Door Industry Journal - Winter 2021

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk Entrance, Sliding & Bi-folding Doors 110 THE door industry journal winter 2021 The Magnificent Seven Pocket doors – internal sliding doors that glide into a cavity in the wall hung from a top rail system – often get specified where for confined spaces where an ordinary hinged door’s swing would take up too much room or impede movement. But that’s not the only reason to choose a pocket door, as the people at Boss, the UK distributor of Italy’s favourite pocket door system, Scrigno, explains. 1. They save space. This is the most common reason why people consider pocket doors. In tight spaces, like en suite bathrooms, for instance, the swing of an ordinary hinged door will eat into the valuable square feet available. Pocket doors solve that problem in one fell swoop. And space, of course, costs money. The average asking price per square metre of a house in England and Wales is now in excess of £2,954 — up 19% compared to five years ago, according to Rightmove. 2. They save wall space as well as room space: you can place furniture, pictures or storage on the wall next to a pocket door without the problems associated with a hinged door swinging to obscure or damage it, making the most of every inch in a home. Designers recommend leaving nearly a metre clearance in front of a door for furniture placement, but there are no such restrictions to your room design with pocket doors. 3. Versatility and convenience: pocket doors make for the ultimate versatility in room planning, instantly converting an open plan area into two more intimate spaces. They allow a building’s layout to flow according to the occupants’ needs – for instance, doors to a dining room closed for an intimate dinner, open for a large family party to allow guests to flow through the house. 4. Aesthetics. Many homeowners choose pocket doors because they prefer the streamlined, simple, elegant look that pocket doors give. 5. Pocket doors are quick and easy to fit. Pocket door hardware has improved beyond all recognition in recent years with the vast majority being hung from a top rail. Scrigno door kits are the ultimate in simplicity to install since they come as a pre-assembled, fast-to-fit cassette kit. 6. Fire-rated are versions available so all doors can match beautifully even if one or more needs to have an FD30 fire rating 7. Easier to use for less able-bodied people. A door can be a barrier for less able-bodied people – gripping and pressing a lever handle while moving out of the path of a swinging hinged door can be difficult, especially if the user has crutches, a frame or a wheelchair for example. A sliding pocket door removes many of those obstacles and can help make a home more accessible and easier to use for everyone. www.bossdoorcontrols.com