How do I get my barn door back on track?

DO BARN DOORS LOCK?

For a farmer or rancher, one of the most frustrating things is when the barn door will not stay open.  A working farm or ranch doesn’t have time for barn door repair, which is why they keep maintenance upon them. When things are not as busy, hectic on a normal day, they will check every barn door and hardware, replace barn door bolts, and make any potential barn door repairs they see. If you need to understand, there is nobody better to ask than a farmer, rancher, farmhand or ranch hand.

Yes, they can. Once upon a time, farmers and ranchers didn’t have much to worry about thieves, so they may have closed the barn doors, “Don’t leave the barn door open!”. Rarely would they lock them, mainly because locks weren’t always available. 

As time has progressed, locks are more readily available and with the world way it is today, farmers and ranchers do lock their barn doors now. Both have valuable equipment, not to mention the livestock, that could be stolen, so if they have to have barn door repair done, they will either have a new lock installed or get a one themselves. 

You may lock a single-hung barn door with a hasp and lock. Double-hung doors will typically be locked with a chain through the handles and a lock. Modern-day, new construction barn doors may have other locking systems.

HOW DO YOU ADJUST A BARN DOOR?

Your barn doors have been working great for years. You get your animals, heavy machinery, hay and other supplies in and out daily, had no trouble with the barn door opening or closing.  Your barn was a good size investment and needed to protect other expensive investments. Now, out of nowhere, the barn door isn’t opening or closing correctly. Just what you need an unexpected expense of barn door repair! 

Or do you? Here we offer a five-step process where you can do your own barn door repair.

• Assess and Evaluate the Situation: First, check the outer rollers and the upward rollers. Sometimes they need a minor adjustment. Maybe they were bumped by an animal or the tractor going in or out, maybe the ground shifted. Regardless of how they got out of line, making the necessary adjustment will get them properly aligned and working well. How do you know which to adjust which rollers? If the door is leaning in at the top, adjust the center rollers down and the outer rollers up. If the door is leaning in at the bottom, adjust the center roller up and the outer rollers down. If barn door repair is new to you, it could take you a few tries to get it right.
• Check the Guides: The next step of your barn door repair is to check the exterior hardware to see how much room before it and the center guide meet. Depending on the distance between the bottom rail and center guide, the doors will need to be lowered or raised or lowered. Next, examine the T-guides at the end of both door openings that keep it attached to the jamb. Are the doors pulling or resting on your T-guide? How they are sitting will determine if you need to lower or raise the doors so that they are sitting comfortably without rubbing in the middle of the track.
• Inspect The Roller: Next for your barn door repair, check the track the rollers follow. Make sure they are secure and clear of any debris. You may need to adjust the rollers down or up with the door.
• Lower or Raise the Door: We’re almost done with a barn door repair project!   Loosen the jam nut to lower or raise the door, that is the bolt that is connected to the roller. As you loosen or tighten, you’ll notice the door to get a slight bend, and that is perfectly normal, up to a 90° bend as it pulls or pushes the door at the header. If all looks right to you, tighten up the jam nut.
• Are the Doors Aligned?: Make sure they are aligned, sitting parallel to each other, and gliding smoothly through both guides. Double-check the jam nut is tight! Now you’re done with your barn door repair project!
  

HOW DO YOU FIX A SLIDING BARN DOOR?

It depends on what’s wrong.  If the doors aren’t sliding, the above-described steps are the barn door repair you need.  If the doors are not any good, then barn door construction is the best option. 

• Start by measuring the opening that the doors will cover. Depending on that, you can decide if you need one door on a hinge or two doors sliding to replace what is there. The construction is basically the same, with the exception the sliding doors will be a little wider for the side overlap. 
• Once you know the size, using 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 boards, build the frame to the size you’ve measured. Cut the outside frame at 45-degree cuts on both ends and then place them down on a flat surface, drilling a screw in each end. To square the frame, measure the diagonals and square the frame. Then cut a board that will bisect the big rectangle, and to put equal distance from the inside ends, make two small ones and toe-screw the outside frame.
• Next, cut diagonal braces that run from what will be the bottom inside and top inside to the middle.  You should now have a frame similar to a digital “8”, so check to make sure all is still square and then metal plates on each intersection of wood with 1” drywall screws through each board, 3 per board. This is the interior side of the door.
• Now stand the frame up to the opening and cut off any chunks of wood to brace it, then attached the hinges or the rollers, depending on which kind of door you want. For a hanging door, attach the top rollers first, then slide it in the track.
• Last step, hang the metal on the frame, starting in the middle for swinging doors, making sure the ribs are covering each door with an overlap in the middle.

DO BARN DOORS NEED A BOTTOM TRACK?

If they are sliding doors, yes. Otherwise, they would simply swing back and forth. If the doors are on hinges to open outward, one to the left and one to the right, a bottom track isn’t necessary but will keep the doors from swinging both directions, unless you want them to.

HOW FAR DOES A BARN DOOR STICK OUT FROM THE WALL?

It will depend on how thick the barn doors are, but you should determine this after the door is hanging, using the center point and making sure the door width fits the track for sliding doors. Making sure the doors to your barn a secure is important and worth the expense you endure to protect your investments inside the barn. If the need to hire an outside contractor for barn door repair is necessary, keep those investments in mind. Reach out to Smart Garage Door Service for your barn door repair.