Barn Door Hardware
Barn door hardware is the track, hangers, stops, and pull that let an interior door slide instead of swing. Kits are sized to the slab and shipped with the door or on their own.
What a barn door hardware kit includes
A working barn door needs more than a decorative strap. The kit is a wall-mounted track, hangers or rollers that carry the slab, end stops so the door cannot run off the rail, and a floor guide that keeps the bottom from swinging into the room. Most interior sets also include the lag screws or header bracket that ties the track to the wall framing. A pull is ordered with the kit or from the door-pulls list so the finish matches.
Soft-close is a damper at the end of travel, not a different kind of door. It is worth adding on a bedroom, pantry, or laundry opening where the slab would otherwise slam. Skip it only when the door is light and the opening is rarely used.
How to size the track
Measure the door width, height, and thickness, then the finished opening. A single sliding door needs a track about twice the door width so the slab can park fully beside the opening. A pair needs enough rail for both leaves to clear, or a shorter track when the two doors meet in the center and only one side opens at a time. The header above the opening has to carry the weight: a solid-core or glass slab is heavier than a hollow closet door, and the track rating has to match that weight, not the look of the strap.
Standard interior heights are 80 and 96 inches. If the ceiling is tight, say so before the track is cut. A track that is too short leaves the opening partly blocked. A track that is too long runs into a corner, a window, or a light switch.
Finish, pulls, and when to choose a different door
Black track reads as a line on the wall and pairs with matte black doors and dark pulls. Stainless and satin nickel sit quieter next to white, light oak, and pale gray. Match the pull to the track. An edge pull or a vertical bar is easier to grab than a tiny knob on a tall slab.
Barn door hardware needs clear wall space beside the opening and a sound header. If the wall is a pocket cavity, or you cannot give up the wall for a parked door, a pocket door is the better opening. If you want the door to swing and close tight, use hinges instead of a track.