There are some drawbacks to pocket doors. For example, they are space savers in the bathroom, but they way they sit on tracks within the wall means that they don't seal as tightly as traditional doors and this can be a problem for some people. They also do not create any acoustic privacy.
Pocket doors are notorious for problems with functionality. They often fall off their tracks, move with difficulty, are problematic to lock, and screech when rolled. Accessibility. Sliding pocket doors are hard to manage for anyone with limited use of their hands, such as arthritis sufferers.
Pocket doors are a good option for smaller rooms that may not have space for a full-swing door. They're perfect for closets, connecting two spaces (for example between an en suite and a walk-in closet, and small bedrooms where floor space counts.
The tracks and hardware in a pocket door frame are largely hidden inside the wall. If they need repair or replacement, access can be very difficult. Double pocket door hardware uses a longer track that holds two separate door panels, which can make them even harder to repair.
Pros of Pocket Doors
Replacing a swinging door with a pocket door recovers at least 10 square feet of floor space around the door and frees up real estate on the walls for fixtures or artwork that would otherwise be hidden behind a traditional door when opened.
The pros of pocket doors are that they add space otherwise wasted by swinging doors, they look great, and they add authenticity to historic homes. The cons are that they are hard to install and maintain, do not block noise and odors well, need a lot of interior wall space, and be noisy.
At the very least, pocket doors do require thicker walls. This means an offset of more than 4 inches (100mm) to accommodate doors that have a usual thickness of 2 inches, with a bigger gap required for thicker door choices.
These doors are mounted on tracks and roll in and out of a “pocket,” or hollow compartment in the wall, so they don't take up space in the room. They're not the most reliable doors around, though, and the noise some models make can be an annoyance.
Pocket doors are usually found between walls and contain no protruding into the pocket when the door is closed, which is one of the major reasons for the noise problem seen in pocket doors.
During a new construction, pocket doors will cost between $500 and $1,000. As part of a remodeling project, their cost will be in the $1,000 to $3,500 range. These prices reflect both parts and labor. These doors hide inside a wall cavity instead of swinging out from a hinge.
Pocket doors are a great solution for smaller spaces that lack the wall space for a full swing door. This makes them perfect for small bathrooms, closets and connecting those two areas, for example between a master bath and the walk-in closet.
Pocket doors are more expensive to install because they usually require construction to a home's structure. Both doors have a nominal cost of $400 for an average 30-inch solid wood door. However, the installation cost of a new barn door is anywhere from $100 to $300 per existing wall.
Soundproofing Pocket Doors – Do Pocket Doors Block Sound? The short answer is no – pocket doors do not block very much sound. Whether or not you chose to have pocket doors or the house came that way when you bought it, pocket doors aren't very soundproof.
What's Involved. To hang a pocket door, you need a rough opening that is twice as wide as the door itself. This means taking down the old swinging door, removing the jamb and disassembling the wall framing. You'll also need to remove drywall and relocate any electrical wires that are in the way.
Yes, you can lock pocket doors to secure specific places in your house. Pocket doors can have a lock on one or both sides. If you want to secure your property, you can choose a pocket door lock with a key. The locks may either be a round or square lock.
The reason why is that a 2x6 wall will give you more strength on the sides of the pocket as well as on the jamb around the door (see "A" in the image on the left). This is especially the case on pocket doors that are taller than the standard 6'8".
If you simply want to replace a pocket door or remove it in order to repair it, you don't have to tear into the drywall! That's great news. All you have to do is lift the door off the sliding track. In order to do that, you have to remove the trim around the door.
To install a pocket door in an existing wall, you have to remove drywall, and it's easier to uncover the entire wall instead of trying to work in a limited opening. That way, you can remove entire studs instead of cutting them and reroute wires as needed.
The sheet of drywall and a well-installed pocket door can easily subdivide the space.
Fiberglass doors have some type of foam at their core, which gives them the opportunity to be extremely well-insulated and one of the best soundproof door options if the foam is high-density.
There is a very good insulating as well as soundproofing material that could be adhered to the inner or outer surface of the pocket doors. It is a material called Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) for short.
As long as the measurement is correct for the pocket opening, the door is the right thickness, and the door hasn't been pre-drilled for a standard door lockset or hinges, you can use any kind of door for a pocket door.
Pocket doors were popular in the late 1800s, especially in Victorian houses. They had a resurgence of popularity in the 1950s. But because pocket doors from the past ran along raised tracks on the floor, the tracks were a tripping hazard, so builders and homeowners avoided pocket doors when possible.
Installing the pocket-door frame and hardware and hanging the door usually takes less than 30 minutes.