Installing a door with

Pocket doors are a great way to reclaim space from the swing of a traditional existing door. That space must be free of studs, wires, pipes, or duct work. Not all walls are made equal. Some walls are simply partitions between rooms. The surest way to know if a wall is load bearing is to bring in a structural engineer to check. Before talking to an engineer, however, there are a few signs to look for.

The first is the direction of the floor and ceiling joists in your attic and basement. Another sign is if there is additional support below that wall. Are there columns or beams in the basement supporting that wall? Do not try to demolish and rebuild a structural wall yourself. Instead, bring in a professional who understands how to support and rebuild a structural wall that can accept a pocket door.

While the specifics will depend on which pocket door frame you wind up purchasing, most pocket doors require a few inches more than double the width of the door opening. So, for a inch door, plan about 64 inches of wall space. Mark the size of the proposed opening on your wall, and then use a stud finder to identify all of the studs inside that opening. Typically, both jambs are furnished with casings already attached.

Tip: If the long screws don't match the ones that came with the hinges, install them behind the hinge leaf. The trick is to adjust either the opening itself or your door-hanging technique. Just plumb the hinge and latch jambs with a level or a bob and hold them in place with shims. There will be a gap between the casing and the wall, so cut a piece of wood to fill it. More than that, and you may need to modify the jamb. Remove the screws that hold the drywall to the trimmers, then coax the trimmer ends into the wall with a sledgehammer.

Toenail them back to the sole plate, cut the plate back flush using a reciprocating saw, and reattach the drywall screws. In those cases, reframe the opening or order a smaller door. Here are some great tips that will help you on how to install a door. The process of installing a door starts by measuring the rough opening. That additional space will allow you to install the door frame.

Now that you know the basics of how to install a door, some professionals will ask whether they need to insulate the door or not. I will recommend doing so, and here is how to do it.

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Hold a inch level vertically against the edge of the jamb, and adjust the lower end of the jamb, as necessary, so the edge of the jamb is plumb. Install additional screws through the face of the jamb at inch intervals from top to bottom.

Align the outer edge of the jamb at the opposite side of the unit uniformly with the edge of that stud as before. Install wood shims into the gap between the outer face of the jamb and the stud at inch intervals from top to bottom. Install the shims just enough so they remain in place without affecting the alignment of the door and jamb.

Drive screws through the face of the jamb at each shim. Pull off the temporary stops with pliers and swing the door open. Close the door and note the gap between the edge of the door that's drilled for a door handle and face of that jamb. Install wood shims between the jamb and stud, as necessary, so the gap is uniform from top to bottom. Open the door.