Barn Doors: They're Not Just for the Farm

littlef Love this ideabook. A barn door makes a perfect substitute for a pocket door; to save space in our farmhouse galley kitchen, we used one for the pantry.

dschadel I am about to get one for my laundry room (modeled after door #1). Does anyone know an affordable source?

Brittany Lee If you're handy you can make one of the simpler doors, like #1 with some straight boards, wood glue, nails, and paint. Then the dimensions are completely up to you! There are free downloadable plans found here: http://woodworking.about.com/od/woodworkingplansdesigns/ss/BarnDoors.htm

Other than that, I would say a salvage yard, or an antique store might have some really great doors you could spiff up.
Good luck!

kaconnors1 Any idea if they muffle the sound? say from family room to bedroom?

Brennan + Company Architects In this tiny, budget-conscious rowhouse, we used alternative materials and inexpensive commercial hardware for our space-saving barn doors.

moccasinlanding Been a fan of barn doors for a few years now. Just waiting to install one. Missed a chance when I went with a pocket door on a new bath, and really regret that choice. But its day will come!

Rough Linen What about some links to barn door hardware?

Van Wicklen Design I'm a huge "barn door" fan. Recently I posted about our barn door in my son's room. Hope you'll ck it out:
http://jvwhome.blogspot.com

accumulata I love the concept of the barn door, and would very much like to modify the door to the enclosed but not fully insulated, porch off my kitchen. I wonder if they could be made to work to keep in the heat with some sort of weather stripping arrangement or insulation?

Diane Trosper A barn door is what i need for my bathroom, thanks everyone !

newsprout Where do you buy the hardware that doesn't cost a fortune?

Mark Adams Reasonable hardware? That was my issue as well. I found wilsonglass.com to be the closest to reasonable for stainless hardware.

stephb11 I'd also like to know about the design/installation. Is this a lot more expensive than doing a regular door? I'd like to look into this for our build but don't even know where to start!

shannaneaster We used sliding closet door hardware from Home Depot and mounted it on the outside of the door opening, near the ceiling, with a length of wood. Then we bought a taller door to cover the opening. We also had Razr scooter wheels we were thinking of mounting to the door with vertical pieces of metal and using on a "track" made from three-sided square tubing.

Karen Ho Fatt Nice selection of photos! Barn doors is all I could see yesterday driving down the highway after I read the article! The track should be readily available at a farm supply store if you have one in your city or town. Most however are larger in scale and more suited for exterior use or on the inside for a larger home. Smaller scale tracks you should be able to get at a specialty door hardware store (most however sell to tradespeople or designers and not to the the general public) and yes can be pricey. Remember that with these doors that there is not a lot of sound proofing because of the gaps at the top and bottom and also if you do not have a track on the floor, the door may flop around so remember to get this item when purchasing.

The Shabby Nest What a great dialog going on here! I know that when I was researching barn doors...thinking of using them for my closet...I just googled barn door hardware and found loads of sources. They can be quite pricey, however. So I like some of the alternative ideas that I've seen suggested...such as the commercial hardware or the sliding door hardware. Great ideas!

Wendy Cotter I bought barn door sliders at Habitat for Humanity restore...our local university had used them to create room dividers during the double cohort years and then donated them to the Restore after. $20 got me one. The question I have is how can I make that door lock? I have it mounted on the outside of the my bathroom, and my family's fine with knowing if door's closed you stay out, but guests sometimes feel a little uncertain in there. Any suggestions?

trixylarue @Wendy Cotter. We have a small eye hook lock on the inside of our masterbath sliding door. You can buy them by screen door supplies.

punkinhead or just create a little sign to hang on a hook on the outside of the door that says "occupied" or something... you could frame it in something unique to add to the decor.

Loft Doors We fabricate barn style doors for a very reasonable price. We also sell the hardware. For pics and pricing, check out: www.loftdoors.com

cherylamb My husband designed and built a barn door for a total cost of about $150.00 including the rustic hardware.This was an awesome way to block off my small laundry area making a cleaner and stylish look.

Karen Pasacreta_Sessler Chery, would love to know what your husband did for the hardware. I am planning this for my pantry in my farmhouse, but do not want to spend the $$ I've seen on the ready kits. Thanks!

hawksgal I, too, would like to install a slider but need an alternative for the pricey hardware. Anyone have some detailed info?

cbinnd We just had a barn door made from old wood on the farm. We are looking for hardware now and are planning on stopping at Tractor Supply store.

betbelic19 I want to recycle patio doors into sliding interior doors using the barn hardware. Can this be done or are the doors simply to heavy? They will be sand blasted for privacy.

money12 I found a wonderful web site step by step how to make the barn door. You can purchase all your supply from home depot. They paid around $67.00 compare to $300.00 to $400.00. I hope the web site work for you. The web site is shabbylisaw.wordpress.com. Thanks

Wendy Cotter We bought hardware at Home Depot for a solid wood door. We did another barn door a few years back and bought the real barn sliders from an implement store, but it was overkill...didn't need anything that heavy.

betbelic19 I want to recycle my old heavy patio doors for a bathroom door after I sandblast the glass for privacy

Wendy Cotter Oooh, that sounds really neat. Be sure to post a picture once you get it done, okay?

Otrada LLC Love this kitchen we designed with a barn door. See more pictures right here on houzz.
-Anita Bhattacharya Oates

Otrada L.L.C.
animal inspired. designer made.
Raleigh, NC USA

1925 Workbench I had the same problem with the prices of the barn door hardware. But I love that look of the sliding door, so my husband designed and made the hardware kit for the sliding part. It works so well, we're selling it on Kijiji for $150. He also makes the barn door for our powder room, and so we're offering custom make barn door too for very reasonable price, it starts at $160. Watch for us at www.1925workbench.com. We'll be launching the website nearer to spring (it's now January...blurrr....I'm from Toronto, Canada).

Whitteney Guyton where can I get a barn door.. I have been looking online but can't seem to find a vendor

Melinda Faranetta Most cabinet makers or carpenters can make you a barn door

1925 Workbench In my experience, cabinet makers and carpenters charges an arm and leg for any custom work. That's why we started making barn doors and the hardware...we couldn't afford the things we thought were cool, and we want to bring the prices back to where normal should be. The furniture and home industry has become so lucrative, jacking up prices on everything.

Melinda Faranetta I can only speak for my twenty plus years experience as a designer, I have found most artisans of all kinds cabinetmakers, carpenters and iron workers to be fair priced. The barn door should be the cost of the materials plus the labor to build. Hiring someone locally, will allow you to see options for wood types, construction details and finishes and save you the expense of having something delivered via a freight carrier. It also provides the opportunity to establish a relationship with someone that can assist you in future projects or repairs on your home. Good luck with your barn door Whitney.

cherylamb We repurposed hundred year old doors for our master bath which we purchased at a yard sale for only 15.00. Using rustic hardware was very inexpensive so that the whole project was under 120.00 and we are very pleased with the outcome. So this can definitely be done on a budget.