Do Pocket Doors Need A Floor Track?

The pocket door design supplied by the Pocket Door Shop has been configured to serve a number of purposes; primarily we ensure that it is safe to use, it is also sketched out to ensure it is easy and practical to operate and that it is robust and offers some longevity. This means that it works consistently and will do so for many years to come, providing you with no operating or maintenance issues in the meantime. The Eclisse pocket door system is designed to this specification.

And because our pocket door systems are constructed completely from steel, it is lightweight and therefore easy to handle, install and operate. But many people also ask us how it works. They know that the principle behind the pocket door system is that the door disappears into a wall recess, known as the ‘pocket’, but how does it do it? How does the rail system work? And as well as an overhead track, does the pocket door need a floor track?

The simple answer is no, but there is a concealed floor guide which is essential to how the door operates. The pocket door system perfected by Eclisse uses an under door profile, which is also known as an anti-warp profile. This is a u-shaped channel which is routed into the bottom of the door and this sits on the nylon floor guide which keeps the door from swaying. The floor guide is concealed in the opening of the pocket at floor level, and hence is no more visible than a metal floor strip would be to conceal the joint between two sections of carpet or other types of flooring, with a traditional hinged door.

How is the concealed floor guide installed?

In order to accommodate this concealed floor guide when installing the pocket door, you need to cut the anti-warp profile to 10 mm longer than the door width. You then need to route a channel 10,3 x 17 mm into the bottom of the door from the rear of the door and to 5 mm from the front edge of the door. Using a small amount of silicon to secure it, you should then insert the anti-warp profile into the channel, and it should then protrude approximately 15 mm at the rear of the door.

The installation process for the pocket door is relatively simple. You should hook the door onto the overhead runners using the door brackets fixed to the top of the door. Then you can insert the anti-warp profile over the door guide, as described above, and slide into the pocket. There is one adjustable door stop already installed 70 mm from the rear of the track. This can be adjusted as required even after the plasterboard is fixed thanks to the extractable track.

Understanding the Eclisse pocket door system

Of course, to understand why the pocket door system only needs an overhead rail and not a floor rail, you only need to look at our sliding door range. This follows the same principle as the pocket door, except the door sits adjacent to the wall when opened, rather than inside a pocket. Otherwise, the system is the same in that it is hung on rails at the top and traverses along this overhead track.

Another very clear and important factor in why this design is used, is that a floor track would present a trip hazard on the floor every time you passed through it, unless the floor was completely dug out to a significant depth and the track was concealed under the floor. This is clearly impractical and the great benefit of the Eclisse pocket door system is that preparatory work is minimal and the installation process is very simple. Furthermore, the Eclisse pocket door system is neat, stylish, safe and robust, and if you contact our sales team today we can explain this installation process and why a floor track isn’t needed, and we can also ensure that you have years of practical and pain-free use of your amazing Eclisse pocket door.