Pocket Door Plywood Clips – Hang Heavy Stuff
Pocket Door Plywood Clips - The plywood panels you see fit in between the steel-wrapped pocket door studs are held in place with special u-shaped clips. The plywood allows you to hang heavy objects at the pocket location where flimsy anchors would fail. Solving pocket door problems like this is easy with Ask the Builder! (C) Copyright 2019 Tim Carter
Pocket Door Plywood Clips - Use For Heavy Things
QUESTION #1: Mr. Tim, can you solve a dilemma? I’m planning to install a few pocket doors in my new home. I already know at these locations I’ll have heavy mirrors and artwork on the walls where the door slides in and out of the pocket. I’m afraid the small anchors I will have to use will fail over time and the things will come crashing to the floor. What can I do to strengthen the wall to accept a traditional screw or two that won’t pull out? Connie B., Eugene, OR
Connie isn’t the first person to be faced with this situation with pocket doors. You may have scratched a door because you put in an anchor, a screw, or a nail too far that created a nasty blemish on the door as it slides into the pocket.
Can You Install Plywood Between Pocket Door Studs?
The great news is you can now easily install 5/8-inch-thick plywood panels in between the steel-wrapped wall studs that create the pocket for a pocket door. I wish this option would have been available years ago when several of my customers had the same issues with heavy objects!
These are the amazing pocket door plywood clips. CLICK on the photo to have them delivered to your home.
Johnson Hardware, a US company that makes superb pocket door hardware, developed pocket door plywood clips. The clips are U-shaped thin-metal hardware that slides onto the pocket-door studs and the plywood slides into the other side of the clips. These thin brackets slide onto the edge of pieces of 5/8-inch plywood that’s cut to fit the space between the thin studs that create the pockets.
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How Long Does it Take to Install the Clips?
It takes just seconds to attach the brackets to the edges of the plywood. You attach four of these brackets on each edge of the plywood. The brackets then slide onto the metal wrapped studs so the plywood stays in place.
Can Drywall Screws go into the Plywood?
The drywall contractor can attach his drywall to the wood-wrapped studs or put his screws into the plywood as well. The plywood is sufficiently strong that screws that just penetrate 5/8 inch will easily support mirrors or framed art that might weigh close to 100 pounds.
I can’t imagine anything weighing much more than that and even if it did, you’d just install a few more screws into the plywood to distribute the weight over several, not just one, screws.
Have You Installed the Pocket Door Plywood Clips?
I installed these simple brackets and plywood on two pocket doors at my daughter’s new home and had the job done in less than ten minutes. It’s important to realize you should select plywood that’s very flat.
What if the Plywood is Bowed or Curved?
If you have plywood that does have a bow to it, be sure to install the plywood so the bow faces out to the room. This ensures the door will not rub against the plywood as it slides in and out of the pocket.
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