For years I have been wanting to replace a pocket door in my house that keeps going off the track and gets stuck in the opening. When I pull on it very hard, it drags as it comes out. I want to fix it myself, but I can't figure out how to get it out of the opening to fix it. So, Rick, I am hoping you could give me your free, professional advice given your contracting experience.. cute1
cute1, thanks for your question and I will do my best to help you out. Yes, as a contractor, I have spent many years on the job either doing carpenter work or overseeing carpenters that have worked for me. We have installed hundreds of new pocket doors and have removed many of them as well.
The method that I have used to install a pocket door, also makes it very easy to remove it if it goes off the track or if it ever needs to be replaced. There are a few different types of pocket door frames. One comes already assembled with all wood framing, but the one I like most has to be assembled on the job. It has a stud frame that is wrapped with metal and and is very sturdy, easy to install and if installed right, will keep the door on track. Take a look at the following photo with notes showing this type of frame.
The steel studs mount to the floor with screws. The top track screws into the upper frame work and into the side stud framing. The drywall is attached with drywall screws using 1 5/8" screws in the end wall stud and 1 1/4" screws in the steel wrapped studs.
Now the key to properly installing the pocket door frame is to make sure that when you install the jamb strips that will cover the left and right side of the pocket door opening and on the tops as well, that these strips are installed with screws and not nails. Take a look at the photos below to see what I mean.
The screws can be painted over as in this case or if you are staining the woodwork a darker color, then the dark screws will blend in. If the woodwork is light or if you want the screws to look more decorative, you can use gold colored screws and if you wish, you can use a nice brass washer as well. One other option is to use trim head screws. See below for more about these.
Now let's talk about your problem. If you are fortunate enough to have this set up, all you would have to do is remove the side and upper pieces that were screwed in, and the door will pull all the way into the opening and be able to swing it out and lift and then pull it out of the track. The rollers typically lift up and pop out of the track as you hold the door on an angle.
If the wood strips on yours are nailed in, then you are going to have to remove the strips very carefully so that you can get the door out. The problem you will run into is that if the door trim is nailed into the side strips then you have to either pull the nails out, use a nail set to punch the nails through, or use a hack saw blade to cut the nails in the space between the trim and side strips. I usually use the hack saw blade. You can buy and small tool that will allow you to slide a hack saw blade into the space and then use it like a small hand saw. See the photo below.
This tool is actually made by Stanley Tools and is very easy to use with one hand and it uses a standard hack saw blade. Because the blade is thin, you can slide in between the trim and side strip with ease. You will need to use a metal cutting blade to cut through the nails.
Once you get all the inside nails cut and the frame is now free from the side strips and the top strips, you will need to pry the trim off of the wall so that you can remove the side and tops strips to be able to remove the door and repair or replace the rollers. It may also be that you just need to get the rollers back on track.
Please note: You will only need to remove the trim on one side.
To remove the trim I use a 5 in 1 tool, that you can get and your local hardware store or home improvement center. This tool is also easy to use and you can pry the trim loose enough to usually remove the trim without having to pull the nails. You will need to work on the inside first and as you pry the trim loose, and it should start to pull the trim away from the wall on the outside. Then you would use the tool to finish prying the trim away from the wall on the outside.
As you can see, my 5 in 1 tool has had a lot of use. I have used this tool for many home improvement projects over the years.
After you remove the trim, you can them easily pry off the side and top strips that are nailed in, using the 5 in 1 tool, and remove the door. Once the door is removed you will be able to figure out what you need to do to get the door working again. Much of the time, the rollers have come loose because the screws have gradually worked out over the years. The simple fix would be to re-install the rollers but locate them about 1/2 inch in from where they were so that you can install them with longer screws that won't go into the same holes where they were originally mounted.
If the rollers are bad and need replaced, you can look for matching rollers online or go to a local hardware store, lumber yard or home improvement center to see if you can find new rollers that will work. If you have to replace them, I would replace both rollers so that you won't run the risk of the other one going bad later on.
The most important thing to do after you get this fixed is to re-install the side and top strips using screws instead of nails as mentioned above. Then when you re-apply the trim, use nails on the outside of the trim and either use smaller screws on the inside of the trim or just just a few 1" brads to tack the inside of the trim to the strips. That way if you ever have to remove strips again, you can cut the brads and unscrew the strips.
Sometimes we have re-installed the trim using "trim head" screws on both the outside and inside of the trim, which are screws that have a very small head, and you can recess them into the wood then fill them with a soft nail putty. If you ever have to remove the trim entirely, you can scrape out the putty and remove the screws and the trim.
Notice how the heads of these trim head screws are just a little larger then the treads of the screw. These screws come in various sizes so that you can use the shorter ones on the inside of the trim and the longer ones on the outside of the trim. You can tell why using these would be an advantage when it comes to installing the pocket door strips and trim.
I hope this helps. Rick
Rick Maselli is Founder and Editor of Showroom411.com