How To Install An Antique Pocket Door

Older homes have a charm that can’t be beaten. Many folks look for design touches like stained glass, wainscot, and pocket doors. When the owner of this home, built in 1881, noticed that her neighbor was removing a pocket door that would work in her home, she couldn’t wait to salvage it and hang it in a pocket in her home. With carpenter Nathan Gilbert and his father’s help, the trio handles the project beautifully.

How to Install an Antique Pocket Door

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Nathan and his dad, Bill, help a homeowner install an antique 1880s pocket door with its authentic hardware.

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To replace the original pocket door hardware, Nathan sourced Richards Parlor Door Hangers from 1881. To punch in the trim nails, Nathan uses a hammer and nail punch. Nathan scores the paint around the seams of the trim with a knife. Then, he carefully lifts the trim using a pry bar, putting a small piece of wood between the pry bar and trim to give the pry bar leverage and protect the wall surface. Nathan uses an oscillating tool to cut into the bottom of the trim pieces anchored into the floorboards. To remove the damaged door plate, Nathan unscrews the set screws with a 6.5mm slotted screwdriver. To fill the gaps in the door plates, Bill cuts strips of thin foam cushioning, and Nathan reinstalls the door plates over the foam to create a kind of gasket that will absorb the shock to keep the old wood on the door from splitting. After lining up the door inside the pocket and attaching the hangers to the door plates, Nathan and Bill reinstall the trim. To secure the trim, Bill uses a finish nailer and trim nails. Finally, Nathan applies white lithium grease to the wheels of the hanger hardware to ensure smooth operation and reduce corrosion. Expert assistance provided by Steven Thorp of Fixpocketdoors.com.