Planning a remodel of my master bath, and want to replace swinging door with pocket door for space reasons. Problem is the light switch and outlet are presently in the wall where the door would slide. I would rather not move the switch & outlet. Is it possible for these to coexist? Are there narrow electrical boxes that would still fit in the pocket door framing?

Any advise would be appreciated.

Tom

I'm in the process of a little remodeling in our kitchen, and just tore out a pocket door last week. Don't see any possible way to have anything electrical in the pocket area. Walls on each side of the slider were 1/4" drywall with the sliding door right behind it. No place for the wiring either.

Think twice about pocket doors. In the first place, they do not save any space, because the space in front of them and behind them is needed to walk through in any case. Second, they are a pain in the butt to use...to close them, you have to fiddle with a little loop in the edge of the door, and when you do get it to close, it bounces open again and you have to go back and close it.

Pocket doors are best when a door will remain opne 95% of the time, and only needs to be closed occasionally. They are also prone to jumping their tracks frequently. I only use them when my clients insist upon them. Probably the worst application for them is for a bathroom door.

yes there are narrow boxes that may fit. The space available depends on the framing of the wall and the pocket door you choose. Some use more space then others within the wall. The better ones hardware are much wider and make this difficult.
the solution is to pack out the wall with 2x4's laying flat. You then can get a box that is just 1- 1/2" deep. Doing it this way you only loose two inches of wall debth including the sheetrock. Plus any tile if your planning to use it.

Thank you all for the information -- I really appreciate it.

Richard - would be curious why the bathroom is the worst place for a pocket door. Is this because of moisure and temp change that the door may expand & contract causing issues? As to my motivation here, the master bath is 5X8 -- not very masterful , and the door has annoyed me since we bought this house 13 years ago. There is sufficient room in the wall where it would slide (less the outlet issue -- and towel bar). Where you have used these, could you recommend a manufacturer that is less prone to issues? According to some of the manufacturers' sites, the issues of old have been solved -- but I do consider the source there. Also, is there one kind of door that's better in this application (e.g. fiberglass core vs. luan, etc.)? Doors in my house are currently all metal (built in 1959).

As to the other offered advice -- if I follow corrrectly, packing out the wall would be placing a stud perpendicular to the wall stud on the side where the outlet is desired, so the long side of the 2X4 is where the drywall would be attached. Very good idea. Are the narrow electrical boxes available via retail, or is this a special order item from an electrical supply store?

Again, I appreciate the advise.

Thanks,
Tom

The bathroom is the worst place for two reasons...privacy, because the door doesn't always shut tight and doesn't latch, and frequency of use...a swing door is simply much more natural and easy to use.

Pockets doors are a pain to install even in new construction, let alone a remodel. One thing to check is if this is a load bearing wall. If it is, an average do-it-yourselfer is in way over their head.

I just put a pocket door in my remodel of a master bath about 5x8 like yours. My pocket door wall contains three switches (normal light and also a heat lamp) and also a timer for the fan. These are mounted in the narrow boxes (blue plastic) from Home Depot and work great when you add the plastic mud ring to get you out another 1/2".

I made my wall 6" wide by using a 2x6 bottom and top plate and placing the studs sideways. This left plenty of room for the door. After much research I found that a place called Johnson Hardware has pocket door hardware that will NOT jump the track - the track is "U" shaped and completely encloses the dual rollers. I ordered the kit over the Internet - I am impressed with the quality of their hardware. I ordered the ball bearing model. As for the latch not holding - I would say if you install the hardware correctly and not throw the instructions away and "wing it" like most builders nowadays, the latch will work just fine.

I could send you pictures if you wish...

Good Luck
Mark

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mjuenem,

There is commercial hardware for pocket doors that is "accessible" which from above looks kinda like one of those curly western mustaches. but no fumbling for a latch nested into the door. They were actually ridiculously expensive unless they included some very ingenious locking mechanism. I figure someone creative could make an acceptable facsimile if no lock is needed.