How to Install a Barn Door

Sliding barn doors can add privacy to spaces where a standard door wouldn’t be able to swing open into a room or hallway, or where you just want to add a bit of rustic flair. If you want to install a barn door to your home’s interior, you can do so with simple kits that make installation easy. Ready to upgrade? Follow our installation guide for our tips and tricks.

Whether you’ve got a flock of chickens in the yard or not, you can have a little rustic fun and add some privacy to your interior with some sliding barn doors for use in spaces like washrooms, bedrooms, or even to separate spaces like dining rooms from living rooms. They slide over a doorway on a track (typically metal). Unlike pocket doors, which disappear into a wall’s interior when opened, barn doors slide along a wall and remain visible.

Barn doors can be made from manufactured or natural wood and come in different sizes so you can select the appropriate size to fit your space. They can also be painted or stained to match your home’s style. And you can even install a lock on them for privacy (good for those barn doors on the bathroom).

What you need before you get started on your barn door:

• A large enough wall space to accommodate an open door since it will slide its full width across your wall when opened.
• Make sure there aren’t electrical outlets, wall décor, or anything else that might get in the way of your door’s movement as it opens.
• The door should be slightly wider than the doorway opening (by an inch or two). Measure the doorway before you purchase your door. The barn door should reach 1 inch above the doorway while it will sit one half inch above the floor (it floats slightly off the floor) and will float one inch away from the wall.

Starting Materials:

• You’ll need a drill, tape measure, stud finder, level, pencil, and your barn door and hardware kit.

Keep the following in mind as you install your new sliding barn door.

1. Does your door need to be assembled? Note what it will take to put together your door and any extra parts. Do you have handle options in your kit, or need to decide what side will face out, etc. Consider those decisions carefully.
2. Does the barn door need to be stained or sealed? Take care of any assembling, painting, or staining before installing the door in your home. Make sure everything is dry before you continue with installation.
3. The sliding barn door will need to sit an inch out from the wall to clear the door jam. To create this gap, you may need to install a backer board behind the sliding door track to push it outward slightly. A one-inch-thick piece of dimensional lumber is ideal as a backer board. You can paint or stain it however you’d like. (The barn door track hardware will go on top of this board on your wall.) You will not necessarily need to remove any existing door trim if you like the look of it.
4. It’s also a good idea to mark the stud in the wall so you can securely install the track on a wall stud, to best support the barn door. Doors can be made from solid wood and will need a wall stud to support their weight for secure installation. Use your stud finder and mark these points in pencil in spots that won’t be covered by the backing board when you need to locate them again when installing the track.
5. Install your metal track on the backing board, per the instructions in your barn door kit and make sure the track is perfectly level.
6. Next, add hardware to your prepared door. A kit should supply you with any parts you need to install your barn door. You’ll also want to make sure you install the handle in the correct spot to open and close the door.
7. When all hardware is installed and secure, you can follow the instructions in the kit (perhaps with a DIY buddy to help) to install the door to the sliding track. Enjoy opening and closing your sliding barn door with grace and ease!

Want to make more upgrades than just a new sliding bard door? Stop in and ask one of our McCoy’s team members and they’ll help you out and give you plenty of good advice. We have everything you need for your new look including interior and exterior doors to faucets to toilet fixes. Shop online or at your local McCoy's to get started.