Pocket Doors and Barn Doors

Pocket doors are typically used within a home to save space. Not having a door swing into a room gives you more room for furniture or fixtures, which is particularly useful for small rooms, such as a bathroom.

The knock against pocket doors has always been their plain appearance. In recent years this has changed, with an increasing number of manufacturers producing pocket doors that are stylish and attractive. Renovation Headquarters makes a pocket door for a bathroom that has a mirror on the bathroom side and a solid panel on the hallway side. Modernus sells pocket doors with etched glass panels which are an attractive alternative to a solid door. Along the same lines, Artistcraft makes a shower pocket door using obscure glass.

As pocket doors have become more attractive, the question arises- why pay for a beautiful door when you can’t see it half the time (i.e., when the door is open)? As a result, there has been an increasing trend towards the use of “barn” doors, which are doors that slide on an overhead track mounted outside (rather than inside) the wall. Just about any door can be converted into a barn door with the appropriate hardware. Several companies sell such hardware, including Hafele, Barn Door Hardware and Better Barns Hardware.

If you’re remodeling an existing house, changing a swinging door to a pocket door will probably require rebuilding the wall so that the door will fit inside. In this situation, a barn door may be the way to go since it can be mounted on the outside of the existing wall, thus saving on construction cost.

Whether you’re remodeling, adding on a room, or building a new house, pocket doors and barn doors are worth considering where space is a premium.