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How do you stop your walls cracking?

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 07:44:58 GMT

Concealed frame doors and cracking walls, is this going to happen?

Here is what the wall build up looks like when using one of our concealed frame doors:

Ever since people started using concealed frame doors there has been the question; will the walls crack.

The reason this question comes up is because on a traditional timber door, there is an architrave that covers up the first section of wall and any gaps or cracking are likely to occur behind this architrave.

With concealed frame doors, there are no architraves. This is what gives it a 'Concealed' and contemporary appearance. With our product. there is also no shadow gap, only the 3mm gap between the frame and the door. However this is not necessarily typical of all concealed frame doors.

Most concealed doors, or jib doors as they are sometimes called, use an integral plaster flange that allows you to plaster over the frame and up to the door leaf. It is within this area that cracking is most likely to occure.

Why does cracking occur?

It occurs when the frame of the door and the wall that it is fixed to move at different rates as a result of the wall moving over time or the frame moving (likely when the door is slammed). As a result the plaster comes under stress and cracks.

How do you stop it from happening?

To stop it, you need to make sure that there is no way for the frame and the wall to move independently of each other. If the integral plaster flange of the door frame is flexible, this will be very hard to achieve. If it is solid, this can be achieved by increasing the frequency of the fixings through the said plaster flange. The result is the frame becomes and integral part of the wall, so if the wall moves; the frames moves with it, and vice versa.

You will need to seek guidance from the manufacturers installation instructions to find out how frequently the frame will need to be fixed. As a guide, our concealed frame doors should be screwed to the wall every 200mm and fixings should be doubled up in the corners.

Is there such a thing as a curved pocket door?

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:11:24 GMT

In short, Yes there is such a thing as a curved pocket door

Are they common? No

And that is for a very good reason. Whilst curved pocket doors may seem like a great idea if you are designing in an amazing feature curved wall, it gets a little more tricky from there!

If you lay your hands on a pocket door kit that is curved, you then need to find someone that will bespoke manufacture a curved timber door. There are amazing craftsmen out there that will be able to do this, however you need to ensure the curve of the wall and the curve of the door are identical.

From there, you will need to ensure the door you have had made for you is compatible with the kit.

Our top tip when using curved pocket doors is to ensure you have an extremely skilled door manufacturer to make your doors as well as a top notch installer.

Due to the very low demand for curved pocket doors as well as the technicalities that they bring with them, we do not have one in our range. However, if you are dead set on having one of these features, pop it into Google and you will be able to get your hands on a curved pocket door kit.

What size wall do you need for a pocket door?

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:11:22 GMT

For our kits, the stud wall (excluding plasterboard) needs to be 94mm

You can then board the wall with 1 layer of 12.5mm plasterboard per side or opt for the '145' kit which allows you to double board each side of the wall with 12.5mm plasterboard.

What are the draw backs of using pocket doors?

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:11:21 GMT

Well, there are many!

However, for every drawback, there is an advantage. Below are a few drawbacks, but we couldn't just give you the drawbacks without the benefits so we have included a few of those as well...

Drawbacks

They cost more than a regular door (but this is an obvious one, there are a lot more parts, the door is on runners, the kit makes up part of your wall)
On the subject of more parts, yes, this means there are more things that could go wrong if installed incorrectly or if abused by a overzealous user
The pocket section of the kit is not a solid wall so will naturally allow more sound to pass through and will be more flexible than a solid wall
If they DO break, typically it would require destructive access to repair. However this depends on what has happened. Some faults can be fixed without bashing holes in your wall
Raked heads on pocket doors are not a thing. A point to consider if you pocket door is going into an attic (depending on its orientation to the sloping ceiling)

Benefits

You save floor space
They provide an impressive feature
You can close off spaces without the need of bifold or swinging doors
For infrequently used doors, they can slide away out of sight and not get in anyone's way
Great option for use in narrow corridors or for going into small rooms
Gives you more useable space in a room as you do not have to allow for space for the door to swing

Can I have a corner pocket door?

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:11:18 GMT

Yes! And the results are awesome!

Most pocket doors can be adapted to suit a corner application by simply mitring the ends.

Check with us (or your chosen supplier) first so you are aware of all the points you will need to know before embarking on this game changer!

You will need to check that it will not interfere with the running gear. You will also be able to do away with the strike jambs that would be provided with a standard pocket door kit.

Note: if your pocket door is to be fire rated, this is probably going to be a non-starter. Sorry!