Header For Barn Door Track

Structural support is required barn doors can be heavy up to 200 pounds or more so for sturdiness most people mount the track to a header attached to the wall studs above the doorway.

Header for barn door track.

A header replaces the need to have studs in just the right spot. Once the header is installed to the drywall the track can be firmly added to the header. Barn doors often roll on wheels and can be lifted off their tracks intentionally or by accident. Most of our barn door hardware accommodates up to 1 50 thick door but a header board to push the track away from wall more to allow clearance can be used if you have thicker doors.

The barn door should be wide enough to completely cover the doorway with an inch or two of overhang on both sides and about one inch at the top. The barn door hardware track is 3 16 thick and 1 1 2 wide. The header reinforces the drywall making it strong enough for your barn door. How thick and wide is the barn door hardware track.

The jamb will not be prepared with any latch bore or strike plate mortise for the dead bolt. Not all systems are open providing options for those families with young children. In this project the mounting board was painted black and the edges rounded slightly for a more finished appearance. A 3 foot door requires 6 feet of track.

The door will be prepared with the double bore hole latch bore and latch plate mortise for a dead bolt. Generally speaking barn door tracks come in two sizes. This might be eye rollingly obvious right now but i swear when you get elbow deep into a new project especially one with several steps this is an easy oversight. To secure the track to the wall and add support for the heavy barn door cut a 1 x 4 mounting board the same length as but a little wider than the track.

It should be tall enough so that when it s hung on the track there is about 1 2 inch of space between the bottom of the door and the floor. A heavy barn door can come off its track if flung open quickly resulting a door falling over causing damage or injury. Don t get all excited about a big chunky barn door build a 40 wide one for a 6ft long door track. In order to install your barn door securely you would need to attach the barn door track to those studs.