It should probably be mentioned that you'll have to plaster the door frame after you remove the molding. The molding is there covering up some sizable gaps around the edges of the drywall and the door frame which is a hefty task in itself. Otherwise I'm sure everything else would be pretty straight foreword.

I agree with the editor... probably not the best idea for high traffic. Try a pocket door... less cute, but more functional :-)

some pocket doors are cute, some are elegant. Most put in today look like crap but it can be functional and attractive. I have some very nice ones in my apartment separating dining/living rooms and dining/entryway. My Aunt had an old Victorian and had several double oak door separating rooms on the parlor floor

I disagree with the editor. Having installed both PAX systems and the Sliding Door Company doors, there can be little difference in quality between the better Ikea products and the Sliding Door Company door panels. Particularly when considering the variety of PAX doors which use anodized aluminum frames and glass (such as the "drammen"). The idea that because it is an IKEA panel it wil be cheap and not hold up to regular use is really misinformes when it comes to their wardrobe doors in my opinion.

The problem is more how to attach the IKEA track system the PAX wardrobes use and how to mount it to a flat wall when it is designed to mount on the top of a wardrobe. It ends up being a long process and I have seen it done but I always come away thinking "why go to all the effort?" The Sliding Door Company does have a Wall Slide system but it is pricey if you are on a budget.

Finally, on the moulding issue, if you mount your track off the wall by the width of one off the shelf piece of MDF mounding from Home Depot it usually will clear your existing mouldings quite well, though maybe it will not be as sound proof as you'd like.

Mondern in MN did a post on their Ikea Stordal doors as a room divider:
http://moderninmn.blogspot.com/search?q=sliding door

I agree about the quality of the Ikea Pax door. You don't want to put that much time and effort into a new door for it to break in a year or too.
Check out McMaster Carr's barn door hardware. It will probably hold up much better. If you're really interested in that blue door then you might be able to use it w/ the McMaster hardware...? Let us know how it goes.

A friend did this for her kitchen door. The door and hardware were slightly different, but the effect was the same. It looked great, but when the door was closed, there was always a gap around the door and the door opening. This was just fine if you were trying to mask the sounds of the dishwasher. I don't think I would want the same gaps with a bathroom door.

We hacked the Pax doors last year, but to go on a custom closet. The quality of the hardware and the door are very nice. All anodized aluminum and sturdy. You won't be able to mount the door on a flat wall with the ikea hardware, and I think you'll be hard pressed to find other hardware that will work with the door. I do suggest you use another brand of door that if compatible with hardware that will work on a flat surface or go with a pocket door.

I just read somewhere that many people feel uneasy in a bathroom with a sliding door because it doesn't afford the same sense of privacy as a hinged door. Are you the only person who uses this bathroom?

<A HREF="http://www.outwatercatalogs.com/2008%5Fmaster/lg_display.cfm?page_number=31&catalog=080135"> Outwater Plastics Sliding Door Hardware</A>
I used outwater plastics hardware with mdf. Super sturdy after 4 years.

Splatgirl?

Sounds like you want a pocket door w/out ripping out the wall...
...I'd also go with a standard pocket door rather than the IKEA door - but install a cornice box above/outside the doorway to carry the pocket-door track and hardware. I saw this method employed in a hotel where I stayed a couple years back for the bathroom door and it was very effective.

My comment is similar to Luna, I recently stayed at a hotel with a sliding door to the bathroom and 'doing business' with another person in the next room is very uncomfortable. Just something to consider : )

We have been trying to do exactly the same thing. We ordered the track hardware from Johnson Hardware:

http://www.johnsonhardware.com/

Now, we just can't figure out how to hang it. At first we thought we would just hang the track on top of the moulding and use the original door, but realized this would leave too big of a gap on either side.

We also thought about taking off the moulding, but this doesn't eliminate the gap problem since the floor boards will still be in the way when the door slides open.

Now, we are in the process of looking for a door that will be big enough to cover the entire opening with the moulding on, but can't seem to find anyone that makes doors big enough (the opening is oversized- 80 x 34).

We also looked into Sliding Door Co, but their doors use tracks on the floor, and we thought it would look funny on top of carpet. Plus, they are really expensive.

Would love to hear any more thoughts!

If you own your home, use a professional solution. It will be cheaper in the end.

And could the solution be as simple as just having a regular door that opens out instead of in?

In addition to the PAX-as-room-divider hack someone linked above, I've also done surface mounted sliding doors using recycled storefront doors:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/splatgirl/1315913178/in/set-185957/
and with a new, plain slab door ordered from the home center.
I use johnsonhardware.com

Doors in most any size and shape can are available via special order from the bigbox store. I think I paid $90 for a solid core, unfinished birch, 8' tall door.

I dont know about the pax doors the op is talking about, but I disagree with the general statement that they would not be durable enough. Most of the styles seem extremely soild, particularly the glass/alum. frame ones. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that they aren't intended to be viewed from the back so they might not look as finished on that side.

Pocket doors are a helluva lot more work than what's being suggested here, as you need to open the wall and -- even if you're lucky enough to have non-load-bearing -- still reinforce the wall because that door and slide is going to replace at least two studs.

Removing the molding will reveal gaps, but that molding also performs a function: it holds the door's frame square against the usual tensions of doors opening and closing. Possibly better bet is to just get same size flat molding, as flat as you can, and use it to replace the molding, so at least it's lower profile (but still covering gaps and acting as brace between door-frame and the supporting studs. (Also check Taunton's online files, b/c I believe they've got several articles about removing molding and redoing to create a seamless finish between wall and door.)

There are tracks you can get for sliding doors at Lowe's and Home Depot that tend to run around $15 to $30, I think -- at the very least, find one like that and dismantle it at the store and figure out how it works. That might give you a better idea of what you'd be dealing with, hands-on, before you look at buying a really expensive version of the same.

As for the privacy issue, I think that depends on how many people use the bathroom, and where the sliding door is -- outside? inside? being able to close a door on the inside such that someone standing outside can't pry it open might help.

Part of that, though, is that hanging doors (sliding with one track, that is) don't just slide back and forth. They'll swing up, just a bit, each time you pull. (Our muscles are often trained to pull at doors, not to push sideways at them.) That can be a little disconcerting for folks, I suppose, to see the door kinda swing out a tad as it slides along. Maybe makes them feel like the door could just be pushed UP, instead!

However, if you can sacrifice a bit of the floor, maybe doing a small track -- just enough to guide the base -- might help alleviate that impression, at least.

Yes, you can do both types. I did these two using ikea hardware (pax doors) plus another one using a big glass as a door with ikea hardware:

http://blueantstudio.blogspot.com/2009/02/sliding-closet-glass-door-diy.html

http://blueantstudio.blogspot.com/2009/02/little-closet-re-done.html

I hope this helps!

joel

PLEASE HELP!!!

Hi guys,

so funny because my contractors are currently installing the Pax (Aluminum and Glass) Dark Grey Doors as a bedroom door. I could REALLY REALLY use this advice ASAP

to add to the discussion, the door quality is very comparable to that of the sliding door company as i saw both in person.

There is however, one issue though - The main bracket for the PAX door system exists on the top where the door wheels would sit on.

My question is: Is it safe for me to go without the bottom rail? I can't tell if the bottom rail is present simply to prevent the door from coming inward and outward as you pull on the door, or if it actually supports part of the weight of the doors. My workers have installed it WITH the bottom rail right now, and as a result, i have to step over it to get into my room... obviously, I'd rather do without it, but i want to make sure it'll be safe first!

Advice?

PLEASE HELP!

Hi RichLovesDesign!

You will need some kind of support on the bottom... if you don't, the doors will tilt towards the inside. You can do what splatgirl did and use half the bottom rail. I use a plastic small guide for the middle part only with no problems but my door is being used on a closet. I have the pax glass grey doors and love them...
-joel

Thank you everyone for your great ideas and comments. I live alone so privacy is a limited issue. Nonetheless if I'm going to all this trouble I'd like to make it so it is comfortable and private under any conditions.

Splatgirl, it was you who inspired me in the first place, so thank you. And I was wondering if I can use the PAX hardware with a sliding wall mount. I was looking at your divider indtructions and thinking that I could wall mount the PAX rail using L brackets and cut the bottom rail so it only runs along the wall (not the opening) thereby keeping the door extra stable but without having to step over anything in the doorway. Also, what about the privacy issues pointed out by everyone. Do you have issues with your bathroom door having gaps or making the space less private?

BTW: Joel - I love the blue ant studio photos of your glass door. Rich LovesDesign - check out the comments following Joel's glass door. He mentions a plastic glide to keep the door hanging straight so maybe no need for the bottom rail. I'm going to look into it too.

I have done this twice. Once I used the glass PAX doors for sliding bedroom door wall. I used two doors (fixing one stationary) and modified the original hanging hardware and used it. This did require a threshold to step over.
The second time I used a single PAX corrogated plastic and aluminium (much lighter weight) that I bought in the as is section without hardware for a bathroom door. I bought outside mount sliding door hardware from Johnsonhardware.com. The hanging hardware was attached to the top of the door with screws and epoxy. I did remove the moldings and I made the opening taller to match the door. The door is much wider than the opening so the gap was not an issue. Also there is no bottom track with this installation.

Hi I am in desperate need of everyone's help!
I recently purchased an Ikea-like wardrobe off a craigslist add (here's the link to a photo http://www.kika.com/hu/termekek/m/kereses/16955463/szekreny-sedna/)
It is modeled similar to the PAX wardrobe, where in, the doors are modeled the same. IT hangs on a top and bottom rail and you can not see the rail at all. The rail, has to be nailed in at the top of the wardrobe. Well, the top rail is missing from the whole set, and I have been trying to either retrieve it from the previous owner with no luck at all! I've tried contacting the company who makes them but they're in Europe and have not responded to any of my requests. I've also been online everywhere trying to find a similar rail but have had NO luck at all. Can someone Please give me a solution, or tell me where I can find this rail?
It is appreciated very much! Right now my two doors are just "hanging" around my tiny little studio apartment ;(

Hi !

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Does anyone know where I can get the materials to install a wooden sliding door exactly like the picture on the right? Where did that picture come from? All the sliding doors I can find are glass. Thanks.

It is always advisable to opt for professional opinion or do some online study on your own before making any major changes with your door systems. The IKEA PAX door system may come at a cheap price but I doubt if it will be able to withstand rigorous use. Hence it is not the right choice for bathroom doors.