Finally Succumbed To the Barn Door Fad

[-MIKE-]

Ever since the TV home shows have been installing barn doors in all remodels, the big box stores have started carrying them and the requests for installations have been pouring in to every carpenter in suburbia.

I figured I would wait out the fad and in 10 years I'd make a fortune taking them out after people's frustration in using them overcomes their overwhelming urge to be trendy. After all, they aren't really any different than pocket doors other than the fact that they are much easier to put back on the tracks when they slip off.

Well, I resisted as long as I could but finally had a client who really wanted them in a closet build-out I was doing in her basement converted-bedroom.

The client enjoys finishing, so she's going do the stain or faded paint finish of her choice, and pick out handles.

BTW, the yellow spot on the ceiling behind the left can light is the reason I never use power tools to cut holes in ceilings. There is a water line resting on the drywall going straight through the center of that spot. :-) I had to move the cans further out in the room, which turned out better anyway.

[Sonny]

Some thoughts: White ceiling and trim, blue left wall, pinkish floor (or is that carpet, r eflecting that pinkish hue?) and the closet wall has a (raw wood) weathered look (gray stain/paint paneling?).

Finishing those doors in a different color might make the room chaotic, col or-wise.

Did she ask your opinion as to finishing? Do you know if the client will t ry to match the weathered look, before topcoating/painting? Soaking steel wool in vinegar will produce a solution for weathering those doors, to matc h its wall (....*test some applications on scrap). Maybe she'll repaint th e wall to match whatever door color she decides.

Looks good. Good job.

Sonny

[-MIKE-]

Thanks, Sonny.

She has her own ideas for the color scheme in the room, which includes (IIRC) repainting the walls. The paneling came pre-finished like that and she loved it. She wants the doors to be something different, for high contrast. I considered a burnt wood finish, but it would've run up the labor costs. In my opinion that kind of paneling with corner trim looks "mobile home" enough on its own. If the doors matched, I think it would look way too trailer park.

The existing trim crown and base were white and the added molding was primed white. I don't know here painting plans for the trim. Carpet is beige and yes, getting pink hue from reflection and camera artifacts.

[Greg Guarino]

I'm not really a fan of that type of door, although I think I may have seen a "hide the TV" application that looked nice.

We've stayed a number of times in a fairly upscale hotel in Quebec that has installed that sort of door on the bathrooms in a recent renovation. I have to say that the inch and a half gap between the door and the wall results in a certain lack of *acoustic* privacy. The door is bigger than the opening so there's no line-of-sight into the bathroom, but I would think that most people would prefer that bathroom sounds stay in the bathroom.

On a related note, my wife and I recently stayed in another hotel that actually has a frosted glass wall between the bedroom and the shower stall. The glass obscures detail, to be sure, but I think families with kids might find the arrangement disconcerting.

[Leon]

Looks good!

[-MIKE-]

So true. FWIW, these doors are only about 3/16" from the trim. One issue with these doors is that you actually have to close them all the way, manually, using your hands to stop them. There are bumpers at the top, but the doors with "bounce" off the bumpers and when they hit one another at the bottom.

I've seen rumors of soft-close adapters for barn door that act like soft-close drawers in that they grab the door, slow it down, and bring it to a soft stopped position. If I do more of these, I will look into that option.

Back when I was doing more touring as a musician, were were at a beach town that has these changing areas with that sort of opaque sheathing. At certain times of the day when the sun was right, you got a perfect silhouette of whoever was inside. It was quite the tourist attraction and a good draw for the locals, too.

I decided to have fun with my bandmates and I went inside one, but I had hidden one of those foam pool noodles inside the enclosure. I went in and used the pool noodle to, um... well, lets just say, "greatly enhance" my profile.

I thought they were going to pass out from laughing so hard.

[Greg Guarino]

The hotel bathroom doors had that feature. Still pretty inconvenient though, as the door was big, thick and heavy. You had to apply more force than you would expect to open or close that door.

[woodchucker]

ROFL

[DerbyDad03]

I model for those noodles.

[OFWW]

In that instance it doesn't look so out of place. Nice Job.

[-MIKE-]

Thanks.

[nailshooter41]

I with you! I sure thought they would go away...

But I saw a home selling for about 1.1 million bucks on a video tour of the parade of homes in a very exclusive new development, and it had TWO of tho se damn things in them. They got some heavily weathered barn wood somewher e and built them out of that. It looked like they even took time to "weath er" the nail heads. I thought they looked awful and out of place, but the realtor's voice over absolutely crowed over them.

The good news is your install looks nice, neat and professional. Good job on that!

I have only had one client approach me about doing that for them, and I esc aped as they ran out of money by the time I did the rest of their remodel. I have a question for you: did you hang those by yourself? The doors loo k pretty heavy, just wondering.

Robert

[Michael]

Looks great and very functional!

[-MIKE-]

Thank you.

I did hang them by myself. They are actually pretty light, considering. I was walking through the HD lumber aisle and came across the bins of T&G boards and they had a whole section for "knotty pine." Knowing the look she was going for, I selected the ones with the most knots. When I was loading them in the cart, I was amazed at how light they were. Cheap, too. 1x6x8' was 6 bucks after tax. I think all the wood for both doors was about $75.

A very easy build. I little bit of construction adhesive in the grooves, clamped lightly for a few hours. Glued and nailed top stile. Bottom stile is screwed, only, so it can be raised or lowered to adjust for different finished flooring heights. If they crack from shrinking, it'll just enhance the look. :-)

[nailshooter41]

LOL... no kidding!

Reading your description, I think I would have been in danger of seriously overbuilding those doors. And never would I have thought of going to HD fo r knotty pine T&G wood panel.

I have a technique for "rapid aging" wood that will emulate old material. I learned it from a guy that made wooden "cigar store" Indians and sold the m. First as replicas, then as the real deal.

After Gene was "found out", he did a year in jail and had to pay restitutio n to several clients. I wondered why he was treated so harshly by the cour ts... then I found out he was getting $5K and up for his full sized Indians when he presented them as the real deal! He told me he actually sold abou t 35 of the fake models, so he just about broke even excepting his time in the can after restitution and attorney's fees.

Let me know if you have any use for the method and formula now that you mig ht be getting more of that business.

Robert

[-MIKE-]

Yes, I absolutely would love to hear your technique. Aged wood is the other fad going around now.

[krw]

"That's not a bug, it's a feechur."

I can see them in certain circumstances but few. I'd rather see these than the damned bifold closet doors. Worse, metal or, (gack) mirrored, bifold doors.

[-MIKE-]

That's what we were trying to avoid, too!

[OFWW]

May I ask what is the problem with bifold closet doors, as opposed to sliding doors?

Reason being two of my bedrooms are being redone and the built in closets we are stuck with in this house. I was considering going to bifold doors in order to fully access the interior as well as not messing with the center floor guides for sliders.

[-MIKE-]

There's nothing inherently wrong with bi-fold doors. They are a great design that allows for full access to closets with minimal intrusion into the adjacent space.

I think many people's disdain for them comes from two reasons.

1. The mounting/sliding hardware is pretty flimsy and the doors often become difficult to operate because of problems with the hardware or improper installation or re-installation after a flooring change, ie: carpet to hardwood.
2. The ubiquitous style/production of them has given them somewhat of a McDonalds reputation. People seem them everywhere and think they are cheap and ugly.

Ugly is subjective, but that slatted, shutter-style door gets old fast.