Cat_mom and Lottery thanks so much for the complements. I really appreciate all your insights and great contributions to this forum. Lottery I LOVE WALNUT! Hunzi, I got the hardware off of this site: Directdoorhardware dot com. They weren't cheap. Aren't your still putting kids through college? We're done and they are both out and working. Yippy! This is the description: "PL63SQSSS Linnea Standard Bore Pocket Door Lock - Square Style Finish: 304 Satin Stainless Steel". The carpenter thought that they operated very nicely. He did think they were a bit of work to install. He is a very good meticulous carpenter too. He said he would not recommend them. But he didn't take as long with the second door. And I know he likes exacting work. I think he just expected to pop those puppies in. He is the carpenter that made my soapstone vanity stand and my cabinets for my first bathroom install. This is my second bathroom. Lee, thank you so much. I really take that as a complement! So you need pocket door hardware. The actual mechanism is by Linnea but it didn't come with an edge pull. I found the Sugatsune edge pulls that blended nicely so I picked them up. Can you use "flush pulls"? Here is a link I found with flush pulls: http://www.directdoorhardware.com/linnea_flush_pulls.htm The towel tree can be pulled over so I want to warn of that. This summer I had it in my other bathroom waiting for this room to get done. My 3 year old grandson pulled it over. Fortunately he didn't get hit! So I would only recommend the setup to responsible adults ;) I love it though. Regarding the medicine cabinet, tonight I might install the LED track. I had to order special adaptor that I missed on my original order. My electrician is ok with me doing this portion. He installed the hard wire 12volt. I will attach the LED strip and the infrared on/off switch. I did a plug-in setup in my laundry cabinet with the infrared and it has worked beautifully so far. Raehelen, many questions...with answers for you:) The medicine cabinet door is an actual medicine cabinet door that I acquired 20 years ago. I didn't even know about any of this stuff. It sat in my basement for all this time. I almost gave it away to Habitat for Humanity. When I was looking for medicine cabinets this past summer 2013 (you aren't the only one with a year long bathroom project, I'm sorry to report :( Anyway when looking, I saw a Robern medicine cabinet at Fergeson's and thought about my Robern cabinet door, "could I have an actual medicine cabinet door?" I did. It is huge! The door is double sided mirror, but the inner mirror is not as wide as the outer mirror. The inner area is a sturdy plastic with spots for hinges. That is what told me it was the same as the med cab on display. I thought that my cab maker could get those hinges and install the door onto a box. The edge is a black plastic that as a channel or grove all along the edges. It is about 1/5" thick. Here is a close up of one corner: I will take more pictures for you in a bit and post them so you and your husband can see the mirror better. Pipdog, thanks so much and coming from the one who has that most wonderfully light and refreshing master bathroom remodel from 2 years ago! Did you move from that location? It seems you may have said that. The pulls were a real struggle for me. I wanted minimalist and safety. I saw similar pulls but there was always a sharp edge to the sticky out part. I kept visualizing my naked thigh getting gored by a sharp pull! Mine have a gentle radius that is not edgy. These pulls, I found at Goingknobs dot com. This is the order description for my 10 pulls I ordered: 10 x (Richelieu) - BP57680140 - Richelieu Hardware Bp57680140 Contemporary Stainless Steel Edge Pull 80MM Chrome Finish @ $6.14 I like that they wrap around the drawer front and get attached to the back side of the drawer front. To me it is more stable with the particle board construction of the walnut veneer cabinets.

What did you do? (Warning: Novel coming:) I am here to tell you that antique pocket door hardware is perfect, but 50s through early 90s hardware is AWFUL. Who ever thought a J channel would hold a door that gets a lot of use was an idiot. But not as big an idiot as anyone who installed it and walked away. It is ALL in the installation. I've put in 15 pocket doors using the Johnson Hardware's extruded tracks, with their 3-wheel system. No matter what the weight, I always use 3 rollers. Not only can I, a self-taught, dangerous DIYer, do it, but it's well balanced and beautiful. You don't need those giant pocket door kits, either. A 2x6 base plate, then 2x4s turned sideways down either side of the 2x6 makes the channel. The hardware goes on the top, add wheels, bumpers, trim and DONE. DONE I SAY! Your hardware fears are only valid if the same installation you're experiencing is used again, or the installation is too quick or faulty. I don't know what I'd do without the 9 extra square feet in my rooms. I've even used antique French doors (perfect for your dining room!?) in 3 of them. In the other doors, I'm using antique, horizontal 6-panel doors (harder to find than the 5-panel and cooler doors, I think) which are solid and beautiful. More interesting than any slab door. The only other tip I would suggest is to make certain they're exterior thickness, which is at least 1.75" thick. Interior doors these days are usually 1 3/8" thick and rather flimsy for a pocket. Today I'm installing the trim on the last of the French doors I'm using. It's an antique (i.e. also reclaimed) and just beautiful. Great sight line from the window in the mudroom, into the kitchen. Gives me more light than my dark kitchen than I'd had before. As you can see, I can't rave enough about my pockets. Don't let some contractor tell you they're too difficult or more expensive. Show them this DIYer's post and I'll help their pro-butts out. Remember, if this (nitwit) chick can do it, a pro should do it with their hammer tied behind their back.

"I went to work in an office that had a pocket door that never worked right because someone had driven nails into it at some point and it was never the same after" (palimpsest) Yes. This happened to us when DH nailed the baseboard on the wall between the laundry and kitchen. The door came off track. When we renovate I will replace or remove. However, this was builder grade. On our extension I added three pocket doors. The one I had put in for the powder room is a solid core door, not thinner than most doors, as I wanted as much sound-dampening as possible with such a device. We used Johnson Hardware - not the home depot variety which runs $ 40 or so, but commercial grade. Look at the Johnson site under 1500 Commercial Grade and you will also find non-standard size frames (door max thickness 1 3/4"). Use a good carpenter.

The room is going to be a den and in future could be used as a bedroom if needed.