Home Renovations: Closet Doors That Slide Into the Wall

Check for the correct clearance in the wall for the door. There should be enough wall space for the door to slide into when open. The wall should be the width of the door slab plus 4 inches. This space can be to either side of the door opening.

Check for any obstacles that may be in the wall cavity where the door will be located when in the open position. Look for any electrical or plumbing equipment or walls that are perpendicular to the wall where the door is to be located. The wall should be clear where the pocket door frame will be installed.

Pick a 1 and 3/8-inch door slab to use for the pocket door. The door cannot have any applied trim that is larger than this width as it will rub against the pocket door frame. Check that the door is solid. It should be held in place by hardware that mounts into the top of the door and can bear the door's weight.

Choose double doors only where there is room for the pocket door frame to fit on both sides of the door opening.

Purchase a door that has not been pre-drilled for door hardware because a pocket door will not require traditional door knobs or hinges. Traditional door knobs would block a pocket door from sliding, and no hinges are used for this application.