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Pocket doors were a popular option during the late 1800s and early 1900s but for some reason fell out of favour and virtually disappeared from homes through the last half of the century. No one is really sure why pocket doors went out of fashion but recent years have seen a renewed interest in these space saving doors.
A pocket door is a door that is not set on hinges to swing open but instead slides in and out of a space hidden within the wall. Because the door disappears into the wall itself, no space is taken up by the swinging door. Hinged doors can take up to one square meter (10 square feet) of floor space for their operation. In many condominiums and town houses today, making the most of limited amounts of space is critical, which has led to the renewed interest in pocket doors.
Pocket doors are available in single configurations that slide either to the left or right, or in double configurations with two doors sliding together from both left and right to meet in the middle. This sliding operation is another attractive quality of the pocket door as it makes the doors very accommodating for people with disabilities. Regular swing doors can be challenging for those in wheelchairs or those using a walker. The sliding operation of a pocket door allows people with disabilities to maneuver from room to room with more ease.
Old pocket doors had a tendency to become jammed or derail from their track all together. Improvements in hardware such as roller parts and tracks allow smooth and quiet opening and closing of modern pocket doors, which is yet another reason for the renewed interest in this kind of door.
When considering installing pocket doors into your home you must first consider what lies within your current walls. If the wall in which you would like to install your pocket door is a load-bearing wall or full of cables, wiring and pipes, you may need to make some adjustments before you can install your pocket door.
For more information on the advantages of pocket doors, contact a Heritage Millwork and Windows sales representative or check out the links below for helpful tips on repairing and adjusting existing pocket doors.
Tune up Pocket Doors - from EHow.com
Repairing Pocket Doors - from Natural Handyman
Older Pocket Doors - from Old House Journal
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