How Much Room Do You Need for a Barn Door?

So you’ve fallen in love with the industrial charm of the sliding barn door — but do you have enough room? Barn doors are beloved for their space-saving design and pop of rustic style, and can be a creative solution to the limitations of swinging doors. Before you pull the trigger and bust out the screwdriver, check out our top tips for making sure your space is a good fit!

Tip #1: Consider how much space you need for the door to slide open. 

Make sure you have enough wall for this project! Typically, you need the door to slide at LEAST as far as the door opening in one direction; in reality, most people prefer that the sliding door overlaps the door opening by two inches so that it really looks closed. Of course, you need to think about the opposite side, too — don’t forget to leave enough room for all the hardware to fit.

Tip #2: Make sure there's nothing in its path.

Sliding barn doors are a great choice for many people because of their slim, compact package in tight spaces. Even though they are relatively unobtrusive, sliding barn doors still need to be clear of desks, chairs, and other objects so that they can open and close properly. Keep a sharp eye out for sconces, paintings, vents, and light switches while you measure! You don’t want anything that might block or scratch the door every time you slide it open.

Tip #3: Think about the height. 

Unlike a pocket door that is installed directly into the doorframe, our sliding barn doors are suspended from hardware at the top. That means you need to make sure you have space above the doorway to install that hardware (but this usually isn’t an issue — it generally goes right above the frame). In addition to your door's width reaching about two inches wider than the actual door opening, you’ll want the top of your sliding barn door to reach about one inch higher than the dimensions of your doorway. Ultimately, it’s up to you how much overlap you want in any direction, but you want it to be enough that you get the sense of privacy and true division between your spaces.