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Now you see it, now you don't. That's the beauty of the pocket door. It's actually a sliding door that goes up inside the wall, which some real advantages. For one thing, they don't require room to swing, and when they're completely open, they're completely out of sight. However, those hidden parts can make them tricky to replace when something goes wrong. The pocket door we replaced had a missing latch, a track that was noisy and didn't slide very smoothly, and some alignment problems. |
Step one is to take out the door and remove the existing hardware. Use a utility knife to cut through the paint and caulk at the base of the stop (a strip of wood that runs along the jamb). |
Then use putty knives and pry bars to lift off the stops. Try to take them off in one piece and without gouging, so you can reuse them later. |
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With the stops gone, swing the door out at the bottom and lift it off the track. Put it aside for now. |
Next, remove the top casing on the other side . . . |
Along with a small piece of the doorframe. |
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| Now you almost have all the room you need to remove the track. However, half of the screws mounting the track to the wall are inside the hollow where the door rests when it's open! You're going to have to get in there to remove them. | Use an electronic stud sensor to locate the door frame. Mark the top first. | Then place your drill up against the wall to see how much room you'll need to use it. Draw a bottom line below the drill. Then mark the sides. The idea here is to avoid cutting into the wooden framework. |
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| Cut out your marked section using a drywall saw. Twist and push the saw to pierce the wallboard, then use smooth, even strokes to cut. | With the wall open, remove the screws holding up the track. | Gather your new track and door carriers. We used an extruded aluminum track, which is very rigid, and carriers with three wheels instead of two. They also have ball bearings, which make for a smooth ride. |
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| Before you attach the new track, use a level to make sure that the top of the frame is level. Our frame was off by a quarter-inch, so we tacked a shim spacer on the far side. | Now set the track in place and install the screws. Remember to load the top halves of the new carriers into the track before you screw it into place, if they're separate! | Now that the track is ready, remove the old hardware from the top of the door and replace it with the new carriers' plates. These will attach to the new hangers already on the track. |
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