Can You Add A Pocket Door To An Existing Wall

I mean if you can have a two foot door you can have a four foot door.

Can you add a pocket door to an existing wall.

Namely the pocket door that we raved about in last week s vlog. We realized after we showed you our built in bathroom storage plans that we had a few more things to finish up before we can really get going on our wall cubbies. Yeah but there s a pocket door goes in the wall. To install a pocket door in an existing wall you have to remove drywall and it s easier to uncover the entire wall instead of trying to work in a limited opening.

Doors in these walls will have headers usually laminated beams over their openings. Attach to the ceiling by screwing through the frame into the ceiling joists. Glue and screw together the 2 by 4s to build a pony wall a smaller non load bearing wall for hanging the track for the pocket doors. It s just a slightly different header size.

Remember however when attaching the drywall with drywall screws it is very important not to use screws that are too long. When the nails are cut you can remove the door frame. Start with removing the molding and with a reciprocating saw blade cut the shims. Installing a pocket door in a load bearing wall requires replacing the old header with a longer one.

If you re replacing a door with a pocket door you ll need to get rid of the existing door. We used 1 drywall screws nothing must protrude into the wall pocket or the door will be damaged. We chose to save space by installing a pocket door frame in the bathroom freeing up the 8 or 9 square feet of floor space from the door swing opening up the area. If you need a firm nailing surface you can temporarily slide a 2 1 8 wide board between the split jambs.

Remove the existing door if applicable.