Barn doors are a popular pick for reno projects because they're easy to install, save space with their surface-mounted design, and add rustic style to your home. But are they a good fit for your space? Our guide goes over the pros and cons of barn doors for bathrooms and other areas of your home, such as space-saving, privacy, and placement.

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Barn Door Pros
Barn Door Cons
Additional Considerations

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Barn Door Pros

Here are some potential benefits when you replace standard bathroom doors with barn-style doors:

1. Space-Friendly

Barn doors can be an excellent option for compact spaces – like for your small bedroom’s ensuite bathroom. Traditional doors take up valuable floor space to make room for the door to swing open, whereas barn-style doors have a surface-mounted design and glide side to side. This allows you to maximize your floor space without compromising on furniture placement opportunities.

2. Stylish

Though you might picture barn doors as purely rustic, they actually come in plenty of different styles to match your home's aesthetic. The doors themselves can have a flush design, paneled silhouette, or glass panels, and the tracks come in popular finishes like matte black or luxe gold. These options make barn doors extremely versatile, whether your home is more modern, glam, coastal, or boho.

Tip!

Read our guide Buying Barn Doors: How to Choose the Right One for tips on picking the best barn door for your bathroom or another room.

3. Easy to Install

Barn doors can be installed on the exterior of existing bathroom walls for quicker results than other sliding doors (like pocket doors). Check out How to Install Barn Doors for Beginners to learn more about the process.

Barn Door Cons

As awesome as barn doors are, they can have some disadvantages. Here are some examples to consider before installing one on a bathroom doorway or another area of your home:

1. Limited Privacy

Barn doors often don't sit flush to the wall, which can create a bit of a gap between the two that isn’t ideal for hallway or powder room bathrooms. Try to mount the barn door hardware as close to the wall to cut down on any angles that would cause gapping. Another workaround is choosing a barn door that's larger than the doorway to minimize any uncomfortable gaps.

2. Less Noise-Dampening

Similarly, because sliding barn doors are designed to hang over the doorway, the door itself doesn't create the same type of seal as a traditional door. The increased airflow between the gaps in barn doors and the walls can lower the door's ability to dampen sound, which can also provide less privacy when used as bathroom or bedroom doors.

3. Can Be Loud & Hard to Latch

Depending on the track you've installed, barn doors can be louder to operate than traditional doors. Barn doors also require barn door-specific latches and locks that can be installed on the interior side of the door. These latches are easy to add to your barn door setup and help you avoid any sliding door setbacks.

Additional Considerations Before Installing Barn Doors

In addition to the pros and cons, there are a few things to keep in mind when deciding if sliding barn doors would work for your space.

Location

If you're planning on adding a barn door to your home, consider the location, first and foremost. Here are some examples of where and where not to install barn doors.

Where barn doors are suitable:

• As ensuite bathroom doors
• As laundry or linen closet doors
• As doors to separate a den or living area from other rooms
• As home office doors

Where barn doors may not be suitable:

• As doors to hall bathrooms or powder rooms (limited privacy)
• As bedroom doors (limited privacy and noise dampening)
• As doors in areas with uneven (unlevel) floors, since they leaves wide gaps between the floor and the door

Wall Space

The sliding barn doors will take up twice as much wall space as a traditional door, so make sure you take this into consideration when choosing an installation spot. It's best to avoid placing a barn door in the way of light switches or outlets, and it's also advised to avoid placing wall art or furniture in the way of the sliding doors.

Professional Installation

Barn doors can be a fun DIY installation project, but it might be better left to the professionals. If you're working with uneven walls or floors, lack the right tools, or don't have someone to help you, you should hire a professional to handle the installation. This will ensure a stress-free and smooth experience.

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