Pocket Doors: Drawbacks to Consider

By +Don Vandervort, HomeTips

A pocket door can be a little noisier and more time-consuming to employ than a hinged door. And there are a few locations where one can’t be installed.

Plumbing, electrical, and other mechanical equipment must be routed around a pocket door’s location. And, because the pocket’s structure is weaker than that of a conventional wall, it shouldn’t be used as the structural support for cabinets.

Pocket doors are meant for installation during house building or remodeling when walls are opened up. A pocket door’s rough opening must be wide enough for both the door and the pocket. A large header spans between the wall studs at both extremes of the opening.

It is usually a little more costly to install a pocket door than to hang a conventional door, but the cost may be well worth it for the space savings.

Copyright © 1997-2012, Don Vandervort, HomeTips, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.




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