Have questions about how to install a farmhouse barn door? Here’s our before and after farmhouse barn door with a few answers.
This post is sponsored by National Hardware.
When we designed Whitney’s room (you can see the entire before and after here) she only had one request.
One.
After patiently waiting for over a year for her room to be finished, she only had one simple request.
A barn door.
Wait. I forgot. She wanted yellow and blue colors, too. So I guess that makes two requests.
But the barn door? It was her heart. She’d seen other people with other barn doors. She’d gone into shops and pushed barn doors back and forth. She’d followed barn doors on Instagram. She’d visited people’s houses with barn doors and come home sighing.
If only. If one day. If possible.
She could have a farmhouse barn door.
And now?
Meet Whitney and her very own farmhouse barn door.
Here is where we started.
This was the status of the room in March.
As you can see in the picture, there are two doors on that wall. One of them leads to the bathroom and one of them is the closet. The closet doesn’t have a door because she lost part of her closet to the bathroom renovation of 2018. You can see the before and after of the bathroom here.
The challenge?
She wanted a barn door, but the space was too small for a barn door. When you pulled it to one side, it would have blocked the bathroom door. I suggested a regular door and she said okay.
But her eyes?
They still wanted a farmhouse barn door.
So we got creative.
When you live in a 110-year-old home, creative is your specialty.
Whitney cleaned up her closet and we built a barn door that slides between the closet and the bathroom.
Brilliant?
I know, right?
Where can I get barn door hardware?
We installed this beautiful barn door hardware in stainless steel from National Hardware.
You can see all the details and specifications here.
I have partnered with them for years on so many different projects like this one and this one and I cannot recommend their barn door hardware enough. It’s strong and sturdy and looks so pretty and slides so smoothly. You can literally slide this door open and closed with your finger.
What if my opening is too large for a standard barn door?
And just when I thought I had discovered everything there was, I found something new.
The barn door extension.
Our challenge was that our space was extra long. The space from doorway to doorway between the closet and the bathroom door was 108″. The standard barn door hardware is only 72″. So I thought our barn door was destined to be only a dream.
And then?
I found this.
The barn door extension.
You can see it better here.
It’s so easy to install and we just added it to the end of the barn door hardware.
The extension allowed us to extend the farmhouse barn door to run the entire length between the two doors.
I thought we needed two, but after we installed it, we ended up only needing one extension.
How do I keep the barn door on track?
Here’s another barn door tip.
The farmhouse barn door was swinging slightly from side to side when we installed it.
So my father-in-law came up with this brilliant suggestion. He simply cut a 1″x 1″ piece of wood and attached it directly to the floor.
This helps keep the barn door running smoothly on track and prevents it from swinging out.
Where do I install the barn door handle?
We found this beautiful barn door hardware from National Hardware.
You can see it here.
But then the challenge was where to install it. Our farmhouse barn door is constructed with 1″x 6″ vertical boards with three cross pieces. Should we put it on the top cross piece? The bottom cross piece? On the crosspiece?
Our solution?
We hung it where Whitney could reach it.
She’s right at 5 feet tall, so we placed it on the door where her arm fit it perfectly.
It’s her barn door. It should fit her.
What type of barn door sliders are the best?
There are so many different types of sliders. There are sliders that fasten to the front of the door and slide. There are sliders that attach to the back of the door and slide. There are ornate sliders and simple sliders and so many different options to choose from.
We wanted to keep it simple.
So we chose the sliders that fasten to the back of the door with a relatively low profile.
The barn door is the star of the show and the hardware is the jewelry.
I love the simple, classic look of this hardware.
And now?
The room is finished.
The curtains are hung and the rug is rolled out and the bed is fluffed and the desk is organized and the closet is clean and the barn door is right where it was always meant to be.
In Whitney’s room.
Here’s to barn door dreams everywhere. 🙂
disclosure: A giant shout out to National Hardware for partnering with me on this post.
All opinions are my own.
Please see my disclosure page for more information.
I ADORE barn doors and if I owned a Farmhouse you betcha bottom dollar they'd be all over the house... Lol!!!! On another note, thank - you so much for the tip on the Safaveiha rugs at Walmart. I ordered a 4x6 to go under my coffee table in front of my sofa, where I spend most of my time. I was constantly shampooing the carpet due to the foot traffic. I don't remember the pattern, but I got it in the navy. I have bought several rugs in this brand for my Mom as well as for myself, but usually from Amazon or Wayfair. This price point was great!!! Again.. thank - you.. 👍😉
I love Whitney’s room!! The barn door is superb and I’m forwarding this post to my Mom. She is getting started on a bathroom reno and wants a barn door for the large linen closet in there. What a space saver rather than bifold doors that are there now. Thank you and Whitney for the help 🌞🌺☘️ TGIF!!!
What a beautiful room!! She has her mama's decoration skills!! Love it!!
I love her room so much!!!! The door is wonderful. The colors are perfect. My only thought....is I would have to have a fabric curtain over my clothes in closet. Using any fabric in the room or one to match the paint. LOVE IT
Her room looks so peaceful- LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Also understand about barn doors-have 2 of them in our California home and trying to figure out how to add more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So practical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the rug! Where did you get it?
KariAnne, You are the best Mom ever! The room is perfect now with the addition of the extra special barn door!
The barn doors look awesome and the room just as awesome!!!
Perfect solution to having several doors on one wall. And finding the extensions made it possible for her. The clean lines keep the room looking fresh!
"When you live in a 110-year-old home, creative is your specialty." I suspect that creativity is your specialty no matter what home you live in. What a great solution! BTW, I've always wondered about the swinging door issue--looks like you have a good solution.
The barn door looks absolutely perfect in Whitney's room. Like it was always meant to be. I think it was....
I want to “shop” Whitney’s room but can’t find it on Shop My House.” I love the blue flower picture, the pillows and the comforter. Very nice clever door idea!
I am so happy that Whitney was able to get her barn door! such a sweet, talented, creative, intelligent young woman deserves to have that special touch! Her room is gorgeous, and the barn door is perfect!
I am sighing, big time. LOVE Whitney's barn door! One of these days I'm going to put a barn door in our teeny-tiny office. It would be PERFECT there, because it wouldn't take up any room. Well, wall space, but that's okay! Tell Whitney her room is beautiful!!
Whitney's room looks wonderful! Lucky girl to have a barn door too!! And I adore navy and white so her room is perfectly peaceful and calm.
I love it! I love barn doors!!! One day, somewhere in my house, I will have a barn door!!! 😊 Whitney’s room is beautiful. 🥰
I love the finished room! It's beautiful and perfect for a beautiful young lady.
Just to be clear, the barn door is the door for Whitney's closet right? The bathroom still has its own door. Or am I mistaken? The room is beautiful - I'm happy she got her barn door. When you did Westleigh's room last year it too was gorgeous! The twins are blessed!
The barn door is for the bathroom OR the closet. When it closes off the closet then the bathroom is in view and vice versa. That's how I see it.
Love love everything about her room! Did your sister do the artwork? Love it too! Are u carrying the blue and white theme throughout the house? I came thru McKinny last week and thought about you! Miss you neighbor!
I had that exact scenario with a closet door right next to the bathroom door. I also had a third entrance door on the adjoining wall. Doors were swinging everywhere! Barn doors were the solution. One for the entrance & one to alternate the bathroom or the closet. Now I need to decide between paint or stain.
Whitney's bedroom is just beautiful! I'm so happy that she was able to get her barn door!
Love your room, Whitney! I love that you can see this barn door from any position. It's such a sweet addition.
Her room is so pretty and bright! I’m not understanding your "extension"?? What did you extend? I keep looking at the picture and don’t see what you’re referring to. Is the door for the closet or bathroom? I have four barn doors in my house. One between the laundry room and kitchen. One into the master bedroom. One into the master en-suite and one into the master closet. I like them all except the bathroom one. Even though there is just the two of us, there are times I would like a lock on that door..lol.. Also...if one of us is up before the other in the AM, there is definitely light that shows all around the entire door. So, for your readers, that is just something to think about. Lots of handle choices abound. Even Amazon has them. I got mine custom made and they are quite nice and were less money than what amazon wanted.
I believe it's the rod that the door rolls on at the top.
I love it. This causes me to think perhaps a change from a pocket door in one bedroom. Love that it has solved Whitney’s problems and it fits her so well. ❤️
I love Whitney’s room (colors, furnishings, etc.) and am so glad she got her barn door. For over forty years, I lived in a Cape Cod style home with a half bath/ laundry room downstairs. When we renovated the bath/laundry room several years ago, we installed a barn door to hide the stack unit. Now I am in my in-law apt. connected to that Cape Cod home (my daughter and her family bought it) by a mud room and a barn door on my side. There’s also a sign above the barn door that says Grammy’ Big New House. That’s what my 4 year old grandson has called it since the addition was started. I always look forward to reading your posts! Nancy
Love your room Whitney! Love the barn door!
Love the barn door. Just one question. Is there any kind of handle on the bathroom side and anyway to lock the door when you are in the bathroom? OK, two questions.
That's an awesome question! We are working on a handle for the other side and a hook to keep the door closed (per the twins' request)! Happy day friend! karianne