>> I don't know that a pocket door would "go" well with a "Victorian"

>> style house. But they're certainly good in 20th-century

>> "contemporary" style houses.

> Really? I lived for 27 years in a brownstone (built in 1859) that had

> very impressive pocket doors between the Living room and Library

> (which we made into a kitchen).

I don't know much about Victorian, so I wasn't sure and only meant that
as an opinion
((IOW, that's why I said "I don't know that [blahblahblah...]..."

I know that at least some older houses had what were almost more like
"sliding walls", but dunno the time periods. All I emant was that,
assuming that the space, wall-thickness, location of load-bearing
walls/studs, and so on, being equal, to have or not have pocket doors
would be a stylistic choice.

I personally like the entire idea of "moveable walls" a great deal.

> They were double, and opened up a

> space 7' wide X 8' high. Each door had 2 panels of frosted glass with

> a climbing rose pattern. Each weighed over 200 pounds and was 2" thick

> mahogany.

That sounds beautiful, esp. if (as your description seems to indicate)
the wood was showing.

> They rode on several recessed wheels on a bronze floor track

> and operated very easily. As far as I could see there were at least

> 1,000 houses in our district similarly equipped. There were also

> smaller pocket doors in some locations upstairs. The pull hardware was

> very nice, installed in the ends, with push buttons to pop out the

> pulls, allowing the doors to be completely hidden.

I've seen those smaller versions, and IMO, they offer a great combination
of beauty, practicality, and space-expansion (in that you don't have to
keep x-number of square feet totally empty jus tto have some silly door
open/close). I tend to find swing doors very annoying, in part because
my balance isn't always that good and I get a lot of knob-height/shaped
bruises =>:-p Not to mention that they make ti harder tio bring stuff
into and out of rooms, what with all the parts there are to get caught up
on.

If I can ever have my own place designed and built, I want there to be as
few swing-doors as possilbe, the best number being Zero.

((Not to mentionthat most swing doors are IMO kind of ugly to begin
with...))

[ ... ]

>>>

>>> Where would you locate the light switch since 32" of the wall would

>>> have to be dedicated to the cavity of the door, I have to move it to

>>> the other side right? but if the other side is an exterior wall

>>> with practically no room due to a window being there, I don't see an

>>> easy solution.

>>>

>>> MC

>>>

>> COuld you send a sketch? I don't understand what you mean.

> I worked in an office that had a sliding door entrance with no trim.

> We re-spacked it about every 2 weeks and repainted. Don't do it!!

> EDS

Oh - thinking about it, I guess that the small changes due to thermal
expansion an dcontraction, plus settling, and so on, *would* be a
continuing problem...

Is there such a thing as metal framing? THe otehr day, it just popped
into my head (while looking at the boring "traditional" molding stuck
onto everthing here from the doorways to the stairs to the fireplace and
so on =:-p ) that it might be interesting to see whetehr anyone has ever
used non-traditional materials such as brushed stainless as molding/frame
material. If so, I'd like to see it, see how it looks in practice
((sometimes things that sound like they ought to be interesting, just end
up being ugly...))

- K.

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