Pocket doors

There's also some "functionality" concerns that should be considered when
thinking about pocket doors. They tend to be harder & more awkward to
open/close than a swing. It very difficult to "put your weight into it"
with a pocket door while a swing it's easy (both pushing & pulling). The
hardware is almost never appropriate for arthritic homeowners. Etcetera,
etcetera, etcetera....

I personally like pocket doors (especially since they've gotten much better
over the last few years). My next home will have a "dutch" pocket door
between the kitchen and mudroom (a nice way to keep the dogs from tracking
mud throughout the house!) Even though I like them, I wouldn't put them
into my parents house. Also, I wouldn't use them in a location where the
door will be open/closed a lot of times per day. Nor in a location that
might see heavy abuse as this can really wreak havoc with the operation
smoothness of the door over time.

Another option that is often overlooked, but I love, is an exposed sliding
door (i.e. "barn door"). I put one in at the bottom of my basement stairs
(the last tread extends past the wall 4" so the door is actually 6" off the
floor) and when not in use the door slides halfway down the wall (so it
centers on the wall). We have a picture mounted on the door and it's white
to match our trim and to contrast with the cream wall paint.

One last comment on pocket doors.... it's real tough to get satisfaction
from slamming a pocket door in someone's face!!!

Michael (LS)

Posted by Michael Bulatovich on July 31, 2007, 8:40 am

> There's also some "functionality" concerns that should be considered when

> thinking about pocket doors. They tend to be harder & more awkward to

> open/close than a swing. It very difficult to "put your weight into it"

> with a pocket door

This is a good point, Michael....when closed you have to come to a complete
stop to use it in either direction. There is a marvelous phenomenological
experience of push a hinged door at full walking speed and passing though a
narrow throat before busting into a new space.

I've got a pair beveled glass/gumwood pockets between Living and Dining
rooms...83 year olds with one surgery to revive them. We use them carefully
and infrequently. For infrequent partitioning of space, usually for acoustic
reasons, there serve a function, but I wouldn't want to use them.

On Star Trek they used to have those nifty motion-sensor operated ones that
where about a quarter inch thick, and made that breathy swishing sound when
opening. It would appear that the technical issued have been resolved by the
24th c...stage hands buried in the walls with peep-holes to see when some
one's coming. (One per leaf.)

Which raises another issue, once you get past the hinge.....door/portal
shape. I still haven't gone by our recently opened architectural joke, but
will be betting that the doors will all be rectangular panels in a vertical
plane.

Posted by ++ on July 31, 2007, 2:52 pm

Michael (LS) wrote:

>>>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...

You put it well. Liked the digression. I think pocket doors/sliding
walls, etc. can be nice for creating spaces that look to some
minamalists as arhcitectural and basically hide the way we all normally
live and the things and detail we like to look at and have around us.
Eclectic to brutalist simplistic in one closa da door wall

Same concept of shoji screen but slightly heavier , less light
permeable. Although the shoji screen effect has its purposes as well.

>There's also some "functionality" concerns that should be considered when

>thinking about pocket doors. They tend to be harder & more awkward to

>open/close than a swing. It very difficult to "put your weight into it"

>with a pocket door while a swing it's easy (both pushing & pulling).

A lot of four square houses turn of the last century had very functional
pocket doors and hardware you could lean against. Hard to replicate at
reasonable cost.

> The

>hardware is almost never appropriate for arthritic homeowners. Etcetera,

>etcetera, etcetera....

>I personally like pocket doors (especially since they've gotten much better

>over the last few years). My next home will have a "dutch" pocket door

>between the kitchen and mudroom (a nice way to keep the dogs from tracking

>mud throughout the house!) Even though I like them, I wouldn't put them

>into my parents house. Also, I wouldn't use them in a location where the

>door will be open/closed a lot of times per day. Nor in a location that

>might see heavy abuse as this can really wreak havoc with the operation

>smoothness of the door over time.

>Another option that is often overlooked, but I love, is an exposed sliding

>door (i.e. "barn door"). I put one in at the bottom of my basement stairs

>(the last tread extends past the wall 4" so the door is actually 6" off the

>floor) and when not in use the door slides halfway down the wall (so it

>centers on the wall). We have a picture mounted on the door and it's white

>to match our trim and to contrast with the cream wall paint.

Hard to visualize for me. Have a pic?

>One last comment on pocket doors.... it's real tough to get satisfaction

>from slamming a pocket door in someone's face!!!

>Michael (LS)

Posted by Clumping Bamboos on August 1, 2007, 1:34 pm

On Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:52:43 -0400, ++ wrote:

>>>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...

>>>

> You put it well. Liked the digression. I think pocket doors/sliding

> walls, etc. can be nice for creating spaces that look to some

> minamalists as arhcitectural and basically hide the way we all normally

> live and the things and detail we like to look at and have around us.

> Eclectic to brutalist simplistic in one closa da door wall

Yes he did. I'm in SW FL so we have a lot of sliding glass doors. Some
are 4-6 panels and they are hevy a they couple together. Then you still
don't have a completely open space to enjoy the in-outside living. Saw
one company that had an actuator/motor to overcome the opening issue.

http://www.doorsinmotion.net/gallery/

Posted by Kris Krieger on August 2, 2007, 5:19 pm

> Michael (LS) wrote:

>>>

>>>>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...

>>>

> You put it well. Liked the digression.

THat's just 'cuz ya don't hafta live with *all* the daily digressions
<LOL!>

No, seriously:

> I think pocket doors/sliding

> walls, etc. can be nice for creating spaces that look to some

> minamalists as arhcitectural and basically hide the way we all

> normally live and the things and detail we like to look at and have

> around us. Eclectic to brutalist simplistic in one closa da door wall

> Same concept of shoji screen but slightly heavier , less light

> permeable. Although the shoji screen effect has its purposes as well.

THe thing is that sliders/pockets can be adapted (well, IMO at least
<g!>) to just about any style. It of course depends upon the situation -
sometimes, open/closed doors, esp. (IMO) paired arched doors, are part of
the "visual statement".

I'm a "partial minimalist" by preference but a clutterbug/opackrat by
nature, so that's probably part of my desire to be able to close off
rooms/spaces <G!>

But, in all seriousness, in part, I think it'd make spaces *more
interesting* if one could reconfigure them every now and then.

I actually like the idea of Lofts for that reason - they seem to lend
themselves more to that sort of lifestyle. But I also have "the Antaeus
gene": as allergic as I am to pretty much everything, I nonetheless go
nutso if I don't have some land around me, even if it's only a little
bit. What I *really* need is a loft-building on about 10+ acres <LOL!>

Even there, tho', I think it'd be great to be able to use sliding
walls/doors/screens in the outside space as well as the inside space.

I never entertain, but being able to adapt, to hide or reveal, various
spaces at will might make me more amenable to it - I loathe teh idea of
people coming in and seeing the entire house all at once, regardless of
whether I'd want them to.

ALso, it'd be easier to adapt the house to the seasons, if one could
easily open spaces or divide them to adapt to heating/cooling needs, and
useage needs.

- K.

>>>

>>There's also some "functionality" concerns that should be considered

>>when thinking about pocket doors. They tend to be harder & more

>>awkward to open/close than a swing. It very difficult to "put your

>>weight into it" with a pocket door while a swing it's easy (both

>>pushing & pulling).

> A lot of four square houses turn of the last century had very

> functional pocket doors and hardware you could lean against. Hard to

> replicate at reasonable cost.

>> The

>>hardware is almost never appropriate for arthritic homeowners.

>>Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera....

>>I personally like pocket doors (especially since they've gotten much

>>better over the last few years). My next home will have a "dutch"

>>pocket door between the kitchen and mudroom (a nice way to keep the

>>dogs from tracking mud throughout the house!) Even though I like

>>them, I wouldn't put them into my parents house. Also, I wouldn't use

>>them in a location where the door will be open/closed a lot of times

>>per day. Nor in a location that might see heavy abuse as this can

>>really wreak havoc with the operation smoothness of the door over

>>time.

>>Another option that is often overlooked, but I love, is an exposed

>>sliding door (i.e. "barn door"). I put one in at the bottom of my

>>basement stairs (the last tread extends past the wall 4" so the door

>>is actually 6" off the floor) and when not in use the door slides

>>halfway down the wall (so it centers on the wall). We have a picture

>>mounted on the door and it's white to match our trim and to contrast

>>with the cream wall paint.

> Hard to visualize for me. Have a pic?

>>One last comment on pocket doors.... it's real tough to get

>>satisfaction from slamming a pocket door in someone's face!!!

>>Michael (LS)

Page 6 of 7 < 1 2 3 > last >>

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