How to Install an Exterior Sliding Barn Door: Step by Step Guide
Among many variations of a door, a sliding barn door is something that minimalist homeowners always go with. Because they are compact, space-saving and don’t eat up a whole lot of space, Pro X Management Team says, it’s a perfect choice as an exterior door.
But when you get the first time to install it, that’s where the hard part begins. For anyone who’s not a professional carpenter, it will give them a hard time unless you don’t know how to install an exterior sliding barn door.
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Let’s check out the step-by-step guide on this very concern of today-
How to Install an Exterior Sliding Barn Door
Installing an exterior sliding barn door is not a one-man job by any means. You might need at least one helping hand along with a set of both hardware and tools. Within the tools, we can label them as either hand tools and power tools.
Before proceeding with the steps, we want you to go through the tool and hardware list and get things going onwards.
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Hardware You Would Need
- A set of broad nails of 1-¼ inches size.
- Pocket hole screws of 1-¼ inches size.
- Door track kit.
- Wooden glue.
Tools You Would Need
- Miter saw.
- Drill driver.
- Pocket hole jig.
- Measuring tape.
- Speed square.
- Sander of proper size.
Got the essentials in the hands? Time to go through the steps of installing the exterior sliding barn door.
Step 1: Check the measurements
Before you even start the installation process, grab a measuring tape and check the dimensions of both the door and the opening. For example, the opening.
If the door opening is of 35 inches, the board should be an exact match. Sometimes, about a half inches of gap is kept between the door to the door opening as an adjustment space.
Step 2: Use a miter saw to cut filler strips
Filler strips work as a kind of central support to sliding barn doors. Therefore, at this stage, you need to use a miter saw to cut filler strips according to the size of the door.
Once you’re done with cutting it, add glue or adhesive on the rail top flush on the top of the board. Once done, repeat the process for the upside stiles right opposite to the rail top flush.
While done with applying the adhesive material, you can also use deck screws of 1 inches length to strengthen the bond up.
Step 3: Nail the mounting board and place it
To install the bard door, you need to get it on a mounting board, that comes with the door itself. At this step, you have to install the mounting board.
To make it a strong fit, apply a few nails on the mounting board before installing it. While you do it, make sure that the mounting board dimension is larger than the nails that you are using for the purpose.
In this way, you have made the mounting board a rigid one to sustain the weight of the barn door for years.
Once done, keep it ready to place it on the door track.
Step 4: Assemble up the track
The track on which the door will slide, is quite an essential part of the process. By this step, you will get to build the track with essential tools.
The track parts come up with the door, if you have bought it from any local store or online. Get the parts out and assemble them in a proper manner. Throughout the process, follow the instructions that were provided in the manual.
As you are done with putting the track parts in order, mark a line on the floor where you are supposed to install the door track. To keep the line straight, use a carpenter’s level in this step.
Step 5: Time for the rollers
As it’s a sliding door, it won’t directly sit on the track. So, you get to install a set of rollers on the bottom side of the door. And this step is concerned with that part of the process.
To install the rollers, you have to create a set of pilot holes right on the mounting board. This helps to get the screws right on the place. And to do that, you have to use a drilling machine with a proper drill head.
Once the screws are in place, set the roller wheels on the spot and make sure the size matches with the bottom part dimension of the sliding barn door itself.
Step 6: Do a test run
Once you have put the roller and the door on top of them, it’s time to give it a test run. Before that, set the door perfectly on both the bottom and top side around the rails.
IN this process, it’s near impossible to get it done alone. Ask for helping hands from your friends or so.
If it’s sliding perfectly through the rail, we’re done with the whole process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How to make a barn door track?
Answer: To prepare the barn door tracks, you need to be accurate with the measurements and prepare them from metal frames of different dimensions.
Question: How to install a barn door track system?
Answer: Once the size is right, you can install the track system right on the floor with power tools.
Bottom Line
Alright, so that was the steps on how to install an exterior sliding barn door. Hopefully, it’d be enough to guide you through the process of getting a new sliding barn door for your exterior without any professional help.
The last piece of advice from our end is to be careful about the safety concerns. As you will be dealing with a number of power tools, it’s imperative that you wear essential safety gear such as gloves, protective eyewear, boot and so on.
Good luck!