At first thought, the term “barn door hardware” seems like something you should only find in, well, a barn. This, however is not actually the case. In recent years, stylish sliding doors have become more popular for a number of uses around the house, and in turn, the use of a specialty type of door hardware, originally designed for the sliding doors of barns, has been incorporated by home designers to give spaces both rustic and modern stylistic flare.
What is It?
If you can’t get the image of a full-sized barn door in your house out of your head, remember that we’re just talking about barn door hardware. This includes the metal track, braces and rollers that let any type of door (not just oversized red wooden ones) slide to open or close a door. In actuality, this type of door and hardware is not too different from the mechanisms that make any sliding door work. As you’re designing your home, though, barn door fixtures do provide one sizable benefit. Since the hardware is easily purchased by itself, any type of existing door you have can be turned into a sliding door. The hardware most typically is fastened to the top edge of the door, so the door itself doesn’t have to fit into a specific track or railing.
What are the Different Types?
When purchasing barn door hardware, you will typically have a choice of many styles of tracks and fasteners. Different types of tracks include flat tracks, tubular tracks (in which the door is attached to and rolls across a cylindrical metal piece) and box tracks (in which the top rolling mechanism is completely enclosed). Fasteners—the pieces that hold the door onto the hardware—also come in a variety of styles to match the look and feel of your home. From the look of aged, weathered metal straight from the barn to clean, simple stainless steel for modern interiors, it isn’t hard to find a perfect combination to match your home.
