Pocket doors, how do they connect to the floor?

KarlJay

I'd like to use a pocket door. I've seen online pics, youtube videos, but I can't see how they connect to the floor.

I've seen sliding closet doors that have a runner and blade, but I don't see what guides the door with these pocket doors.

Do they just hang and flop around or just use the wall/edge guides?

I'll have solid hardwood floors and I don't want something that will be above the floor level like the closets have.

Canarywood1

[quote=KarlJay;1076762]I'd like to use a pocket door. I've seen online pics, youtube videos, but I can't see how they connect to the floor.

I've seen sliding closet doors that have a runner and blade, but I don't see what guides the door with these pocket doors.

Do they just hang and flop around or just use the wall/edge guides?

I'll have solid hardwood floors and I don't want something that will be above the floor level like the closets have.[/quote

They don't connect to the floor,they ride on a rail above the floor.

shazapple

They roll on a rail that is attached to the header. The width of the opening is slightly smaller than the width of the door, otherwise the door would flop around when closed. There are guides included in any kit that help stop the door from rattling too much when you are opening or closing it.

Centex2011

All pocket doors I have ever seen never had guides on the floor. We have one pocket door in our house and it has a guide/ roller at the top that is hidden, but not one on the floor. There might be guides inside the wall, but I think it uses the top guide and close clearances on the sides to keep it from moving too much.

AllanJ

Some pocket doors have rollers on the framework hidden behind the slot at the bottom to keep the bottom part from rubbing against the sides of the slot but a horizontal stripe wear pattern on the door caused by the rollers can still be seen in some cases.

Pocket doors may have a metal strip on each side at the bottom to keep the door panel surface from rubbing against the slot and showing a wear pattern -- until the strip wears a groove where it contacts the slot.

A pocket door could have a groove along the very bottom, engaged by an upright pin in the floor behind the slot.

A pocket door with no guide at the bottom will develop a visible wear pattern on its surface at the bottom very quickly. You cannot have surfaces touching and sliding without developing wear patterns.

The bottom edge must clear the floor. If the bottom edge hangs below the top of carpet, it will stick and/or put a wear pattern on the carpet.

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md2lgyk

All the interior doors in our log home are pocket doors (that's what the wife wanted). I installed them myself. The kits came with small plastic guides that went behind the trim a few inches above the floor.

woodworkbykirk

ive hung thousands of doors and ive never seen a pocket door that has a track on the floor.. only bypass doors occasionally have atrack on the floor solely so the doors dont rub on each other.

pocket doors require a kit for it to be hung.. it consists of split jambs. which allow the door to go into the wall so they create a 2 `` space for either a 1 3/8 door or a 1 3/4 to work. then teh stud gets covered with trim peices which reduce the gap.. from there teflon guids go on the floor which keep the door from rubbing on the wood

oh'mike

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oodssoo

Answer: THEY DON'T.

oh'mike

When installing one of those open frames l,like the picture above, it is wise to fill in the open spaces with 3/4" plywood---those frames are weak and benefit from the extra stiffness--

Also---if you wish to hang anything in that area--drywall anchors might hit the door--none are needed with a full wood skin over the frame.

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gregzoll

Those that had a groove in the floor, was to keep air from just drafting underneath, along with sound. Majority are hung on tracks. Friends of ours put in reclaimed pocket doors from a old mansion, for their main area. If my brother ever tore his place down, the one item I would be grabbing is the pocket doors from the sitting room area.

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gwilkrrs

i am planning on installing 3 pocket doors very soon in an addition.... ideas of where to buy a good kit? i saw a kit at home depot but wasnt so impressed....

gregzoll

The ones at Home depot are going to be no different than what you will find online.

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DangerMouse

Sorry Greg, I have to disagree with you on this one.... I've had the wife return "Made in **you know where**" pocket door kits (she had picked them up to "surprise" me) that were SO cheaply made, I would not have used them in a dog house.... I've found that Johnson Hardware makes the best kits for pocket doors. Just my 1/5th of a dime.

DM

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KarlJay

I've also heard good things about the Johnson hardware line.