Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Aug 11, 2008 12:32am | #1

   I use barn doors every day (at the barn).  It's sounding like air leaks and insulation are not a subject of concern for you?

   Are you using the track-with-rollers approach? If you end up with a roller on the bottom (in front of the door, to keep it from tilting out too far when opening), you may want to consider putting the shaft of the roller directly into the cement in front of the door, rather than using a bracket that comes off the building.  We just replaced all the rollers in the main barn.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

   
   

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   Edited 8/10/2008 5:35 pm by forestgirl

1. 
   rshelly | Aug 11, 2008 12:52am | #2

   Yes, track and rollers. No, I'm not too concerned with insulation...although the garage doors are insulated, the windows are double pane, and the walls are insulated, I'm not heating the downstairs.

   Thanks.

2. 
   WillGeorge | Aug 12, 2008 12:47am | #3

   I would say like Carriage doors. But hen again a slider if it goes horisontal is perfect with the right hardware! The hardware used makes all the difference!

3. 
   bd | Aug 12, 2008 02:37am | #4

   If you have access to the Fine Homebuilding archives or somebody with the magazines, Scott McBride did an article a couple of years ago on building such doors. He used a core of 3/4" ply to put the siding over. Can't remember if he insulated his or not. They were very attractive & appeared to be quite sturdy.

   I just finished one. I'd include a picture, but the digital camera got dropped a few weeks ago & is now rather limited to bright sunlight which the door never sees. The one I built is basically the same as given on the hardware instructions for the 3.5" thick door, if you happen to buy the National brand of rolling door hardware. It has a core of 1/2" CDX with a perimeter frame of 2x6's (2x8's at the bottom) glued & screwed to the plywood on each side. I used pocket holes to join the frame members & lapped the joints the opposite way on each side of the ply. Then used a T1-11 type 3/8" thick siding for the skins. Filled it with foam board for insulation, which was overkill because of the probability of leakage. My door was 11 wide x 7 high & it was heavy.

1. 
   rshelly | Aug 12, 2008 02:24pm | #5

   Thanks for the reply....this is just the type of information I am looking for. I will try to find the article you mentioned.

   Also, what did you do for weatherstripping, if anything?

   Thanks.

1. 
   bd | Aug 13, 2008 12:52am | #6

   >Also, what did you do for weatherstripping, if anything?I haven't done anything yet. Plan to look at what's available for regular garage doors & see if something is adaptable. I don't intend to use my door very often, so I could basically just use some kind of foam rubber to stuff into the cracks. That's the backup plan. I did get a sheet metal shop to build me a nice rain deflector to go over the rail & hopefully keep just about all moisture away from the top.

1. 
   rshelly | Aug 13, 2008 05:22pm | #7

   I would love to see a picture of your rain deflector if possible. That is another detail I am wrestling with.

   Thanks.

1. 
   bd | Aug 13, 2008 11:52pm | #8

   I'll see if the camera still works well enuff to get a picture in heavy shade. Probably be tomorrow afternoon before I can get to it.....

2. 
   bd | Aug 16, 2008 05:25pm | #9

   Here are a few pics of the rain shield you asked about. It's really two pieces since the track is mounted on a double ledger attached to the wall. The upper piece tucks up under the siding & tar paper & covers the ledgers, the lower piece, which you see, slides under the upper piece & provides the rain shield. Since my shop is back in the woods & things are going to get hit by falling limbs, I had the shields made out of the heaviest gage stock the sheet metal shop had on hand. I had them roll the lower edge of the shield to provide some extra stiffness & get rid of the sharp edges....

   
3. 
   rshelly | Aug 16, 2008 06:05pm | #10

   Thank you so much for making the effort to post these photo's....very helpful.

    

   Thanks.