Replies

1. 
   xMikeSmith | Sep 29, 2002 06:04am | #1

   if there is room for a fatter wall , we use the kit but beef up the walls with flat 2x on each side....

   Mike Smith   Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

1. 
   gordsco | Oct 02, 2002 08:02am | #14

   I run into these things all of the time in new homes. The last house I did had six of them. As long as the top track is level you won't have a problem and make sure the door you hang is not bowed too much ( yeah yeah they're all straight ) I know the wall is weak but so are partition walls with 24" spacing.

   The only trouble I've seen with a properly installed door was one set into a partition wall in the middle of a joist span. The trouble was, when you walked by the door the floor would sag ever so slightly and the floor brackets would slide on the half studs and squeeeek like heck.

   sometimes board sometimes knot

2. 
   RW | Sep 30, 2002 12:41am | #2

   Ditto. Seen that done too ( legally? ) when an electrical box had to go where the pocket door also went.

3. 
   booch | Sep 30, 2002 06:06am | #3

   I bought the same kit (36"er) and I originally thought it was a POS too.

   Being concerned of the rigidity of the wall, I took a pair of 2x6 and ran it across the top of the door opening and the pocket cavity. (Like a header). Floor to ceiling studs fastened to the 2x6's. I thought it would help secure this cathedral wall as mine is 15 foot long and 12 high at one end. The framing was stiffer with this addition, but still less than a normal stud wall. The drywall was the big change. If you run drywall horizontal, you'll notice, it is stiffer on the long axis. If it really bugs you then go to 5/8ths. You say it is a wet wall in a bathroom then I'd get greenboard or struggle thru the durock panels. All of those can be glued and screwed as well.

   Key Point here is to glue it in place and screw it to the 1x4's. Be sure not to get too long a screw or you'll mess up your pocket door (cavity). PL400 or some sort of waterproof adhesive for drywall will make it very rigid. Too much glue is good.

   Frankly I don't think about it anymore. It is just like every other wall now. Still it is a pretty chintzy way to make a pocket door.

   The 2x4 to block it out will probably work but think about your taping and finishing of that thing. That is probably 3 hours of screwing around in finish work and you'll always look at it and think " sheesh is there another way to do this?"

1. 
   jeffvermont | Oct 01, 2002 01:30am | #7

   Booch:

   I do a lot of bathrooms and my tile guy just turned me onto a product called "

   Denshield- I think Georgia Pacific makes it.  It wieghs what sheetrock weighs, cuts like sheetrock, (have a nice day cutting a shower valve out in a cloud of dust from your Roto-Zip with Durarock)  Anyway, to make a long story longer, the stuff works great in wet environments and is much less of a pain in the behind than Durarock.

   Cheers,

   Jeff

1. 
   JDRHI | Oct 01, 2002 03:33am | #8

   Jeff,

   A masonry hole saw works great for cutting holes in Durock.J. D. Reynolds

   Home Improvements

   "DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"

2. 
   FrankB89 | Oct 01, 2002 03:47am | #9

   I just used 5/8" Denshield for the first time to line a pump room in a garage.  It's a potentially damp environment and Durock wouldn't pass fire code.  My sheetrocker suggested it and apparently it's also used as a sheathing for under Stucco on commercial.  The new Wally world Grocery store here was sheathed with it.

   I found it not much different to work with than ordinary board, though the surface is kind of fibery. 

3. 
   booch | Oct 01, 2002 02:58pm | #10

   Saw the ads for the Denshield too late for my recent project. The biggest pain with the durock is the replacement of blades in my knife. You get 5 or 6 cuts and you might as well be using a screwdriver to score the durock. I keep 4 + knives in rotation to make the project go faster.

   How does the denshield work for flooring backer? It isn't any cheaper but it does come in 4x8 sheets. Right now it is shoulda woulda coulda. All that is left for me is the small piecing & thinset & tile. It is hard to believe an advertiser it is in this forum where the rubber meets the road.

1. 
   JDRHI | Oct 01, 2002 04:34pm | #11

   Whenever circumstances permit (i.e. outdoor space) I use a masonry blade in an old circular saw when cutting Durock. Time and agrevation saved is incredible.  J. D. Reynolds

   Home Improvements

   "DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"

1. 
   booch | Oct 02, 2002 03:39am | #13

   Like that idea. I'd probably use an old saw too. I always worry I"ll use up the saw motor with all of that grit flying in the air.

2. 
   FrankB89 | Oct 01, 2002 05:40pm | #12

   There is a scoring knife for cement board products with a carbide tip that lasts and lasts.  A Sawsall blad also works. 

4. 
   JDRHI | Sep 30, 2002 04:05pm | #4

   Ken,

   I agree, the framing kit is extremely flimsy. Whenever I frame for the installation of a pocket door I sheathe framing (to both sides of wall) with plywood installed horizontilly. This helps alot especially on a long wall where the ply can be staggered and tied into much sounder framing. So long as wall thickness is not an issue I use 3/4" ply before sheetrocking the wall. Just be sure to glue (construction adhesive) and use screws short enough not to extend through framing. Staggering the drywall joints in opposition to the plywood helps to insure rigdidty with less chance of joint cracking. Its a bit more work initially, but it saves much in the long run.

   J. D. Reynolds

   Home Improvements

   "DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"

5. 
   vasalesman | Sep 30, 2002 10:29pm | #5

   I had a recent install of a Johnson pocket door, same flimsy wall studs.  I couldn't increase  the wall thickness from the existing 4-1/2", so I did a couple of things to improve what I had.  I first screwed a 6' piece of 3/4" angle iron to the side of each "stud".  I held the pieces above the subfloor by about 6".  They helped a good bit.  Then I put pieces of 1x6 horizontally between each pair of studs to serve as backing for the base.  My other option was to run oak 1x_ full length vertically between the metal studs.  Both the oak & the angle iron were in my shop but I valued the oak more.  End result is a wall that's not quite as stiff as conventional framing but is a big improvement over the unimproved version.

   Al

1. 
   MajorWool | Sep 30, 2002 11:36pm | #6

   This discussion precedes my next project, which is to convert a small room off the master bedroom into a walk in closet. The room is 72" deep and 96" wide, with a 70" wide by 80" tall opening into the master BR. The opening is offset from the inner wall by about 3/4". On the outer wall side, there is a full depth bench seat 20" high and 20" deep, which I believe covers up where porch beams tie into the house. The opening is framed with 1x6 trim. My thought at the moment is to pull the trim and install a 36" pocket door in the opening, but one concern is whether I could get a strong enough wall to support a couple of 72" closet hanger rods that would run parallel to the inner wall. There is a window above the bench seat so we really can't put closet rods on the outer wall side. I think the wall I'd be framing in is thick enough where a piece of 3/4" plywood could be put under the drywall, and from what I've read here, this seems desirable anyway if only to stiffen the pocket door framing. Another option too is to put a set of 18" wide drawers midway along the closet rods to support a majority of the weight, and yet a third option is to go with a complete self-contained closet insert ( e.g. California Closets).

   Given the opening I have to work with, is a pocket door desirable? There would be no issue about making a strong enough wall if I were to go with a conventional hinged door. Thoughts? Horror stories ;-)

   TIA

   Bob