Favorite Farmhouse Feature - Interior Barn Doors

Our second farmhouse feature is definitely a favorite! 

The barn doors throughout our house command attention and are the subject of much conversation when people visit the Red Farmhouse.  We had seen lots of pictures on the internet of barn doors but no practial intructions on how to make them work in our home. Problem solving all the little details to install them was worth it because we love them!

Do you want to see how we did it? 

When we built the house, we opted not the frame the doorways for typical doors. Although the opening is the same, ours were sheet rocked instead of trimmed.  The baseboards wrap continuously through the doorway openings (see below).

You may also notice that the doors needed something to butt up to so there wouldn't be a gap to peek through.  This was achieved by adding a trim board up the wall just like the ones the the rails run on.

The rails are galvanized.  These are the same ones that can be purchased a Tractor Supply for barns.  Wanting an industrial look, the rugged galvanized metal fit right in and they didn't cost an arm and a leg!

 Hanging from the brackets are 7 foot solid core door panels painted white.  We choose classic 5 panel doors for a slightly old fashioned look.  Being solid core makes the doors have a weighty feel as you slide them open and closed which I feel is a must for a barn door.

To secure the doors from swinging out at the bottom, we added rollers.  Hubby had to retrofit these since we have concrete floors.  Stops keep the door from opening too far and falling off the rail.

A few of the barn doors are doubles.  For these we added a small trim board to one side (left in pic above) so there would be no crack in the middle to peek through.

And the thick leather handles are my favorite part!  They are replacement handles for antique luggage and trunks.  Custom made for our doors, we got to choose the color and thickness.  (I have to tell you though, the man in Pennsylvania thought I was a total hick when I told him I was putting his handles on barn doors in my house!)

On the opposite sides of the doors we needed some way to open them.  There wasn't enough room to put handles on both sides so we decided on these finger pulls.  Only they aren't really finger pulls.  They are the pieces that door knobs attach to.  We purchased them from Restoration Hardware to get the finishes that we wanted for each room.

And that's it ~ Interior Barn Doors.

They make a big farmhouse statement.