A Wall of Sliding Barn Doors

Hello!  It's hard to believe the end of summer is drawing closer.  We've had a wonderful summer, full of lots of swimming, flower farming, relaxed schedules, time with family and friends, and even a couple house projects thrown into the mix. 

When I posted our master bedroom remodel this past spring, I mentioned that the only thing lacking in the room was replacing our closet doors and the door leading into our bathroom with a sliding barn door.  Initially our plan was to replace the bi-fold closet doors with a set that actually matched, but we have been so happy with the sliding barn door we have upstairs that we really wanted to incorporate more in our house.  When National Hardware contacted me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing their sliding door hardware product, I was thrilled.  Not only do sliding barn doors look great, but they are so functional and fabulous at saving space.

Disclaimer: National Hardware provided the sliding door hardware and accessories for this post, but all opinions are my own.  :-)  

BEFORE:

Above is what this wall looked like prior to our makeover.  (Yes, we stared at those mismatched bi-fold closet doors for six years!)  We had to install a piece of trim to cover the entire width of the wall (above the doors) for mounting the hardware. 

AFTER:

Before I go into details, we could not be more pleased with how this project turned out.  It has been absolutely wonderful having doors that slide so easily open and closed and also saving space in the corner leading into the bathroom.  As a bonus, I love how it completely finished the room and added so much interest to this wall! 

Justus built the doors out of pine tongue and groove planks (the beaded side) and finger jointed pine trim (1x6 on top, bottom and middle and 1x4 for the diagonal pieces). 

The sliding door hardware is from National Hardware.  This is the same hardware you'll find at many well known retails outlets (if you click the link above, you'll find a "where to buy" button to show nearby stores).  The hardware we chose is the Decorative Interior Sliding Door Hardware in Oil Rubbed Bronze. 

We were extremely pleased with the hardware we chose.  It's incredibly durable, heavy, and rolls both easily and very quietly along the track. 

 As a bonus, National Hardware also sells matching accessories in a variety of designs to accompany the sliding door hardware, such as door pulls, privacy hooks and connecting adapters.

 Since we installed a total of three doors along this wall, we needed three door hardware kits.  Basically, one kit accommodates openings of up to 36" wide, so for openings wider than 36", you would need to use multiple kits. 

 That's where the connecting adapter comes in! Each bar has pre-drilled holes to accommodate an additional kit.  Four screws hold the adapter.  Installation was a snap!

 I've mentioned before that our master bedroom is large, but also a bit difficult for furniture placement, as we're dealing with windows, a fireplace mantel and a few doors. Installing a sliding door into our bathroom in this corner was such a space saver. 

Living in an old house, we were also dealing with a very sticky bathroom door, so the sliding door also saved us in that arena.  We love, love, love it! The doors glide so quietly and it never feels flimsy.

 The sliding doors also allow for easier access into the closet than the bi-fold doors.  I can actually reach the clothes back in the corner easily!  ;-) 

 Since we were going for a traditional barn door look, we opted for the bar pulls.

 The little privacy hooks are a favorite of mine, and we installed them even on our closet doors (mostly for aesthetic reasons there), but we love having this privacy feature on the outside of our bathroom door since the bathroom is also accessible to the rest of the house via another door. 

 As a finishing touch, we installed one of the bar pulls and privacy hooks on our charming original door, which leads into a closet underneath our stairs.  Again, a sticky door here, so having a bar pull was actually a huge sigh of relief (ha!).  It really tied the entire look together.

We went from having a room that was a complete eyesore to one that makes me feel thankful every time I walk through the doorway.  While I haven't quite forgotten all the hours spent tearing down wallpaper and the horrible renovation mess (you can find that post here if you missed it), I have to say we would both do it all over again in a heartbeat.  I love the feeling of having a room that feels original to the house, yet has a few modern improvements that make it functional (sliding barn doors all the way!).  The room feels serene, charming, and beautiful (at least in our eyes - wink).  

Sources (with links):

Sliding Door Hardware Kit: National Hardware 920 Decorative Interior Sliding Door Hardware 

Door Bar Pull: National Hardware V1000 Bar Pull

Door Privacy Hook: National Hardware V1020 Privacy Hook 

Door Adapter: National Hardware V980 Sliding Door Hardware Connecting Adaptor

Doors: Made with pine tongue and groove planks (the beaded side) and finger jointed pine trim (1x6 on top, bottom and middle and 1x4 for the diagonal pieces)

Door and Trim Paint: Benjamin Moore Regal Simply White Semi-Gloss

Wall Paint: Benjamin Moore Titanium Semi-Gloss

Master Bedroom Details: Master Bedroom Remodel Post

Bathroom Details:  Bathroom Remodel Post