Danny Goff
Measuring Incorrectly Not Considering Privacy Going Without a Barn Door Floor Guide Not Protecting Wood Finishes Selecting the Wrong Hardware for Your Door Weight Choosing a Low-Quality Metal for Hardware Forgetting a Soft Stop or Hush Wheels in Quiet Spaces Not Using a Track Support Header Board Damaging Your Drywall Using the Wrong Cleaner Whatever your final measurement is, add one inch to get your ideal barn door height. Many people like the idea ofadding a sliding barn door to a bathroom or another smaller room. A brush sweep along the bottom can also helpsoundproof a sliding barn door.
These small accessories are typically floor-mounted and keep the door from hitting the wall, and prevent the frustrating swaying back and forth on the track every time you slide it open. We include a T-guide as a standard option with all of our flat track hardware kits, but if you don’t have one or need a replacement, we have a selection ofsliding barn door floor guides.
There are fixed sizes, or an adjustable option for uncommon thicknesses so you can get an exact fit. Lastly, if you don’t want to drill your floor, you can use awall-mounted sliding door guide.
A finish not only protects the door from reacting to moisture and temperature changes in the environment, but will bring out the true color of the wood and enhance the rich detail in the grain patterns that you wouldn’t see otherwise. As a bonus, finishes can also provide UV protection for doors that may be exposed to direct sunlight. If you have a door made of a dense, heavy wood, or with glass or metal panels, there are some styles you’ll want to avoid. Over time, raw steel oxidizes and starts to show rust spots.
In that case, hot-dipped galvanized steel sliding hardware is a solid choice that works well in outdoor settings and can stand up to corrosive environments better than any other metal. Steel that is simply painted (often spray-painted) will not hold up to the test of time like powder-coats that are baked on the metal and result in a thick, dense layer of color.
Stainless steel is another excellent option for barn door hardware kits. Not only does it make for luxe andmodern barn door hardware, but it is also incredibly sturdy, and the finish stays smooth and spotless with little attention needed. The only metals suitable for salty air, for instance, aregalvanized andstainless steel (and even then, performance depends on just how much exposure the hardware is getting.) Brass is a softer metal, so don’t install it in place where it is likely to be nicked or scratched.
MISTAKE 7: Forgetting a Soft Stop or Hush Wheels in Quiet Spaces If yourbarn door hardware is going into a quieter space, like a bedroom or office, consider using hush wheels.
Wheels can be challenging to switch out if you change your mind after the hardware is already installed.
Another noise-dampening component to a flat track hardware kit is a soft stop. If you’re wonderinghow to make a barn door quieter, a combination of a soft stop and hush wheels will work wonders. A ledger board adds a bit of an offset to the door, which is good for doorways with protruding casings.
If you are not using a ledger board in your installation, you will need tobe careful not to crush the drywall. By drilling a shallow 1.25” diameter hole where the bolts will be mounted, you can insert adrywall anti-crush ring and install your hardware.
By using these simple little rings, you can save yourself a lot of headaches trying to repair crumbling drywall. For hardware, you canuse a damp cloth to wipe down powder-coated or raw steel.
Brass is the softest of all barn door metals, so take extra care to clean it gently. If you use a cloth, the fibers can get caught on the wood’s raw, weathered edges.
