How to Make Air Pocket Doors

Luan mahogany works best for air pocket doors.

Air pocket doors are easy to make. They are simple hollow doors that fit into empty air space inside walls. You install a track inside the wall before the drywall is nailed on. The door hangs on the track and slides in and out of the wall, usually in tight spaces such as hallways where a swinging door will not fit. Pocket doors are fragile due to thin construction. If they get slammed or abused the plywood lamination can come loose, and they need to be replaced.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pieces luan mahogany plywood, 1/4-by-28-by-80 inches
• 2 pieces fir lumber, 1-by-1 1/2-by-80 inches
• 2 pieces fir lumber, 1-by-1 1/2-by-26 inches
• Wood glue
• 20 hand spring clamps with rubber jaws
• Hand block with 100-grit sandpaper
• Finger pull and hanger bearings (optional)

Instructions

1. Lay one piece of plywood across two sawhorses. Run a bead of glue all the way around the perimeter of the plywood.

2. Lay the two long pieces of lumber along the side, one on each side, flush with the edge and the top. Lay the two short pieces between the two long pieces at the top and bottom to form a rectangular frame.

3. Run a bead of glue along the top of the lumber frame. Lay the other piece of plywood on top of the frame in the glue. Square and flush it all the way around. You should have a door that is 1 1/2 inches wide.

4. Place the hand spring clamps all the way around the perimeter of the door, spacing them evenly or wherever the plywood doesn't fit flat against the frame. Wait 1 hour for the glue to dry.

5. Remove the clamps. Hand sand and round the edges of the door with a hand block with 100-grit sandpaper.

Tips & Warnings

• The measurements here are for examples. Your door openings may vary. Luan mahogany is used because it is the lightest of all the plywood, but you can use any type of wood you like.

• Screw a brass finger pull of your choice into the side of the door. Screw on two hanger bearings on the top of the door that match the rail inside the wall. Typically they all work the same, but compare one from an older door if possible to get a matching one.