Pocket Doors for Dummies

Pocket door

Our founder lived for several years in a gorgeous old Queen Anne farmhouse originally built in 1895. The biggest downside of the place was the wind whistling though the walls in winter; the upside was the sort of craftsmanship you no longer see in today's mass-produced tract houses. The main room on the ground floor (the parlor) had, believe it or not, three sets of pocket doors leading into adjacent rooms. We suspect that room alone featured three more pocket doors than freelancer Tracey Kelley had ever seen up close when she penned "Installing a Pocket Door" for LovetoKnow.com.¹

According to Kelley,

"There are many reasons to consider installing a pocket door, but the primary benefit is to maximize the use of small spaces. Planning ahead of time will help you finish this project easily."

Well, ain't that informative! We'll agree with Tracey about that maximizing space thing, but "planning ahead of time" is not only redundant, it should also go without saying. Of course, since Kelley's yoga training doesn't include construction techniques, she fails to differentiate between retrofitting a door and new construction; but what the heck.

Kelley blithely informs us that you can choose either a single door or double doors, explaining then that,

"Much of the decision on which to choose rides on the type of function you'll need, the look you want and, if installing into existing construction, what's already behind the wall."

We wondered if, perhaps, the width of the opening had anything to do with that decision... of course it does, idiot! And now is not the time to mention that you can't have wiring, plumbing, or ductwork in the section of wall where the door will slide... and then Tracey gets to the whole "installing" part of her post, which doesn't mention stripping off the molding and drywall and deconstructing the old framing (for remodelers), but does include the throwaway instruction,

"Also align the header above and set it to a height of approximately 85 inches, which is standard."

Anyone who understands framing will know that 1) "approximately 85 inches... is standard" is bull; 2) Kelley didn't give any thought to cripple studs; and 3) most importantly, she does not address the dimensions of the header, especially in a bearing wall. Oops...
Most of our staffers wouldn't have the gall to try to write a guide to the Reverse Warrior pose because they've never done it. Here's someone who's probably never given a pocket door a second thought goin' all "I'm so informative" on her readers. We call people like that the Dumbass of the Day...

¹ The original has been deleted by the website, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   homeimprovement.lovetoknow.com/Installing_a_Pocket_Door

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