We mounted a little caster to the baseboard behind the left side of the sliding door yesterday. I pulled the door away from the wall in these first two photos so that you could see it:
The caster helps push out the bottom of the door juuuust enough so that it won’t bang against the wall behind it. It also helps make sure the back of the brackets attached to the top of the door won’t ever scratch against the front of the door trim.
(I did add a little felt behind those brackets though, too.)
The caster only pushes the bottom of the door out about an inch, so you can barely tell it’s there:
That extra inch created enough space to ensure that fingers won’t get pinched either:
You know how I feel about pinched fingers.
It’s been 4 months since I smashed that sucker in our back door. I guess I could paint on some polish if I owned some, but truth be told, watching that thing grow out is completely fascinating to me. 😀
i must be a weirdo as well because i have been watching my left big toenail grow out the spot where i dropped something on it. the human body is just so incredible. god really knew what he was doing!
I say that to Kevin ALL THE TIME!!! The way we can “just heal” completely blows my mind! SO Awesome! 😀
Can you still lock the door?
Hi Amy! No, this room will serve as a toddler’s bedroom and then my office, so no lock necessary here! 🙂
Would love to put a door in like that…Love all the panels on this one…Yay!!
My husband and I went crabbing in August, and while doing so managed to both get ‘pinched’ on the finger by a crab! Turned each of our respective finger nails a very DEEP purple! (two different crabs, and my husband sort of had it coming, he laughed at me when I got pinched 🙂 I tried to help him!) Anyway, I literally just cut the last of the black and blue’dness off about a week ago! Takes forever, but! time heals all things!!
We used a c-guide similar to this one on a client’s barn door:
http://www.realslidinghardware.com/c-bottom-guide-for-barn-door-hardware/
They fix the door hitting the trim problem but also keep the door from pulling out from the wall!
Cool! I’m not sure it would help keep fingers from getting pinched, but I love the streamlined look. We may have to try one of those a little later on down the line!
Beautiful door! Glad fingers will be safe too. I was wondering, did you remove the door that was there, or is it still in place? Curious.
Wow, Layla
I really love this door. What a clever, fun treatment. I love how unconventional it is. It makes quite a beautiful statement.
Love the gorgeous iron handle too. Too bad about the pinched finger-ouch.
Take care and keep warm,
Lisa
We built (from fenceboard) and installed 2 barn doors in our dining room about 2 years ago, and I’ve never gotten around to finding a solution to the doors banging on the wall.I purchased similar ones to these shortly after we got them hung, but they didn’t work for our old and very uneven floors. http://www.amazon.com/Mintcraft-675-9286-Adjustable-Roller-Offset/dp/B000YF7VW6
I’ll have to look into this caster solution, because the only other option seemed to be drilling into the floors, which I really didn’t want to do. Thanks for the idea!
You make me giggle…the door is SO amazing, Would love one of those someday!!! AND your both so smart with that caster Kit-Cat thinks so to!!!
And the finger thing…I hear ya…I FEEL ya. I just smashed mine two days ago putting a log on our fireplace. Took a HUNK out right in the center of my ring finger nail. It got caught between the grate in the fireplace and the piece of wood I was putting in. OUCH!!! I did have polish on and it gouched the color right off. When I tried removing the polish it took me right to the ROOF…BURN. So I left it be, probably does look like yours about now:(
Lovely! I have a question about your gray owl paint lightened 50%. I know it depends on the room light but your walls appear to have a gray/blue tint to them – is that just my computer monitor? 🙂 We’re repainting our main living area and I’d love to go blue, but my husband is scared of too bold of a color – wants more of a hint. It doesn’t get much direct light so I wonder about this color. On the swatch it seemd more tan/gray, but in your space it looks to have a blue hue – do you find that to be true? Thanks!
Hi Kim! Yes, the thing that I love most about Gray Owl is that it leans a little blue, green, and straight up gray depending on which wall you’re looking at and what time of day it is. It is a really fun color to live with because it feels so alive, too! 😀
Layla, you are so cute! Absolutely LOVE the door and that hardware! GORGEOUS! But you know I’m especially a sucker for inspector kit-cat! He always makes me smile . . . . 🙂
That little caster is such a great idea. Wish I could put on between my daughter’s sliding closet doors. They hit each other and all the paint is rubbing off. Grrrrr.
And I totally get watching the nail grow. LOL
I love this look! Cute & Rustic, & could be a space saver too! Really nice work!!
With Love,
-Paige.Rose 🙂
Cute that you put: #weirdo at the end. Very cute and funny. Blessed are those of us who can make fun of themselves. I’m one of them too. 😉
Best,
Gloria
Layla,
I love the door and it’s handle. The castors are genius. No pinched fingers and smooth gliding. You’ve got it all figured out. Even Kit Cat approves. Wonder what he and Max will think of little sweet p?:)
I love the look of the new door. I have been wanting to do a barn door on a room in our basement. Now I want to do it even more. It is on my long home project list. I am sure u understand how long those list can get. 🙂
Layla, you NEED to help me convince my parents to install a DIY sliding barn door in their beach house so they can close off their secondary living room when guests use it as a bedroom. I have been trying to talk them into it for ever. I even mentioned including a buffer (like your caster) so the door will slide easily. Oh well, I’ll keep nagging 🙂
Hey there, My husband and I made barn doors and have the same hardware however i painted my hardware with chocolate brown acrylic paint looks awesome. As does yours enjoy…..
Thanks, Karen! Did you have to remove all the (invisible) grease with something before you painted it? I don’t think paint would stick to ours right now the way it is so I just decided to go with the galvanized! 🙂
Nope… I did not have to do a thing prior to painting the hardware, well actually I did scuff it up a bit with a rough sand paper/steel wool other than that, It was so simple. I used folk art acrylic paint plaid 231-real brown (chocolate) 3 coats to assure coverage.
I absolutely love this door!!!!
Thanks for the tip! I’m still over so very jealous of this door and can’t wait to try something similar out in my own home.
Weirdo?????
Weirdo?????
you are the cutest Weirdo I have ever seen. LOL 🙂 Your nail is an ouchie I don’t want to see in person.
I positively love the door. Incredible. Gorgeous!!!! I am completely in love with the door. Can you hear me singing…..”Door of my Dreams………”
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lovely.
I lovelovelove that door!! And the tips (I tend to smash everything so that is much appreciated )
Layla, love love love the sliding door. I recently located one & trying to figure out a place to put in our house…even if not needed. Who doesn’t like a cool sliding door?
Your blog/website is an inspiration. You rock it!
I love the doors you used – did you purchase old doors – or create them?
Thanks, Neva! It’s an old door. Here’s a link to the post about it: https://theletteredcottage.net/library-pocket-door-on-sliding-barn-door-hardware/ 🙂
Do you have instructions on how to build and install the barn door? Also I didn’t see the mention of the color used???? Please help
Hi Kelei! I don’t have instructions on building or installing a barn door (I didn’t do either of those things), but the wall color is Gray Owl lightened by 50%! 🙂
Love your door. I am in the middle of a remodel and thought I really wanted a barn door until I started looking for the track system. They are soooo expensive. Can you tell me what kind you have and if it is noisy. Thank You!!
Layla sorry to have sent you a message. I just had to dig a little deeper and I found where you purchased your track hardware. Thank you for the inspiration!
Hi Layla,
I’m trying to figure out a solution to our dining room/living room opening and thought of your beautiful library door. I’m curious how wide it is. Do you know roughly? Thanks!
Maggie