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Transform the Look of Your Home with These Beautiful Double Barn Door Ideas

Looking for barn door ideas and keep coming across interior barn door photos on Pinterest? Do you keep thinking this is a trend you’d like to implement a double barn door in your own home? Well, if you have any barn door-related questions, we’re here to answer all of them, with a comprehensive guide on this particular door type.

Double Barn Door

We’re also going to take a look at some beautiful barn door ideas and tell you what you can expect in terms of construction, hardware included, and ease of installation.

What Is a Barn Door for Homes?

Barn doors are more distinctive in appearance. These doors, which are typically made of wood, have a more rustic texture and appearance. They complement a wide range of architectural types, including farmhouse, country, and cottage.

They Aren’t That Suitable for Modern Style Homes

Barn doors are installed across the doorway, which means you have to place them along the neighboring wall’s exterior. This makes them easier to install, as the track is always visible, eliminating the need to open the wall at a later moment.

You can install the track on any wall, regardless of its thickness or load carrying capacity.

When open, barn doors may obstruct plugs and wall switches, which is why they require a blank wall to glide over. As a result, there can be no shelves or artwork there.

How Does a Barn Door Style Work?

To keep this explanation very simple: a barn door basically hangs from a railing system which is installed above the doorway, into one of the rooms it separates. It has a system that allows the door to hang and can be moved on the rails to open flush against the wall.

Because of this system, installing a barn door requires way more hardware components than a traditional door does, but you shouldn’t be very intimidated by this fact, as it’s really not that complicated to install.

Does a Double Barn Door Work the Same Way?

With double barn doors, you need some good support for the sliding hardware. Most home owners use double barn doors on a large, wide closet opening. You can also use them to divide a large space between two areas such as a living room and dining room. 

When purchasing, just make sure the hardware is for double barn doors. The slider system will be longer and usually more heavy duty.

Once you have the doors (or door material to build your own), secure the top header above the opening with a strip of MDF or wood. This will allow you to use all the screw holes in the slider bar, instead of having to rely on the placement of studs. 

Once installed, your double barn doors should slide open easily, with each one moving to the side. 

Double Barn Door Hardware Is Important

Double Barn Door Hardware Is Important

Because your barn door will be a prominent point in your home, it must look excellent, work flawlessly, and withstand the rigors of daily use. High-quality sliding door hardware is sturdy, operates quietly and smoothly, and compliments your décor attractively.

It will cost slightly more initially but will be well worth it in the long term.

Do You Need to Seal Your Barn Door?

Because interior barn doors are protected from the elements, you won’t have to worry about the door being damaged by the weather’s elements. However, depending on the location of the door on the inside, you may need to use particular hardware.

This is especially true when it comes to bathroom doors. Steam from hot showers might lead to rust, giving the door an unpleasant appearance and making it harder to open. The easiest technique to deal with rust on an internal barn door is to avoid it altogether.

Hardware Choices

There are two basic choices when it comes to robust internal barn door hardware. To begin, you can select treated hardware to withstand rust and other forms of damage. Regrettably, this will limit your color and design options.

Another viable option is stainless steel hardware.  Due to stainless steel’s excellent resistance to corrosion, you won’t need to wait for an extra coating. Best of all, with the proper materials, stainless steel can be painted.

Top 7 Barn Doors to Install in Your Home

Paneled Manufactured Wood Painted Barn Door

Paneled Manufactured Wood Painted Barn Door

Made from American-grown pine, this is a quality interior barn door that acts as good as it looks. It has a solid core and could fit into a variety of different rooms, especially in living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms.

Pros:

  • Made from quality pine
  • Reversible design
  • Hardware included

Cons:

  • Color seems to fade in time

It has a reversible design and is delivered together with the hardware needed for installation, including the tracks and the track joiner.  You have multiple size options to choose from, including 72″ x 84″ and 60″ x 84″, with the largest option measuring 84” x 84”. The pre-drilled holes make for an easier installation process.

Paneled Wood Diy Knotty Barn Door

Paneled Wood Diy Knotty Barn Door

The design of this interior barn door is certainly eye-catching, so we just had to include it in our list. However, it’s not just here for show, as the features are pretty impressive too considering the decent price. Also made from natural pine, this double door comes with handles and other hardware elements needed for installation. You will, however, need an additional hammer, power drill, socket wrench, and screwdriver.

Pros:

  • Hardware kit included
  • Pre-drilled holes
  • Made with natural pine.

Cons:

  • Requires extra tools for installation

We feel like it’s very important to note that the door requires a little bit of assembly, since you’re going to receive separate plants. They are, however, pre-drilled, so it shouldn’t be the most complicated thing.

Paneled Wood Unfinished Double Barn Door

Paneled Wood Unfinished Double Barn Door

If you want a barn door that you can paint in the color of your choice or use as it for a more natural effect, this might be the right product for you. It’s made from natural spruce, so the beautiful unfinished appeal is definitely there.

Pros:

  • Hardware included
  • Mitered panels for a good fit
  • Unfinished and can be painted

Cons:

  • Difficult to put together

The wood panels are precut and pre-drilled to make installation easier for you. You have a bunch of different sizes to choose from, with the smallest food being 20 x 84 inches and the largest one, 30 x 84 inches. You also get all the hardware needed for installation.

Paneled Wood K Series DIY Knotty Barn Door

Paneled Wood K Series DIY Knotty Barn Door

Another quality barn door that’s available for a really good price comes from Coast Sequoia. It’s made from pine wood, which is a pretty common choice for barn doors within this price range.

Pros:

  • Four finish options
  • Installation hardware included
  • Has an unfinished version you can paint

Cons:

  • Confusing instructions

As with the other product we’ve looked at today, this one also comes with a hardware kit needed for installation. You will receive two door strips that need to be assembled. You can choose to purchase this in an unfinished version, but there are also four finish options to choose from.

Paneled PVC/Vinyl and Metal Barn Door

Paneled PVC/Vinyl and Metal Barn Door

If you’re in the process of saving money and want to purchase a barn door nevertheless, this PVC/vinyl model is the solution you were looking for. You can select between two different sizes: 36″ W x 84″ H and 42″ W x 84″ H, but you also have two finish options: white and gray.

Pros:

  • Quiet wheel mechanism
  • Easy to clean PVC surface
  • Easy to install

Cons:

  • Questionable long-term durability

It is designed with top wheels that are constructed from a high-grade polymer, which enables them to smoothly roll on the tracks\, making less noise compared to metal wheels.

Flush Wood Planum Barn Door

Flush Wood Planum Barn Door

Don’t get me wrong, these SARTODOORS are good, but the company has made some questionable decisions that we’re going to mention in a bit. Let’s start with the good stuff. You have four finish options to choose from and multiple sizes, ranging from 36″ x 80″ to 84″ x 96″.

Pros:

  • Multiple size and finish options available
  • Quality pine construction
  • Hardware included

Cons:

  • No pre-drilled holes

The doors are made from quality pine wood and come with the hardware needed for installation. However, we’re not really sure why these doors aren’t pre-drilled for the hardware, as this would have saved time and effort with measurements and additional tools needed for installation.

Glass Barn Door with Installation Hardware Kit

Glass Barn Door with Installation Hardware Kit

There are a lot of things we love about these doors, especially the combination between solid pine wood construction and glass that allows more light in and creates the illusion of more space. These barn doors are definitely a great option for a living room or a dining room. 

Pros:

  • 21 size options
  • Made with quality pine wood
  • Glass creates the illusion of more space.

Cons:

  • No pre-drilled holes

As with the previous option, you also have a lot of sizes to choose from, starting with 36″ x 80″ and going all the way up to 84″ x 96″. However, also like the previous option, there are no pre-drilled holes, which means installation is going to take more effort on your behalf.

What You Should Know About Barn Doors for Your Home

Before buying a barn door for your interior, we’d like to point out a few things that you need to look out for prior to spending any money.

It Has Special Installation Requirements

While a barn door might save space in comparison to a swinging door, it does require space to glide down its track.

The math is pretty simple: in case you want to install a single door, you’re going to need wall space on the side where the door opens.

For double barn doors, you need to have the same amount of space on each side as the width of one of the doors.

You also need to consider the fact that open doors might cover light switches, power outlets, wall art, vents, or windows, so be really careful with where you plan to install your interior barn door.

Structural Support is Crucial

Barn doors can be really heavy, sometimes weighing even more than 200 pounds (depending on the type and construction chosen). Because of that, most people secure the track to a header fastened to the wall studs above the entryway.

A 2 x 6 cut that is twice the length of your track should suffice. If you want to mount on wall studs, ensure that there is a wood block or a stud at each interval along your track, including those beyond the door opening. Anchors in the wall are insufficient to hold the weight of these doors.

It Has to Be Wider Than the Doorway

Barn doors are suspended from tracks which are located on the top side of the door, and this typically leaves gaps on the sides between the door and the walls. You have to make sure that the width of the door is a few inches wider than the doorway to ensure complete coverage and prevent gaps.

For instance, a four-foot door will cover a three-foot entrance with six inches on either side, thus eliminating gaps. Purchase a track that is twice as wide as your door. A four-foot-wide door requires at least eight feet of track to fully open.

DIY Barn Door Ideas You Can Make Yourself

See for yourself how you can make your own DIY barn door for your home using any of these tips!

DIY $60 Double Barn Door

DIY $60 Double Barn Door

In this particular project, you are taught how to make a barn door from scratch and how to install it so that you can enjoy a quality product that was built with your own two hands.

Making this barn door yourself might not be entirely worth it if you don’t already own the tools, which can be expensive to purchase if you don’t plan on using them on more projects.

What you’ll need:

  • Protection gear
  • Tape measure
  • Drill and impact driver
  • Miter saw
  • Wood conditioner
  • Poly
  • Stain
  • Sanding block
  • Wood filler
  • Wood glue
  • Trim head screws
  • Barn door installation hardware
  • lumber

The greatest part of the project involves cutting and sanding the lumber bits, drilling everything for the hardware, and taking the correct measurements along the way. Additionally, you can paint the doors in the color of your choice.

How to Hang Double Barn Doors

How to Hang Double Barn Doors

If you’ve already bought the barn doors but you don’t know how to install them, this is a general tutorial with tips that are bound to come in handy during the installation process.

What you’ll need:

  • Hardware kit
  • Laser level
  • Reciprocating saw

Instead of giving you a step-by-step process, this is rather a list of tips, since the exact instructions will depend on the hardware, you’re using to install the door. As with other barn doors, it’s mostly a matter of making the correct measurements so you can properly install the hardware for your new door.

How to Build and Install a Double Barn Door

How to Build and Install a Double Barn Door

This particular project will also show you how to make a barn door from scratch and install it but using a minimal number of items and therefore reducing the overall costs.

What you’ll need:

  • 2 barn door hardware kits
  • Finish nailer
  • 2 sheets of plywood or MDF
  • 1 ¼-inch finish nails
  • 6 primed 1×2″x8′ boards
  • 8 primed 1×4″x8′ boards
  • Tape measure
  • Wood glue
  • Miter saw
  • Clamps

The tutorial itself has some pretty comprehensive steps which are easy to follow. It’s mostly a matter of determining what size the doors should be, building them, sanding and painting them, putting the hardware in place, and hanging the doors.

DIY Barn Door Plans & Tutorial

DIY Barn Door Plans & Tutorial

This has to be one of our favorite tutorials because it is a kind of passion project that yields amazing results.

What you’ll need:

  • Finish nailers
  • Sander
  • Drill
  • Miter saw
  • Door tracks
  • Hardware
  • Primer/stain
  • 1-inch screws
  • Wood filler
  • Wood glue
  • 1 x 8s/1 x 6s/1 x 4s

The step-by-step tutorial will show you how to create the layers for two different door types, depending on which one suits your decor best. It starts with taking the measurements needed and determining what cuts are needed. In the included photos, you can see how the wood is cut to pieces for the final assembly.

DIY Double Barn Door

DIY Double Barn Door

Using the barn door media cabinet build plans from Shanty 2 Chic, this is actually a tutorial that focuses more on showing you pictures of the barn doors being built.

What you’ll need:

  • Tape measure
  • Clamps
  • Brad nailer
  • Drill
  • Jigsaw
  • Miter saw
  • Kreg jig
  • Door handles
  • Hardware for double sliding barn doors
  • Stain/paint
  • Wood glue
  • 1 ¼″ Kreg screws
  • 1 ¼″ and 1″ brad nails
  • 6 x 5.3″ wide x 8ft Shiplap boards
  • 1 x 1×6 @ 10ft
  • 4 x 1x4s @ 6ft
  • 4 x 1x2s @ 8ft

The main steps for the project involve cutting the wood pieces that are later needed for assembly, putting together the face frame, cutting and installing the shiplap boards needed for the frame, adding the prime and paint and hardware for the door, and hanging it on the rails.

DIY Double Barn Door Plans

DIY Double Barn Door Plans

This isn’t exactly a step-by-step tutorial like the others, but rather a description of what the plans that are available to purchase for $1 can teach you. Overall, this project cost around $205 (that was back in 2016, prices might be a little different now), including the hardware needed for installation.

FAQ

Can you use any door for a barn door?

While doors designed for barn door installation are available, practically any door may be transformed to a barn door with the addition of appropriate tracks and hangers. This gear is now widely available in a variety of styles.

Why are barn doors so expensive?

Barn doors are generally more expensive because, compared to a normal door, you need way more hardware to install it.

Are barn doors easy to install?

It’s not really difficult to install your own barn door, but it does take attention to detail to guarantee the door operates effectively and safely. Sliding barn doors perform best when there is sufficient vacant wall space adjacent to the entrance for the door to fully open.

Final Words on Barn Door for Your Home

The SARTODOORS Glass Barn Door is definitely our top option because it’s made with quality materials, comes in 21 different size options for you to choose from, and the integrated glass is such a great choice for small spaces since it makes the room appear bigger.

If you want more ideas on how to spruce up your home, we have plenty more suggestions in store for you. Like our tips for 50 ways to use sliding barn doors in your home!