Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from the
jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into the
kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm thinking of
half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without major surgery on
the adjacent walls.

TIA

Cap'n 321

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:57:32 GMT, Cap'n 321
wrote:

Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from the
jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into the
kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm thinking of
half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without major surgery on
the adjacent walls.

TIA

Cap'n 321

Never say never, but I dont' see any way that wouldn't be about 10x
the work of ripping off the drywall.

Pocket door kits replace the normal wall studs with thin steel
reinforced stud-lets turned sideways in order to get clearance for the
door. And the bottom plate has to be cut back as well.

They really aren't that hard to install, but it starts with demo-ing
the wall.

How about using baby gates...that's what I've done on occasion. The
good ones will keep most dogs corraled.

HTH,

Paul

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:57:32 GMT, Cap'n 321
wrote:

Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from the
jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into the
kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm thinking of
half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without major surgery on
the adjacent walls.

Uh... "half-height" doors? These things hang from the top so me
thinks you'll be impeding the people and letting the animals have the
run of the place.

Personally, I wouldn't want dogs in my kitchen in the first place, so
whadda I know.

I've trained mine to make a mean omelet. :=)

Personally, I wouldn't want dogs in my kitchen in the first place, so
whadda I know.

Thanks, Paul. We've got the baby gates in place now, but SWMBO demands
a more elegant solution.

Paul Franklin wrote:
On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:57:32 GMT, Cap'n 321
wrote:


Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from the
jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into the
kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm thinking of
half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without major surgery on
the adjacent walls.

TIA

Cap'n 321


Never say never, but I dont' see any way that wouldn't be about 10x
the work of ripping off the drywall.

Pocket door kits replace the normal wall studs with thin steel
reinforced stud-lets turned sideways in order to get clearance for the
door. And the bottom plate has to be cut back as well.

They really aren't that hard to install, but it starts with demo-ing
the wall.

How about using baby gates...that's what I've done on occasion. The
good ones will keep most dogs corraled.

HTH,

Paul

Tell SWMBO to figger out how to pay for it, LOL. Or better yet tell her
to figger out how to do it...bigger LOL.

Cap'n 321 wrote:

Thanks, Paul. We've got the baby gates in place now, but SWMBO demands
a more elegant solution.

Paul Franklin wrote:

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:57:32 GMT, Cap'n 321
wrote:


Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from
the jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into
the kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm
thinking of half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without
major surgery on the adjacent walls.

TIA

Cap'n 321



Never say never, but I dont' see any way that wouldn't be about 10x
the work of ripping off the drywall.

Pocket door kits replace the normal wall studs with thin steel
reinforced stud-lets turned sideways in order to get clearance for the
door. And the bottom plate has to be cut back as well.

They really aren't that hard to install, but it starts with demo-ing
the wall.

How about using baby gates...that's what I've done on occasion. The
good ones will keep most dogs corraled.

HTH,

Paul

I looked long and hard at this question once. I had to replace the
track in a bathroom pocket door.

I decided that it can't be done, and ended uo cutting out a section of
drywall.

-Zz

On Wed, 29 Mar 2006 18:57:32 GMT, Cap'n 321
wrote:

Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from the
jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into the
kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm thinking of
half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without major surgery on
the adjacent walls.

TIA

Cap'n 321

Why not go with folding doors? You can build as nice as you like. Design so
that entire door units can be easily removed.

Another option I have though of using my self was a small slender cabinet on
one side joining a pedestal on the other. Well weighted this would work and
allow you to design something really nice also.


"Cap'n 321" wrote in message
et...
Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from the
jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into the
kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm thinking of
half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without major surgery on
the adjacent walls.

TIA

Cap'n 321

From joneakes.com:

Can I repair a pocket door without opening the wall?

Episode #05-167

Try removing the trim around the door. That will usually either expose
the track at the top, or removing the stops or trim down the sides may
allow the door to swing out and lift off of the tracks. Although the
track is installed during construction, the doors are usually hung
just before the trim is applied.

Hope that helps,
--James


On Thu, 30 Mar 2006 13:02:05 -0600, "Steve DeMars"
wrote:

Why not go with folding doors? You can build as nice as you like. Design so
that entire door units can be easily removed.

Another option I have though of using my self was a small slender cabinet on
one side joining a pedestal on the other. Well weighted this would work and
allow you to design something really nice also.


"Cap'n 321" wrote in message
. net...
Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from the
jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into the
kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm thinking of
half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without major surgery on
the adjacent walls.

TIA

Cap'n 321

In article ,
Cap'n 321 wrote:
Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from the
jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into the
kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm thinking of
half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without major surgery on
the adjacent walls.

I suppose it is *theoretically*possible*, **IF** you have the right
tools. But those would be some *very* exotic tools.

I've done it by taking taking off the wall 'skin' from _one_ side of
the space where the door was to go; vertically sawing out 'most' of the
existing studs (and, admittedly, this was 2x6 internal construction,
not 2x4); then adding in the 'skinny steel' ones that come with the
pocket door package, while building in the header that holds the track;
and finally re-skinning that 'opened up' side of the wall.

"half-height pocket doors"

Huh?? Half-height? To keep a dog out/in?

Go to the hardware store or lumber yard and take a gander at a pocket door
assembly and the hardware. Read the directions and re-think the whole idea.

All the pocket doors I've seen are suspended from the top. So, half an 80"
door would fall about 40" from the floor.

I don't see such an installation keeping any floor-bound pets in or out.


"Robert Bonomi" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Cap'n 321 wrote:
Is it possible to retrofit a pocket door without tearing out the
parallel wall. In other words, can I do the installation fully from the
jamb? We have open doorways from the dining room and hall into the
kitchen and need to keep the dogs in the kitchen area. I'm thinking of
half-height pocket doors if the job can be done without major surgery on
the adjacent walls.

I suppose it is *theoretically*possible*, **IF** you have the right
tools. But those would be some *very* exotic tools.

I've done it by taking taking off the wall 'skin' from _one_ side of
the space where the door was to go; vertically sawing out 'most' of the
existing studs (and, admittedly, this was 2x6 internal construction,
not 2x4); then adding in the 'skinny steel' ones that come with the
pocket door package, while building in the header that holds the track;
and finally re-skinning that 'opened up' side of the wall.