Barn Door Guide Options and How to Choose the Perfect one

Thursday March 14th, 2019

A barn door guide is a perfect solution for preventing your barn door from swaying or swinging back and forth. Each of our barn door hardware kits comes standard with a barn door guide. Without a barn door guide installed your door may hit the wall and swing outward as it rolls along the track. This can damage the barn door roller wheels as well as the wall it is hanging on. Each of our barn door guides are approximately 3” long. They do not span the entire width of the door. You actually don’t even see the guide. They are never a tripping hazard and the barn door guide is always installed out of the walkway or passageway and into the plane of the door approximately half way the width of the door. Each guide takes about 5 minutes to install.

Which barn door guide is recommended for your project? Let’s explore them a little deeper to find out.

Floor Mounted Standard Barn Door Guide:

This is a 3” long “L” shaped metal bracket that is installed into the floor, and out of the walkway, and was designed with adjustable slotting. This comes with the hardware needed for installation. This standard barn door guide is defined by its “L” upright metal edge that fits snugly into the groove at the bottom most part of your barn door. NOTE: The impact to the floor is extremely minimal and consists of (2) 1/8” holes. If you don’t want to screw into your hardwood floors, tile, or carpet then go with a wall mounted guide. This option will require (2) 1/8” holes in the wall.

Floor Mounted Adjustable U-Channel Barn Door Guide:

This consists of two standard guides (see above description). Also included are optional sticker backed felt strips that can be applied to the interior facing sides of the two guides forming a “U” shape which cups the door and allows the door to slide within the “U” cup with ease. This barn door guide also attaches to the floor with the provided mounting hardware. NOTE: The impact to the floor is extremely minimal and consists of (2) 1/8” holes. If you don’t want to screw into your hardwood floors, tile, or carpet go with a wall mounted guide. This option will require (2) 1/8” holes in the wall.

Wall Mounted Adjustable Standard Guide:

This guide is characterized by its adjustable slotted plate that allows for back and forth movement which accommodates many door thicknesses. It is also characterized by mounting to the wall rather than the floor.

Wall Mounted Adjustable U-Channel:

This guide consists of 2 standard guides (see above description). Also included are optional sticker backed felt strips that can be applied to the interior facing sides of the two guides forming a “U” shape which cups the door and allows the door to slide within the “U” cup with ease. The defining characteristic of the wall mounted adjustable U-channel barn door guide is the adjustable slotted arm which accommodates any door width and installs directly to the wall.

Floor Mounted Roller:

This guide consists of a premium rolling bearing wheel which allows the barn door to slide effortlessly behind it. If you do not have a groove in the bottom of your barn door or you cannot create a groove (perfect for glass doors) this floor mounted roller guide will work nicely. NOTE: The impact to the floor is extremely minimal and consists of (2) 1/8” holes. If you don’t want to screw into your hardwood floors, tile, or carpet go with a wall mounted guide. This option will require (2) 1/8” holes in the wall.

Wall Mounted Double Roller Guide:

This guide is installed on the wall and is characterized by its premium bearing rollers which hug the door that sits between the rollers and the wall. This option is similar to the floor mounted roller guide but is perfect for a situation where a wall mounted installation is needed.