How to Install a Pocket Door
Hello from week 4 of the Spring 2022 One Room Challenge! Time is flying, but we made huge progress this week. From the day we moved into our house, I knew I wanted to install a pocket door in each of our bathrooms. We moved and installed a pocket door in our en suite bathroom for the Spring 2020 ORC and it made a big difference. This week, we removed the pocket door from our kitchen and installed it in the pink bathroom. I’ll be laying out the steps below for anyone interested in taking on this project.
First up, let me explain why we wanted a pocket door in this bathroom. As you can probably guess, the main reason is for more space. This is a tiny bathroom and a standard door took up the whole bathroom. The door practically kissed the edge of the toilet when it was open. We also have very basic hollow core doors throughout the house, so I don’t mind getting rid of one. Finally, our kitchen had two pocket doors that we planned to remove during the future renovation. Rather than sending them to a landfill, we decided to move them to each bathroom! Although removing and installing each door has been a lot of work, the end result is so worth it.
How to Remove a Pocket Door
This step is only applicable for those who want to move a door, rather than buy a new pocket door. Feel free to skip ahead! For those that need to remove a door first, prepare for a mess! The first thing you’ll need to do is remove the wall surrounding the door. I recommend scoring the wall with an exacto knife so you get an even break. You do get to have fun demolishing drywall, but unless you’re on hgtv, the cleanup crew is YOU. Just something to keep in mind as you take a hammer to your wall! You’ll also want to be careful not to damage the existing door structure. Our door is 60 years old, but modern pocket doors still look the same today.
Make sure you don’t break the slats! I would also suggest using a reciprocating saw, or “saws-all”, for this project. You could attempt to pull the nails out yourself, or you could rely on the saw to cut through them. This project was actually the reason Colin bought a reciprocating saw. We worked on the nails with a hammer and crowbar for hours before giving in and buying the saw. It took approximately 10 minutes to cut the nails and pull the door out! Once the frame is loose, it’s pretty easy to pull it out and move. Don’t forget to hammer back any nails that might be protruding.
Installing a Pocket Door
Finally! I’ve rambled enough, let’s talk about how to install a pocket door. Just like the removal process, you will need to take down the wall surrounding your future door frame. You can do this precisely by measuring the height and width of the pocket door frame. Once the wall is removed, place the pocket door in place. Unless you are extremely lucky, you will need to use shims to position the door in place. Don’t take shortcuts here. The door has to hang correctly to work! Once your door is in place, you can replace the walls, trim, etc.
This is not an easy project, but it is hugely impactful! You will be gaining back so much room in your space. Also pocket doors are just more fun. I need to send a BIG thank you to our friend, Ivan, for helping with this project. You’re the best! Have you ever attempted this project? Or maybe you want to install a pocket door in the future? Be sure to tag me on Instagram or contact me here and let me know how it goes! Thank you for reading and please go check out all the other great One Room Challenge projects.
