Barn doors are now one of the most popular options for homeowners. Whether it is single or double barn doors, you will find them in plenty of homes at the moment. However, you will also hear one common complaint from some users. Yes, we are talking about the swinging issue.
But that should not really discourage you from getting one of these doors. Learning how to keep barn door from swinging is pretty straightforward. And in most cases, you would not have to go through any challenging steps at all. Do not believe us? Read through this entire guide to find how easy it is by yourself!
Tips to Keep Barn Door from Swinging
We have tried out loads of tools and hardware that are available for the barn doors. Some of these came with the bypass barn door kit, while some are aftermarket. And after testing all of them out, these are the ones that worked the best in preventing the door from swinging;
Bottom Door Guide
For both the double and single bypass barn door, you will find manufacturers offer bottom door guides. Just like the name suggests, these will install directly on the floor or mounted on the wall to stop the door from swinging. However, the brands will not directly mention that these tools are here to help with the swinging issues of the door.
Instead, they will state that the guides will help with making the door slide straight through the track smoothly. But if you take a look at how door guides work, you will know exactly why we chose them. In most cases, there will be rollers on both sides. These rollers will play two specific roles.
First of all, the rollers will smoothen out the movement of the door. For them, the panels will slide through the track as smooth as butter. Secondly, as the door passes through both the rollers, it will stay perfectly aligned. It will not find any space to swing back and forth.
On that note, if there is no space for the panel to go back and forth, swinging will not be an issue anymore. So, once you set one of these up on the floor, you will not have to worry about the doors or the walls getting damaged anymore.
Bottom Stoppers
Yes, the barn doors do have a stopper on the top. But you will also find bottom stoppers on the market. As the name suggests, these will help the doors stay in place while you operate them. In most cases, you will find these opting for a c-channel shape. And you would need to install two of these on the floor.
One would be on the left side and the other on the right. If the swinging is pretty intense, you might also consider installing one in the middle. How will these work? Well, it will find stop the door from going too far right or too far left. In other words, it will hold the panels when you open them.
But that is not all that these stoppers have to offer. These will hold the panels when you keep the doors open. As a result, swinging will not be an issue anymore. On that note, the installation process will be pretty hassle-free. You would not have to handle any intricate tools, nor will you need to deal with loads of parts.
Furthermore, it will work for the single bypass double barn door and other types of barn doors. That means you will not have to worry about the compatibility that much either.
Magnetic Door Stops
There is an innovative product in the market. The magnetic door stops are undoubtedly a unique solution to stop the doors from swinging around. And the best part is that you can make these work on the double track bypass barn door too.
That said, the installation process will be pretty simple. You would need to install one of the magnetic parts to the door. In this case, depending on the model, you might need to handle a drill machine and make holes in the door. Some models might come with adhesive strips, but they do not really make a secure placement.
For that reason, you would want to opt for the options that utilize fasteners. Nonetheless, the second magnetic part would go to the floor. And when the first one meets this part, the magnets would cling in place. That would stop the doors from swinging back and forth.
Read Next: Best Soft Close Barn Door Hardware Kits
Types of Floor Guides
As we have mentioned, the floor guides are one of the solutions that can fix the swinging issue. However, there is more than just one type of floor guide. Let us give a brief info about each;
Rollers
The first and most common one is the rollers. These would be two rollers, and the door would go through these two rollers.
Standard Floor Mount Guides
Then, there are the standard floor mount guides. Instead of hugging the door, these will only have a raised edge on one side. These are a good pick to solve the swinging issue too. But you would need to make sure that the edge is facing outward, not inwards.
U-Channel Guides
Finally, there are the U-channel guides. These will not have any rollers, but they will make the door pass through the middle. There will be raised edges on both sides. And these will do a proper job of keeping the door in place. The edges would hinder the door from swinging back and forth.
On that note, you will find floor guides available for both wall-mounted and floor-mounted options. Before you pick one of them, you should consider whether there is enough room on the wall. If you find that there is not an adequate amount of space, you should opt for the floor-mounted option.
Final Words
Swinging issue is pretty common among the barn doors. And no, you do not have to change the entire setup just to fix this issue, nor will you have to take the tracks down and install a regular door. Instead, just learn how to keep barn door from swinging, and you can fix the issue in a short amount of time.
This is Adam Sullivan, the author of tchardwaretools.com! I started my days as a mobile carpenter to become a full-time shop owner, and have been living my professional life for more than 8 years now.
Here I want to share my thoughts, experiences, and ideas through this platform. Stay Tuned!