Everything You Need to Know About Pocket Doors

Whether you want a great space-saving alternative to conventional doors or to have the option of opening up or dividing an open-plan room whenever you feel like it, pocket doors could be just the thing. Here’s how they work, what configurations are available, and what it might cost to install one or two in your home.

What is a pocket door, how does it work and how is it constructed?
“A pocket door is exactly what its name suggests – a door that slides into a pocket created in a wall,” Veronica Congdon says. “Either the wall is constructed to suit the door or a false lining can be added to an existing wall to create the pocket.”

“There are various types of tracks,” Richard Skinner adds, “and the pocket itself can also be built in a number of ways to suit most construction types.”

Do they need to be custom-made or can they be bought off the shelf?
“There are two key elements to a pocket door,” Philippa Richard explains. “The door frame or kit and the door leaf. Usually, the leaf is just a standard door, as they don’t need to be special. Some kit suppliers include the door, too.”

The door frame, she says, is the clever bit. “It can be custom-made, in effect building a double-thickness wall, but it can also be bought as a kit. The kit replaces an existing section of wall, so the wall need be no thicker than usual.”

Pocket door kits can simplify the specification and construction process, Richard says. “Some manufacturers also provide fire-rated kits, which can increase the viability of a pocket door in more situations, particularly loft conversions.”

Do pocket doors have to be installed in false walls or can they be accommodated using existing walls?
“It’s usually not possible to set a pocket door within an existing wall,” Richard says. “It would be more common to create the pocket specifically for the door, sometimes requiring the removal of an existing wall and replacement with a new pocket system.

“However, you can use an existing wall as one half of the pocket [retaining the wall’s structural function] and simply add a skin next to the existing wall, forming a pocket in-between.”

Building a custom wall like this can provide unexpected opportunities, Philippa says. “You can bulk out the rest of the wall by creating some display niches or bookshelf storage,” she says.

Are there any issues concerning Planning Permission, Building Regulations and health and safety?
“There would only be planning issues if you wish to install a pocket door in a listed building,” Veronica says. “Then Listed Building Consent would be required.

“You’d need to ensure the skirting boards were unaffected, and the architrave detailing would need to be consistent with the style of the building and/or period interior,” she says. “Sometimes it’s good to create panelling in the door that matches existing architectural features.” There are restrictions on door sizes, Veronica adds, in that they must be easy to open without strain. “Pocket doors are generally top-hung, so the loadings aren’t taken on the floor. Therefore the beam overhead needs to be justified based on those loadings.

“Use by anyone in a wheelchair is also limited to the door being easily pushed without having to engage the brakes for resistance,” she says. “Fitting a low recessed ring pull to the end of the door makes it easier to use from both sides.”

Pay attention to the opening width, Philippa advises, “particularly if the door won’t slide fully into the pocket because of protruding handles. You need to ensure the opening width still meets Building Regulations.”

“The most common issue would be Part B of the Building Regulations regarding fire safety,” Richard says. “Most pocket door systems aren’t fire rated as standard, so there’s an extra specification required in this instance. There could also be issues relating to Part M of the regulations regarding access and use, particularly for those with limited mobility.”

What advantages do pocket doors have over standard or sliding doors?
“Pocket doors require less floor area then standard doors to function,” Richard says, which is not only a benefit in confined spaces, but in more generous, open-plan arrangements, too. “The pocket door can be far more discreet when left open, and it gives a space greater flexibility to function as either open-plan or separate rooms,” he says.

“When a pocket door is open, it creates a full reveal and you’re not aware there’s a door there,” Veronica says. “We tend to use these ‘invisible doors’ between sitting rooms and kitchen-diners.”

“Conventional sliding doors can’t be fire-rated, because they don’t allow for a tight-enough closure to block out smoke,” Philippa says. “Pocket doors can be fire-rated. They also allow you to put pictures up and furniture against the wall. Standard sliding doors preclude this.”

What styles, designs and configurations are possible?
“Pocket doors can be plain, panelled or glazed,” Veronica says. They can be used in all sorts of ways, Philippa adds, “to create a wide opening, or connected at 90 degrees so that, when closed, they form the entire corner of a room. There are also telescopic doors, where two leaves slide back into the same pocket. This enables you to have a wide opening even if the adjacent wall space isn’t large.”

There are also different options for the door frames, she explains. “You can have either a standard frame with an architrave, a frameless design, which is just a simple plasterboard edge, or a shadow gap. This is a narrow recess between the door frame and the plasterboard that creates a neat join.”

True floor-to-ceiling doors are possible, she says, “but this does require building the hanging track into the ceiling space, so it might not be possible if there’s a beam in the way. The configuration of the door system is flexible, Richard agrees, and many different sizes and door styles can be incorporated. “One thing to bear in mind is that you need more than the width of the door itself to form the pocket to receive the door when open. This is where telescopic systems can come into their own.”

If you would like to discuss how we can incorporate pocket doors into your living space please contact us today by filling out a form, the scheduling page or giving us an old fashioned call on the telephone. We look forward to hearing from you!