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Barn Doors: Reusing an Old Door

by | Oct 8, 2008 | Creative Inspiration & Projects, Decorating Inspiration, Details, DIY

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Barn Doors: Reusing an Old Door

 

Barn Doors

I love old doors. We seem to collect them as we move over the years. Shutter style and paneled doors have so much charm and personality. While there are loads of ideas for how to use doors creatively,  this idea is is really fun and practical too, especially if you really want to use them as doors.

While old doors look really cool, they don’t always fit existing doorways. Unless you get lucky and the door measurements can be modified to fit an existing frame, it isn’t always easy to work an old door into an opening. However, with the addition of some barn styled door hardware, you can hang doors on the outside of your doorway! Not only do they add a charming and artistic feature to your room, you can slide them shut for privacy. This solution also saves space — doors that swing out require a lot more room.

So, there you have it! Another fun way to use old doors!  What are your favorite ideas?

Photo: From my files, Street of Dreams PDX

42 Comments

  1. Kristen

    That sliding door idea is just so neat! It’s going on my list of things to do/try when we actually buy our own house!

    Kristens last blog post..Please Pass the Tissues

    Reply
  2. Miss Mari-Nanci

    I love the idea of sliding doors. But pocket doors aren’t doable, unless they came with your house.

    This, on the other hand, is doable!!!

    You just keep showing us one great idea, after another. Thank you Hon.

    Gentle hugs,
    Miss Mari-Nanci

    Miss Mari-Nancis last blog post..Hooray!!!

    Reply
  3. Ann

    I’m so glad you posted this because I want to do this effect with my pantry door, but I didn’t know what it was called. Now that I have a name, I can actually do research on it.

    Thank you!

    Anns last blog post..Escape

    Reply
  4. Deanna

    Very clever! It would be great for a tight space where a door would normally take up room!

    I love coming to your site and being inspired!

    Deannas last blog post..For In These I Delight

    Reply
  5. jennifer

    I love old doors. We sell them in our shop. They are great just leaning on a wall with something hanging on them. Love your ideas.

    Reply
  6. Joanna

    I love your site. I am a new reader and stumbled upon you from the Nester. The door idea is marvelous. I’m addicted to old doors as well but have no idea what to do with them. Have you ever done a post about making tables out of old long doors??
    Thanks for all the great tips and beautiful pictures

    Joannas last blog post..Tuesdays Top Ten

    Reply
  7. Kacey

    I LOVE old doors and this is a great use for them! I’ve also seen them used as desks or sofa tables with glass on top. I really love that too.

    Kaceys last blog post..My 100th Post!

    Reply
  8. Susan

    Just wanted you to know that I’m loving your blog lately. Each post has been great and I love how you’ve been taking a specific area of a home and showcasing it…beautifully done! thanks!

    Reply
  9. Tamara

    I just posted about old SHUTTERS as a decorative accent. I love the touch of OLD in a room :)

    Tamaras last blog post..Goat Barn Extreme Makeover

    Reply
  10. G&D

    I love this idea!! I toured the Parade of Homes in my area last summer and one of the homes did red sliding barn doors to separate their rec. room from their in-home theatre. They also used a smaller sliding door in their upstairs hallway. It added so much character to the place! Here’s a link to my blog post full of pictures if you’re interested: http://tinyurl.com/5x99dy

    G&Ds last blog post..7 Reasons I Love Texting

    Reply
  11. teresa

    The place that I’m living in right now- has nothing but old doors- love them- there’s just something about how they made a room feel- adding lots of character- I just posted some pictures using an old door as a backdrop to a make shift linen closet.
    Happy Day

    Reply
  12. Kelly

    If it wasn’t decayed (my luck, LOL), I had planned to finish up an old wooden door that was left in the shed when we bought our house. It has lots of rectangular glass panes in it, and I was going to hang it horizontally above a writing desk in our living room, adorning it with some pressed flowers and black and white photos behind some of the glass panes.

    Ahhh, doors, I love ’em! Except when they’re rotted and your good decorating idea tortures you for years, LOL.

    Great post, Melissa!

    Kellys last blog post..Christian Courting and Dating

    Reply
  13. Lisa

    This reminds me of the doors I saw on an old barn once that were on a similar slider. Never thought of doing this inside before. Great idea!

    Lisas last blog post..A Few of My Favorite Things

    Reply
  14. casacaudill

    We looked at a loft to buy several years ago that had barn style doors leading to the bedroom and I absolutely LOVED it – husband did not.

    Another idea I’ve seen for the use of old doors is to use them as headboards. You can either do two side-by-side, or hang three horizontally, stacked on top of one another to create a very large, wide headboard.

    Reply
  15. Tara

    Oh thank you!! This is the most perfect idea for my bathroom, which needs a door and we just don’t have the space for one that opens. I love old doors, I am off to find a barn styel door to fit!

    Inspiration, I love it!

    Cheers,

    Tara

    Taras last blog post..Click to Give~

    Reply
  16. Julie Size

    Cool – I had to go and look at some pre-hung new doors this last weekend and I liked the ones that had that shutter style too.

    Julie Sizes last blog post..I Decided to Un-Bite My Tongue!

    Reply
  17. Mrs. Q

    I love the first pic! That would be a fun way to do a door :)

    Mrs. Qs last blog post..How I Do It…

    Reply
  18. muralimanohar

    I love this idea!! I have this gorgeous old door with multicolored panes hidden in my garage that I have been totally lost for ideas with..this one might just work!! :D

    muralimanohars last blog post..Greens…

    Reply
  19. Rachel

    I absolutely LOVE using old doors/windows in projects. In college, I found old plantation shutters and turned them into a divider for my studio apartment. My husband and I “confiscated” several old barn doors and barn window shutters last year; he’s in the process of turning one of the doors into a coffee table.

    Great article!

    Rachels last blog post..Semi Wordless Wednesday

    Reply
  20. Suzann from Lavender & Roses

    This post is PERFECT for me right now. I was just telling hubby how I would like to do something like this for our closet. We have just begun gutting our bedroom and the old 1971 metal bi-fold doors are LEAVING. I would love to have doors like these.

    Suzann from Lavender & Rosess last blog post..The Nightmare In My House…

    Reply
  21. Janet (Shabbyfufu)

    Hi Melissa. I once hinged together a pair of old doors to use as a corner screen to hide some junk. I love the ideas shown on your post! ~XO~

    Reply
  22. Becky K.

    I love this idea! I wonder how hard it would be to talk my hard working husband into it? He sometimes sees these things differently than I do…but I love it!!!!

    Becky K.

    Becky K.s last blog post..We are Sooooo Back!

    Reply
  23. Deb

    Oh, they’re AWESOME!! Gives me an idea for window treatments for my sliders–sliding shutter doors. So cheap and cute. Now for the sliding mechanism. Hmm…that might be a challenge.

    Debs last blog post..Tracing Our History

    Reply
  24. lylah ledner

    Love the old door idea. I’ve just “released” to the wood pile a very old buffet cabinet that was falling apart and beyond repair, however, I removed the old doors from the buffet and think that a wall spot display will serve the memory well.

    lylah ledners last blog post..MOMS Help 911 – sweet or stinky fruit?

    Reply
  25. Janet

    I love the sliding barn doors! I wish my tiny home would accomodate them. I can’t think of any place they will work, maybe I’ll build a barn out back :)

    Janets last blog post..Some MORE Fall How to’s

    Reply
  26. Brooke

    What a fantastic use of old doors.
    We used all kinds of old architectural elements in our home from
    columns to corbels to old shutters. They really add interest and character.
    Thank you for another great idea.
    xo
    Brooke

    Brookes last blog post..Big Daddy’s Antiques

    Reply
  27. Amber

    Oh wow, it that ever cool! I haven’t seen those sliders before- that is great!
    ~Amber

    Reply
  28. Lisa

    That is a really neat idea!

    Lisa @ Stop and Smell the Chocolatess last blog post..Short and Sweet

    Reply
  29. Sweet Cottage Dreams

    How cool is this!? I love the look, too!

    xo
    Becky

    Reply
  30. Kirstin

    Really cool idea. My hubby recently visited a home of a contractor who I believe used an old barn door to seperate an area of his home.

    Kirstins last blog post..More Decisions

    Reply
  31. Patti M

    Thank you for posting this. I want to take an old prehung door and make it a pantry door. How to I hide the old door knob opening and the hinge cut outs on the end.

    Reply

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