I wasn’t opposed to putting in a regular swinging door from the foyer leading to the kitchen, but I’ve wanted to try making a pocket door for some time now. There are two excellent blog posts on dollhouse pocket doors that I found while researching. First, a fine set of pocket doors at Myrtlewood Manor where an upper track was used to keep the doors in place. Second, KathieB’s single pocket door where extra wood was attached to the door and foam core used to create the pocket.
I ended up choosing Kathie’s guide to follow since it seemed the easiest for me to figure out and I already had the materials on hand. It was also exactly the type of setup I wanted with a single door.
I added the extra pieces to the door and cut two outer wall pieces from 1/8″ thick plywood. I’ll use 1/4″ foam core board as the inner layer, just as in Kathie’s example. I’ve started painting the door Vintage White by Folk Art to match the trim I’ll be using.
Putting in a pocket door wall also allows me to tackle another problem. My parlor ceiling will be a different height than my kitchen ceiling. However, the board for the second floor is a single piece that spans the entire area of the house. By having a wall made from various layers, each outside layer could be built to act as a support for its adjacent ceiling and I could cut the floor board into two separate pieces. Oh, that sounds so simple on paper. Ha ha.
My parlor wall is 9″ tall to accommodate the new Houseworks narrow stairs. I have the stairs as close as possible to the pocket door while still allowing for proper trim around the new doorway. If it were back much further, it would encroach on the bookcase and leave very little at the top of the stairs on the second floor.
My kitchen wall is 8 1/8″ inches tall as intended for the original kit. The pocket door will be hard to see in this room with Keli’s fabulous Hoosier cabinet next to it. As you can see, there is just enough room for the Roper range, the Hoosier cabinet and the door. :D
There are two remaining issues concerning the second floor board: the interior trim around the front door will hit right at ceiling height and the placement of the stairs presents challenges for fitting in a door to the bedroom (the room above the kitchen). I knew these would be issues to address when I chose the new front door and decided to place the stairs in the middle of the first floor.
My plan is to have a two-story foyer to address the trim around the front door. I’ll work out the upper hallway layout later but I already have some ideas in mind.
Part 2 here.
