Barn door replacement questions

10 years ago

I am replacing my bathroom door with an old barn door found at a flea market that's been refinished. Is it best to remove the trim before the slider equipment is installed and if so, how do I fill in the wall where the trim no longer meets with the casing? Is it okay to not have a bottom door guide as the instructions state? The bottom of this door has no straight bottom to go into a guide. Each board is a different length.

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PRO

Post Frame Accessories

10 years ago

Coming from years of experience working with sliding doors, each situation is slightly different, however there are some aspects that remain the same across all of them.

The vast majority of privacy concerns can be fixed by ensuring there is at minimum, a 2" overlap on the top and both sides of the opening. This would mean the door need to be 4" wider and 2" taller than the opening. Another benefit is using a latch on the inside so the door can't be slid open when someone is in the bathroom.

As for the trim, when using a stay roller on the bottom of the door, you can somewhat control how much the door swings in / out. Also, stay rollers allow the door to not be straight as they don't require a groove in the door to function as desired. Not only does this make the door easier to use, but it also protects the wall and trim from getting scratched. As an extra security, the felt on trim option mentioned above is a good idea.

If you need any other assistance, feel free to contact us at sales@postframeaccessories.com. We'd love to see the finished project, sounds like it will look amazing!

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Comments (7)

User
10 years ago
I am a fan of leaving the trim - or door casing - in place and standing the door out in front of that. But you may take the size of the door as it relates to that trim into consideration. If you do it this way, make some wood stand-offs the same thickness as your trim for the track hardware to bolt into. You will need to play with the spacing so that you get the door as tight as possible to the trim without rubbing. For the bottom, I am not a fan of the bottom guide systems as it is one more thing to catch dirt. If the door hangs plumb, then use a plastic (or felt) guide on the trim, behind the door way down low to keep the door from banging and rubbing on the trim as it is being slid. May be hard to explain through text, so please ask for clarification! Hope that helps! Robert
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
10 years ago
I assume you are aware that a barn door will not fully close and there will be no privacy once you do this. (Just asking because we had a customer that didn't understand this and hated it once the door was installed.) The best way to keep the door tight would be not to have any trim but that requires sheetrock and carpentry work. If you leave a casing on the door, make it a flat casing (no profile) and keep it as thin as possible so it does not stick out from the wall very far.
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btydrvn
10 years ago
One solution to the problems created by using an old door would be to face the back of the door with a new thin but solid material that may form a tighter ..more private ...closure...this layer could be painted in a primitive technique to match the door..you lose the view of the old door from that side of course..in my mind all the changes are well spent for the interesting and special result..
btydrvn
10 years ago
Post frame..good points...but is there a way to assure a tight fit for a sound and moisture containment with a barn type door in addition to the overlap for visual privacy?
PRO
Post Frame Accessories
10 years ago
Hi ritasj,

Most uses of a sliding barn door do not need sound and moisture containment, but for the ones that do, there are things that can be done. I will point out that it won't be as effective as other types of doors simply due to the nature of a sliding barn door.

That being said, you can use a garage door type vinyl strip around the edges for some weather sealing ability. Also, using proper latches will snug the door close to the opening when closed. There are even some metal door framing components (available on our website) that allow a brush or vinyl seal to slide into a groove so the bottom can have some weather sealing ability as well.

If sound and moisture containment are important to you and you know you want a sliding barn door, email us at sales@postframeaccessories.com and we can talk through the specifics of your needs.
btydrvn
10 years ago
Kavanagh..as an alternative maybe hang the door as art..my concern about bathrooms is you need nice tight doors against sound..smell..and moisture..eww..sounds icky but true..