Pocket and Sliding Door Hardware
Sliding doors save space and can become a design feature, but they need different hardware from swinging doors. Here is what pocket doors and surface-mounted sliding doors need.
Pocket doors
A pocket door slides into a cavity inside the wall, so its hardware must sit flush with the door face or it will catch on the opening.
- Flush pulls: recessed cups on each face of the door to slide it open and closed.
- Edge pull: a small fold-out finger pull set into the door edge, so you can draw the door out of the pocket when it is fully open.
- Pocket door locks: privacy versions have a thumb turn inside and an emergency release outside, with a hook latch that engages the frame. Passage versions have pulls only.
Most pocket door hardware is made for doors about 1-3/8 inches thick. Check before ordering for thicker doors.
Surface-mounted sliding doors
Barn-style and gallery doors hang from a track mounted on the wall above the opening.
- Door size: the door should be wider than the opening so it covers the gaps at each side. A common guide is about 2 inches wider than the opening and at least 1 inch taller.
- Track length: usually about twice the door width, so the door can clear the opening fully.
- Wall space: you need clear wall beside the opening at least as wide as the door.
- Hardware: a pull on the room side, a flush pull or small pull on the wall side so the door can pass the frame, a floor guide to stop swinging, and stops on the track.
Privacy with sliding doors
Surface-mounted doors leave gaps and are not ideal for bathrooms. If privacy matters, a pocket door with a privacy lock or a hinged door is a better choice.
Finishes
Pocket door pulls are small and often overlooked, but they are touched as much as any lever. Match them to the door hardware in the rooms on each side.
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