What Are The Different Types Of Pocket Door Hardware Available?

The pocket door is a timeless design classic that has numerous practical benefits, but you can maximise its suitability to you by adding pocket door hardware and accessories. These are a range of design features which customise the door for an individual and act to offer different functions and improve the convenience and control the door offers the user.

Pocket Door hardware is not suitable for every door system by default, the suitability of some will be dependent on the type of system you have. However, in most cases the hardware can be retro-fitted, so you can have the pocket door system installed and then assess which types of hardware or accessories might be the most appropriate to add, as you get used to operating it. There are many types of accessory or pocket door hardware available, and here we have listed the most common types:

Soft-closing/anti-slam mechanism

Much like the type of mechanism you would add to a kitchen drawer or cupboard, these are a type of unit where you only need to touch or push the door very slightly to ensure it then closes. At a certain amount of force, the door takes over and completes the closing action. This mechanism ensures that the door closing process is controlled, even where excessive force is used. So this could be useful where high winds or drafts exist which could catch a door and ordinarily slam it shut, or where young children are prone to slamming doors. This feature avoids noise, damage and increases safety, and if you have double pocket doors then you can purchase and install one unit on each door.

Touch latch system

Some people like to install a pocket door so it is completely concealed within the pocket and is flush to the edge of the pocket when in the ‘open’ position. This looks neat and tidy but does mean it can be hard to grab the door to close it, or it may need a finger-pull system fitting to the leading edge of the door. A touch latch system enables the user to apply a soft touch to this leading edge of the door and it is then ejected out of its pocket to close.

Self-closing mechanism

This is a mechanism that can be fitted to a door so that it automatically closes once it has been opened, and the speed with which it closes can be adjusted to suit your home and the kind of traffic travelling through the door. This would be useful if you are using the door with your hands full, or maybe for disabled access where the person does not then have to turn around to close the door. It is also very good for fire safety compliance and security reasons, where you can guarantee that certain doors will be closed and you don’t have to rely on people manually closing them. This accessory can also be fitted to work with the anti-slam feature.

Double-door coordination

With this system it is possible to link two doors together to close them simultaneously, and in effect you are using the action for closing one door to instead close two doors. So with the doors closed, you would push one open and both doors would open together, and with the doors open you would pull one closed and both doors would close. Again, this is quite useful if you are carrying something and only have one hand free. For obvious reasons this is designed to work only with double door systems.

Motorised unit

These systems combine a motor and magnetic technology to automatically open doors using a button or a remote control. Because of the weight of the doors and the technology needed, these are usually only suitable for operating single doors. The operation is quiet and effective, and is useful for disabled access, or any situation where a person needs to operate the doors remotely or as they approach them.

When assessing the type of pocket door hardware to purchase and install, it is important to assess whether the accessories are compatible for the type of pocket door system you have, and that they can be retro-fitted. In some cases, such as the self-closing mechanism for example, these are not suitable for flush systems, ie. where there is no surrounding architrave, and if you are looking at the double-door coordination kits, there is a specific type to order, depending on if you have a flush system or a standard pocket door system.