Installing a sliding barn door is a fantastic trendy upgrade when remodeling your home. Barn doors add character to any room while also saving space.
While barn door hardware used to be expensive and hard to install, the recent popularity of this type of door has produced many easy-to-install, less expensive options.
While sliding barn doors are best installed by a professional door installation service, this is a project you can do as a DIY project if you have the skills and time.
If you tackle door installation, then here are some tips to make the project easier.
Tip: Ensure There is Enough Empty Wall Space
Whether you are installing a small single sliding barn door for a pantry or a large double barn door for a man cave, empty wall space is required next to the doorway.
A single sliding barn door requires empty space on one side of the doorway and a double door requires empty space on both sides.
Single sliding barn doors require empty wall space that is equal to the width of the door.
For example, if you are installing a door that is three feet wide, then the rail it sits on will be six feet long. You should also account for a couple of excess inches on each end.
For a double door installation, it needs to have space on each side equal to the width of one door.
The empty wall space should be free of:
This is important because you don't want to install a barn door and then realize you have to move it every time you want to turn on the overhead room lights.
Tip: Use a Backer Board to Mount the Barn Door Rail
Rather than attaching the barn door rail directly to the wall, it is very helpful to use a backer board. Using a backer board gives you the ability to mount the barn door rail exactly where it should be without having to worry about the location of the wall studs. It also ensures the door is far enough from the wall that it can easily slide back and forth on the track.
The backer board should be securely attached to the wall studs using anchor bolts. It will hold a lot of weight and needs to be well secured in place.
The board can either be painted a contrasting color to make it part of the design or painted the same color as the wall to make it fade into the background.
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