How big should my barn door be?
When buying a sliding barn door, a prevalent question is: how tall and wide should my barn door be? Most people do not know that measuring your door frame for a barn door is different from measuring for a regular swing door.
You will need a different size for a sliding door versus a traditional swinging door in the same size opening.
Unlike swinging doors, where the door has to exactly fit the door frame, with barn doors, you will need a slightly larger door than the opening. Why? Because if you have a door that is the exact same size as the opening, you will have lots of light and sound coming through the edges of the door. And if your opening is irregular, it will be evident when the door is closed.
Consider Privacy
As mentioned before, it is essential to make the door overlap the opening to ensure privacy and aesthetics. We recommend adding at least one inch overlap on each side of the opening or molding. The more overlap you have, the less light and sound will come through the edges.
How to determine your barn door width
To determine how wide your door should be, measure the opening from one side to the other.
If your door has molding frames, you will need to measure the distance between the outside edges of the molding.
Lastly, you need to add 2" (two inches) to your width measurement. The extra inches will ensure that you will have privacy and no gaps when closing your sliding barn door.
Barn door width measurement example
Let's take a look at another example of how to determine the width of your sliding barn door.
In this example, the opening has no molding. The distance between the edges of the door opening is 36," and we will add 2" (two inches) to that measurement (one inch for each size): 36" + 2" = 38"
In this example, the barn door should be 38" inches wide.
How to determine your barn door height
To determine the ideal height for your barn door, you will have to measure from the floor to the top of the door opening. If your opening has molding frames, measure from the floor to the outside edge of the frame. Add one inch to your final measurement to find out the ideal height of your door.
Barn door height measurement example
In this example, the door frame has no molding. The distance from the floor to the top of the opening is 80". For the final measurement, we need to add one extra inch: 80" + 1" = 81"
In this example, your barn door should be 81" tall.
Note: Keep it in mind that for proper operation, your barn door should be 1/2" above the floor. Don't forget to check your sliding hardware kit installation requirements.
Now that we know how to measure for a barn door, another critical question is: how big should your barn door track be?
Your track size should be at least double the size of your door width; this will ensure that the door will completely uncover the entrance when open. The correct measurement will also provide a smooth, effective, and safe operation of the door.
Barn door hardware track measurement example
In this example, the door is 38" wide. For the door to cover the entrance when closed, we need to make sure the track is at least double the door size: 38" + 38" = 76".
For a door 38" wide, we will need a 76" long.
Note: Make sure you have enough wall space on the side of the opening for the door to open completely.
Now you know how to shop for the perfect barn door! Take a look at our vast collection of sliding barn doors and barn door hardware kits!
What other barn door questions do you have? Let us know in the comments!
A sliding barn door seems like a door with simple and self explanatory function. No sweat right?
The function of the sliding door is relatively straightforward. However, the planning and considerations that precede a barn door are a bit more challenging to ensure that the door functions properly and looks good aesthetically once it is hung. Prior to putting a sliding barn door in your home there are multiple factors to consider. Many of these considerations are covered in another post here: Intro to Sliding Barn Doors.
Once you’ve narrowed your selections it is time to measure for your sliding barn door. Here is the most simple and straight forward guide but if you still have questions – the rest of the blog post covers how to measure for a sliding barn in detail.
Shop our complete sliding barn door and hardware kits online – Each sliding door kit includes: your custom made barn door, flat black door hardware (sliding door hangers, sliding door track or rail, front handle, mounting hardware, door stops, guides), and instructions.
Need more inspiration? Check out our online portfolio of reclaimed wood sliding barn door examples including; cottage style doors, farmhouse sliding doors, x-brace style barn doors, modern barn doors and more.
First you need to determine whether or not there is casing (often referred to as trim) around your opening or if it is simply a sheetrocked door opening. This is the most important detail to get started as it will affect the size of your barn door. It is possible that your opening has been sheetrocked all the way around and does not have a jamb or casing. This is very common in new construction. Below are a couple images of each instance that illustrate the difference between a sheetrocked or cased opening.
Now we’re ready to pull out the tape measure. Below are a few guidelines and graphics to help you measure for your barn door. First we’ll cover openings with casing. If your door is sheetrock only you can slide down the page to the sheetrocked opening section!
When closed (over the opening) the door will cover all of the casing for a cohesive look. The graphic below simulated a door over the opening.
**TIP: In order to slide, we recommend mounting the door 1″ above the finished floor. This will ensure you have room to mount a door guide under the door without friction issues.
Why add 4″? The door will need to hang off the wall a couple of inches in order to slide. As a result, the door must be wider than the opening to eliminate sightlines from angles around the opening. In the example above involving casing, the casing already ‘frames’ the door and adds 4-6 inches of width to the door that will generously cover the opening. For sheetrocked openings you want to add the extra door width to accomplish the same result.
2. For the door height we recommend measuring from the floor to the top of the opening. (In this example the total height is 80″)
Once mounted the door will hang ~1″ off the floor which will add the bit of coverage you need at the top of the opening.
**TIP: Once you’ve established your desired door size. Double check to make sure you still have enough space for the full door to slide out of the way.
Depending on the style of the door, don’t forget to note which way your new sliding barn door will slide. This may affect how the door is built as well as the handle location.
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