Split barn doors

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
07/28/2017 at 15:56 • Filed to: Houses

Hadn’t run into this yet. I realized this is actually a pretty decent idea because instead of one crazy big door that will inevitably cause the bar to sag or roller to slip down (seen it enough times), you’ve now split the weight and put them on opposite sides instead of all on one end.

Barn doors are another one of those trends where it just exists for the sake of existing. But at least the plight of the rich now includes operating TWO doors instead of one when accessing their wet bar, overlooking all of Lake Washington.

DISCUSSION (39)

benjrblant > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:00

Pocket doors > Barn doors.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > benjrblant
07/28/2017 at 16:02

Correct

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:03

*quietly stops looking at barn doors and backs away from computer.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > benjrblant
07/28/2017 at 16:07

Unless you’re really pressed for space, barn doors > pocket doors. Barn doors look better, so if you’re going for style points that’s the way to go... if you’re after functionality just put hinges on the damn thing.

I mean, I know there are many pocket doors out there that were put in to save space and that’s fine... but so many of the ones I see are strictly for looks.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > benjrblant
07/28/2017 at 16:07

The issue with pocket doors though is you lose some ability to hang items on the blank walls on the opposite side of the barn door. You can’t put a 2-3" screw through where a pocket door is located.... well, I guess you can, but then you either have a wall or a pocket door that no longer opens;)

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:09

White Oak? Noice.

Also, is it just me, or is there something seriously wrong with that casing job...

benjrblant > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
07/28/2017 at 16:11

Potatocam has quite a bit of distortion.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > benjrblant
07/28/2017 at 16:15

Is it all the camera though? It could be the shadows playing tricks at the bottom, or the sapwood (filler) messing with me at the top, but the casing looks distinctly further out at the top to me. And the bottom picture looks distorted in the opposite direction, if at all.

That and we all know what kind of crap jobs Zoidberg finds in his houses...

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:19

I’ll take: “things that will never line up correctly when closed for $200, Alex”

OPPOsaurus WRX > benjrblant
07/28/2017 at 16:20

until you need to put something in that wall like plumbing, electrical, HVAC, dead bodies....

Wacko > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/28/2017 at 16:20

that and load bearing walls

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
07/28/2017 at 16:23

It is irksome

lone_liberal > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:24

The one place I can see barn doors making sense is a smaller room where a swinging door would take up too much floor space, but it seems like they are only used in larger houses that don’t need them.

Ssfancyfresh > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:26

I want them on a pulley system so that when i move one, the other moves the same amount.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:27

No dog flap on this one, huh.

notsomethingstructural > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
07/28/2017 at 16:29

In 10 years barn doors will look like polished brass bathroom hardware does today.

notsomethingstructural > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:32

It’s pretty fucking stupid that if you open the door on the left all the way it blocks the window. That architect needs to find a new hobby.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > notsomethingstructural
07/28/2017 at 16:34

That’s by no means a sure thing. Besides, personally I think pocket doors look way older... the crystal or porcelain knobs of today

StoneCold > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:41

Mount some full size book shelves on them, then they’re SECRET doors. 100 times cooler!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Ssfancyfresh
07/28/2017 at 16:44

GENIUS

shop-teacher > benjrblant
07/28/2017 at 16:51

Until the mechanism fails, and then it’s either a shitty wall or an overly expensive opening.

shop-teacher > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 16:51

I like this.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
07/28/2017 at 16:52

Hey now. My house has a pocket door and all glass doorknobs. I spent hours changing out the doorknobs to the glass ones.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/28/2017 at 16:54

3M Command hanging strips do wonders.

notsomethingstructural > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
07/28/2017 at 17:16

People said that about polished brass bathroom hardware too.

It’s a fad. Pocket doors date themselves quite a bit too because they were needlessly overused during a specific vintage of house out of an aesthetic desire (which is stupid and self-defeating when it comes to pocket doors), but barn doors will be much worse. They’re very stylish and contemporary, but they’ll date much worse because they’re viewed as features. It’s not a feature it’s a fucking door.

The “classic” answer is all-wood french doors with fully divided lites and stiles, which have been used for hundreds of years and therefore can’t date themselves for shit.

notsomethingstructural > notsomethingstructural
07/28/2017 at 17:22

I’m sorry I still haven’t gotten over this.

Frenchlicker > Ssfancyfresh
07/28/2017 at 17:41

I’ve seen it on a farm. Therefore that means it will have to be put in a home so far removed from a farm it’s ridiculous. It also makes the door auto close.

Frenchlicker > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 17:42

That could be solved with extra hardware. Our barndoors have stoppers to stop the from going to far and falling off, use the same thing in the middle for both doors to butt up against.

Frenchlicker > StoneCold
07/28/2017 at 17:47

Then you would have to add something on the bottom to keep them from swinging out. From farm use I’ve seen that these things aren’t too happy with pressure changes or people bumping into them. Well, unless they are latched but that wouldn’t really work there.

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
07/28/2017 at 18:22

That’s true for pictures and such, but it’s tough to hang a cabinet with them. ;)

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
07/28/2017 at 18:43

Whatever makes you happy.

Just know that if I ever ended up buying that house they’d all get ditched for satin nickel or black chrome

EDIT: Actually, I think pewter. I like pewter.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
07/28/2017 at 18:48

There’s plenty of satin nickle involved with them too.

Kinja'd!!!

House was built in 1940, still has original wood floors and other vintage pieces. It had a few original glass knobs with brass hardware, so I just changed everything to this to match.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > notsomethingstructural
07/28/2017 at 18:50

Personally I’d rather just see swing doors everywhere, unless you’re really crammed in. If there’s not enough space, I’d do a pocket door myself.

But there are tons of people in the area we sell to who DO use pocket doors as features in places where they’re totally unnecessary... and under those circumstances I don’t see a barn door aging any worse, especially since pocket doors themselves already seem dated. Sort of a “this one may look old, but the other looks really old” thing. And with that in mind, I much rather a well-placed barn door over the inundation of pocket doors we’re starting to see.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
07/28/2017 at 18:54

Plate... good. That knob... *shudders* nope.

That being said I can make an exception for matching the style of the period. I could live with this under the circumstances.

EngineerWithTools > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 21:32

While neither rich, nor the owner of a wet bar (but boy that would be nice), double barn doors were my solution to a tricky problem:

Mother in law had to move in for medical reasons, and has to live on the first floor, but the only available room has an odd width, wide opening, no door and an arched top that is simultaneously taller and shorter than standard. (Stupid design.) Solution: double tracks on the inside, and hang two tall frosted glass doors from the hardware. With a lot of fussing and some extra hardware (eccentric collars!), got them to line up perfectly, and looks great.

TL/DR: I advise against obtaining a live-in mother-in-law, but 10/10 support double barn doors.

EngineerWithTools > Ssfancyfresh
07/28/2017 at 21:33

Ohhhh I have an engineering project now!

His Stigness > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/28/2017 at 22:16

Why do hipsters have to ruin everything? WHY?!?!?!?!

Stef Schrader > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
07/31/2017 at 01:16

#@%$#^#$ THOSE DOORS

These doors work on modern houses (the door design itself, not the barn concept). But holy moly, I’m sick of people stick them on older traditional wood-frame homes in my neighborhood. That. Does. Not. Work!!!

Most of the homes are from, what, 1910s-1940s around me? No. This stupid modern door style doesn’t work. Get your dadgummed eyes checked and try again.

(But it would look OK on a nice NW contemporary house. Probs fine there.)

flyingpumpkin > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
12/26/2019 at 16:06

they have magnetic aligners on the edge for the double barn doors in Home Depot. Problem Solved.