How to Install Pocket Door Handles

A pocket door is a door that slides into an opening in the wall. Although a locking pocket door handle looks nothing like a standard swinging door handle, the door install process is the same. You need to bore a mounting hole for the handle and lock, and mortise the striker plate into the door. After the locking pocket door handle is installed you will be able to lock the door for an added amount of privacy for sliding doors located in a bedroom or bathroom. Place your marks carefully in order to ensure that the privacy lock will function properly.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Drill
• 15/16th inch wood boring bit
• 2 1/8th inch wood boring bit
• Hammer
• Wood chisel
• Phillips screwdriver
• Phillips screws
• Soapstone

Instructions

1. Measure up from the floor 36 inches and place a mark on both sides of the pocket door. Locate the center of the privacy lock by placing a mark 2 3/8ths of an inch back from the front edge of the pocket door, on your 36-inch mark off the floor. Mark the same location on the other side of the door.

2. Place a pencil mark 36 inches off of the floor on the front edge of the pocket door. Mark the center of the width on the pocket door edge.

3. Insert the 15/16th wood boring bit into the drill. Drill a 15/16th inch hole where the two lines intersect on the front edge of the pocket door. Make the hole 4 inches deep.

4. Insert the 2 1/8th inch wood boring bit into the drill. Align the wood boring bit with the mark located 36 inches from the floor and 2 3/8 inches from the front edge of the pocket door. Drill half-way through the door with the wood boring bit. Stop drilling and switch to the corresponding mark on the other side of the door. Drilling from both sides of the door will eliminating the pocket doors wood veneer from splitting.

5. Set the latch into the 15/16th inch hole you bored on the front edge of the pocket door. Trace the latch plate with the pencil. Remove the latch plate.

6. Use the wood chisel and hammer to mortise the traced area 1/8th of an inch deep. To mortise the latch plate, hold the wood chisel on the pencil line and lightly hit the chisel with the hammer. After you score the entire pencil line, place the wood chisel in the center of the scored area. Tilt the wood chisel down and strike the wood chisel with the hammer. This will remove the wood from inside the scored area.

7. Secure the latch to the pocket door: Insert 2 Phillips screws into the latch plate with the Phillips screwdriver. Rub the lead of the pencil over the end of the latch. Close the pocket door and move the door gently from side to side. Open the pocket door. There will be a pencil mark on the door frame. Drill a 15/16th-inch hole using the rubbed pencil mark as the hole center. Drill the hole 1-inch deep. Place the striker plate over the hole. Trace the outline of the striker plate with a pencil. Perform a mortise for the striker plate. Use the mortise procedure outlined for the latch plate in step 6.

8. Mount the striker plate into the mortised opening on the door frame. Insert a Phillips screw into the top mounting hole of the striker plate. Run the screw into the door frame with the Phillips screwdriver. Leave the screw slightly loose. Insert a second Phillips screw into the lower striker plate mounting hole. Fully tighten the lower Phillips screw. Make sure that the striker plate is straight in the mortised area. Fully tighten the screw in the top striker plate mounting hole.

9. Attach the locking pocket door handle to the sliding door. Keep the pocket door open enough that you can stand facing the front edge of the door and reach the 2 1/8 inch holes that you drilled for the pocket door handle. Insert the door handle that does not have screw holes (non-lock side) into the 2 1/8 inch hole. Ensure that the lock side of the pocket door handle is located in the room that requires privacy. Insert two 1/4-inch bolts into the holes located on the locking side of the pocket door handle. Place the locking side of the handle into the 2 1/8th inch hole located across from the non-locking side of the handle. Align the 1/4-inch bolts with the threaded bolt holes of the non-locking side of the pocket door handle. When both 1/4-inch bolts are started in the threads of the non-locking side of the handle, fully tighten the top 1/4-inch bolt and then tighten the lower 1/4-inch bolt. Close the door and test the lock.

10. Adjust the striker plate if the pocket door handle does not lock. With the door ajar, engage the lock. Rub the soapstone on the lock mechanism that hooks the striker plate pin. The striker plate pin is located in the recessed area of the striker plate and is easily visible. It is a horizontal rod that is generally 1/8th of an inch in diameter. Close the door. Engage and disengage the pocket handle lock 5 to 6 times. Open the door. Loosen the 2 Phillips screws that are securing the striker plate. If the soapstone mark is located above the striker plate pin, raise the striker plate and re-tighten the Phillips screws to secure the striker plate. Reverse the procedure if the soapstone mark is located below the striker plate pin.

References

• Pocket Door Privacy Lock Installation