Optimizing Space:Sliding Door Installation

This is a recent project that i finished in my home and i used this article that i have posted from another website to guide me during the process.  i cant remember the website but when i do i will get back to you...

A pocket door is a great way to pick up usable floor and wall space that normally would be occupied by a door's swing. You can buy and install a pocket door for as little as $100, and the kits are readily available at home centers and lumberyards. There is one catch, though: You'll have to tear out a portion of the wall to make room for the split studs that replace the wooden ones and for the track on which the new door hangs. The demolition can be a bit messy, but it's straightforward. 

Measure Once...

First, check that there's enough room in the wall — you need a rough opening that's just over twice the width of the door. Then, determine if the wall is load-bearing or simply a nonstructural partition. 

Load-bearing walls typically are near the center of the house and run perpendicular to the floor joists (check joist direction in the basement). Doors in these walls will have headers — usually laminated beams — over their openings. Installing a pocket door in a load-bearing wall requires replacing the old header with a longer one. Creating the opening for the new header may require temporary ceiling support while the header goes in (you may want to consult a pro for this). 

Cut the Opening
	<> Cut through the nails to remove the door and jamb assembly. Use a reciprocating saw and metalcutting blade.  2 > Use a wood-cutting blade to remove pieces of wallboard. Avoid cutting too deep.  <> Remove a section of drywall above the door to allow you to frame in a new header.  4 > To remove the existing header, slice through the nails that fasten it to the studs.  <> Cut a Length of Straight 2 X 4 to form the new header. nail it at both ends and screw it to the cripple studs.

MATERIALS: Door, Sterling 1430 Series Pocket Door Kit, 2 x 4 lumber, drywall, drywall tape and compound, jamb kit, molding

Check to see if the wall contains wiring or plumbing. A wall with pipes isn't a good candidate for a pocket door. If you have attic and basement access, it should be easy to reroute electrical cables. Just keep in mind that all wire splices need to be made in a permanently accessible electrical box. Concealed wiring is easy to detect with an inexpensive, noncontact voltage sensor, such as the Live Wire GVD-505A from Gardner Bender (about $16). 

Prep and Framing

Doorjambs aren't nailed tight against the studs, but spaced with wooden shims. To remove the existing door, first pull off the molding, then slip a reciprocating saw blade into the gap and cut through the nails clustered around the shims. Use a metalcutting blade or a demolition blade that is rated for cutting wood with nails in it. With the nails clipped, tip the door from its opening. 

Make exploratory openings in the wall to check for any obstacles you may have missed. Tip the saw down for shallow cuts, and take the drywall out between the studs. Remove the drywall above the header, but stay a few inches below the ceiling to avoid extra finish work later. In ourinstallation, we were able to leave the drywall in place on the inside. 

Use a reciprocating saw to remove the partition header and cut away the studs to make room for the pocket door's new framing. Nip the nails between the studs and the soleplate, then determine the height of the new header before cutting the stud tops to length.

Structure of a pocket door.

Framing

The header height depends on whether you need a new soleplate. If the floor covering above the subfloor is minimal, you can secure the kit's split-stud brackets directly to the floor. We had a carpet and pad, so we used a 1 x 4 plate to avoid having to cut the door for it to clear the carpet. To determine the new header height for a kit like ours, figure the length of the new door, plus 31/4 in., plus the height of the soleplate, if any. Cut the stud tops to the length needed to support the new header at the correct height. 

Determine the rough-opening width and install a new stud this distance from the existing stud on the opposite side. Nail or screw the new header in place, then cut and fit the soleplate to the floor. 

Hanging the Door
	<> To cut the track to length, use the mark on it that corresponds to your door size.  7 > Mount the track in the rough opening by screwing the brackets to the studs.  <> Tip the split studs into the floor brackets and nail the tops of the studs to the header.  9 > Install the door hardware and hang the door. Adjust for level and lock the adjustment nuts.

 

Hardware Installation

The pocket-door track is a metal channel with wooden nailing strips on each side. The channel is marked for various door widths so it's easy to cut it to the right length. Cut through the nailers with a handsaw and use a hacksaw on the channel. 

Attach the channel to the studs with end brackets, and check the channel for level. Then, snap the split studs into their floor brackets, tip the studs upright and nail them to the header. Check that the studs are plumb, and nail the floor brackets to the soleplate or floor. 

Mount hangers on the top of the door, and slide the wheeled carriages into the track. Hook the hangers onto the carriages, and adjust the assembly until the door hangs plumb. Then install any latches and pulls. 

Finishing

Secure the drywall with panel adhesive and screws. Apply drywall compound, embed tape in it, then strike off excess compound. Allow it to dry, sand it, then apply the next layers of compound in the same way. 

To trim our door, we bought a jamb kit and ripped two pieces of it to 13/8 in. wide for our 15/8-in.-wide door. We installed these at the top and side of the door opening. Complete the project by cutting and installing the door's trim casing. 

Taping Drywall
	<> Set a screw gun to recess the screw-heads 1/16 in. and secure the drywall.  11 > Apply drywall tape and multiple thin coats of compound over all seams.