Sliding Barn Doors 101

I've wanted one.

Finding the stash convinced me the time is now & the place is here.

But the question remained would it work?

The stash is the collection of old doors I found in the barn last week and the answer is YES!

So a sliding barn door is in my future.

Wanting one & figuring out if you can have one in your space are different things.

The wanting is a no brainer & the figuring out is pretty easy too.  Let me tell you what you need to know to decide whether a sliding barn door is right for your home.

Sliding Barn Doors 101

Considerations/Questions:

• what is the door weight, width, depth & height

• whether the hardware can support the weight of the door

• is the door wider & taller than your opening

• track holes pre-drilled or not

• is there 2x the width of the door in wall space where the door will slide open

• do you need complete privacy 

Components of a Sliding Barn Door:

• door

• header

• track

• wheels

• bolts

• floor mount guide for bottom

• handle

Sliding barn doors do just that, they slide over an opening.  They do not fit into a door frame.  Hence, you'll want a door that is larger than your opening.  

A larger door in height & width covers the opening.  Giving you the maximum privacy when the door is closed.

The track is affixed to the wall above the door opening & any decorative molding.  So figure the width of any decorative molding into the measurements as the track must be above it. 

It is wise to attach a header, just a piece of wood, to the studs in the wall, then bolt the track to that.  Gives more support for the door.  If you do that you can have the holes in your track pre-drilled.  

If you have studs in the wall where you need them, you might forego the header.  In that case, you'll need to drill your own holes in the track to fit the studs. 

Metal wheels are more long lasting.  They may give you bit of a sound, but will out last nylon or wooden wheels.

The bolts need to be long enough to pass through the depth of the door.

I am hoping to use the original front door to this house as the sliding door to our master bathroom.  The door still has keys stuck in it!  And needs a bit of TLC of course.

The master bathroom is yet to exist, but we are working on it!  This is the door to the room now.  Love the white porcelain knob. We'll move this door over to a closet we are creating.

Today I found the perfect sliding barn door hardware.  It is from a company called Rustica Hardware. They are located in Utah and have gorgeous selection of barn door hardware and doors.  

I called  them and spoke with Shannon, who was very nice and very knowledgable.  She taught me all I needed to know about sliding barn doors and I now share that information with you!

Shannon was also very enthusiastic about our renovation - which I really appreciated.  We had a terrific chat!

So if you need more info on a particular Rustica Hardware product or want custom work done call and ask for Shannon.

Tomorrow I look for studs to determine if I need a header.  Nice work if you can get it ;)

** Kelly **