Sliding doors

Surface-mounted, the door slides along the wall on a visible track or one hidden behind a fascia. It fits on a finished site, doesn't touch the partition, and costs considerably less. In exchange, the stretch of wall it parks against can no longer take furniture, a switch or a picture.

Pocket sliding, the door disappears entirely into the thickness of the partition. It is the more elegant solution and the only one that consumes no wall — but the cassette must be installed while the partition is being built. On a site already boarded out, it is no longer a reasonable option.

If you are building or doing a heavy renovation, decide now: it is the only moment when a pocket door costs almost nothing extra.

A slider has no lever: it carries a flush pull, or an edge pull for pocket doors, so that nothing protrudes when it is parked.

How well it runs comes from the track and the weight of the leaf, not from the design. A solid-core door slides better than a light one — it has inertia, it doesn't rattle. It is the one case where we genuinely advise moving up a range.

The soft-close damper, which stops the door banging at the end of its travel, is ordered per door. On a child's bedroom, it is not a luxury.

Let's be clear: a sliding door insulates against noise less well than a hinged one. It cannot compress a perimeter seal, because it slides. For a bathroom, a dressing room or a utility room that is of no consequence. For an office where confidential calls are taken, or a bedroom opening onto a living room, we will advise a solid-core hinged door — even though it means selling you a cheaper door.