How to Use a Barn Door Extender

What is a barn door extender and how do you use one? I’m sharing how we used one with step by step photos.

This is one of those tutorials that feels like it doesn’t need to be a tutorial. But I spent a good chunk of time searching the internet for some simple instructions when I was planning my office build and couldn’t find a straight answer… so now that I know, I thought I’d write that for anyone else looking. If you want to see more photos of the office build and how we put a DIY barn door over those built in shelves, you can find the full reveal here!

This post is part of our office makeover which was sponsored by The Home Depot Canada.

What is a barn door extender?

A barn door extender is a chunk of metal flat bar that you can add on to a barn door track to make it cover a larger section of wall. It comes with a connector and the new section of rail. This is the one we purchased from The Home Depot Canada. We used it with this barn door hardware kit.

Why would you need a barn door extender?

We used a barn door extender because we made our own oversized door. It was wider than a normal door so to move all the way out of the doorway, we needed a longer track. We also wanted the look aesthetically of the barn door track going the full width of the room.

Other times you might want to use an extender is when you’re having two doors on the same wall and would like to connect two tracks or if you don’t want to buy a second track (you only need it to be a bit longer).

How to use a barn door extender

This is so, so simple. The kit comes with a connecter, bolts, and your extender bar. If these fit together and aren’t too long, you just bolt them together and use it as one large barn rail bar. Take care to make sure they’re flush and flat so your door rolls smoothly.

If this makes your rail too long, you will need to cut it to length. This can be done with a hacksaw or an angle grinder. You can use a file for the edges if you like. We recommend cutting the longer bar so you don’t end up with one really short pieces. When you cut one of your bars to length, you will lose one of the mounting bolt holes. You will need to drill another 5/16″ hole for the mounting bolt.

Then, bolt it together and you’re set to go!

I hope this was helpful even though it’s simple to do in practice! I had just wanted to wrap my head around the process before we ordered the extender online. If you have any other questions- comment away and I’ll do my best to get an answer for you!