Barn doors are super trendy, but often one of the places that people want to use them is on a bathroom. We actually have a barn door between our master bedroom and bathroom and get a ton of questions about it, so I thought that it would be fun to weigh in on what we think!
Check out my tips for how to make a small bathroom feel luxurious!
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Can I Use a Barn Door for a Bathroom?
We use a barn door for our master bathroom and we love it!
I really love the look and that it was an easy and inexpensive way to add some interest to this otherwise blank wall.
However – I don’t know if I would add a barn door to a bathroom in a more public place, like off a living room.
Honestly, we keep this door open a lot since it is in our master bedroom.
We only slide it closed if one of us is using the toilet – if we are showering or getting ready, we leave the door open.
Read our ultimate guide to bathroom doors here!
We also polled some of our favorite bloggers who have installed barn doors on bathrooms in their homes to see how they feel about them now!
Carrie of Lovely, Etc. has a gorgeous modern barn door in her master bedroom. She says “I love our door because it looks great and was an easy diy project.
It is on our master bath, but I don’t think I would like it on a bathroom in a more public part of the house.
It isn’t as sound proof as a regular door and doesn’t lock.”
Nicole from Madness & Method hung a regular door with barn door hardware on her basement bathroom.
She says “As far as privacy, well it’s also a frosted door, completely open to our basement/main living space – so not as private as a regular door for sure
Brooke from Cribbs Style also has a barn door in her master bedroom, leading to a hallway to their private master bathroom.
She says “I like it here, but wouldn’t want it for any other bathroom.”
Is there a gap between the barn door and the wall?
Yes, there is a gap, which is caused by the spacers in the barn door rail.
If you have molding around your door (like we do) that will cover most of the gap, but it is not as “air tight” as a traditional door.
Are smells contained by a barn door? What about sounds?
We find our barn door to mask smells and sounds just as well as any other bathroom door!
It’s not sound-proof, but it’s never been an issue for us.
Can you lock a barn door?
Many people want to be able to lock a bathroom door for privacy.
A conventional lock won’t work, but we found a sliding door lock that works on barn doors! Here is how to install a lock on your sliding barn door.
Want more barn doors? Click to read all of our barn door content!
What do you think – would you hang a barn door on a bathroom in your home?
How to Build and Mount a Barn Door
Barn doors are trendy and fashionable and can add a rustic flair to your space. Here's how to build a barn door and how to mount a barn door.
Materials
- Roughly nine 1x6 boards
- Screws
- Barn door hardware
Tools
- Miter saw
- Drill
Instructions
How to Build a Barn Door
- Measure the space you want to cover
- Design your door. Use two layers.
- For the back layer, use as many 1x6 boards as needed to cover the gap of your door.
- For the front layer, cut two 1x6 boards to span the width of your door space and attach at the top and bottom of the back layer. Then cut 1x6 boards to span the gap between those two boards vertically. Finally, cut a board to go diagonal from the top corner to the bottom corner.
- Use 1 1/4" screws to attach all the boards from the front layer to the back layer.
- Stain or paint your door to fit your decor.
- Add a pull for a door handle.
How to Mount a Barn Door
- Order barn door hardware. Different brands will differ slightly, but the idea is the same.
- Attach a 1x6 board to your wall in the studs if your doorway has a frame that you need to go past. If your doorway doesn't have a frame, you can mount your rail bar directly into the wall.
- Mount your rail bar.
- Add bumpers for the barn door rollers to hit where you want to door to stop on each end.
- Attach the rollers to the top of your door and hang the door on the rail bar.
- Add a bottom guide for your barn door so that it doesn't swing back and forth.
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Hello, I’m Morgan, half of the creative force behind CharlestonCrafted.com! With a passion for DIY that dates back to 2012, I’ve transformed three homes and now I’m dedicated to helping others craft their dream spaces. Let’s turn your house into a home together!
Joe
Wednesday 24th of June 2020
Are there barn door hardware that can be used top and bottom so the door doesn’t swing up if pushed from the inside out. I have young kids who will undoubtedly want to play with the door. Also, is there a way to set up the door so it can lock and be sealed for noise?
Sean
Wednesday 24th of June 2020
Hey joe! All barn doors should have a bottom track for safety and keep keep them from swinging and banging. We have a whole post about them: https://www.charlestoncrafted.com/do-barn-doors-need-a-bottom-track/ You also can add a lock. Here’s our post on barn door locks with links to some options - https://www.charlestoncrafted.com/adding-a-barn-door-lock/
Soundproof - not so much. A siding barn door is never going to have a tight seal. Because of the overhand over the door frame, there’s no big gap or anything, but it’s unlikely to ever be fully soundproof.
Jon Ewing
Sunday 17th of May 2020
I bought a door kit from Home Depot. Am happy with it but have an issue. Using the recommended backer board at the top, will leave a 3/4 inch gap between the back of the door and the door casing (1 1/2 inch to the wall). I want it to seal tight or at least closely because this is a 'main' bath in the hallway used by visitors to the home. HOW can I revise the mounting or otherwise seal the door for privacy?
Morgan
Sunday 17th of May 2020
Im not 100% sure I understand your question so correct me if I mis-interpret it. Are you saying there is a gap between the door and the casing in addition to the gap needed between the door and the wall to go over the casing? It's hard to say how to eliminate this not knowing what your hardware exactly looks like. Ours had black washers bumping it out from the wall. Are there any washers, spacers, or anythign like that that you could remove to make it closer to the wall?
Nicole Q-Schmitz
Wednesday 31st of October 2018
Even having a not-completely-private barn door for the bathroom, I think I'd still do it again! They are such a space saver :)