Sliding Door Levers and Pulls

Sliding door levers and pulls: hardware built to sit flush

Doors that slide or pocket into a wall need hardware that doesn't protrude, since a door traveling into a wall cavity can't clear a regular knob or lever the way a swinging door can. This group covers Emtek's pocket door locks: recessed mechanisms in tubular and mortise versions, in shapes from square and round to oval and rectangular, built to sit level with the door face rather than proud of it. Emtek names some of its shapes for the styling, like the Rustic Modern rectangular option, so the shape choice signals more about the room's design than any difference in how the lock functions.

Tubular versus mortise mechanisms

A tubular lock is the simpler of the two, a single bore through the door with the mechanism housed inside; a mortise lock sits within a rectangular pocket cut into the door's edge and generally holds up better under frequent use. Mortise versions cost more to install since the pocket has to be routed precisely, but they're the standard choice on a pocket door used heavily, such as one leading into a bathroom or closet.

Choosing a shape and finish

Square and rectangular plates read more modern; round and oval shapes lean traditional, and Emtek's Rustic Modern rectangular option lands in between with a heavier, hand-worked look. Since a pocket door lock is usually the only hardware visible on that door face, with no separate hinge or handle to match, the shape carries more visual weight than a comparable design would on a hinged door with several pieces.

Before you place an order

Confirm the mechanism, tubular or mortise, matches what your door is already prepped for; the two require different pocket depths and won't swap directly, so ordering the wrong one means returning it. Measure the door thickness too, since pocket door hardware is sized differently than standard passage hardware built for a hinged door. A narrow oval or narrow rectangular mortise lock suits a slimmer door stile than the standard-width options do, so check stile width alongside thickness before finalizing an order.