The Barn Door Bug Hit Us Too - Part Two

Welcome back! In Part One, we told you about choosing a door and refinishing it. Part Two is all about selecting the necessary hardware and installation.

The increased popularity of sliding barn doors has made the required hardware more readily available. Ron spent a good deal of time reading up on the subject and researching artisans. The set we chose is from The White Shanty on Etsy. We liked seeing the actual wheels, as well as the look of raw steel on the model we chose. There are many styles and finishes available and you're sure to find one that suits your home décor.

Step One involved screwing the wheel hardware to the door.

Drilling holes for wheel hardware © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Wheel mounted to door © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Step Two required using a stud-finder to locate the studs around the existing door opening. The hardware definitely had to be mounted to wood, not just screwed into sheetrock. There was lots of careful measuring to determine where the holes in the mounting bar would need to be drilled in order to line up with the wall studs. Ron found it helped to lay everything out on the living room floor. His two assistants did their best to make sure he didn't mess up. That's what they claimed to be doing anyway...

Step Three required a drill press. It's a much safer, more accurate way to drill through steel than trying to use a hand drill. Since we don't have a drill press, we turned to Google and found a machinist in Raleigh. His name is Jim Cobb.

Jim Cobb at work © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

He charged $25, and did a perfect job. We also got to meet Toby, who spent quite a good long time pressed up against Ron's leg, enjoying a nice pat.

Toby © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Step Four was where it all came together: the careful measuring, the precision-drilling, the putting together of all the elements. There would be more photos, but I was on a ladder holding an end of the bar and/or handing tools to Ron much of the time.

Bar installation © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

As you can see, if you look carefully, Ron had to notch out a small section of molding. If he hadn't done that, the door would hang well shy of the floor.

Mounting hardware close up © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Step Five was pretty easy. We just needed to decide where to put the guide. Because the mounting hardware sticks out from the wall, the door slanted in a bit toward the office, so we decided the guide was best used to keep the slanting at a minimum.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Sliding doors don't provide complete privacy, but they do offer some. This door also added a lot of visual interest without taking up much space.

Door, Hall view with Buster exiting the office © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Door, Office view © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

If you have any technical questions, feel free to ask in Comments and we'll be happy to answer them as best we can. (And by "we", I mean Ron).

Quince Cottage Design Mantra: Create a beautiful, comfortable home that reflects your unique style and personality. 
In our own place, patina is valued, rustic rubs shoulders with opulent (we call this "agrarian chic"), and you're sure to get a terrier-style welcome!