Why do you need a door there?

Agree with sarasvati1. Can it be a cased opening? Alternatively (and I may get booed here), how about curtains inside the TV room with a long enough rod to stack the drapes completely on either side of the opening? This picture shows a closet but you get the general idea.

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@sarasvati1 I do not need a door there...but my husband does. He watches TV out there and doesn't ant to compete with the kids TV in the family room down the hall. He also likes to close off the room when company is over and they play pool. Our formal living room is his man cave. I'm allowed to update the doors and that's about it. I am, however, remodeling the kitchen, updating the floor, paint, etc so it's a compromise.

ok, so it's mainly about noise?

barn doors won't do much for noise dampening since they don't seal. although I suppose they'll be on par with what you have now. (curtains will do zero for noise, fyi.)

so if you want better soundproofing, do solid french doors (no glass), or pocket doors. but if you're ok with the same amount of soundproofing that you currently have, I think barn doors are a perfectly fine solution.

you might get some flak about them because they're a dying trend, but there are so many different styles out there. you could probably find something good. personally I hate the rustic looking ones but have seen some more contemporary styles that are really nice.

I really love this one because it doesn't have visible tracks (although I'm a little confused as to how they make that work):

Can You just do new doors but have them bifold into the tv room instead??

@Debbi Washburn Thanks for commenting! I wasn't sure that's an option. Essentially aren't I facing the inside of a bifold door to my foyer then? I also don't like the track but maybe that can be hidden with trim? Does anyone make a "nice" bifold door with glass?

Could you make it one door ? Close in the other side and just put a glass door with jamb? A barn door wouldn't keep noise out

In addition to facing the door to open on the other side, what about replacing glass to plain glass since you were considering a French door?

Adding a new suggestion:

Whenever there's a problem area in a room, it helps to pull the eye away from it. If you can turn your door to open the other way, and change the glass, make your entryway has inviting as possible--beautiful runner when you walk in, maybe a ledge and mirror. Show us your entryway so people can make suggestions about making more of your entryway. Look how this wood shelf echoes wood of your door, mirror reflects an art work, little useful seat, etc.

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Yes the door can open to the other side. A French style or something with at-least part of the door clear glass is ideal as I want it to feel as open as possible with a door. In reality the door is at least partly open most of the time. But I can’t see reusing the existing door at all.

Pocket doors?

There is a product called Compak 180 folding door; it uses bifold doors like you have, but allows them to stack against the wall instead of into your space. (I would have the doors open into the TV room vs the foyer no matter what door you go with though).
The link below is much better at showing the product than my description though.
https://images.app.goo.gl/bG8f24aCJTh1DdyA9

Reduce the opening to one door and have it open into the room, if allowed by code.

Or do French doors, one door wide centered to not interfere with the light switches. They could be open to the foyer or into the room.

I think it's all a matter of how you look at it. Here's some inspiration:

Good luck!

@Debbi Washburn - ohhh - I like the last three photos the best. Those are all great options! Thank you. i really love that last photo. Those are really nice and would make hubby happy as the door swing wouldn't be as wide as regular french doors. And these can't cost as much as pocket doors I hope! I guess the trim really helps conceal the track. Any idea what to search for to find these or where to buy them? Maybe if I take the photos to the local lumber place they will know.

Upgrading to good quality bifold doors should solve the problem of pretty foyer, enclosed quiet billiard/tv room, and doors should not come off the track.

I found those pictures in Google images. I would take them to your local door shop . They will be able to help you .

Post pics when you are done!

Oh, sorry. I thought you had to save the current doors. Debbie Washburn's white frame, glass bifolds are perfect. Additionally, do spiff up the entryway with a great runner rug and entryway pieces--mirror, shelf, or console--whatever fits that draws attention to your main living area.

Thank you all! Good ideas. And I will post photos. Demo of kitchen starts end of June. Floors and this door first, then trim paint and kitchen will be slowly put back together by end of August (I hope).

@housegal200 I love that little floating shelf. Our foyer doesn't seem larger enough for a console table but I love the idea of having something inviting. All the hardwoods are being replace to match what is going in kitchen and dining room (carpet now). So there will be no more orange. The flooring is a medium oak hardwood with no orangy or red to it, and wider plank - I think 4 1/2". New white wider trim will go around the base and new paint to freshen it all up. Not sure what color walls, but neutral for sure. Open to suggestions on making it prettier once the floor and paint is done! The first photo is standing at the front door looking beyond the bi-fold doors to the dining room. The second is looking right down the hall to the sunken FR. My dog is always following me so he's also in the photos!

I bet you can match the window pattern of the sash windows in your last photo in the new bifold French doors, which would be nice and pull it all together. Love the curious pup!

You're changing the floors? They're gorgeous! Next time, give people more info up front. Floor color change is huge, and we just learned that 18 Comments in. Kinda frustrating.

Barn door! Possibilities are endless.

You could do by-pass barn doors and have them stack to the right side of the opening inside the TV room. You can have them custom built or use new divided glass French doors or find a door style you like and have it fitted with the barn door hardware.

Ohh I was thinking about that before... but thought they could double stack in the foyer on the long wall. I do like that idea better... inside. Where does one shop for nice barn doors? Lumber store again I guess. if the side to the right is only 29” but the opening is 60” how much would the doors stick out into the opening? I don’t know how big the doors are. Slightly larger than the opening I assume!

Also, read somewhere on here that opening barn doors is loud. Kids bedrooms right above this door. Is that true?

I agree that your floors are gorgeous and classic.

@grapefruit1_ar Thank you. It was really difficult to decide to replace them. But it was difficult to match the existing width with mew floor for dining room and kitchen.
We wanted to just Refinish and stain them less orange! They have only been refinished once. But there are a few areas of water damage and in the end it’s not really more for us to replace it with all matching.

@housegal200. I’m sorry...
I think I said in my original that we were installing new hardwood and painting. Didn’t mean to frustrate anyone! The floor has seen better days at 40 years old and has some damage. I really don’t like the orange tone. Thank you for your input on everything! It is very much appreciated!

I might go with the French doors that open into the pool room as that makes more sense than any doors opening into your front entry way. Two doors would look more modern than a bi-fold door and you would still get your light coming through. I think matching the divided sash style in your family room and front door is a good plan and I would do white to tie in with your front door and closet color as well. You could also frame the opening in to make a smaller opening than the 60" wide one depending on the sizes of French door styles available.

Barn door hardware....can be loud if you buy cheap. Test the hardware at local specialty hardware stores.

I’d prefer a barn door - they look good open and closed. I hated every pocket door I had. They just are not functional to close once open and they just don’t look good in any position. It’s really a last resort in my opinion. I always find bifold doors clunky. I’d probably only appreciate them with very expensive hardware.

@Beth H. : Thanks for all the suggestions! I am not that handy! My GC will be installing them with the rest of the remodel. I actually thought about using two barn doors and using a bypass track that would allow both doors to slide all the way to one side, either inside the game room or on the foyer side. I really don't want to make the opening smaller. There is about 50" on that side, so two doors would fit fine. Not sure how much depth they'd take up on a bypass. The doors will be open most of the time, so if they were pretty they would just be stacked on the wall. I think the doorbell will be easy enough to relocate and I want to get rid of the "lego" style doorbell anyway! My GC referred me to someone at the local lumber store. Hopefully they will be able to help with options :)

I've experienced barn doors in hotels. quality ones have smooth tracks and are heavy, so they roll smoothly but can make a booming sound when they reach the end of their tracks. you have to open them really slowly to prevent the crash at the end. but it sounds like maybe you'll only be closing them occasionally, so maybe that's NBD?

Note: I had my GC install a barn door that looks like the rest of my interior doors and hide the roller track with a wood valence.

Crista VH, re where to find “barn doors” — you can use just about any interior door for the barn door assembly. Just find the doors that aren’t pre-drilled for door knobs, hinges, etc. If you want some sound buffering when the doors are closed, look for solid core doors rather than the hollow core ones often used as interior doors in homes. Doors with divided glass or glass panels in them would keep the room looking more open even when they are closed.

Re barn door hardware: don’t buy the cheapest brand. You can a good quality set (i.e. solid feeling pieces with some weight to them) on Houzz, Wayfair, Home Depot, etc. in a variety of finishes to match what you have in your home. Look specifically for by-pass barn door hardware. Be sure to get the floor guides to help the doors slide smoothly in place. You can also use a wall stop if you feel that the doors would hit the wall where they stack.

We have barn doors in several locations and I really like them—no issues with clearance as they open into a room or hallway!

@vhamley Thanks for the advice! The floor guides aren't in the center of the opening are they? I have lost of doors pinned similar to this door. Which have similar panes to my front door and windows.

Crista VH, floor guides do not need to be in the center (and really shouldn’t be!). We located ours towards the doors will be when they are open. I love the look of the doors you have pictured above. The glass will keep the entry and to room beyond from looking too closed off.

My vote is also for a barn door❣️