The barn doors (inside the house) are very popular for a decade in North America. Whether in a rustic style renovation or in a new modern style construction you can find many kinds and designs of interior barn door hardware, with sliding rail or hinges, depending of the interior space possibilities. Almost any type of door can be converted to a barn door with installing special tracks and hangers (see below). Depending on the project and the layout of the rooms and corridors, you could install a swinging door or a dutch door.
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Sliding Barn Door
Pros
- Simpler installation than pocket door because you don’t have to open the wall. Even easier installation than a standard framed hinged door.
- When half open, it doesn’t take as room as an hinged barn door (it slides against the wall and doesn’t sweep across usable floor area).
- Rustic looking barn-door hardware suits a cottage better than a modern standard door.
Cons
- When the barn doors are open, they may block access to power outlets, light switches, painting frames, posters or in wall bookshelves. So, this part of wall becomes almost useless.
- The installation requires enough adjacent wall to roll across. It is therefore impossible to install a sliding barn door in a corridor.
Sliding Barn Door Hardware
When you are shopping for a sliding barn door hardware kit…
- Be sure to search for the right type of sliding barn door: a simple door, a double sliding barn doors, a bypass barn door.
- Pay attention to the elements included or missing: door guides, stoppers, type of handle, barn door lock…
- Pay attention to the style of the hardware: rustic, modern, wheels design, material finishing and patterns.
Simple Sliding Barn Door Track Kit
or Simple Barn Door Rail
Double Sliding Barn Doors
As I said before, the sliding barn door has many aesthetic and practical benefits. But when the door (or opening) width is larger than 36 inches, it’s time to opt for a “double” one. Where it’s impossible to install a simple door, you can install a double door. So you can create a separation between two semi-open rooms, such as between the kitchen and the living room or between the kitchen and the dining room. However, you should have enough space along the walls outside the opening to accommodate the barn doors. The wider is the opening, the wider wall space you will need. Another possibility is to install it for rooms, wardrobes, cabinets, storage, shelves, hallways… The double sliding barn doors hardware kit are often available in a variety of width between 5 feet and 18 feet, depending of the product. Also take note the rollers are often made of hard quality nylon to ensure a quiet sliding.
Barn Door Kit
If you need both the door and the hardware kit.
Take note that the common door dimensions are
30in x 84in, 36in x 84inand 42in x 84in.
(More choices at Wayfair)
Bypass Barn Door Hardware
or Bypass Double Barn Door
The bypass barn door hardware is convenient for small areas. Because the two half-doors are overlapping, you clutter less the wall surface. This is a good solution for installations that have limited space available to hang the barn door track. The posibility to slide one door over another makes the bypass barn boor bardware a good choice for closets, or multiple openings on the same wall. Rather than requiring twice the length of the opening for the track, the track can be the same size as the opening itself. In the web stores you can find a variety of length from 5 feet to 12 feet, according to your project and its constraints.
![[Sale] 8 FT Heavy Duty Bypass Double Door Sliding Barn Door Hardware (Powder Coated Frosted Black) (J Shape Hangers) (2 x 8 Foot Solid Rails) Installation Video Included by Homeland Hardware](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51zj9924QfL._SL160_.jpg)
Interior barn door hardware
or exterior barn door hardware
Of course! If you plan to install your barn door outside of the house (like on your garage, veranda or sugar shack) you absolutely must install specific hardware kit for outdoor use.
See below.
According to the design of your indoor project, you can use an interior or exterior barn door hardware kit. However, always keep in ming that the purpose of an exterior barn door hardware kit is to be installed on… a barn (! ;-D) or any service building. So its design and operations are rough. And the rollers are rolling inside the rail, which is acting like a pocket to protect the rollers from water, snow and ice. These rollers are made to hold heavy wooden doors, whose you don’t really need inside the house.
The best solution if you plan to install inside the house a hardware kit that reminds the exterior hardware: is to search well in the web stores for of galvanized metal finish or something close.
See below.
Barn Door Handles
If you need only a handle or if you know your hardware kit doesn’t include a handle.
Interior Barn Doors for Sale
Rustic Barn Doors
Only the door, Please!
Take note the common door dimensions are
30in x 84in, 36in x 84in and 42in x 84in.
White barn doors
Glass barn doors
—-https://www.wayfair.com/home-improvement/pdp/rustica-hardware-mountain-glass-interior-barn-door-ruha1113.html
Barn door for bathroom
The bathroom is a great place to use barn doors, in different ways:
- Entry door.
- Sink cabinet.
- Cabinet.
- Vanity, wall shelves, mirror.
Note. Be sure to buy the right product: a full cabinet or the barn door hardware.
Barn door installation
How to install a barn door?
- On the wall: Locate the studs; Fix the ledger board (optional); Fix the sliding track.
- On the door: Fix the rollers carefully on the door.
- Adjustments:Put the door on the track; Install stoppers on the track; Install door guides on the floor; …more details below
1- Start with the sliding barn door tracks
Many mounting tracks can be adjusted precisely so the fasteners are aligned with wall studs, but some others tracks have pre-drilled holes that don’t necessarily fits on studs. The tracks (rails) are typically 6 feet or 6 feet 7 inches long: two times the door width (of course). And the double sliding barn doors tracks are 10 to 12 feet long.
In a new building project. If you’re building the wall it’s simple: just install 2×4 or 2×3 blocking in anticipation of the track.
In a renovation project. If the wall is already built and finished: screw to the wall studs a 1×4 or 1×6 board, and fix the sliding track onto this ledger board. A rough board can add to the rustic looking. If you don’t want to add a board on the wall, depending to the material, you could drill holes into the track to fix it on wall studs.
2- The rollers on the door
First, you can place the door under the track with a 1/2 inch wood scrap under it. Place the rollers temporarily on the rail and the door, without fixing them, just to see where you have to screw them. Draw on the door some small guidelines to help you when fixing. Place the door on a flat base and carefully screw the rollers with the fasteners provided in the package. Then, place the rolling door on the track.
3- Adjustments
Now the door is installed you have to adjust the open and close positions by installing the stoppers on the track (rail). It’s also possible to install a flush-mounted pull handle or a floor-mounted door guide to keep the door from banging in a breeze. Both are router jobs: creating a recess for the pull and cutting a groove in the bottom of the door.
Some door stoppers have a spring-in soft operation instead of being a simple hard bumper:
Be carefull when you order your kit and take a look at the fasteners included. Some barn door hardware packages come with a barn door lock (privacy lock). If a barn door lock (privacy lock) is not included you can buy one separately on Amazon:
Videos on how to install a barn door
Barn door cabinet and
Barn door TV cabinet
You love sliding barn doors?
So you will love sliding barn doors rustic style on your cabinets and kitchen furnitures.
Enjoy your home!
Hinged barn doors
Pros
- The rustic look comes with the style and material of the hinges and the door.
- Practical if you can’t install a sliding barn door: because the door is in a corridor or because the adjacent walls are well occupied.
- You don’t have to drill holes in your wall: you only use the door opening like you do for a standard door.
Cons
- You don’t have the rustic appearance of the sliding opening operation.
- The barn style door must fit exactly in the door opening: where a sliding barn door can have an approximate width.
- Depending on the hinge design, the hinge has to be fixed inside the door frame opening (as a standard hinge) or on the casing board (wall).
Barn doors hinges
DIY barn door
How to build a barn door?
Of course, you can buy a brand new barn door from a shop. But notice that you will have to build the door entirely as it comes in separate pieces.
You could also buy the wood planks, build the door by yourself and save a lot of money.
Here are the few steps.
- Measurements: Measure the door opening and add few inches (at least 2 inches) because the door has to exceed the opening.
- Design: Chose the barn door design you want to apply. Look at the drawing below.
- Do it: Buy standard tongue and groove 1×6 pine boards and some straight 1×6 boards. Use screws and glue to build the door. Be sure to make it square.
- Old door: You can use an old rustic door that fits the measurements. If necessary, you can add wood around the edge to adjust it.
Some nice barn door building projects in details:
- http://blog.jennasuedesign.com/2016/04/diy-barn-door-plans-tutorial
- https://www.beneathmyheart.net/2015/12/how-to-build-a-barn-door
How to build a barn door? Barn door DIY.
Swinging doors: a variant
Pros
- These doors are made to be placed in a walking area. Remember the Western saloons front door.
- Even if the doors are closed, you feel welcome to pass.
Cons
- When doors are closed, the privacy is not total. The purpose of swing doors is not to completely close the door opening so you can partially see in the other room.
- The door opening is always “half” closed.
Swinging doors and Swinging doors hinges
Dutch Door (something different)
It is a door divided in two parts in such a way that the bottom half may remain shut while the top half is open.
The reverse would be useless ;-D.
Pros
- Outside door: keeps little children (and animals) inside while allowing sunlight and breeze to pass.
- Inside: it doesn’t let little children and animals pass.
- Add a rustic traditional look to the house.
Cons
- As outside door: the space between the two parts is a risk of air leakage in winter.
- As outside door: the space between the two parts weakens the door and adds a risk of intrusion into the house.
- The upper part has no mosquito screen. (not good for my house)
At Home Depot
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Doors-Windows-Exterior-Doors-Front-Doors/Dutch/N-5yc1vZar90Z1z0sbvf
Dutch Door for Interior
This type of dutch door is hard to find at Amazon, HomeDepot or Wayfair. The purpose of a dutch door is to be used outside. If you like the half-closed door function to prevent animals and children from entering a place, you can find a pet/baby gate with the rustic look of a Dutch door.
Dutch Door Hardware
The main elements of hardware for a dutch door are…
- Door Bolt: to lock.
- Door Quadrant: to lock.
- Door Hinge: to articulate the door.
Dutch Door DIY
or How to Build Your Dutch Door
On this subject, I will share with you some professional resources.
- https://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Dutch-Door
- https://www.barntoolbox.com/dutch-door-construction.htm
- https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-build-barn-doors-3537039
Best tools needed
- Best Drill
- Best Router
- Best Nailer
