Pocket door ramblings

This ADU I’m working on has two pocket doors. I’m stiffening up the pocket framing today — not totally necessary, but it makes a big difference. Gives the door that solid, smooth feel instead of the wobbly, cheap version everyone complains about.

One door’s going in the pantry, the other between the bathroom and washer/dryer. Pantry’s going to get opened a ton more, but I’m reinforcing both. No sense in doing one right and leaving the other flimsy.

I’m using the Johnson Hardware kit with soft-close, plus a solid core single-panel door. Together it’ll feel way better to the owner, last longer, and save some space where it counts.

I get the knock on pocket doors — they get thrown on bathrooms where you actually want privacy, and then people hate them. Fair enough. But in these two spots they fit just right.

For fun I looked up the history — turns out the idea goes back to Pompeii. Then they basically disappeared until the 1800s, when Victorians brought them back with big double doors into libraries and sitting rooms.

So yeah, not new. Just useful when you use them in the right places and build them solid.