disclosure:  this post is sponsored by National Hardware.

Sliding Butler Pantry Barn Door

I’ve always had a soft spot for the butler’s pantry.

It had a rough beginning with faux brick flooring and a floating water heater and stand-up freezer.

Kind of the pantry that time forgot.

We added built-ins and painted the shelving SW Extra White and the walls SW Mindful Gray and added dishes and a chalkboard menu and peel and stick flooring…

…and told the pantry it was beautiful.

When I designed the space and I planned the open shelving, I always imagined a barn door.  But then we got busy with baseball and cheerleading and basketball and life and the barn door was only a dream.

Until now.

Dishes and bowls displayed in the pantry

Here’s one side of the door with the dishes and platters and bowls and plates.

And then?

You grab the handle and it slides to the other side like butter.

The other side of the pantry

And looks like this.

This is the more organized side.

I filled baskets with glassware and stacked the extra plates and lined up the glasses on these easy hangers.

Barn door in the pantry

Here’s the side view of the pretty side.

Displaying the pretty side of the pantry

Then slide the door over to the organized side.

Basket in the pantry

Hydrangeas in glass bottles

Stemware in the pantry

Isn’t it beautiful?

And organized?

And practical?

I know the farmers that built this house would have added one of their own if they weren’t so busy cutting hay and milking cows.

If you think a barn door might be in your future, here’s the tutorial on how we hung the barn door.

How to install the barn door

Step 1:  Purchase a barn door kit.  This is the one I used.  It comes with instructions and

There are several pieces that come in the kit.  Ours came with a track, track brackets, hardware, spacers, hanger rollers and end pieces to prevent the door from sliding off the ends It comes with instructions and how-to’s and details.  Make sure to follow the manufacture’s directions when hanging your door.  There are all sorts of specifications on door weight and how to ensure there is enough support when the door is hung.  Our door is made from light-weight pine so it’s not that heavy.  If you don’t want to build the door (we did to make sure it fit the space exactly), there are barn doors for sale at your local home improvement store.

Step 2:  Hang a mounting board.  You can see our mounting board here.  It’s a 1″ x 5″ piece of pine.  We cut ours slightly longer than the track and attached it to the front of the shelving.  We also added 1″ x 4″ support pieces behind the mounting board to make sure the door has adequate support.

Hang the track in the pantry

Step 3:  Hang the track with the hardware included in the kit according to manufacturer’s directions.  This is the track that the hanger rollers will slide on.  Make sure the track is level.  If the track isn’t level, the door won’t stay in place and always slide to one side.

Make sure to add the end pieces to the end of the track according to manufacturer’s directions to prevent the door from sliding off the track.

Barn door

Build a door

Step 4:  Construct (or buy a door)

Here’s a close-up of the door that we built.

It’s constructed from lightweight pine.  I’m going to write a more detailed tutorial on it later, but there are six pieces of 1″ x 8″ board.

We then cut a 1″ x 6″ board for the top and bottom and the diagonal cross piece.  The boards are nailed together and primed and painted.

The track for the barn door

Detail of track for door

Barn door on the track

Step 5:  Attach the hanger rollers

Here’s a close-up of the hardware.

Isn’t it beautiful?

It’s what makes the entire door work.

Follow the manufacturer’s directions and attach to the door.  Make sure all hardware is tightened.

Detail of dishes in the pantry

Step 6:  Attach the door hardware

I love this big beautiful bar pull.

It’s the perfect blend of industrial meets farmhouse meets my butler’s pantry.

Attach the handle to the door.

Hang the door in the pantry

Step 7:  Hang the door

Place the roller hangers on the track according to the manufacturer’s directions and hang the door.

Dishes in the pantry

*sigh*

Isn’t it beautiful?

I didn’t think I could love the butler’s pantry any more, but I do.

If only those farmers could see it now.

They and the cows would be so proud. 🙂

disclosure:  This post was sponsored by National Hardware.

All opinions are my own.

Please see my disclosure page for more information.

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Comments

  1. Image for Sherry Sanders Sherry Sanders

    Wow....can I come live in your pantry? I think you should at least add a reading chair so you can sit in there and enjoy the room. LOL

  2. Image for Angela Beam Angela Beam

    I SO love this! So beautiful! I am forever amazed and impressed how you decorate and arrange your things, it's always so beautiful! And your pictures of everything are always so gorgeous, like from a decorating magazine like Veranda! ?

  3. Image for Barbara Barbara

    Nice! Great photos and instructions-love that you always give the source of items. I too think I would sit in there and enjoy it:)

  4. Image for Marisa Franca @ All Our Way Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

    Love it! Love it! Love it!! I think this is something we need to do in our garage. See, we have these huge doors that need to be replaced. They slide on rollers. This Hubby could do!! Sending you a big hug for our solution!! ?

  5. Image for Kris Kris

    Wonderful! You talented woman, you! (Your hubby probably has his share of talent that he used on this project, too!)

  6. Image for Carol at Bluesky Kitchen Carol at Bluesky Kitchen

    Karianne, a few months ago we installed a barn door on our laundry room and I absolutely love it. It was a labor of love, taking old French doors and transforming into a barn door. So practical and pretty. Yours is so pretty and a great way to "hide" stuff.

  7. Image for Denise Cox Denise Cox

    It's very pretty, Karianne!! Can you please send me an email letting me know what a floating water heater is, please? I've never heard of it before... Enjoy your Memorial Weekend...

  8. Image for Nancy @ Slightly Coastal Nancy @ Slightly Coastal

    I love the barn door! But I have to admit, I'm more dazzled by your milk glass collection. Oh...for the love of milk glass! You know my affinity for milk glass. Too bad we can't trade milk glass like people trade pins. I'm dreaming of a barn door for my laundry room right now. Nancy

  9. Image for Leslie Watkins Leslie Watkins

    I am so in love with this! I thought your pantry was complete--- but I stand-- oh, so corrected! Amazing, friend!!! I am wondering with all that creativity if you ever sleep!! If am now looking for the right place for one here. Happy Wednesday!

  10. Image for Cindy Richter Cindy Richter

    I've never seen a sliding barn door that didn't go all the way to the floor - and oh how I love it! You have one of they prettiest pantry's ever. I've pinned it many times because you have so many nice pictures of it! And my goodness, it's so big. I think I could fit a twin bed in there and live happily ever after. :)

  11. Image for Lanita Anderson Lanita Anderson

    Wow....that is definitely "swoon worthy"!!! So beautiful and such a great addition to your already wonderful and amazing butler's pantry! I didn't think you couldn't improve on that any more, or make it more beautiful, but you did! Blessings to you....

  12. Image for Teresa Gonzales Teresa Gonzales

    Love, love. love the barn door! We put in several in our former home-so practical and really make a room.

  13. Image for Kristi Mercer Kristi Mercer

    Oh Karianne, it's absolutely PERFECT! The silver hardware brings just the right amount of "polished" to the look and I love that you can leave some of the shelving open to the rest of the room!

  14. Image for Angela Angela

    I love everything about this pantry! Where did you find those baskets with the burlap liners? Thanks so much for sharing this. I truly enjoyed reading about your pantry and seeing the lovely pictures.

Comments are closed.