Shop Entrance Door Ideas

[bassJAM]

My garage has a 9' x 19' shop off to it's side. Today it's almost totally wide open to the garage, but this spring I'm putting up a wall to completely separate the two (yellow lines will be new wall). Looking for the best door options. Originally I was thinking a simple hinged 36" door, but it's going to be tight in there with all my work benches and tool boxes and storage shelves and started wondering if a pocket door would be less intrusive? I'll probably have the door wide open 99% of the time, I'd just like the option to shut the door. I've ruled out a barn door because I'll be building storage shelving on the garage side of the wall. Any thoughts or ideas? If it matters, floor on both is concrete and the existing walls surrounding the shop are also concrete as my garage is below grade. 8ft ceiling although there's an I-beam support right were this wall will be so the height there is only 7ft.

 

[DGersic]

I’d make it a double door. Pocket door saves floor space on both sides of the wall, so I like that idea.

 

[jack stand]

You can't stack directly against the wall, but a rolling door will save wall space also. I'm not sure if you can put a light switch in a 2x4 wall ware a pocket door is. Just something to think about or check on.

 

[txvwnut]

Pocket door, sliding barn door, vinyl strip curtain, double swinging door, regular curtains...

 

[66Caprice]

sliding door on the garage side so you still have all of your storage on the inside. I would go 8ft wide.

 

[Hooked]

Roll up garage door.

 

[Jackfre]

Even a 36” door will seem tight, depending upon what you have in & out of there. I don’t care for pocket doors after a number of them over the years. You will likely not use both sides of a double and can roll/stack gear on one side of it, but when you need the open space it is available. If you make a large project in there getting it out could be a problem. Also you might find that the space with a small door get kinda claustrophobic.

 

[Fixr]

I agree that 36 is too tight. I would make a double extending behind the red toolbox and make sure to only put easily movable storage or tools against that door so you can roll stuff out of the way and open both sides. Or possibly do a rollup door that fits into the open space of the overhead I-beam.

 

[Old Moparz]

If 36" wide isn't practical, maybe a double pocket door.....

 

[ddurrett896]

I would do no door

 

[bassJAM]

I thought about 36" being too tight, but I also have a detached 2.5 car garage that I use for larger projects so I'm not terribly concerned about that. The largest thing I've worked on in this shop in the 12 years I've lived here has been bicycles. But I might rethink double 30" pocket doors. Maybe a 48" barn sliding door on the inside, I like that idea a little less but it might make the most sense. I'm not interested in a roll up door. I do want a door though, a) so I can heat the area in the winter and b) so I can keep kids out when I have surprises in there (like new bicycles).

 

[Colin Len]

I'd 100% pick something without a swing - seems that would be super annoying and really a waste of space. Single or double pocket door or perhaps a metal rollup door would be what I'd be looking at.

 

[WisJim]

I installed a pocket door many years ago in a house I built, as a bedroom door, so it was opened and closed a lot. Never had problems with it, although at the time I had trouble finding short enough screws to fasten drywall to both sides of the wall that the door slide into, so that the screw tips didn't scratch the door. I don't recall the hardware brand that I used. I don't like the sliding "barn" doors as they waste as much wall space as a swinging door. From the looks of your floor plans, a 36" door should work fine.

 

[DGersic]

Scooby Do style bookshelves hidden secret door. You get doors, with storage.

 

[Zeke]

A pocket door frame will fit under 84". So will any prehung door. Since a RH and LH both seem problematic. I'd do the pocket. I'd also screw plywood to one side for 2 reasons: the ability to attach to and the ability to service the door when it fails. Which it will in time.

 

[Innovate1]

I had a similar situation and used a double pocket door. Note that the doors are left open most of the time...

 

[GrayFlattop]

I'd go with a roll-up door.

If a 36" door encroaches on the space that much, you could always install double doors - 28" or 30" each if you want them symmetrical.

I can't stand pocket doors unless you're talking about the ones in 1890's houses.

 

[bassJAM]

I'd also screw plywood to one side for 2 reasons: the ability to attach to and the ability to service the door when it fails. Which it will i time.

That's a really good tip since I was planning on finishing both sides with drywall.

 

[Jagmandave]

I think your best bet for sealing (heat retention) and locking both is just a regular steel swinging door. If the wall is made from wood studs and drywall, you could make a removable section opposite the hinge side just in case.

 

[no704]

Move the swing door into the corner. Move gray work bench inside the door opening. Then you can use both sides of the work bench. Will likely become a catch all anyway. If you do it this way the interior side of the bench will still be useful.

 

[sjvicker]

What do you really want a door for? Do you want to keep dust out of the parking area? Is the dust metal dust or wood dust?

I'm tired of working in a space about the size you have where every time I turn around there's something in the way. If I were you I'd clamp some unistrut to the bottom of that beam and get a heavy black curtain (weld curtain if you're throwing sparks) to run between the areas so you can open it all up whenever you'd want. You'd need to find a new spot for your garage side storage but there has to be another spot that can go.

 

[Mike65]

Since the door is inside the garage if you will be moving large items in the shop what about a sliding barn door like I built for my basement woodworking shop.

 

[CraigStu]

I was going to say that pocket doors make for a slightly less strong wall since the framing is pretty thin. And you wouldn't be able to hang anything on that part of the wall. But, once again zeke has the answer. Plywood instead of drywall. And you choose the side, but I'd not finish one of the plywoods and I'd install it w/ drywall screws. That way it can be off in about 3 minutes. But actually I like the barn door that Mike65 built even better. Put floor mount shelving units or cabinets there and just space them 4 inches out from the wall so you don't lose space to the sliding door. One other option that I did for an add-on garage bay was clear plastic. I went to Joanne fabric and bought some of the heaviest clear vinyl they had. Cut it into 12" strips Stapled it to the header above the opening overlapping the strips by about 2". Once I had it finalized I went back w/ a 1x2 over the staples w/ a screw about every 6 inches. I worked out the overlaps so that my most common direction for approaching the doorway was real easy to just slide through the plastic. That's why I started w/ just staples so I could experiment. It worked great for heating and cooling my 16x22 space. Of course that doesn't keep Christmas presents hidden well at all but it is quick, very handy, and inexpensive.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I'd move the Gray work bench and put the gray rack and white rack so the door can swing in front of them.

 

[whitesco]

Bead curtain or Wild West saloon doors