How To Keep Barn Door From Swinging?

Swinging barn doors can be a nuisance in any house set up whenever the door is opened or closed. Strong winds are the leading cause of swinging barn doors. In some cases, the barn door may start swinging if the barn door hardware is loose or worn out.

To keep the barn door steady without swinging, consider using bottom door guides, door stoppers, neodymium magnets, or change the door hardware. These techniques will fit in most barn doors. However, we recommend checking in with the technician to have the best remedy for the swinging door.

In this article, we shall discuss these remedy plans for swinging barn doors in detail. We shall also look at what causes the barn door to swing.

Are Barn Doors Supposed To Swing?

No. Barn doors are not supposed to swing. Swinging barn doors will cause damage to the walls next to them. At worst, the barn doors will make annoying sounds due to the unbalanced sliding.

Swinging barn doors should be fixed or have their hardware replaced. However, heavy barn doors such as metallic gates should have a shallow swing to allow for smooth sliding. A standard groove angle should guide the swinging action to prevent excessive swinging.

You can close gap on sides of barn door using filler material such as thick wood to keep your door intact.

How To Keep Barn Door From Swinging?

One of the most common barn door problems is that they keep swinging out of place. Swinging barn doors cause damage and scratches to the wall.

This nuisance is irritating. However, in this section, we shall discuss some ways to help solve and alleviate this problem.

Install a bottom door guide

A bottom door guide is your best solution if you are looking forward to having a steady barn door. The guide is installed on the floor at the bottom of the barn door.

This rail guides the door straight and keep a sliding barn door from swinging. The guide operates in a simple mechanism that may sometimes involve rollers for the barn door to slide over smoothly.

Several types of bottom barn door guides are available today in the market. I recommend, according to the type of your barn door, purchase the fantom doorstop and the c-channel door guide.

Barn door guides can also be mounted on the wall. A wall mount barn door guide is attached at the top edge to hold the door intact. However, wall-mounted guides are not as efficient as bottom guides.

Use of door stoppers

Door stoppers will mostly be installed together with the bottom door guides. These stoppers are much more visible and attached to the floor using pins.

Barn door stoppers help keep the barn door aligned in a straight line. If the door swings off the bottom guide, the stopper will prevent the door from damaging the surrounding.

Therefore, barn door stoppers will work better with a barn door bottom guide to ensure a steadier door even in times of strong winds and forces.

Use of magnets

With technological advancement, strong magnets hold metallic steel doors in place. The mechanism applies the principle of the law of magnetism.

The bar door bottom edge is magnetically charged with opposite charges to those on the floor. The magnets balance the travel, ensuring the barn door keeps sliding open without swinging.

Magnets are used for indoor barn doors since outdoors may require a more vital force to keep them from being blown away by the wind. For quality purposes, consider purchasing EUHOME magnetic door stop.

Replace the barn door hardware

Some barn doors have their barn door hardware guide system worn out and need replacement. After decades of use, these rails and guides holding the door at the top get worn out due to the sliding effect that may lead to frictional wear and tear.

Consult a technician to replace the door hardware to alleviate the swinging problem. If you notice the barn door soft close not working, lubricate the moving parts and check on their fixation before replacing them.

How To Keep Double Barn Doors Closed?

Double barn doors close at the center of the door opening. At that point, it is technically hard to have a locking mechanism attached to the ground. Therefore, double barn doors are closed by using a smart standard teardrop latch and lock.

The lock is centrally operated and is installed in pairs at the edge of both doors. Whether the double barn doors are biparting or bifolding, you can use a teardrop latch and lock.

When locking your door, are you wondering how to add privacy to a barn door in your bathroom? Install a thick wooden board on the wall to close the gaps.

Final Words

It is satisfying to note that barn doors have gained popularity in most of our homesteads with time. However, they tend to swing when necessary precautions are not implemented.

To prevent your barn door from swinging, install the bottom guide rails with the barn door stoppers or use magnets to allow it to slide in a straight path.

If your barn door keeps swinging, consider replacing the barn door hardware. Pick the most suitable guides and stoppers depending on your barn door type.