Barn doors grace the indoors of a wide range of home styles, from rustic and farmhouse to modern and contemporary. Installing a barn door is a fairly expedient way to cover a door opening while lending unique flair to your home. Barn doors can be installed indoors by homeowners with only a few simple tools in just a day or two.
Basics of Indoor Barn Door Installation
An indoor barn door slides on a metal track that is installed over the top of the door frame. Hangers with wheels are attached to the top of the barn door, and these hangers rest on top of the metal track.
Indoor barn doors can be installed singly or in pairs. A single barn door will cover one doorway, and the door slides to either the left or right side when open (a side must be chosen prior to installation). Single doorways tend to measure between 36 inches and 42 inches. A pair of barn doors will cover a space of about 84 inches wide, and the two doors slide outward in opposite directions when open.
With either installation type, there must be enough wall space to the side to accommodate the door when it is in an open position.
Codes and Permits
Interior door installation generally does not trigger the need for a building permit. To be on the safe side, you should always check with your local permitting department. One of the values of a pair of barn doors is the extra width. So if you need to widen an existing doorway or create a new doorway, you may need to apply for a building permit since this may compromise the wall’s structural integrity.
When to Install a Barn Door Indoors
Being an indoor project, a barn door can be installed at any time of year. Because the door trim can interfere with the barn door track, it is helpful if the door is installed before the trim is installed. Install the floor covering before the indoor barn door since a floor guide must be screwed on top of the floor covering.
Source: The Spruce
