Barn doors are becoming more common in home interiors and exteriors because of their convenience and aesthetics. Such doors don’t require a lot of space and are easy to install, giving it more the reason why people like to use these doors now. Moreover, they are both charming and rustic – making them the perfect pick for inside and outside. Therefore, the popularity of barn doors is ever-increasing.
The rising occurrence and usage of barn doors have resulted in a variation of barn doors existing now, ranging from single barn doors to double barn doors to double bypass barn doors or just simple single bypass barn doors. With the increasing variety, some doors are proving to be similar to each other, and some are quite different. The functionalities of the similar kind tend to overlap and create confusion, even though they all have their distinct differences. Therefore, double barn doors and bypass barn doors may seem the same, but they do have their share of discrepancies.
How are barn doors different from traditional doors?
Barn doors are quite different from traditional doors, although, at the end of the day, they both serve to provide the same functions. Their main and obvious difference lies in their structure – barn doors work horizontally, and they slide to open and close; whereas, traditional doors swing open and close.
At this point, one may ask – so then what’s the difference between barn doors and traditional sliding doors if they both slide? Traditional sliding doors are fixed within a doorframe and are also attached from either side with hinges. On the other hand, barn doors are usually hung on a sliding track above the doorway. In this case, the sliding track is mostly metal which makes it possible for barn doors to be installed in the first place and hang in the air.
What are Double Barn Doors?
Double barn doors are a great way to separate two areas of a house. They can be used to separate a patio from the living room, or living room with a formal dining room. They are known to be versatile in usage because they can simply be integrated into any space of the house without taking a major amount of space themselves. Typically, double barn doors come with glass panels, so they act as a perfect barrier, allowing light to pass through without obstructing the field of vision. Hence, they allow people to see through the doors making them all the more useful.
Such doors are an ideal addition to small spaces where there’s not a lot of room to open and close doors. As double barn doors are against the wall, they can easily slide against the wall itself. This form of operation ensures that doors are stuck against the wall and don’t take up any additional coverage by increasing in depth. The sleek design, along with two slabs of the door’s material make sure that with all other advantages, the surroundings look open and wide. Double barn doors have a lot to offer, which is why designers don’t hesitate to install them literally anywhere. Now they are inclined towards installing these doors to maintain an open floor plan and create transitions between relatively bigger living spaces, while also maintaining privacy.
What are Bypass Barn Doors?
In layman's terms, bypass is most commonly interpreted as “go past or round.” Bypass barn doors too have double panels, but in such cases, the panels don’t move outward or interlock like a French door or double barn door, instead, the panels overlap, hence they “go past” each other. Like other forms of double panel sliding doors, the panels of bypass barn doors don’t close against each other’s edges, one panel is simply concealed behind the other.
Bypass barn doors are of two types and each of these is unique in its way. There is a single bypass barn door and a double bypass barn door.
What are single bypass barn doors?
In single bypass barn doors, the structure is only designed to cater to the entire width of both the panels of the entire door. When such is the design, it means that when a single bypass barn door has to be opened, one panel will always move past the other and only half of the doorway will be revealed and opened. At any given time, only one door’s width is available for movement, and one door is always past the other.
What are double bypass barn doors?
Keep in mind that single bypass barn doors only extend over one another when opened. Double bypass barn doors, on the other hand, have a structure that allows these doors’ one panel’s length to be extended on either side of a doorway. When such is the structure and design, it means that when a double bypass barn door opens, the two panels can be moved along the same length to reveal the opening of the entire doorway. Hence, double bypass barn doors need a lot more space to function.
Differences Between Double Barn Doors and Bypass Barn doors
In essence, double barn doors move in either direction – outward from the center – bypass barn door is more like a double sliding door, where it opens by one panel of the door moving past the other panel of the door. As bypass barn doors conceal one another, they’re perfect for places with small areas as they don’t need the extra space of the wall to slide onto. Nonetheless, each of the panels slides independently of each other, allowing to open up either side of the doorway as per requirement.
Double barn doors need extra space on the wall to open. The metal tracks of double barn doors also stretch on either side for the door to open when it needs to. Whereas, there is no extra metal track in bypass barn doors as door panels slide over one another, rather than having to slide over a wall.
Double barn doors are made up of only one metal track. But the same is not the hardware of bypass barn doors, and instead, they are normally made up of two separate metal tracks that allow movement past one another.
Bypass barn doors function a step ahead of typical double barn doors, and for this reason, their installation is more complicated. They need a specialized bypass barn door track system, along with a heavyweight system as they need to be able to survive the weight of the two barn doors. Additionally, more commonly, bypass barn doors’ two doors run on two separate, parallel tracks which subsequently, overlap with each other.
Advantages of Double Barn Doors
The placement of double barn doors is very convenient as it allows you to take up any extra wall space, while also adding accent and prominence to that wall. Double barn doors fill up the empty spaces of a wall, ultimately, needing less space for installation. Overall, this feature not only saves you further revamping of the walls and consequently, money; but, also adds to the architectural presence of your house and enhances interior design and aesthetics.
The rails of the double barn doors extend beyond the length of two panels closed. Thus, when the doors are opened, the otherwise empty walls get occupied, letting the entire view of a room be visible from the other and maintaining an open-air space. Small spaces are super appreciative of these doors for this reason, and wall doorways don’t have to be too wide, like in the case of double bypass barn doors.
Advantages of Bypass Barn Doors
Unlike double barn doors, bypass barn doors and more specifically, double bypass barn doors, make use of wider entrances and successfully cover up all that space. Large doorways are great for double bypass barn doors as the wide space can be divided according to the panels that can provide functionality and add to the aesthetics. Moreover, unlike double barn doors, bypass barn doors are more efficient in small spaces in some types of cases. For example, areas with less wall space can more easily utilize bypass barn doors because instead of sliding open past the wall, they slide open past each other. Whether it is a single bypass barn door or a double bypass barn door, the wall spaces are effectively used on both sides.
Double bypass barn doors, in particular, are a lot more beautiful. The added accentuation of the wood as it overlaps breaks the monotony of walls in a room and always complements the space. Wood, by nature of it, looks more aesthetically pleasing to the eye and gives a touch of elegance, yet casualness, to the room.
The installation of the doors may look daunting, but it’s quite easy once you understand how it’s done, with an added long-term benefit which is low maintenance cost, especially in double bypass barn doors. In the meantime, singly bypass barn doors are not only easy to maintain but are also easy to modify if the need arises.
Conclusion
With that said, double barn doors and bypass barn doors do seem similar on the surface, but they are different not only in terms of their functionality, rather, also in terms of the required hardware, visual appeal, and amount of wall space covered. Nonetheless, both have their sets of benefits that help make a better judgment as to which type of door will suit your needs the best.