# Taking out a pocket door



## MSUFW07 (Jan 22, 2009)

I have a pocket door between a bathroom and a bedroom. I personally hate them and have no idea why they would have put on in this location, other then it would be a small regular door (26"). I would like to take out the pocket door and install a regular hinged door. 

As best as I can see there is the track across the top that the rollers ride on and that goes back into the wall. There is a metal support on the inside of the drywall on both sides, maybe some sort of frame for the pocket door? 

Can any one give me some advice about how to do this? I would imagine that I would at the very least need to put some sort of support in the side where the door slides into to finish the rough framing for a new door, but what about further back into the wall, just leave that? I don't know about how to get the rest of the track out that's into the wall, would you leave it or maybe just cut it off with the edge of the drywall.

Thanks in advance


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I would take it all out however it happened, properly Frame in a 32" door and repair any remaing damage.


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## Big Reds (Oct 14, 2007)

Pocket doors are framed in and installed before the drywall. Without removing the drywall on the side that the door slides into, the frame will have to remain. If you want to install a larger door, get out the sawsall and cut away.
Leave what you can't get out and rough in from there.


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## MSUFW07 (Jan 22, 2009)

Not exactly what I wanted to hear but if I do it I wanted to do it correctly and I figured that pulling it all out would be the best way but didn't realize that It would be so involved. May have to be a winter project. Thanks again.


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## WoW. (Aug 11, 2011)

MSUFW07 said:


> I have a pocket door between a bathroom and a bedroom. I personally hate them and have no idea why they would have put on in this location, other then it would be a small regular door (26"). I would like to take out the pocket door and install a regular hinged door.


Sometimes they got installed there because there was either a tight space and/or not really room for a door to effectively swing in to the bathroom. You might end up going with an open out bathroom door.


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## MSUFW07 (Jan 22, 2009)

Yea thats probably the issue in the first place. The bathroom is small, 5x7, maybe. The door is on the side with the toilet and the shower is beyond that. And it is adjoined with a bedroom, the is longer then it is wide, 7x11, if I remember correctly. I think that they, builder was the homeowner, could have made it work but for some reason didn't, the bedroom was a little kids room so perhaps a pocket door was easier but I will never be sure, short of having him come and tell me why he did half the things he did, but that's for a whole other thread.


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