A pocket door slides sideways into a cavity inside the wall, so it disappears completely when open. It buys back the floor area a swinging door needs, which is why it turns up in small bathrooms, ensuites, utility rooms and anywhere two doors would otherwise clash. It is also the most structural of the door options, so it is worth understanding before you commit.
How does a pocket door actually work?
A metal or timber cassette is built into the wall, and the door hangs from a track inside it and rolls out of sight.
The cassette is the part people do not see and the part that matters. It replaces a section of the wall, so the wall has to be opened up, the frame installed plumb, and the whole thing plastered back. Once it is in, the visible parts are the door, the track above it and a slim jamb.
That is why a pocket door is a building job rather than a joinery job. Fitting one into an existing wall means taking that section of wall apart and rebuilding it around the cassette.
Which walls can take a pocket door?
A non load bearing stud wall is straightforward. A load bearing or solid block wall is a bigger job and sometimes not worth it.
The cassette needs the full width of the door inside the wall, so you need a clear run of wall next to the opening at least as wide as the door itself. Anything in that run stops it: a light switch, a radiator, a socket, a soil pipe, or a return wall.
In a solid block wall, which is most ground floor internal walls in older Irish houses, the wall has to be opened and a stud section built to house the cassette. It can be done, but at that point a sliding door on a face fixed track is often the better answer.
Pocket door or a sliding door on the wall?
A pocket door hides completely and costs more work. A face fixed sliding door is far simpler and stays visible against the wall.
If the aim is purely to stop a door swinging into a tight room, a sliding door running on a track across the face of the wall does the same job with none of the structural work. It is visible when open, which some people like and some do not.
Choose the pocket door when you want the opening to look like an opening with no door in sight, and when the wall next to it is clear and non load bearing. Choose the face fixed slider when the wall is solid, when there are services in the way, or when the budget is better spent elsewhere. There is more on the alternative on our <a href="/internal-doors/sliding/">sliding internal doors</a> page.
What goes wrong with pocket doors?
Almost every complaint traces back to a cheap cassette, a frame that is not plumb, or hardware that was not made for the weight of the door.
A pocket door runs on a track carrying the full weight of the door on two hangers. Under specified hardware sags, and once it sags the door catches on the jamb every time. Fixing it means opening the wall again, which is why the hardware is the last place to save money.
The other common issue is a wall that was not straight to begin with. The cassette has to go in plumb regardless of what the existing wall is doing, and getting that right at install is the difference between a door that glides and one that binds.
Everything we supply and fit carries a ten year warranty against defects.
How it works
We call out, measure the space and talk through what you want. Our designers draw it in 3D so you see the finished piece in your own room, and you get one complete itemised quote within two working days. Nothing is ordered and nothing is charged until you say yes.
One team for this and the rest of the job
The same team that makes this fits it, and we also do kitchens, fitted wardrobes, internal doors and windows. If more than one thing needs doing, it is one contractor, one schedule and one point of contact rather than four. See the rest of our work.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put a pocket door into an existing wall?
Usually yes, but that section of wall has to be opened up and rebuilt around the cassette, then plastered and decorated. We will tell you at the measure whether the wall suits it.
Do pocket doors need a bigger opening?
The opening stays the same. What you need is clear wall beside it, at least the width of the door again, with no sockets, switches, radiators or pipes in that run.
Are pocket doors noisy?
Good hardware runs quietly and soft close is available. Noise complaints almost always come from under specified track carrying too much door.
What areas do you cover?
Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. The design visit is free and there is no obligation.