Double Barn Doors - Finding the Perfect Barn Doors for Your Home

Are you considering adding double barn doors to your home? Barn doors are making their way into the interior design world as a must-have accessory to add character, functionality, and a unique style. Double barn doors are now a popular choice to use in many different areas of a home.

8 Advantages of Double Barn Doors

1. Versatile Functionality 
2. Custom Design
3. Saves Space
4. Covers Large Areas
5. Easy to Use
6. Easy to Install
7. Increases Energy Efficiency
8. Adds Value

Double barn doors are a great design feature that can add charm and character to any room in your home. Double barn doors can help you save space, are easy to use and install, and there are many different styles available to meet your needs.

Can You Put Two Barn Doors Together?

Yes, absolutely! This is called a double barn door or bi-parting barn door setup, and it works well with wider door frames and makes a powerful design statement. You can either work with a set of double barn doors, designed to work together, or you can put two single doors together. In that case, you’ll just need to account for the way you’d like the doors to meet in the middle. If you want your doors to meet in the middle, you can use the door stops included with each door’s kit to make that happen. Or you can use a track joiner to make it so that your doors to slide over the gap between the header rails.

8 Advantages of Double Barn Doors

1. Versatile Functionality

When researching double barn doors for your home, you’ll soon find that they are quite versatile. Double barn doors, also known as bi parting doors, can function as traditional interior sliding doors, pocket doors, bypass sliding doors, bi-fold doors, and more. The sliding door hardware or barn door kit that you purchase with your double barn doors can be configured to help you achieve different functions for your double barn doors.Double barn doors are useful as both exterior doors and interior doors. Barn doors are often used to maximize space in the master bath as sliding doors. Closet barn doors are also very popular, and double barn doors will provide more room for you and your partner to access your closet together. You can install double sliding barn doors in place of traditional swinging interior doors, adding a rustic charm or modern design to your office, pantry, laundry room, mudroom, or to separate main living areas. Exterior double barn doors for a patio or entry can improve accessibility and add character.

2. Custom Design

Double barn doors make great exterior and interior doors since they are so easily customizable to fit your home’s design. You can choose from a wide range of materials, layouts, and hardware to make your barn doors unique. Whether you prefer a rustic or contemporary style, custom double sliding barn doors will add the right touch of personality and charm to your home.Traditional barn doors are made out of wood to provide a rustic farmhouse style. But there is a broad range of different materials available, such as steel, metal, leather, glass, mirror, stained, and chalkboard. These materials can be used separately or creatively combined to create a one-of-a-kind look and feel. Whether you want to modernize your French doors, update your front entry double doors, or use double barn doors as sliding interior doors, there are many customization options available.Your barn door hardware choices can help take your custom design to the next level. The barn door track, hangers, rollers, latches, and handles can all be customized for a unique design limited only by your imagination.

3. Saves Space

Double barn doors are a great choice when your space is limited. These doors can help make a smaller home seem larger, or they can simply improve access to common tight spaces—such as closet doors, offices, bathrooms, pantries, or laundry rooms.Instead of having a traditional swinging door that takes up floor space, double barn doors function as space-saving sliding doors. Whether your double barn doors function as pocket doors, bi parting doors, bypass sliding doors, or traditional sliding doors, you can enlarge any area of your home by installing doors that slide instead of swing open. This allows you to make room for more storage or to simply enjoy more open space.

4. Covers Large Areas

Double barn doors, as opposed to single barn doors, work well as sliding doors in large areas. Sliding doors are perfect for many large spaces—both interior and exterior—such as main living areas and patios. They are easy to use and add make an eye-catching statement. Do you have a large opening between rooms that would be perfect for double barn doors? Perhaps you want to replace your current sliding doors or traditional double swing doors (such as French doors) with double barn doors. No matter the case, double barn doors are perfect for large spaces since they add style to an open area and can be conveniently closed for privacy.

5. Easy to Use

Double barn doors, and barn doors in general, are very easy to use. Since they slide smoothly and quietly on rollers, you only need to gently push or pull the double barn doors to open and close them. Rustica sliding barn door hardware—including rollers, hangers, and the sliding door track—are designed to function properly for decades. No matter which hardware kit you choose for your double barn doors, you can guarantee the hardware will be sturdy, high-quality, easy to use, and long-lasting.

6. Easy to Install

Double barn doors are easy to install using a hardware kit. In your barn door hardware kit, you will have everything from the double door sliding track to the header board, rail, rollers, hangers, and more, which are pre-cut to fit your specific door opening and space. All you have to do is install the hardware and hang the doors, according to the instructions provided. In some cases, you may want to create a new door opening. This does require a little more work, but it is still possible to do yourself. Use the barn door size guide to help find the right size and hardware for your exterior or interior double barn doors.

7. Increases Energy Efficiency

Double barn doors increase the energy efficiency in your home year-round. They help keep your home insulated and at the right temperature by increasing air flow. Double barn doors can also act as a barrier against weather, loud noises, air infiltration, and drafts. You’ll have the peace of mind knowing that they can help keep your home comfortable all year long.

8. Adds Value

There’s a reason why you see modern barn doors used in homes on HGTV and DIY Network—they increase the value of a home. The modern farmhouse style is in high demand and adding double barn doors is a great way to increase the value of your home. Even if you aren’t planning on selling your home in the near future, you can rest easy knowing a buyer will pay extra for the beautiful style and functionality of your exterior or interior sliding barn doors—whether they are used in the entry, master bath, closet, or open space in your home.

Bi Parting Barn Door Materials

Bi parting barn doors, also known as double barn doors, come in a wide variety of materials to meet your interior design needs and style. You even have the option of inserting your own slats. Traditional farmhouse style doors are made from wood, but you can also find double barn doors in a French style with glass. Other options include steel, leather, glass accents, chalkboard, mirrors, shaker style, magnetic metal, and much more.

How Much Are Double Barn Doors?

Depending on your needs, budget, materials, and hardware, a double barn door kit at Rustica can cost anywhere from $650 to over $5,000, with most choices between $1,000-$3,000. At the low end of the double barn door options is the DIY Double Barn Door, which allows you to insert your own slats with Rustica’s high-quality, stylish hardware. At the higher end, the Leather Modern Double Barn Door system will make an exquisite modern statement piece in your home.Double barn doors add a great deal of character and style to a room, in addition to increasing space and improving accessibility. They are a great investment for a master bath, a closet door, and as exterior or interior sliding doors in many areas of the home. The best way to buy double barn doors is with a barn door kit for the full system.When purchasing a kit for double barn doors, you’ll not only get the bi parting barn doors themselves, you can also get the sliding barn door hardware. This includes the sliding door track, hangers, barn door rollers, header board, and more, depending on your needs and the function of the doors—such as pocket doors, bi-fold doors, bypass sliding doors, or traditional sliding doors.

How to Measure for Double Barn Doors

When it comes to installing your double barn doors, you want to get the size just right. And since there’s no one standard size for barn doors, taking the time to measure accurately will help ensure you have enough wall space and that your doors will work exactly as they should within your door frame. More detailed instructions on door size can be found in our How To Measure a Barn Door article. The first thing you’ll do is measure your door frame for height. If your door frame is trimmed by molding, measure from the top of the molding to the floor, and then subtract half an inch. If your door frame is without molding, simply measure from the top of the door opening to the floor, and then subtract half an inch. Subtracting that half-inch at the end helps account for any variation in floor height, and also provides a little extra room for the door to slide open and closed. If you have uneven floors, which is not uncommon in older, more rustic homes, you may even want to  subtract a little extra space to make sure your double barn doors can open properly.Next, measure the space between your door frame and your ceiling. The clearance you’ll need will ultimately depend on the specific door and hardware set you choose, but six inches is a good minimum clearance to start with. Finally, you’ll need to measure for door panel width. If your door frame includes molding, you’ll measure from the outside edge of the molding on one side of the door frame to the outside edge on the other side of the door. This gives you your minimum width, but depending on the effect you’re going for, you can always add to the width for your final door measurements. And if your door frame doesn’t feature molding, you’ll simply measure the width of the door opening and add two to four inches to get your minimum width. Adding those inches to your measurements helps eliminate the gap between your double barn doors and the wall, which increases privacy.

How to Install Double Barn Doors

Installing bi parting barn doors is simple with a barn door kit. To get started, you’ll need:

• Two barn doors
• Barn door track
• Hangers
• Header board
• Hardware, including in your kit
• Drill
• Drill bits and sockets (details in your barn door kit)

1. Measure for your header by taking the height of the door and add 2 ¼ inches to get the center line for the track. Make sure to add ½ inch to the bottom for the guide and 1 ⅝-inch to the top of the door.
2. To install the header board, first mark where the studs are located. Then, drill screws into the header board to each stud (on the top and bottom of the header board).
3. Install the barn door track to the header board using lags, stops, and spacers. Drill each lag and stop together into each hole in the header board in the track with the spacers on the back side.
4. Install the stops for the bi parting barn doors in the center of the track in the same way. Put a spacer behind the track and put the stop behind the hole in the lag.
5. Create the holes for the hangers in both barn doors as per the instructions in your barn door kit and install the hangers using the hardware provided.
6. Install the pulls according to the instructions provided.
7. Hang the doors on your installed barn door track.
8. Install your floor guide following your instructions, so your door doesn’t swing. 
9. Add the anti-jump brackets on the outside of the barn doors, keeping a 1/16 to 1/8-inch gap from the top of the jump to the bottom of the track.
10. The  installation is complete. Make any final adjustments and enjoy!

How to Lock Double Sliding Barn Door

How to lock a sliding barn door is a popular question. The basic hardware associated with installing your double sliding barn door will not include a lock, but you can absolutely add one yourself. One popular option for an interior door is a simple hook and eye lock, but before you go that route, think carefully about who is going to be locking the door. If you live in a household with small children, a hook and eye lock may not be your best bet. This type of lock is very easy to engage, which increases the chances of little ones accidentally locking themselves inside a room. Once locked from the inside, your barn door will essentially be impossible to unlock from the outside. Another option is a simple teardrop style lock, which also can be highly effective. 

Double Barn Doors from Rustica

Double barn doors can be a great addition to many areas of your home as both exterior and interior sliding doors. Your options are only limited by your imagination. You can choose to separate main living areas, maximize space in tight areas like a master bath or closet, or make a powerful first impression to visitors coming through your entry door. Bi parting barn doors will immediately add value, character, and beauty to your home.Double barn doors are a great way to save space while enhancing the style of your home’s interior design. You’ll love the simple installation and the many benefits that barn doors provide. Double barn doors are a great investment to enjoy now and for the lifetime of your home.