What is Barn Door Hardware? Barn door hardware is a unique and appealing new style of interior hardware for doors. But some have asked, "why is it called barn door hardware?" Upon first hearing the name, some may doubt its home interior applications.
As it turns out, this unique style of hardware is named for its original application. On large barns where particularly large doors were used, sometimes a sliding track system was used instead of a swinging hinge system for the doors.
With a hinge system, the size, weight, and overall mass of a door are born by just the hinges. That puts a lot of stress on small areas. Additionally, the vertical arrangement of the hinges causes an unequal amount of stress to be placed on the different hinges. This can over time cause the hinges to warp, bend, and even break if not properly treated. Also when a door is on hinges, it must swing out over a large area to move into the open position. This can sometimes be inconvenient and tedious, especially if you're trying to conserve on space.
Flat track sliding door systems were developed as a solution to some of the problems larger barn doors were having. The door is affixed with two track hangers at opposite ends that hang on and roll along a large piece of track above the doorway. It's sometimes referred to as "flat track hardware" because the track itself is made of solid steel flat bar. This gave the track strength and rigidity. Now instead of a vertical hinge system, large doors had a horizontal track system that supported them. The horizontal design allowed for the weight of the door to be spread out more evenly across the entire system, giving it more strength. It also allowed for the large doors to slide back and forth into position instead of having to swing out.
More strength, more space, more overall ease of operation- that was why this style of hardware was developed and used. And that is where the name "barn door hardware" comes from.
How is this different than pocket doors?
Though this sliding door hardware style is popularly used for larger openings and doorways such as to dinning rooms, studies, living rooms, etc., it is also being widely implemented as a replacement for pocket doors.
But what are pocket doors? Well, if you're a homeowner and you have one, you know exactly what it is. You also probably haven't actually seen that door in a long time since it spends most of its life inside a wall. But for the sake of everyone being on the same page, let's talk briefly about what a pocket door is. Pocket doors are those doors that slide back and forth into the open and closed position. They are typically normal sized and are good for small openings such as from a kitchen to a separate dining room, or a bedroom to a bathroom. Their unique quality is that they actually slide into the adjacent wall and out of sight, their side actually becoming part of the door jamb.
Unfortunately this style of door is becoming increasingly unpopular due to several reasons. If you're a homeowner with this style of door somewhere in your home, you will be nodding your head as you read through these. First, they can be a hassle to open and close. As you slide them in and out of position, they tend to sway a little causing them to bump the inside of the wall or door jamb and stop suddenly.
Second, the latch on the inside of the door is annoying to use. Its such a small hook that it becomes tedious to fumble with it just so you can hook your finger on the tiny latch and pull the door out from inside the wall. This is why the door spends most of its life inside the wall.
Finally, in retrospect homeowners often realize that they spent a lot of extra money on a door that they don't even use, which can be the ultimate frustration. No one wants to waste money.
For these reasons barn door hardware is increasing in popularity. The door rolls back and forth with smooth ease. Since it remains outside the wall, it's never difficult to open or close.
Additionally since it stays outside the wall, the door is always in sight, naturally becoming a part of the room's decor. And since the track hardware mounts outside the wall, no major reconstruction is needed.
What is it made of? Barn door hardware is made of solid steel flat-bar. This is what gives the hardware its strength and longevity. It is available in both regular and stainless steel. Let's discuss the significance of steel in the construction of barn door hardware.
Steel is everywhere, and we use it everyday in some way, shape, or form. Have you ever ridden in or driven a car? The frame of the vehicle was no doubt made of solid steel. Have you ever used some form of kitchen utensil such as a spoon, fork, knife, wire whisk, spatula, etc.? Then it is a sure bet you've used stainless steel. In this article we'll talk about the differences in regular and stainless steel.
Regular Steel
Steels are alloys (two or more elements that combine to make metals) in which iron is mixed with carbon and other elements, and there are several types. One of the ways strength is given to steel is by adding carbon. Depending on how much carbon is added, and how it is heat treated, the resulting metal can be soft, hard, flexible, or brittle. One of the draw backs to standard steel is that since its essential element is iron, it will rust and pit on its surface. However due to its relatively high carbon content, it is very strong. Just remember, more carbon equals more strength.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel, on the other hand, resists rusting and pitting. This is why it is used in kitchens, bathrooms, and other places where sanitation is a must. Because it resists pitting and rusting, the metal's surface doesn't have pores or cracks in it to harbor dirt, dust, and germs.
Stainless steel is created by adding a significant amount of chromium to the alloy. The chromium reacts with the iron in steel and causes it to resist rusting. This is what gives the steel its bright and shiny appearance, although the metal itself is actually dark. The surface of stainless reflects a lot of light.
Because of the fact that it has extra elements added to it, and because of its beneficial properties, stainless is typically more expensive than regular steel.
Visit http://flattrackhardware.com/ to learn more about the importance of steel in the construction of barn door hardware.
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