Ideas for Framing a Pocket Door Wall for Tile Shower

The biggest concern with installing a pocket door in your shower wall is deflection. How do you keep the grout lines from cracking when you lean on the tile wall? In this video I explore an option for adding 1/2" OSB to the wall with marginal success. Watch this video before trying to tackle your own tile shower on a pocket door.

[@orvsr4me2]

I did similar to this for a customer about 10 years ago and it has held fine. I filled in the pocket door framing with one by pine and put a layer of 3/4 over the top with excellent results. The frame for the glass shower door that anchored to it may have helped as well.

[@SpiritofaHandyman]

That is super helpful Brian! Thanks for that feedback

[@ShawnWi]

I had this same issue. The space is tight and I had to choose between building a fully framed wall with studs facing the proper way, or turning the studs sideways. I turned the studs sideways and covered it with 3/8” plywood. I’m adding on top of that. If the wall still flexes too much, then I’m going to undo it all and just go with framing another wall adjacent to the pocket door wall.

[@SpiritofaHandyman]

Let us know how it turns out!!

[@ShawnWi]

@@SpiritofaHandyman Hi, so the wall is only 41" wide. I ripped a stud in half for the bottom wall plate and turned the studs sideways in the wall. I put blockers between each of the 4 studs and then covered it with the 3/8" plywood. The last ~23" of wall still had nearly a 1/2" of flex. So I took it all apart and added a properly studded wall with blocking on the side of the pocket wall door. I knew this was the right answer all along, but I was trying the maximize the space in the shower. With the fully studded wall, the shower will be 34x33 after the tile is on.

[@SpiritofaHandyman]

That’s the best research we could want. Thanks for confirming for the rest of us

[@momsfudge59]

My recipe is: (1) 3/4" Plywood sheet not OSB (2) 5/8" moisture resistant Drywall (3) Schluter Kerdi membrane. Then, tile your face off!!!!

[@SpiritofaHandyman]

Thanks for sharing!

[@jennaweberkramer9174]

So, what did time tell? Did this work? Grab bar and all? (We’re about to tile a pocket door wall 😅)

[@SpiritofaHandyman]

Add framing on the inside to make an additional wall

[@ShawnWi]

@@SpiritofaHandyman Same! The last thing you want to do is to have to rip it out and start over because the tiles were falling off

[@ADUSEI6111]

@@SpiritofaHandyman Oh that makes waaay more sense than to try and force it....But not sure how to do that though

[@llshan1]

Thanks for sharing your experience on this. I might be wrong, but isn’t that OSB? Im considering to try something like this but using 3/4” plywood with pocket screws into the framing around it in place of the 1 by material as the ladder frame.

[@llcgull]

osb?