Overlapping Sliding Barn Doors?

[avc8130]

I'm looking to re-side and re-configure my current barn a bit to make it more useful for me. Currently the structure is 24x24. The front has a man door dead center, with a set of hinged doors to the left that open 8' wide.

I'd LOVE to rearrange the front access a bit. I want to keep the man door in the middle and put a sliding door on each side. The sliding doors would need to slide in front of the man door and partially over each other.

How is this done?

Here's a sketch. Pretty self-explanatory I hope.

ac

 

[smstonypoint]

If I understand the situation correctly, double rail brackets should work: Buy the Hardware House 522649 Barn Door Double Rail Bracket at Hardware World

Steve

 

[avc8130]

If I understand the situation correctly, double rail brackets should work: Buy the Hardware House 522649 Barn Door Double Rail Bracket at Hardware World

Steve

Steve,

That looks good. Then I would just run 2 tracks right across the whole barn. How do I "seal" the door that is on the "outside" to the face of the barn? Space out the trim to hide it a bit?

ac

 

[smstonypoint]

AC,

Are you trying to get a seal for some degree of weather-tightness or just for cosmetic purposes?

Steve

 

[avc8130]

AC,

Are you trying to get a seal for some degree of weather-tightness or just for cosmetic purposes?

Steve

Steve,

Cosmetic mostly.

Anthony

 

[cnice37]

I'm constructing barn doors right now but mine do not overlap (butt together in center.)

However, the hardware is expensive but a co-worker of mine found a much less expensive option - Unistrut (half channel strut generic name) and Unistrut trolleys. I'm using a 5' section for each door, and 3 trolleys to support a 100# door. Grand total for the track and trolleys is less than $50. A couple fixed casters as roller guides adds $5.

Good luck, just thought if I could save you a few (hundred) bucks, it might be worth your while.

 

[Dr Dave]

Can you install one door on the inside of the wall, and one on the out side.

Best set up, I have seen is 2 sliders set up like a sliding closet door, can man door be moved to left or right, or side of building, this would also allow wider sliders. This setup would solve the problem of sealing up door opening.

Dave

 

[GLyford]

How do I "seal" the door that is on the "outside" to the face of the barn? Space out the trim to hide it a bit?

On the outside end, you could space out the trim until the door slides into it as a "stop", but the bigger issue would be the side next to the man door...that would normally seal against the inner door where they overlap, but since it will be a man door away, you''l be left with an inner-door-thickness gap. You'd need to come up with a panel that flips into that space or something, but I'd think that's get awkward pretty fast. If you could make having the man door to one side of the double-door work for you, instead of between the doors, that'd be a much easier setup to make work.

 

[avc8130]

Can you install one door on the inside of the wall, and one on the out side.

Best set up, I have seen is 2 sliders set up like a sliding closet door, can man door be moved to left or right, or side of building, this would also allow wider sliders. This setup would solve the problem of sealing up door opening.

Dave

Dave,

I don't really want to move the man door. There is a water hydrant and the electrical panel just to the right of the man door, so moving it won't gain too much without major systems re-work.

The idea is to slide the tractor in the left side, along with my hay storage. Then the right side gets the lawn mower and grain storage on pallets.

ac

 

[GPintheMitten]

Steve,

That looks good. Then I would just run 2 tracks right across the whole barn. How do I "seal" the door that is on the "outside" to the face of the barn? Space out the trim to hide it a bit?

ac

One way to get the doors to seal is to make the man door a slider on the inside track, rather than have it hinged.

 

[GLyford]

I like the idea of one inside the wall, and one outside. It does mean you can't use those nifty double track hangers, since now you'd have two completely separate lines of track...but it would also mean you wouldn't be tied in to making both doors the same size, and there would be no problems sealing (well, no more than any other sliding door, at least).

Then the only other "gotchas" would be getting the inside door to clear anything you already have mounted on the wall there, and not whacking the man door off its hinges with the door that slides through its "swing" space any time you forget to close it first...?

 

[GLyford]

I've also seen man doors added to sliders...

 

[avc8130]

One way to get the doors to seal is to make the man door a slider on the inside track, rather than have it hinged.

That's a neat idea. One I don't hate, but I did have grandeous dreams of having the man door be a Dutch door like it is now. However, the hinged door is less than ideal when the snow starts falling. Have to run this one by the wifey since she tends the critters.

ac