Installing a Sliding Barn Door…How Easy is it?

I’m kind of obsessed with barn doors.  Actually…I want my own barn.  ☺  That’s going to have to wait though, since I’m a farmhouse girl living in the city, so I make due with cute barn doors scattered throughout my house.  I’ve wanted to make a sliding barn door FOREVER. When we did the “great room switch” a couple of months ago, my girls moved to into what had been the office. The doors were glass french doors, so they needed to be switched out, and a sliding barn door was exactly what was needed.

diy sliding barn door | oldsaltfarm.com

Sliding barn doors have been around for quite awhile, and I’ve seen many different versions and tutorials.  There are just SO many  to choose from, and honestly, it starting to feel a little overwhelming! And this is coming from a girl that’s used to building and installing and DIY projects! I finally just decided to go for it and do my own thing, and it worked out just right!  We built a barn door, and I finished it with stain. (Minwax Dark Walnut) I love the painted doors too, but with the style of our home, it just didn’t match. We bought inexpensive barn door hardware that was a silver color, and I spray painted it a hammered black.  I LOVE how it turned out.  It’s perfect in the entryway, and completely changes the way the space looks.  I love that it’s what people first see when they come into our house, and provides the perfect amount of privacy for the girls.

diy sliding barn door | oldsaltfarm.com

If you’ve been debating whether or not you want to tackle this project, or wondering just how difficult it is, I’m going to give you my opinions based on our experience.  I’m also going to share a few tips, some choices you have, and some places to look for hardware, doors, and tutorials if you want them.

So…how hard was it?  Building a barn door isn’t hard, in fact, it’s one of the easier wood projects because it’s so straight forward.  If you feel comfortable tackling it, and have the tools (or access to them) to do it, I definitely say go for it!! The nice thing about building, is that you can do whatever you want. There are SO many options and possibilities, and you’re not limited to what you can find.  If not, you can always search for an old door(s) to use instead. A vintage door has its own charm, and certainly lends to specific style.

The hardware? Not bad at all! At least not the kind we used. (There are lots of different options.) I was expecting it to be a lot harder than it actually ended up being, which was a good surprise.  It took us only about two hours to install–maybe an hour and a half–but it DEFINITELY takes two people. This is not a job you can do alone!  We had everything ready to go and then the installation went pretty smoothly.

Overall, I really recommend this project. I can’t believe what a difference it made–I haven’t been able to stop staring at it yet.  ☺If was going to rate it on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being easy and 5 being very difficult, I would rank it a 2.  The one we made was a weekend project, so it really doesn’t have to be time intensive either.

How much did it cost? We spent $75 to build the door, and the hardware was around $130. This isn’t a “cheap” project, but considering the absolute transformation that can take place by adding one, it’s a $200 bargain in my opinion! Keep in mind that this amount can really vary depending on the hardware you choose, and the type of door you get, but this will give you a basic idea of a more inexpensive version, of cost is an issue, and you’re on a budget.

Where would I put one? Do you have a pocket door in your house that you don’t love?  What about double french or glass doors you’d love to replace?  I love it as an opening to a laundry room, or in a bedroom going to the bathroom or closet.  Closing off an office space, craft room, or any other room off of a foyer or entryway is a great place for one, because it’s visible right from your door.

Where to Start

  1. Gathering Information

  Measure your space–know how wide and how tall it is. Know how wide your door needs to be, plus the amount of space it needs to slide open. Look for studs above the door opening, because barn doors and hardware are HEAVY.  As in pull off your drywall and destroy your wall…so you REALLY have to know what’s under there!  We didn’t have sufficient studs for our door, so we ended up hanging a 2×4 (painted to match our wall color) above the top trim and then screwed the hardware into that instead. It was an easy fix!

2. Decide what type of door you want, and how you’re going to get it. 

Are you going to make a barn door? Find or use an old door?

3.  What kind of finish do you want?

Do you plan to stain it? Paint it? What color?

4.  Buy your hardware

Hardware can be VERY expensive.  You may decide to invest in it, and spend more if you’re looking for something specific, or want a certain look.  I didn’t want to spend a lot, so I went with an inexpensive alternative available at Tractor Supply.  We don’t have one near us, so I bought ours on Amazon. (LOVE Amazon Prime!!!) It was silver, which I didn’t match my house, so I just spray painted it a hammered black (Rustoleum). All the links to the hardware we used is in the Resources section below.

Tips

1. If you spray paint your hardware, DO NOT paint the trolley hangers.  You don’t see them at all (they’re hidden under another piece of hardware) and the paint would most likely affect the way it rolls.

2.  I  highly suggest using an impact drill to install the screws into the studs or 2×4 piece of wood (like we did).  The screws can be really big (to hold that much weight–depending on your door’s size). We bought ours at Home Depot for about $100, but there is a price range depending on the brand.  You could possibly do pilot holes instead, but I honestly don’t think it would be good enough.  You don’t want to mess around with this part…it is SO heavy.

Resources

Hardware: 

This is what we used–

1. 8 foot trolley track: It comes in different lengths, but this is the size we needed for our barn door.  Buy the length you need!

2.  Trolley Hangers (2)

3.  Single Box Barn Door Brackets (4)

4. End Cap

5. Stay Roller

Check out these other barn hardware examples.

Barn Doors:

Take a look at some different types of sliding barn doors.

If you’re on the hunt for old doors (they don’t have to be barn doors), check out your local Habitat Re-store. It’s one of my favorite places to find building materials. Other possible resources are Craiglist and your local classifieds. We have online classifieds in our area, and I’ve found made some awesome things.

Another of my tricks to find old things (doors, windows, etc.) is to find out when heavy trash day is in areas with older buildings and houses that might be replacing them.  Then I drive around a day or so before, and check out what’s on the side of the road. Don’t laugh…some of my most favorite finds ever came that way!

Tutorials:

Honestly. if you google DIY Sliding Barn Doors, you’ll find a million images and options to sift through, plus there’s Pinterest.  So, I looked and found THIS tutorial–it seems to be very similar to what we did, so I thought it might help you visualize it a little better. There are quite a few doors that I love, and depending on the style of my home, I could have easily chosen differently.

I’m happy to answer any questions I can!  Leave me a comment, or e-mail me at simplykierste@yahoo.com.

Honestly, I can’t wait to do another sliding barn door.  ☺

 

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