What a great video. I am currently in the process of saving an old home with a couple of buddies. We volunteer our time to save this gem. My last project there was replacing a main support beam in the mid section. This home had a 24 foot span, but over the years and neglect of a leaking roof, etc. the flooring started bowing and rotting and the beam was rotting too. The mid section of this beam was in really bad shape for this gem of a home in Ohio. They use 3-2x8s sandwiched to make the beam and the longest length was 12 feet, so lots of staggered joints. Now that we have replaced 2/3 of the beam, I am off to the next task, tearing out a remodel wall and putting back the pocket doors to restore form and function. Wish me luck and as always, thank you for sharing so much with us guys, I learn so much from you all the time.
Hi Brent, thank you for the video, so glad I found your channel. I just bought a 1900 home with pocket doors and they have those unusual hangers, I believe they're called Dix Hangers. Your videos showing the inner workings helped me just fix mine. Thank you so so much!
Try out Johnson bifold hardware. It’s time consuming to install, but works great! The doors actually hang from the track. Thanks for the educational videos!
Thank You! My 1911 house has the last style hanger that you showed with the angled screw. Several of the doors are dragging on the carpet and now I know what to do so they don't!
Great video. I have the exact same pocket door hardware. The one with the cotter pin to be exact. I am going to replace it with the soft open/ close Johnson Hardware.
Still haven't found another example of our 1907 (maybe 1909) pocket door in Eureka, California, on RUclips or historic websites. But always glad to see other examples!
I had those screws that were adjustable, but they had a cover held down by gravity I guess for looks, beats me lol. Once I was sure what I was working with I pulled the covers up and voila I was able to adjust them so they'd close properly again. Thanks! P.S. my house was built in 1890 and the tracks still work fine. They have some brass decoration even but it's not visible, it's hidden behind the molding lol
Great video! So cool to see how historic doors and hardware work. I purchased the Audels carpenter and builder series (copyright 1951 versión) after seeing it recommended in the comments of one of your videos and saw some details for accordion doors. I haven’t seen any information online about historic accordion doors, have you come across many of them in your work?
I have a 1900 farmhouse with a pocket door that matches the hardware on the second door you showed in the video. My door is missing one of the caster sets…any idea of where I could find one to purchase?
It depends on the material of the wheels and tracks. Also which parts you need to lubricate. You could use wax on the tracks and oil on the wheels. Good luck.
We moved into a house that was built in 1905. The previous owners removed the double pocket doors with the second hardware. I am trying to put them back in. Do you have a video showing how to install them without opening the wall (I don’t think they opened the wall to get them out). Also, the adjustment screws are missing! Do you know the standard size so I could order replacements? 🤞 Thank you for the videos!
I grew up in an 1880's Victorian farmhouse with this same type of heavy pocket doors. They had ceased to roll in my teenage years (1970's). So my parents simple kept them tucked into the walls. Makes me wonder if the present owners, when fixing up the home, kept those doors. I do hope so. I loved them.
Hi! Perfect info about the old rollers…just my adjusting screw on both doors are super tight what would you suggest about helping to loosen screw so I can adjust? (& not strip screwhead 😵💫) My house is 1909 Californian Craftsman, very solid heavy doors.
Hi Brent -I’m a 1910 Edwardian in San Francisco. One door is hitting the floor on front edge but not rear. I thought it was “off the rails” but your video helped me visualize what’s going on up there… I think I just need to “pull up” the front edge, or tighten the gap from door to the wheel... However, my “screw” (the only one I can find) faces straight down, and is only accessible through a little half circle opening in the wood piece below the rail…. Just cannot get to it!! Need the trick, or help. I’ll try to attach a photo. Thank you!! -Emily ps, emailed photos!
I have a set of pocket doors that appear to have the second mechanism you featured. I am going to be installing new flooring and need to remove the doors, likely trim the bottom, and then reinstall. The doors currently move freely but do not have enough clearance for the new floor. How do I remove the doors without tearing apart the entire wall?
We have a 1930 craftsman home with pocket closets at the front door entrance. They were mostly nonfunctional when we purchased the home but my husband fixed them so they glide fairly smoothly now on the tracks. There’s no pull hardware to grab to slide them out tho, we have to just put our fingers around the edges in the gap of the pocket, so they’re still a challenge. Not sure what to do and haven’t seen anything like these pocket closets to glean how they’re supposed to work. Have you come across this feature in your work? Love your videos, I just subbed to your podcast too
How would you lubricate the wheels and rail? Mine rail is also wooden so I don't want to shoot it with WD40. Should I use graphite or something? Curious to hear anyones thoughts.
We have the second mechanical system but our doors meet in the middle that’s how they stop .The back system is the one that needs adjustment. Do we pull the door out.? Very heavy doors
Brent I’ve got a question for you. Looking at the products from Johnson and others they all have a max sliding distance of 3’-4’. Any ideas on longer spans than that? Do any of these products allow combining nose to tail to get a 6 or 8 foot sliding distance? What would you recommend to a client in that scenario? Certainly looks like that more ancient design would, with a millimeter gap or just a small weld to tie the two tracks together.
Hmm, I'm not sure. When we do a double pocket door we have very long tracks. They don't even need to be welded together. They can just be stacked back to back. I'll look into it. Thanks.
Well it depends, on age and type. But typically it can be screwed out and removed. You can send me a pic to info@brenthull.com and I'll take a look. Thanks.
Went to adjust mine just now and got it rolling great, but then closed it and realized since I only have access to one side, it ended up with a 3/4 inch gap at the top, so I adjusted it back down.
Update regarding the pocket doors stopper. Ours is in the middle of the door toward the opening of the frame for the doors. Just in case someone is wondering .
@@BrentHull Cool, I'm moving into a new house that has two sets of these doors and they told us that they "don't work" and would probably come off the tracks and be a huge ordeal to put back on but I want to get them working.
Thank you Brent, your videos are super clear and useful as always! This is exactly the mechanism we have in our pocket doors (house from late 19th century). One of the doors drags on the floor. I tried to adjust the screw, as per your video. But it seems like the screw is loose, when I try to tighten it.. it just keeps on spinning and spinning without tightening. Anything I can do without opening up anything?
Hmm, try shimming the door up from the bottom so that the wheel carriage has no weight. Try again without the weight of the door, the screw may be stripped and this will allow you to re-engage some threads further up the bolt. Good luck
Thank you! Shimming the door didn’t help however... Now indeed the only solution seems to be to remove the bolt and replace. Is that easy? Where to find a replacement bolt?
Great content and I too wish we didn't have to deal with the crappy hardware that is still being installed. As a side note- tell your drummer to tone it down, especially at 0:48, they are just a distraction and only high school kids would think that all your overdone music is cool or effective.
First off, thanks for this video. It's difficult to find videos on doors of this period. Secondly, the fellow working the camera could spend more effort focusing *on the subject!* instead of your face. You'd frequently be explaining something about the door hardware only for the camera to have it in the far top left, barely visible. Again, thanks for a video on this important topic.
Your camera person, for several videos now, has not put the camera on the thing you're pointing out... I'm sure whatever you were talking about was interesting enough to see, but we didn't get to.
I most of the world, not so much, but in many places in the U.S., it very much is. Not a lot of people alive from that time anymore too, so becoming more historic.
What a great video. I am currently in the process of saving an old home with a couple of buddies. We volunteer our time to save this gem. My last project there was replacing a main support beam in the mid section. This home had a 24 foot span, but over the years and neglect of a leaking roof, etc. the flooring started bowing and rotting and the beam was rotting too. The mid section of this beam was in really bad shape for this gem of a home in Ohio. They use 3-2x8s sandwiched to make the beam and the longest length was 12 feet, so lots of staggered joints. Now that we have replaced 2/3 of the beam, I am off to the next task, tearing out a remodel wall and putting back the pocket doors to restore form and function. Wish me luck and as always, thank you for sharing so much with us guys, I learn so much from you all the time.
Well done, keep up the good work.
Hi Brent, thank you for the video, so glad I found your channel. I just bought a 1900 home with pocket doors and they have those unusual hangers, I believe they're called Dix Hangers. Your videos showing the inner workings helped me just fix mine. Thank you so so much!
Nice, so glad it helped. CHeers.
I love your videos. What a clever mechanism.
Thank you!
wow this was SO SUPER HELPFUL!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks, this is a project that we need to do very soon.
ok.
Beautiful video
Thank you
Try out Johnson bifold hardware. It’s time consuming to install, but works great! The doors actually hang from the track. Thanks for the educational videos!
Thanks for the tip!
An outstanding craftsman 😃👌
Thanks!
Thank You!
My 1911 house has the last style hanger that you showed with the angled screw. Several of the doors are dragging on the carpet and now I know what to do so they don't!
Nice. Thanks.
Great video.
I have the exact same pocket door hardware. The one with the cotter pin to be exact. I am going to replace it with the soft open/ close Johnson Hardware.
Good call!
Love your content, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Still haven't found another example of our 1907 (maybe 1909) pocket door in Eureka, California, on RUclips or historic websites. But always glad to see other examples!
Cool. I'll find another one for a future video.
I put Cavity Slider pocket door frame and hardware in my home renovation. They are strong, smooth, and quiet. I highly recommend them.
Cool, thanks for the tip.
I had those screws that were adjustable, but they had a cover held down by gravity I guess for looks, beats me lol. Once I was sure what I was working with I pulled the covers up and voila I was able to adjust them so they'd close properly again. Thanks!
P.S. my house was built in 1890 and the tracks still work fine. They have some brass decoration even but it's not visible, it's hidden behind the molding lol
Nice! Thx for sharing.
Great video! So cool to see how historic doors and hardware work. I purchased the Audels carpenter and builder series (copyright 1951 versión) after seeing it recommended in the comments of one of your videos and saw some details for accordion doors. I haven’t seen any information online about historic accordion doors, have you come across many of them in your work?
Yes, there is some in some older 1920's catalogs that are interesting. I'll try to work it into a video. Thanks!
I have a 1900 farmhouse with a pocket door that matches the hardware on the second door you showed in the video. My door is missing one of the caster sets…any idea of where I could find one to purchase?
That is a hard one. I would try architectural salvage yards. There are many around the country who would have parts. Good luck.
What type of lubricant, if any, do you recommend for these old pocket doors? Ours are circa 1915 in a Texas vernacular farm house.
It depends on the material of the wheels and tracks. Also which parts you need to lubricate. You could use wax on the tracks and oil on the wheels. Good luck.
@@BrentHull A hybrid of what you showed. Metal bars in a "v" configuration with the wheels running down the middle.
We moved into a house that was built in 1905. The previous owners removed the double pocket doors with the second hardware. I am trying to put them back in. Do you have a video showing how to install them without opening the wall (I don’t think they opened the wall to get them out). Also, the adjustment screws are missing! Do you know the standard size so I could order replacements? 🤞
Thank you for the videos!
Sorry, not sure I understand the problem.
I grew up in an 1880's Victorian farmhouse with this same type of heavy pocket doors. They had ceased to roll in my teenage years (1970's). So my parents simple kept them tucked into the walls. Makes me wonder if the present owners, when fixing up the home, kept those doors. I do hope so. I loved them.
Nice. Me too! Thanks,
Hi! Perfect info about the old rollers…just my adjusting screw on both doors are super tight what would you suggest about helping to loosen screw so I can adjust? (& not strip screwhead 😵💫) My house is 1909 Californian Craftsman, very solid heavy doors.
Spray some WD40 on them and let it set and work in for 10 minutes then try again. Get a slotted screw driver that fits the slot tightly. Good luck.
Hi Brent -I’m a 1910 Edwardian in San Francisco. One door is hitting the floor on front edge but not rear. I thought it was “off the rails” but your video helped me visualize what’s going on up there… I think I just need to “pull up” the front edge, or tighten the gap from door to the wheel...
However, my “screw” (the only one I can find) faces straight down, and is only accessible through a little half circle opening in the wood piece below the rail….
Just cannot get to it!! Need the trick, or help. I’ll try to attach a photo. Thank you!! -Emily
ps, emailed photos!
Thanks, you need a long flat head screwdriver. That should work. I'll check out your pics
did you ever find the replace bolts? I am looking for the same.
Yes, through an architectural salvage yard, but it wasn't easy. Good luck.
I have a set of pocket doors that appear to have the second mechanism you featured. I am going to be installing new flooring and need to remove the doors, likely trim the bottom, and then reinstall. The doors currently move freely but do not have enough clearance for the new floor. How do I remove the doors without tearing apart the entire wall?
The rails are often split. You can remove the screws holding the rail and slide the door off. Good luck.
@@BrentHull thanks for your prompt response. I'll investigate more and hope it's that easy! Thank you!
We have a 1930 craftsman home with pocket closets at the front door entrance. They were mostly nonfunctional when we purchased the home but my husband fixed them so they glide fairly smoothly now on the tracks. There’s no pull hardware to grab to slide them out tho, we have to just put our fingers around the edges in the gap of the pocket, so they’re still a challenge. Not sure what to do and haven’t seen anything like these pocket closets to glean how they’re supposed to work. Have you come across this feature in your work? Love your videos, I just subbed to your podcast too
Nice, thanks. I have another pocket door video coming soon.
i just bought a home 1906...just noticed one is way off so the latch dont work right..thanks for the video i seen a screw like what you showed
Nice. Congrats on your new home.
thanks now get off my lawn! lol jk
How would you lubricate the wheels and rail? Mine rail is also wooden so I don't want to shoot it with WD40. Should I use graphite or something? Curious to hear anyones thoughts.
Good question. Should be steel on steel so graphite might work.
We have the second mechanical system but our doors meet in the middle that’s how they stop .The back system is the one that needs adjustment. Do we pull the door out.? Very heavy doors
Send pics to info@brenthull.com Happy to help if we can. It's hard to pull the doors without removing casing on one side.
Brent I’ve got a question for you. Looking at the products from Johnson and others they all have a max sliding distance of 3’-4’. Any ideas on longer spans than that? Do any of these products allow combining nose to tail to get a 6 or 8 foot sliding distance? What would you recommend to a client in that scenario?
Certainly looks like that more ancient design would, with a millimeter gap or just a small weld to tie the two tracks together.
Hmm, I'm not sure. When we do a double pocket door we have very long tracks. They don't even need to be welded together. They can just be stacked back to back. I'll look into it. Thanks.
@@BrentHull Brent, thank you!!
How to you remove the middle stopper between the two pocket doors?
Well it depends, on age and type. But typically it can be screwed out and removed. You can send me a pic to info@brenthull.com and I'll take a look. Thanks.
Just did!
Thanks Brent!
Went to adjust mine just now and got it rolling great, but then closed it and realized since I only have access to one side, it ended up with a 3/4 inch gap at the top, so I adjusted it back down.
You can deal with the gap at the top by building down with trim.
What does the stop in the middle look like, ours is missing.
It was typically a wood block. I've seen metal with a felt stopper. Good luck.
How do you remove the middle stopper without opening the walls or removing the modeling ?
Hello I am working in a 1920 brownstone in Brooklyn NY these pocket doors have a bottom track as well; is anyone familiar with?
I see them in the historic catalogs but haven't seen them in the field. Good luck.
Update regarding the pocket doors stopper. Ours is in the middle of the door toward the opening of the frame for the doors. Just in case someone is wondering .
Thanks.
Are you saying to fix these doors, all I have to do is tighten those bolts?
Well, adjust the bolts raises and lowers the door. So yes.
@@BrentHull Cool, I'm moving into a new house that has two sets of these doors and they told us that they "don't work" and would probably come off the tracks and be a huge ordeal to put back on but I want to get them working.
Thank you Brent, your videos are super clear and useful as always! This is exactly the mechanism we have in our pocket doors (house from late 19th century).
One of the doors drags on the floor. I tried to adjust the screw, as per your video. But it seems like the screw is loose, when I try to tighten it.. it just keeps on spinning and spinning without tightening. Anything I can do without opening up anything?
Hmm, try shimming the door up from the bottom so that the wheel carriage has no weight. Try again without the weight of the door, the screw may be stripped and this will allow you to re-engage some threads further up the bolt. Good luck
Can Bolt be removed? Examined, replace? Can a sq nut be added or replaced?
Thank you!
Shimming the door didn’t help however...
Now indeed the only solution seems to be to remove the bolt and replace. Is that easy? Where to find a replacement bolt?
I assume that he is saying "cotter" pin when he says "carter" pin. I've never heard of a carter pin.
Yes.
Great content and I too wish we didn't have to deal with the crappy hardware that is still being installed.
As a side note- tell your drummer to tone it down, especially at 0:48, they are just a distraction and only high school kids would think that all your overdone music is cool or effective.
Thanks for the feedback.
First off, thanks for this video. It's difficult to find videos on doors of this period. Secondly, the fellow working the camera could spend more effort focusing *on the subject!* instead of your face. You'd frequently be explaining something about the door hardware only for the camera to have it in the far top left, barely visible. Again, thanks for a video on this important topic.
ok.
Your camera person, for several videos now, has not put the camera on the thing you're pointing out... I'm sure whatever you were talking about was interesting enough to see, but we didn't get to.
Working on it. Better ones are coming.
Our pocket door was installed in 1949 and has lost a roller. Whea😅
oh Boy! Good luck.
How to install a pocket door
Working on it. Thanks.
1928 isn't historic
Thx, it is in my world
I most of the world, not so much, but in many places in the U.S., it very much is. Not a lot of people alive from that time anymore too, so becoming more historic.