Barn doors do not contain sound well. If you are at all trying reduce the sound of a washer and dryer carrying elsewhere, I would not use a barn door. Even pocket doors you need to make sure they are really well built, solid, tight fitting.

I don't think someone is going to decide against buying a house because it has a barn door. Yes, they are outdated. And, I have always hated the look of them, but that is just me.

I never understood why they were in in the first place - thank goodness they are out. Laundry makes noise. Put in a real door that helps contain noise and closes easily, because no one needs a laundry room door to always be open.

Why are you starting yet another thread on the same laundry you have asked about on another thread?

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6424310/laundry-room-layout

If you do not like the laundry layout, the door , or anything else about the space? You go BACK to the cabinet designer and the architect. But know that you are not going to turn a 6 x 13 laundry to 20 x 40 feet and a maid: )

We aren't even privy to the entire living floor, the remodel or anything else. We know not your laundry habits - how often , how compulsive or not!

As to the barn door? Is your house a barn? No.

Leave the pocket, unless you want to lose wall space storage from the plan and thread on the link above.

We are just finding out you plan to sell in five years. Rendering all of the hand wring on this somewhat inconsequential, relative to a hopefully long life.

And then? We find another thread.....surprise surprise.

Please listen. There will be no effective help with any of this in the disjointed manner you are using here, and with your TEAM.

Get with the architect, get the whole of both floors and these details of layout worked out. I can't figure out why you'd want the BATHROOM entrance to be in a "not butler", butler pantry.

Go to the team, hammer it out, especially since you do not plan to die in this home.

Sliders (aka "barn doors") are wonderful problem solvers in spaces that don't allow for a pocket door or regular door. It's true they don't contain sound well, but you can't have everything. I have a slider on my laundry/mudroom, which is small. I personally think it looks great, it fits the style of my house, but hey I get it some people just don't like them. What I don't like is a "barn-y" door, especially when it has no relation to what's going on in the house.

I like pocket doors for areas that are open 90% of the time but need to be closed off occasionally for company - (I've never liked barn doors except on barns - they seem inelegant for homes)

I think the term barn door throws people off with visions of rustic wood doors and heavy hardware. A “slider“ comes in so many styles. Consider its functionality vs a pocket door and then make your decision (the next owners will benefit as well from the most practical solution).

If you copy the design of your standard doors, it will fit in and hardly be noticed.

A family member had an apartment with a barn door at the laundry closet. The layout precluded a pocket door (hvac) and a swing door (layout) so the barn door was perfect. And since the door is open while doing laundry, and the washer was topload, it was easy to keep open during the cycles and close it after.

OTOH, we recently stayed in a guest house with a barn door for the bathroom. Probably becauwe of space. But it was worse than a pocket door, which would have closed a little better and been easier to operate from the inside.

Go with the pocket door. You won't regret it. It is better for resale, IMO, because they are classic. Barn doors are a fad and they take up wall space when "open."

Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone.

Except to @JanMoyer, you seem a little kookoo. Please refrain from commenting on my future posts unless you plan to be anything more than a troll. Thank you!

Maybe "cuckoo" is when you have an entire thread on the laundry room layout, and the "cuckoo" pro tells you a way to address it, along with many others ( Lose the tall pantry cabinet )......and then you begin yet another thread on the same room about the DOOR to that room: ) Mmmmm?

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6424310/laundry-room-layout

I will repeat and from a sane mind :

Go to the architect, and resolve the many issues you seem to have with the build. It is the best way to resolution.

Yes the barndoor concept is OUT. Pocket doors will serve you better.

Door locale, and swing/pocket either are linked to the layout of the room.

RESOLVE as a whole, and a barn door is not a good idea.

I had a barn door on a half bathroom and liked it. it was noisy when operated and took up wall space when opened, but it was in a timberframed house, and opened to a 24 x40 great room. Not using space inside a tiny bathroom made all the difference inside it. As for noise, if everyone was sleeping I just never used the door… who was awake to see me?

Travis I think the talk about noisy has to do with hearing what you are doing in there while you are doing it!!! Privacy is compromised greatly with barn doors!!!

I have my laundry room door open now, and its noise is barely noticeable - I only close the door when I want to hide the view from guests. I like the look of a low-profile barn door (i.e. small-ish hardware, blended colours) and would choose it over a pocket door......Pocket doors are fine if you need the space, but I do associate them with a "cheaper" appearance (unless you're on a yacht).

When we looked at the model home for the house we built and now live in, a barn door was used for the media room. Back then a barn door was a new thing, and looked impressive. Ours is painted, and lends an air of unique design to our home (of course many of our neighbors have the same thing in various colors...). However, our media room is where I have my music collection and main audio equipment, and the builder soundproofed the room. All that soundproofing is for naught because as others pointed out, the barndoor does not contain the noise. It may slightly reduce it, but not much. The nature of the design means there are gaps that allow sound to easily travel out of the room. Design is personal taste; but wanting a door to reflect that taste and contain sounds within such as the laundry-is not doable with a barndoor.

Even if you keep your cow and three goats in the laundry room, a barn door is a bad idea.

LOL. Monitor spit just above.......

🤣

We used a butler’s door that way the door always stays closed. With your arms full of clothes, it is easy to push through to the other room.