Pocket doors that offer safety, style

Did you know that the smallest room in your home can be the most dangerous?

Every year 235,000 adults seek emergency care for injuries sustained in bathrooms from falls and other accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Injuries are due to everything from grabbing loose fixtures and doorknobs for support to slipping on surfaces. Fortunately, many mishaps are avoidable by just changing your interior doors.

Pocket doors should always be considered for interior design, especially for people with specialized needs. With smooth-operating pocket door frame hardware, everyone can enjoy safe, effortless room access throughout their home. Space-saving pocket doors also enrich living by providing more usable space and enduring functionality.

A typical bathroom is five-feet wide and eight-feet long, with a swinging door consuming about 25 percent of its floor space. Pocket doors open up that space for obstacle-free access. It also eliminates the temptation to grasp doorknobs for support.

Seasoned general contractor and pocket door advocate, Gary Grabowski, owns Greater Home Services LLC, a full-service remodeling firm specializing in universal design.

“My expertise is universal design — making home modifications to help people of all abilities, sizes, and ages. Johnson’s 1500 Series Pocket Door systems enable easier access to bathrooms and other spaces, improving everyone’s life,” said Grabowski.

Easy-to-use privacy locks also are available for most pocket doors. Nowadays, pocket doors even let contractors create streamlined looks by allowing single or converging sliding doors to vanish into wall recesses.

“When people picture pocket doors, they may recall sliding doors from decades ago that jammed, had worn rollers and came off their track.” said Grabowski. “Pocket Door Hardware Systems optimize accessibility and safety for everybody, whether they’re relying on walkers and grab-rails or have no mobility challenges. The last thing anyone needs are swinging door and threshold barriers.”

Consider switching out your swinging doors for pocket doors, whether in preparation for the older generation or simply for optimum home safety.

This article is courtesy of Brandpoint.