Planning Your Barn Door Project
- By Robert Anderson
- Jun 21, 2023
Although most barn door projects are simple, with one door and a standard doorway, they can get more complicated. You want the best look and function for your space so let us walk you through the different options and configurations.
Style and Function
Acorn carries 10 different styles of barn door carriers, all the carriers come in a smooth texture while a few also come in a rough or distressed texture. We offer many different finishes so your project will match your décor and personality. The clearance height on the top of the doorway and door weight need to be considered. Our carriers are available with weight capacities from 125 to 800 pounds when installed correctly and into appropriate material. We also have several low-profile carrier options for situations where there is limited space between the doorway and ceiling. A soft close kit is also a great option for any barn door project, order one soft close kit per door for your project.
Single Door
For simple one-door projects with a similar sized door opening, planning your hardware is very simple. We recommend the track length should be double the size of the door. This will ensure that the doorway is completely clear when the door is open. The most common door width is 36” or three feet, making the most purchased barn door track six feet.
Multiple Door Openings
For projects with multiple doors, there are two distinct styles, bi-parting and bi-passing. Bi-parting barn doors will meet in the middle of the doorway and open on either side. Bi-passing barn doors will slide past each other.
Bi-Parting Doors
Bi-parting Doors are still relatively easy to plan out. The track length will need to be twice the length of both doors. If you have two 36” doors, you will need a total track length of 12 feet. You may have a special circumstance where you have a large opening, and you may not want the open doors to completely clear the opening. This is generally not recommended but with an oversized doorway or a situation where you are dividing a room it can be done.
Bi-Passing Doors
Bi-passing doors can be a little tricky to plan out because there are multiple configurations of bi-passing which makes the possibilities virtually endless. What makes Bi-passing possible is the use of multiple tracks that are set in front of each other using Bi-Passing Brackets or Z-Brackets. For every door on a bi-passing barn door project you will need an individual track, the track lengths will be determined by the doorway’s open configuration. If you would like all the open doors stacked on one side only, your track length would only need to be the width of your widest door plus the width of your doorway. If you want the ability to have doors on either side of the doorway, it will need to be twice the width of the widest door plus the opening. These formulas may seem like they could be simplified but because there are many different configurations we want to be as general as possible. If you have the same situation as the bi-parting example above, with two 36” doors and a 72” or six-foot doorway and you would like them to bi-pass you would need two separate, 12-foot tracks and 12 Bi-pass brackets.
Bi-Pass Brackets
Used for Bi-Passing door projects only. You will need one bracket for each pre-drilled hole in the tracks used with your project. Our 5-foot tracks have five pre-drilled holes, and our other lengths have six pre-drilled holes. Bi-Pass Brackets are installed above the track location with the second track installed on the bottom.
Multi-Door Orders
If you have more than one door you will need to order a barn door kit per door and most likely a Track-Splicer. For Bi-Passing multi-door orders you will need a barn door kit per door and most likely two track extension kits Consider the following examples:
Two 36” doors, Bi-Parting, with a 72” Doorway
2 – 6-Foot Barn Door Kits
1 – Track Splicer
Two 24” doors, Bi-Parting, with a 48” Doorway
1 – 8-foot Barn Door Kit
1 – Barn Door Kit with No Track
Two 36” doors, Bi-Passing, with a 72” Doorway
2 – 6-Foot Barn Door Kits
2 – 6-Foot Tack Extension Kits
12 – Bi-Pass Brackets
How to order from Acorn
Since there are many combinations of barn door projects there are many different ways to order. We have tried to make it as easy as possible but that isn’t always as easy as we want it to be. We sell kits that are perfect for many single door projects. Simply order the style and pick finish and track length right for your project. For multiple doors or for oversized doors we need to take some time and order the right items.
Kits
Our Barn Door Kits come with everything needed for a simple barn door project and come with tracks in 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-foot lengths. Our Track Extension Kits come with everything you need to extend a track and they also come in 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-foot lengths.
Tracks
Since tracks are only stocked in the lengths listed above you may need to have two or more tracks that are connected with a track-splicer. A Track-Splicer is a small part that ensures the two tracks are joined together evenly. Track-Splicers are included in Track Extension Kits. If you would like a custom length track, we can have this made but keep in mind the increased cost of custom work and tracks longer than eight feet come with a large increase in shipping cost.
Ideas and Tips
∼ For barn door projects with new construction make sure there is structure inside the wall where the barn door will be installed to properly hold up the hardware and door in the locations of the pre-drilled holes in the track. For barn door installations in a finished room, we recommend fastening a piece of lumber into the wall where the track will be installed directly into the studs and then fastening your kit directly into the lumber. We can have a custom drill track to match your studs if you prefer. This will be custom with a high cost and longer lead time.
∼ For an atypical or complicated project measure your doors and doorways and give us a call during business hours (508-339-4500) or send us an email and we will let you know what we recommend.
∼ For the outside of your door, you shoul pick a sturdy door pull of your choice and for the inside of the door, a flush or pocket door pull will be appropriate to protect your door and molding.
∼ All our barn door hardware is powder coated and usable outside, we do, however, recommend upgrading to stainless steel. Any outdoor use near the ocean will require stainless steel hardware.
∼ For stainless steel installation, please use tools plated in chrome and in good condition to prevent rust on your bolts. All of the fasteners in the stainless steel kits come in 316 grade stainless steel but rust can form on the surface using poor quality or condition tools.
∼ Clavos are great accent detail for a barn door and come in many shapes and size
∼ All barn door hardware can be purchased individually if needed.
∼ All finishes except matte black come with extended lead time and are not refundable unless they have a structural defect.
