We just love reclaimed doors, don’t you? With farmhouse style continuing to dominate HGTV shows, interior design blogs, and – let’s face it – pretty much everything else, it’s no surprise that we’re often visited by customers who are on the hunt for rustic, reclaimed barn doors for their homes.

However, thanks to a variety of factors, you’d be surprised at how difficult it can be for people to find a barn door that has the exact look and feel to match their personal tastes. It can also be difficult for customers to find a door that’s the correct size for their specific application.

For these reasons, we usually recommend custom-building your desired door instead of purchasing one as-is. But don’t worry – it’s really not that difficult to have one custom-built. Below, we offer a few pointers for ensuring that you get the exact barn door of your dreams.

1.  Select the reclaimed lumber yourself

Selecting the wood yourself is a perfect way to ensure you’re not only getting true antique lumber, but it also ensures that the door will have the aesthetic appeal you desire.

Because our lumber is reclaimed, it comes in differing degrees of wear-and-tear and, as such, tends to vary in color and finish. When you select the lumber yourself, you can create a door that’s as uniform (or varied) in texture, age, and color as you’d like. Plus, you can easily confirm that the door will be the exact size you need it to be. 

Even though it takes time, we encourage customers to choose their materials board-by-board to ensure complete satisfaction with the finished product.

2. Build it yourself (or hire someone who will)

If you’re like us, home improvement projects are your favorite weekend activities. But, even if you love to DIY, building a barn door by yourself may not be ideal.

If you’re at all uncertain of your barn-door-building abilities, it’ll be easy to find a woodworker to help you finish the project instead. (We can recommend someone to you, if you’d like.) For most folks, hiring a professional for a more construction-heavy project like this is preferable, especially if you’ve never worked with saws or other tricky power tools before. Plus, if you happen to have little ones in your home, you’ll want to be sure the door has been safely assembled and secured to its frame.

3. Always use new hardware

Believe us, we understand the appeal of reclaimed hardware like antique doorknobs and hinges. In fact, we offer plenty of beautiful, salvaged hardware in our warehouse.

While these items are great for many uses, when it comes to a sizable project like a sliding barn door, you must be sure to use brand new hardware. Barn doors are heavy and, if installed in high-traffic areas, will likely be opening and closing multiple times a day. You’ll want to stay away from antique hardware for this sort of project (we know – it’s tough!) because old equipment could be bent, rusted, or damaged.

Available via The White Shanty

Instead, you’ll want to have your door installed safely and securely with new, well-made hardware. If you prefer hardware with character, there are plenty of places you can find unique pieces for your project, like The White Shanty. You just need to make sure you (or your hired professional) purchase the right equipment for your particular needs.

One exception to this rule is for static (as in, not moving) doors that won’t be opening, closing, or sliding. Even then, any hardware used to secure the door to walls or bed frames needs to be new.

Not sure if you’re ready to commit to a barn door in your home?

One great way to test-run the barn door craze is by working on a smaller project, like the mini sliding barn door pictured below. Our customers built it for a medicine cabinet using our reclaimed wood, and we think it adds the perfect touch to their powder room!

And, you never know: maybe one day you’ll be ready for what we call “The Mother of All Barn Doors,” pictured below. Built with our lumber by a friend of ours, it’s definitely one of the biggest barn doors we’ve ever seen.

Have questions?

Let us answer any questions you may have! Give us a call at 940-665-6000 or visit us at our location and we’ll be glad to help.