We have two separate single pocket doors that are very narrow (around 24″). One has been non-functional since my dear hubby had a tantrum over a stuck door. It’s essential to have a door there to block the sound from the other room, so I leave it stuck closed. Short of removing the molding around the door, etc. Believe me, I’ve made every good attempt I can think of to “bend” the metal part in place, but there is no working room, nor improvement, unfortunately! If the other door goes, we’ll be going out the garage to access the living room, dining room, and the entire upstairs and I’m not willing to go there.
I’ve wondered if pushing it all the way back and having a swing door installed might be an option, but the space is tight if it swings into the room. I’ve thought of the bifold door, but also desire to keep the dog confined (in a generous sized living area). Pete, the dog, can open the other pocket door, though a baby-gate leaned against the outside prevents him from exiting. By the way, no baby-gate I’ve found fit openings this small. Plus, does anyone know the rules for which way the door swings, either in or out, of a room? If there is a code reason, that could factor into the solution.
I just don’t want to hire someone to tear up the molding, possibly the wall and relatively new wallpaper unless that is the only option. I am not opposed to packing it back and trying something different, but again it would be a professional I’d look to for installation. (Unless there is a way I can fix this!) The house is nearly 40 years old and tract style, so maintaining a great historical feature does not seem to be an issue here. If the home were, I’d be more inclined toward preservation. I just don’t see this house in a historical restoration TV show a hundred years from now and even if so, it will be one of the “wonderful surprises” the DIY-ers, love. I want a functional door that works for our family needs, that is a economical, but good-looking choice. I fear repair would be more costly and troublesome, but I don’t know for certain.
Any suggestions are much appreciated and most welcome. There must be a solution I am not seeing!
Replies
Which room of the house are you talking about? You can probably put an outswing door in as long as it won't block an escape hallway. Check with the Breaktime group if it's a code question. I'd note, though, that you will probably damage your wallpaper with this option because you need to frame a new doorway - even a prehung door needs studs to nail to.
As for your pocket door - which part is bent? You might be able to repair the door without opening the wall, since the damage occurred while the door was out. Before investing in any other type of door, I'd pry off the trim and the stops and see if I could replace the damaged hardware.
Too bad your doorways aren't 24 3/4", then you could use this gate:
http://www.123safe.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/p-1021111AJ.html?E+scstore
Aimless,
The stuck pocket door is between a family room (built in bookshelves on the side the door slides into and a fixed stairway abutting wall on the other. It opens in the main entry foyer. Now that you mention it, the swing would interfere with the exit door if outswinging.
The bent part is at the top track where the roller mechanism is. I think the brackets that the rollers attach to is the bent part, not the track. The door slumps downward at the leading edge. I don't think it's just off track. There is so little room between the top of the door and the molding, you just can't get a really good look in there. It is so tight on the family room side, which is painted. At least the foyer area has more "wiggle room". The paper has been up only about 1-1/2 years and faces north. I usually overbuy paper, so I may have enough, if I can find it, to redo a length or two.
One more detail is that the side the door slides toward is a solid board about 4-5" wide. Do you suppose that could help the "find a stud" issue? Plus I just You mention trim and stops. I don't know the term "stops". There is just molding, like baseboard type molding, mitered at the top to quarters where it meets to top section. It seems better to pry on the painted side, but quarters are so tight, I don't know how I could get a tool in there to pry! (Oh, a soffit for the air return is directly above on the family room side. The top of the molding is only about 1" below that.)
I just measured this door and the opening is 29-1/2", while the other is only 23-1/2". I always though of them as the same size. I'm glad you brought that up.
I'm getting a bad feeling about this situation....Based on the additional information, any further ideas? (Plus what is a stop?) Thank you in advance for any ideas!
Stops probably isn't the right term - I don't really know construction. I was talking about the wood piece that is under the trim that the pocket door slides against (at least on mine), sort of like the 'stop' on a window that holds the sash in the window. If you pry off the wood and dismount the door, you should be able to see better as to what's up in there. And you might be able to install beefier hardware that will work better with less frustration.
As far as the side that it slides to being a stud, it is possible, but you need studs on both sides to hang a door, and you will most likely need to reframe the hole where the door recesses.
Edited to say: Good luck! And you might try posting this question on Breaktime, folks over there have installed these things and can give you much better advice than I can.
Edited 9/23/2005 8:14 pm ET by aimless
Thank you much for your time and consideration of this problem!
Pocket Doors are not "handed. They only slide into their attached framework, that gets inserted into a hollow wall cavity.You need to open the door enough to determine which side will allow access to the hanger brackets to effect the necessary adjustments.Sliding the door open an inch or two, should afford enough room to determine the direction of the top mounted "J" track. The side on which you can feel the groove, where the overhead rollers travel in, is the side that the trim needs to be removed from.In the matter of casing removal; your concern at this point is not necessarily the reuse of the mouldings, but in not damaging the wall when prying. There are pry bars available that have rather slim entry edges and a broad face. If the moulding doesn't yield with moderate prying, you need to insert a "stiff blade" putty knife, or the like, against the wall first; to distribute the pressure.If the trim is painted, all of the intersections where two elements meet are sealed either with caulk and paint or just paint. These need to have a utility knife ran down their inside corner before any removal attempts.Once you have enough of the trim off, you will see that the door is hung on a pair of roller brackets that have angled slots in them. These allow the installer to adjust the plumb of the door to meet the jamb.Un-screwing it from the door should allow you to work on it to flatten-out any bend. If the door is not approaching the jamb "plumb" it may be in a bind; where simply repositioning it on the roller bracket is all that is needed.Arlington, Texas (The dash in Dallas-Fort Worth)
Practice...'till you can do it right the first time.
Thanks! This is helpful. I'm going to give this a shot before going further. It's better to correctly identify what I can before destruction begins. I can feel the track on the painted side. I need to find a visual diagram on the mechanism as I can view a hex-type bolt, on a flexible metal part. It's hard to mess with what you can't visualize for me. I appreciate your time!
Thanks ya save me the trouble of writing that :>)
to the org poster But its not that big of a deal to remove the molding..look at the j track after you open the door and determine which way the door will swing out ie lift and tilt to remove it from the track and remove the molding and open the door lift/tilt and remove....
The only problem I see is finding a replacement roller b/c of the age of the door. You might have to lube up and free the old rollers if you cant find a replacement to fit in the prg track.
But like I said it not that big of a deal Buckism: Will show you the the way
I wrote an article on repairing pocket doors, published in the November 1997 issue of Old House Journal. I doubt it will do you much good though, as it pertains to the restoration of turn-of-the-century pocket doors.
I'm still seeing that "hex bolt?" and hope to find the correct tool this weekend to monkey with it. I'm not a "tool gal", but think I have plenty of those "hex-wrenches" that come cheap with the grill etc. that I hope to find and bend to work. The "locking pliars?" are too big for the area and didn't losen enough to unscrew by hand. I'm not done, by any means with the troubleshooting aspect. I'm determined to try as time permits to see if I can figure this out. I mean big-determined. I am, however intimidated about removing the top trim as the area is too tight to pry well, plus mitering scares me.
I guess at this point, I can do little more damage being careful, than what is already done by the tantrum damage. (Vest card for potentially cranky, yet unhelpful hubby?).
I'm learning that I am a "weenie" whom I hear can make a smaller problem a huge problem. I must overcome the fear, use good common sense (I am mechanically inclined), and go for it. Fear is the obstacle here and I am procrastinating for no darned good reason. Wish me courage to, my friend, and also the knowledge when to stop if things go really bad and call in the pros!
Your article would be fantastic if this were an historic restoration. In a tract home with a bad door, I just want it to function. Thanks!
You have the right attitude, just proceed with caution. You don't want to do anythng to dig yourself in deeper.
Hidtgardengirl,
Have you considered putting the "pocket" door on the outside of the wall and having it slide? I had a similar situation in a small half-bath where the regular swinging door would hit the washer/dryer unit near the entrance.
I removed the regular door and hung a slightly larger-than-the-doorway door using barn hardware. I covered the hardware with a wood valance painted the same color as the wall. I put round "in-the-wood" handles on the door to prevent interference with the sliding action.
I used a little bit of molding on the floor where I wanted the door to stop and to keep people out when the room is in use. This has worked very well. I am now able to enter the room without hitting the washer/dryer and the "molding stop" allows me to have privacy without worrying that someone is going to come barging in.
Sheila Torres
Editorial Assistant
Hi Sheilatorres,
Thank you for the tip. I think it would be an ideal solution in many situations. I'm not sure it will be right for this particular one. The door would be the first thing people see upon opening the front door and the small foyer, has little clearance for rolling it back. Plus, I'd have to remove the lovely painting and hall table which I use to make an inviting small entry way. Would you just box the old door into the wall?
I have seen this idea used on TV, usually in open floor plans with a more loft/urban feel to good effect. It's a great idea.
I will ponder this idea to see if I can envision an attractive way to work this in after I give that hardware a try, hopefully this weekend. I could envision a pretty wood door with stained glass at the top as being pretty, but would have to figure out the rest of the foyer, which was just done fairly recently and very small and tight. I could pull the table out, but it may interfere with the front door swing and remove the painting. Thank you for the idea, which I will mull over. Often I can see the forest for the trees immediately, but when I am not actively "worrying" over a problem, a solution appears. Funny how that happens. I appreciate your taking the time to share a new potential solution for this situation, and also one that could be the perfect idea for many other "opportunities/challenges" that others face.