Wood Sliding Bypass Doors?

[Allen Bookout]

I was going to build a cabinet with normal frame and panel doors but then it was suggested to me that it might be better to use sliding doors due to space requirements. If I used sliding doors they would be approximately two feet by three and a third feet. I looked for sliding door hardware and the only thing that I could find was for sliding bypass glass doors. Now I am starting to wonder if there is a problem using wood since I do not see any hardware for this application. Is there a problem with warpage or something that would make this impractical?

[Gary Curtis]

Allen,

I've got one home remodeled with sliding doors and my newly built house with one pocket door. A contractor is required to simply buy the hardware and frame out the pocket. Hardware consists of an upper track and the carriage.

The door itself is normally bought at the lumber store to match other doors in the house. Most contractors don't like pocket doors too much. It slows them down in the building process, and the doors are fussy to set up.

Having lived in Japan for years, my wife and I think these doors are a sane architectural solution.

Gary Curtis

[Brad Townsend]

This is the cabinet that I built to go next to my big chair in the family room. The chair is removed for the photo, but sits right in front of it, so I had to have sliding doors. A variety of hardware for this kind of thing is available at Woodworkers Hardware

http://wwhardware.com/

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/btownsend/DSCN1439.jpg

[Allen Bookout]

Great! Thanks guys!!! Allen

[Az Fred]

I've used this system with good success. There are a couple of heavier duty hardware sets from the same European supplier as well. http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=937-362

[Allen Bookout]

This is the cabinet that I built to go next to my big chair in the family room.

Brad, I meant to tell you what a nice job that you did on that cabinet. Allen


I've used this system with good success. There are a couple of heavier duty hardware sets from the same European supplier as well. http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=937-362

Thanks Az! That looks like that it will work well for what I need. I like how clearly it shows how it works and how simple it is to install.

[Rob Blaustein]

You might PM Mark Singer who has built a few of these. As Mark has stated--go with the really heavy duty hardware--it's not inexpensive (I think over $150 for the hardware alone). It definitely takes the contractor more time and as mentioned it can be finicky. I think our builder is great, but he did spend a lot of time on the initial installation and still had to make some adjustments requiring removal of the trim (which, by the way, he wisely used screws for instead of nails). I now understand why he charged us more for that option in our bathroom. Another issue is painting/finishing the door. We've had a bit of a problem with some twisting of the door possibly caused by seasonal wood movement that might have been exacerbated by the painters not removing the door and finishing all sides (our fault, not the builder's since we didn't use his painters). So I think pocket doors can be very practical, but there are some important considerations to keep in mind if you want to avoid headaches later.

Addendum: I just reread your original post and now realize you're talking about a cabinet door. I think I was thrown off by the post about doors for rooms--so my comments may be a bit off target here.

[Brad Townsend]

Brad, I meant to tell you what a nice job that you did on that cabinet. Allen

Thanks Allen. The reason I built it was my wife was getting on me about the piles of woodworking magazines and catalogs. The idea was that they would be hidden away in the cabinet. Obviously, it isn't working.:D

[Allen Bookout]

Addendum: I just reread your original post and now realize you're talking about a cabinet door. I think I was thrown off by the post about doors for rooms--so my comments may be a bit off target here.

That is my fault Rob. I should have put the word "cabinet" in the subject heading to avoid confusion.