Hiding gap b/w pocket door and ceiling
woodskill
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I’ve been asked to eliminate the visible gap between the top of the pocket door and the ceiling so the finished look is drywall floated to pocket edge. The client would like the hardware, track, and gap to door completely conceiled in the ceiling. Traditionally, I’ve used a removeable strip on the adjustment/mounting side but in this case the door will essentially be “built in”, and the obviouse associated problems in removeing, adjusting, and serviceing mean tearing into the head area. There has to be a way. Any suggestions??
Thanks –>David
Replies
Are you talking about doing a drywall return at the head of the door?
That could be accomplished with two layers of dw at the head, and L bead where the board butts to the track hardware. You are right about future service work on the door.
If you really mean the ceiling, then the ceiling must be really low (6'8"), and starts off looking like poop, so what the hey, givem what they want.
What are you doing on the strike side of the jamb?
Dave
The ceilings are actually 8'. I've done L metal drywall return thingamajig. They client has this thing with wanting a continuous ceiling effect throughout and no mouldings and few sharp edges. A Feng Shue thing. I thought on the strike side I would make sure the exposed edges of the jamb are well rounded and die bullnose metal into a channel cut into the jamb. I'm still banging my head trying to some up with a way to be able to mount the doors after all the surrounds are said and done. Since the rollers are mounted along the centerline, I can't really cut a chunk out of the face of the paint grade door to be replaced and bondo'ed later. (yuck) So hmmm.
DAvid
What you might want is a bit of a hybrid. See if a local sheet metal joint will bend you up a bit of 26 ga to fit the "service" side return. This ought to have a lip on the door & jamb sides to "carry" the one piece of rock needed.
This gives you a way to finish the return with a crisp defining edge. Even better, you can take a bit of tubing and "core" out a hole in the rock for the monting screws. A bit of backer rod in the holes, and a slightly dimpled (on purpose) bit of mud will "tell" any future door adjusters how to get at the door. (A plastic or vinyl screw head cover--if you can find such a thing--would be another option.)
This sounds good. I believe you're suggesting a sheetrock covered metal"panel" that can be removed and re'installed and re-mudded if future access is necessary? This would centralise the damage area and reduce the liklihood of having to redo the whole thing?
David
removed and re'installed and re-mudded if future access is necessary?
In a nutshell.
After reading that, I'd actually be sore tempted to make a 28ga "pan" with a rolled edge, and then make a removable "head" to match. That way, the joint is metal to metal--no breaking mud ever, except by clumsiness. The finish paint would then cover up the material change, which would be right on a "plane" change anyway. Then, the most a person would see woould be the line of the metal.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)