A pocket door slides into a hidden pocket inside the wall, so when it is open the door disappears and the opening is left completely clear. Inside the house that usually means a lightweight door running in a frame kit built into a stud wall; outside it means a full-height glazed sliding door that slides into a specially built cavity in an external wall, so a whole section of the back of the house opens up.
The two are very different in scale and cost, but the same principles apply: the wall has to be designed around the pocket, nothing else can go in that part of the wall, and the decisions have to be made early. This guide covers both types.
What is the difference between external and internal pocket doors?
An external pocket sliding door is a glazed sliding door system where one or more panels slide into a pocket formed within the external wall. It is an exterior door, so it has to keep out weather and intruders, meet the energy and safety glazing rules for doors, and carry heavy glass panels. Our pocket sliding doors page covers the system in detail.
An internal pocket door is a door between rooms that slides into a stud partition. It is much lighter, usually a solid or glazed timber leaf, and is chosen to save the floor space a hinged door needs to swing. See our internal pocket doors page for styles and finishes.
How is the pocket formed?
Internally, the pocket is usually formed with a pocket door kit: a pre-made frame with a top track, vertical studs and horizontal rails that is fixed into the partition and then boarded over with plasterboard. The door hangs from carriages running in the top track, with a guide at floor level to keep it steady. Kits come in single and double versions and in standard door heights.
Externally, the pocket is part of the structure. It is a cavity within the external wall that is wide and deep enough for the sliding panels, their track and the insulation around them, and the wall above has to be carried by a beam or lintel spanning both the opening and the pocket. That makes it structural work, needing structural calculations and a Building Regulations application in England, or a building warrant in Scotland. It is far easier to design into a new build or extension than to retrofit into an existing wall.
How thick does the wall need to be?
For an internal pocket door, the finished stud wall is typically around 100–125 mm thick, depending on the kit and the thickness of the door. That can be thicker than an existing partition, so the wall is often rebuilt or thickened along the length of the pocket.
The pocket also needs length. The wall beside the opening must be at least as long as the door is wide, plus the frame, so a single pocket door needs a straight run of wall of a little over twice the door width. A double pocket door needs a pocket on each side of the opening.
External pocket walls are thicker again, because the cavity has to hold glazed panels that are far heavier than an internal door and still leave room for insulation and the outer leaf. The exact build-up comes from the door system and the structural design.
Can sockets and pipes go in a pocket wall?
No. The pocket zone must be kept clear of sockets, light switches, cables, pipes, radiators and anything fixed with long screws, because the door slides into that space. Heavy items on the face of the pocket wall, such as shelves, a television bracket or kitchen units, are also a problem unless the pocket is designed with fixing points.
Plan services before the wall is built. Switches and sockets can usually go on the other side of the opening or on a return wall. Moving a radiator or a pipe run is part of the cost of the job, and any cables should be rerouted by a qualified electrician.
Do pocket doors have soft-close?
Most internal pocket door kits can be fitted with soft-close dampers that catch the door near the end of its travel and ease it shut or fully open, which stops it slamming or bouncing back. Some kits add soft-close at both ends. Flush pulls on the faces of the door and an edge pull let you draw it out of the pocket.
External pocket systems use heavy-duty rollers and multipoint locking like other large sliders, and some are based on lift and slide mechanisms for very heavy panels.
Are pocket doors good for privacy and sound?
Pocket doors are not as quiet as a well-sealed hinged door. There are small gaps around the leaf so it can slide, and the pocket itself is a hollow space in the wall, so sound passes more easily than through a solid partition. They work well between a kitchen and dining room, into a utility room or a walk-in wardrobe, where saving space matters more than sound.
For a bathroom or WC you can fit a privacy lock and choose a solid door, but expect less acoustic separation than a hinged door with seals. Where quiet is the priority, such as a home office or a bedroom next to a living room, a hinged door may suit better.
How much do pocket doors cost?
Guide prices, fitted, inc VAT, at standard height:
- Internal single pocket door, supplied and fitted: £895–£1,595
- Internal double pocket door, with a pocket on each side: £1,695–£2,795
- External pocket sliding door, 3.0 m wide at 2.1 m high, including forming the wall pocket: from £8,395
Internal prices depend on the door style, glazing, handles and how much making good the wall needs. Because the external version is structural work, its final figure depends heavily on the wall, the beam and the finishes. Typical building work for a new opening takes 3–5 days before the door goes in. Every price is fixed in a written quote after survey.
Which type of pocket door suits my project?
Choose an internal pocket door to save space in a hallway, a small kitchen, an en suite or anywhere a hinged door would clash with furniture or another door. Choose an external pocket sliding door when you want the whole width of an opening clear onto a garden or terrace, and you are building an extension or new home where the wall can be designed around the pocket.
If you are not sure whether a wall can take a pocket, send photos and the wall position with a quote request and we will explain what is involved before a survey.
Common questions
Can I fit a pocket door into an existing wall?
Internally, often yes, but the existing wall section is usually taken down and rebuilt around a pocket kit, which means replastering and redecorating, and any sockets, switches or pipes in that length must be moved. Externally it is major structural work, because the wall above the opening and the pocket must be carried by a beam, so it is normally designed into an extension or new build.
Can a pocket door be locked?
Yes. Internal pocket doors can take a privacy lock or a bathroom-style turn and release, using a hook bolt that engages with the frame, and external pocket sliding doors use multipoint locking like other exterior sliders. Ask about locking at the start, because some kits need the lock prepared in the door before it is fitted.
What happens if a pocket door needs repairing?
Internal pocket door kits are designed so the door can be lifted off its carriages without opening up the wall, and the guide and stops can be reached from the opening. A problem with the track deep inside the pocket is harder to reach, which is why a good-quality kit and careful fitting matter. For external systems, ask how panels are removed for servicing.
Are pocket doors more expensive than hinged doors?
Usually, yes. An internal pocket door adds the cost of the kit and the work to build or rebuild the stud wall, and an external pocket door adds structural work to form the pocket. Guide prices, fitted, inc VAT, at standard height are £895–£1,595 for a single internal pocket door and from £8,395 for a 3.0 m external pocket door.