See how you can install a farmhouse-styled vintage door with  barn door/ sliding door track hardware for low ceilings.

Remodeling old houses and updating them for modern times while keeping the nostalgic charm can be a challenge!  As we’ve worked on our Fake Farmhouse’s bathroom this past year, every choice has reflected balancing the new with the old. I want this newly remodeled bathroom to meld cohesively with the rest of our refreshed 1900’s home.

As with many old house bathrooms that were not originally a part of the house, square feet was a challenge. Luckily barn door/ sliding door track hardware has become fashionable (and available) in the last couple of years. I knew if we could get rid of the door swing in our bathroom, it would feel much more spacious. Today I’ll show you our Barn Door/ Sliding Door Installation with a Vintage Door and Low Ceilings.

Barn Door/ Sliding Door Installation with a Vintage Door and Low Ceilings

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There’s quite a variety of barn door/ sliding door track hardware options available right now. I really liked the industrial versions with the wheels, but our big challenge was that we have low ceilings in our upstairs. Many of the options we looked at required 4-10″ of space above the door and we just didn’t have that kind of margin to work with.

Luckily, a google search led me to the lowest clearance option, made by Reclaimed Lumber Products. RLP’s Mini Low Profile V Track Hardware only needs 2″ of space above the door, and it also fits in perfectly with our classic vintage style. (You can find it HERE)

This is a Sponsored Post; Reclaimed Lumber Products provided me with a complimentary Mini Low Profile V Track Hardware and accessories for this project. Follow their instructions for installing.

All opinions and advice are my own. This post is for inspirational purposes.

To Begin, Choose Your Door

Each room in our upstairs features a different styled vintage door with white farmhouse trim. I wanted this bathroom door to look similar, yet be a slider. When the door is closed, I wanted white trim to show around the outside and for it to have a vintage knob for classic old-house style.

I’ve got a stash of old doors I picked up in curbside piles and found a 5 panel one that fit the bill perfectly. I sanded down both sides and applied a darker brown stain (it was kind of light orange originally). I sealed it with a coat of satin poly.

Next, Read or Watch the Installation Instructions for the Barn Door/ Sliding Door Hardware

Reclaimed Lumber Products provides a very helpful printable guide for their barn door/ sliding door track hardware. We printed off a copy to refer to while we were working. It gave lots of tips and went over challenges or issues you may have. Like a lot of old houses, our’s is crooked everywhere:( RLP explained how to make sure your door ends up straight to the world!

Reclaimed Lumber Products also has several helpful Youtube videos for those who like to visually see examples:

Prepare Your Door Opening for the Barn Door/ Sliding Door Hardware

We trimmed out our door opening pretty similarly to the rest of the upstairs, but made a longer header board for the 5′ V track. We drilled holes and got the track temporarily in place before we painted the top piece.

Install Barn Door/ Door Slider Hardware on Door and Cut Kerf for Floor Guide

In order for the door to slide smoothly and evenly, the RLP Mini Low Profile V Track Hardware kit comes with a floor guide. You can either cut a kerf in the bottom of the door so it slides through one of these floor guides, or get another one so the door slides between 2. We will eventually have carpet in this hallway, but put the single floor guide in on the sub floor temporarily.

These hardware kits come in several different finishes. We went with classic black to coordinate with the other elements in the bathroom.

Make Adjustments, If Needed, For Your Door Installation

Because I wanted the white trim to show around the door, there wasn’t much overlap. The V track hardware sits away from the wall a bit so it won’t rub against walls and trim. The issue is this door is on a bathroom and we wanted more privacy than the gap could provide. Mr. Fix-it came up with the idea of placing a black-painted spacer board on the inside of the door to fill the space. We only did it on the one side, since the door butts up to the wall on the other side. Leave it to us to come up with a unique option!

If your door overlapped the opening more, this wouldn’t be an issue, but of course I always want to do something unique!

Add Knobs, Handles and/or Lock Hardware to the Sliding Door

I had 2 old knobs and door plates in my stash. I scrubbed them up with an S.O.S. pad and gave them a coat of poly to bring out the patina. Of course, they don’t need to turn; they will be stationary. But they will look like a classic old door.

Because the knob on the inside meant the door wouldn’t be able to open all the way, Mr. Fix-it had to drill another hole for a closer stop bolt. It also means we need to be a couple inches skinnier to make it through the door opening. Yep…I’m high maintenance.

We also installed Reclaimed Lumber Product’s Barn Door Privacy Lock (get it HERE) since this is a bathroom door. I think it’s kind of slick how this little thing works. We placed it next to where the knob is when the door is closed on the inside. It seemed to make sense at the time, but now we’re wondering if we should have placed it on the other side, so it was a little more hidden when the door is open, and the peg that sticks out a bit is to the inside. Just something to think about if you’re installing.

Special Discount for Lora B Readers:

“Free privacy lock with purchase of track hardware kit for customers who mention in the check out comments, Lora B. Create & Ponder!  Offer expires August 31, 2020”

Thanks, Reclaimed Lumber Products for offering a special for Lora B Readers!

Enjoy Your Space Saving and Good Looking Barn Door/ Slider Door!

I couldn’t be more pleased with how the installation of this barn door/ slider door turned out and how well it looks and functions for our remodeled bathroom! I love building vintage character into our home, just like we did in our kitchen {“Kitchen Cupboard with Antique Doors”}, our pantry {“Pantry Organization, Vintage Inspired”}, and our bedroom closet {“Ironing Board Shelves and Closet Refresh”}. This old house had been stripped of a lot of it’s original character; slowly we’ve added it back, while making it more functional.

Ready for the big reveal? It’s a little hard with the steps, but it’s pretty from every angle!

It looks good and functions beautifully! Now if we can just get the walls sanded and painted! And the carpet installed. And the sink buffet finished…oh, these projects take a while don’t they? Hopefully I’ll be showing you the final makeover pics soon!

For more information about Reclaimed Lumber Products Mini Low Profile V Track Hardware, along with the Barn Door Privacy Lock, you can go HERE. They also make other beautiful reclaimed wood products, including barn doors, mantels, paneling, flooring, and other custom products. Check out their main page HERE and their blog to learn more about how they harvest the old wood and some of the beautiful projects made with them!

Don’t forget to mention Lora B create and ponder if you order a track hardware kit, so you can get a free privacy lock with purchase (offer till August 31 2020)

I hope you enjoyed this Barn Door/ Sliding Door Installation with a Vintage Door and Low Ceilings! It seems like many are using their less-cluttered time right now to get some home projects done. Hopefully this inspired you and may solve some of your home remodeling issues! Thanks for visiting!

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