I was never very fond of barn doors. Unless you have a very rustic house or actually live in a barn they look like a DIY cheap way out of not putting on a real door. I would replace with a pocket door if you don't have the clearance for a swing door.

Yes, it's a fashion that I think is being overused. An extended custom jamb can improve things. Recessed jambs maybe, but you're talking about a lot of effort to make it work. I guess I would consider that if a swing door's sweep didn't function well, and a pocket door isn't feasible due to something like a shear wall. recessed door gasket

I would recommend getting a new doors, barn doors aren't really meant for bathrooms and are never going to give you the privacy of a standard prehung door on a jamb or a pocket door.

If the doors are wide enough to cover the opening completely, you can put a "stop" on one end so the door can't over-shoot the opening.

Some people add frames to the doorway sides. and other use special fillers. It depends where the gap is? Also, you could add a hook type lock to the barn door.

When my barn door was installed, there was a gap on one side. Basically, the contractor screwed up: wrong size track was installed and the door was "overshooting" the opening. Fixed by replacing the track with a shorter track. "Before" pics below with track that was too long. When the door was fully closed (toward the left), it created a gap on the right-hand side of the opening. That is, the door is exactly the correct size to fill the opening but needed to stop before it reached the "stop" on the track that was too long. Barn door company did not sell extra "stops," so only option was to replace the track. Note: track should be twice the width of the door. I have a 32" door and the 1st track was 6 ft long. I needed a 5'4" track. Oh, yeah, they sent a 54" track on the 2nd try. Got it right on the 3rd try. The barn door was custom-made and cost 5 times the price of a swing door - hardly a "cheap" option. Other than that, I love this door!

In the 1st pic below, doorway is closed, but door has not yet reached the "stop"

Non-pro here. "Barn door" and "bathroom" are diametrically opposed design-wise. Barn doors work great in barns with farm animals that don't care about bathroom privacy and maybe for pantries in kitchens for people looking to update to the latest trend.

Late with my opinion, so over the barn door thing. I think that boat has sailed along with that trend. Sorry Magnolia Farms! Find a new horse, that one's been beat to death.

I am one of those people debating a bathroom barn door or not. In my bathroom I'm considering it because I cannot easily retro fit a pocket door and removing the door swing into the bathroom will allow my to get a double sink in there which we need. I disagree that it is out of style, I think it is still very much in style and practical in certain situations like what I'm considering. It just needs to be installed right and it sounds like yours was not. It sounds like either the door slab is under sized or you are in need of a door stop

I disagree with most of the posters here about barn doors and bathrooms. Sometimes, it the right design decision for flow and practical space operations. That said. I am fabbing up a piece of stainless that will cover the most visible part of the gap, the thickness of the door and overhang the both edges by about 3/8". This will act as a visual screen and a door pull.

Elegant solution and peeping little boys confounded.

@SharkLicker200...Would definitely appreciate some more info on your solution. Perhaps a few pics? Thanks.

The best solution to fixing the privacy issue of a barn door is hinges.

YES!! @SHARK LICKER200, PHOTOS OR SKETCH PLEASE!

Why are people so concerned about privacy? If you're using a bathroom in your own home, are you worried about strangers coming into your house and finding you in the bathroom? Privacy concerns seem overblown to me.

We had barn doors in the 70s. I didn't realize it was a "trend".

Stayed at a hotel in NYC with a barn door on the bathroom. It locked , no gaps and no problem. The doorway was framed with wood and had a channel, when you shut the door it could be locked. It was almost an entire framed unit that fit on the wall and the door slid back and forth like a typical barn door. Unfortunately I can’t find a photo.

OK, I found a similar door on a commercial barn door site . I think this takes care of the privacy issue https://specadsystems.com/examslide/

Sure as long as you do not mind the sterile, medical look and the $5k minimum price...........................

Millwork agree the example I gave was not exactly what I want in my home however the door at the boutique hotel looked nice. It solves the privacy issue

We are debating this right now as well. My bathroom is tiny and getting rid of the inswing door will make it feel much roomier, but I don't want an outswing and a pocket door is going to be a huge hassle according to my contractor. My main concern with the barn door is light, though - I frequently shower while DH is sleeping and I don't want the light to disturb him.

I’m planning to install a barn door on the bathroom due to space constraints. After reading Lorrie’s post about privacy locks, I did a google search and found this web site with an interesting video.

http://www.unisonhardware.com/products/Barn-Door-Privacy-Locks/

Thank you! An excellent solution! Will be ordering this!

Wondering why nobody has mentioned simply oversizing the door ? Can't see past a door that covers an extra 6 inches all around ?

How many people have an empty wall they want dedicated to the slide of a huge A$$ door? Frankly seeing isn't the real issue it's sound and ventilation..one poster didn't want to wake the partner, personally I wouldn't want to be steamed awake...may as well get a folding screen to prop up when in use for all the privacy these doors give. This is an old thread...no doubt the door was replaced by now.

I am planning to install a barn door over the bathroom due to space saving issues. As I am also concerned about privacy, I was planning on placing some kind of decorative wood trim as a full length “stopper” on the wall where the leading edge of the barn door will come to a close. I will overlap the bathroom opening by using a little wider door then needed. I am also planning to try using some weather stripping on the inside edge on the opposite side of the door to create a soft barrier on the wall side, between the door and the wall. I will also place a hook and eye type lock for added privacy. I don’t know if it will work yet or not, but maybe this idea will be helpful to someone else.

Three years ago the consensus of posters was this should be a dead trend...and yet it survives. 'Privacy' isn't just a visual need...there's noises, smells etc. As I read through it dawned on me if the door were bigger than the entrance but half on each side the visual privacy might be maintainable. The one tract idea sounds like a pocket door mounted on the outside. #2 DD bought a super tiny house and it's full of pocket doors and they all work just fine. And for sure there is nothing inexpensive about a barn door!!

What a horrible comment from the “pro,” Sophie Wagner. That comment, that was shamefully marked by Houzz as the best answer, added no value and was borderline disrespectful to the post author. It is the opposite of helpful to tell the person they did it wrong and outright lazy as a “pro” to not even contemplate that there could be a solution. Kudos to the person who posted those pics where they thought of putting a plant between their 2 doors and a towel rack to help with the issue. Probably not perfect, but way better than arrogant, lazy, and useless.

4 years old post by Sophie, and in many peoples opinion (mine as well), not incorrect then or now.

Missed the point. Sure it’s not the preferred idea. And i have no problem with what was said to help people who are considering it as one option. But to tell someone to just get rid of it doesn’t answer the actual question. This is the ONLY solution I can think of for my handicapped mom besides a cheesy plastic accordion door and it would have been nice for the “pro” to take a minute to actually ponder the question and at least try to offer some creative ideas. And if she didn’t want to, that’s fine also, but houzz shouldn’t be pinning that as the best answer. it was just irritating

I'm wondering if soft brush style draught excluders could be attached to the inside of the barn door. When it's in a closed position they fall either side of the gaps. This would surely help with privacy, odours and sound proofing without compromising on style too much. What do you think?

I agree with one of the posters above about the ridiculousness of telling someone just to get rid of the door. There are situations where the inconveniences of a barn door outweigh the inconveniences of a regular door. We have such a situation in our bathroom where a full sized door practically reaches the very small toilet and blocks the bathtub when open. It's very tight. we talked about doing "french doors" without windows, opening into the hallway but can't find any doors (yet). So... we may be stuck with barn doors as our only option as a pocket door would be much more money than we are willing to spend and might not work. For our last house, the wall was simply too small for a pocket door.

"we talked about doing "french doors" without windows, opening into the hallway but can't find any doors (yet)"

Visit a real lumberyard, they can order these from their millwork distributor. They all have them available with no issues.

We just bought a house with a barn door to our bathroom and unless you want to feel like your using it in right in the living room in front of everyone in the house i would totally recomend not having one put in! i never ever use that bathroom and when we had guest all last year after the hurricane it was horrible to try and comfortably go to the bathroom! the gap is to large and even though it covers the entire opening plus goes over it is still not private at all and i hope to replace it soon! some dont care like my boyfriend, he will go in front of anyone, but not me!

We put nice heavy brush sweeps on the edges of our garage barn door to keep out critters, and they work extremely well, they're soft, conform to the opening, provide some thermal barrier, etc. Probably not sound-proof, but it beats having to change out the whole door?

You aren't limited to hardware-store plastic styles -- you can get quite nice quality ones with real brass or stainless holders in various lengths of brushing for not that much more $$, just google around a bit for the specialty sites. Good luck!

HAHHAHA people when there is no other good suggestion but to get something different that's the advise you are going to get!! WHY oh WHY anyone thought a barn door afforded people anything more than a curtain defies logic. Do people not SEE the gaps?? Is it not true there was a door on that opening once upon a time?! Yes the sliding apparatus takes care of space issues but that is all it does. A curtain on a tension rod would do as much and as far as stylish well we would argue about that too. It is assumed switching the door to open the other way won't work either? Here's the sad truth. HGTV types keep coming up with 'new' and 'innovative' ideas so they can sell products. These FADS actually get purchased by some inexperienced cognitively deficient homeowners. Then they move on and leave the disaster to the next homeowner. No doubt all those here who have a barn door did not put it in, but you are STUCK due to the previous owner. Banging this drum again. THINK about some of the PERMENANT choices you make to your home--the person behind you will have to deal with your idea of high style and it will be a NIGHTMARE FOR THEM!: Barn Doors; painting brick; open shelving vs cupboards in a kitchen; painting cupboards fashion colors etc.