On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 07:46:52 -0700 (PDT), Limp Arbor
wrote:

I know this is an oxymoron but I am looking for a decent pocket door
for a half bath. I'm moving a few things around and the bath door
will be on a wall in the foyer right at the bottom of the steps. The
half bath will be fairly narrow, around 32", so the door can't swing
in.

Most of the other doors in the house are masonite genuine-imitation
six panel doors but none of them ar within eyeshot of where this
pocket door will be. The foyer has hardwood floors and the bath will
be tiled.

I won't have a problem if the framing of the wall the pocket door goes
in ends up being wider than 3.5". I could easily go to 5.5" or
whatever is needed.

To me it would be ideal if the pocket door also had a bottom track to
keep the door from slopping around.

So, is there such a thing as a decent pocket door?

One thing you can do that makes pocket doors seem higher quality is to
use a solid slab door rather than hollow. The extra weight gives it a
quality feel and it slides smoother and blocks noise better. It does
require track hardware that is rated for the weight though. On a
narrow door it's not a big deal.

When I did my half bath, I made a custom threshold for under the door
that had slightly raised sides that essentially created a track to
capture the bottom of the door so it didn't swing at all. I got a lot
of compliments on how solid and smooth that door was. I needed a
threshold anyway because of transition between floor materials, so it
was simple to build in a bottom guide track. My track kit came with a
little guide designed to prevent the door from swinging, but I liked
the solid feel of the full length guide.

Two other tips. I bought two track kits (they weren't very expensive
compared to the cost of the job) so I could double up the thin half
studs that support the walls, putting them on 8" centers. Those thin
studs are pretty flimsy. I needed to stick with standard wall
thickness. If you are willing to build a thicker wall you can use
2x4's mounted sideways to get extra beef.

Finally, screw, rather than nail the trim pieces that need to be
removed to remove the door. Makes it much easier to do repairs if
needed. I used small head trim screws covered with color matched
putty and you could hardly see them.

You can have a quality pocket door, it just takes a little custom
work.

HTH,

Paul F.