7 Reasons Barn Doors Are Perfect for Your Kid

Barn doors can work well in a variety of locations. Some people like using them to separate dining rooms or kitchens from living rooms, while others like using them in laundry rooms. Some homeowners even get really creative and use them for things like entertainment centers. 

But barn doors work especially well for kids’ bedrooms. They not only offer a ton of functional benefits, but most kiddos love them too! 

We’ll share a few of the most important reasons barn doors are perfect for your kid’s bedroom (and provide some tips for picking the best models available) below!

Seven Reasons Barn Doors Are a Great Choice for Children’s Bedrooms

There are a variety of reasons that sliding doors work well for any situation involving children. That’s part of the reason that some school districts are preferentially switching to sliding doors. 

But there are at least seven reasons why barn doors will work especially well for your kid’s bedroom.

1. Barn Doors Save Space

Because they don’t swing out into the bedroom like traditional doors do, barn doors save a lot of space — as much as 14 square feet, according to the National Association of Realtors. This can be quite significant, given that the average children’s bedroom only offers about 100 square feet of space in total.

Aside from simply giving your kiddo more elbow room, this will help the room look less cluttered and make it easier to keep clean.   

2. Barn Doors Are Durable

If you’ve been a parent for more than 15 minutes, you undoubtedly know that kids can be hard on, well, everything. So, durability becomes important for just about every component of your home, including the doors. Fortunately, barn doors are remarkably durable, and they’ll withstand more of the wear-and-tear kids can dish out than conventional doors will. 

For example, barn doors not only lack hinges (which kids often damage by “hanging” on the door), but they’re also made from solid wood or MDF. Meanwhile, most conventional bedroom doors are hollow and relatively easy to damage. 

3. Barn Doors Are Safe

Traditional doors can close on fingers or toes, which can lead to serious injuries for youngsters. And this is a more common problem than you may think; nearly 30,000 children trap their fingers in doors each year, with 1,500 of these requiring surgery. 

But barn doors drastically reduce this risk. And you can reduce the chances of pinched fingers even further by installing soft-close kits, which slow the door down when it is closing.  

4. Barn Doors Are Quiet

Your home probably won’t be truly quiet again until your little ones go away to college. But barn doors can help eliminate one kind of kiddo-caused ruckus – slamming doors. While traditional bedroom doors can be quite loud when shut or deliberately slammed (#RaisingTeens), barn doors remain nearly silent when opened or closed. 

Soft-close kits will prove valuable in this way too, as they’ll help make your already-quiet barn doors even quieter. 

5. Barn Doors Are Easy to Use

By and large, sliding doors are super-easy for young children to use. In fact, that’s part of the reason that child-safety experts often caution parents to install locks on exterior sliding doors. However, sliding doors don’t present the same safety risks when installed in a bedroom, which turns this potential safety hazard into a benefit.  

And if you want to make your kid’s door even easier to open, you can consider opting for extra-long handles, which are easier for little ones to reach — you can find handles in lengths up to 60 inches! 

6. Barn Doors Are Easy to Decorate

Kids love decorating their room, and barn doors can give your youngster yet another canvas they can use to express their creativity. Most high-quality barn doors are solid, which makes them better suited for hanging heavier items (such as framed pictures), and because they slide rather than swing, the things you attach to them are more likely to stay put. 

Among other things, you can add chalkboards, white boards, or cork boards to the inside surface of your child’s barn door. This will not only provide a great place for custom-created decorations, but it also means that your little one can change things up frequently. 

7. Barn Doors Are COOL! 

Kids often enjoy having things that their friends don’t. And because most bedrooms still feature conventional sliding doors, barn doors will help your kiddo feel quite special. 

In fact, you’ll probably notice that the new barn door quickly becomes quite an attraction when your child’s friends come to visit. They’ll probably come up with one excuse after another to leave or enter the room so they can use the doors. 

How to Choose Barn Doors for Your Kid’s Bedroom

Once you’ve decided to swap your kid’s existing bedroom door for a sliding barn door, you’ll want to make sure that you choose the best model for the job. So, consider the following when trying to narrow down your choices:

• Avoid barn doors with glass panels. For safety’s sake, it’s best to stick to solid wood or MDF barn doors when making your choice. Most glass panels are pretty resilient, but you never know when a bedroom-basketball game is going to get out of hand. By skipping the glass panels, you simply eliminate the chance of broken glass and the injuries it can cause. 
• Measure the door frame size. It’s always important to measure the size of a door opening when purchasing any door, and that includes when you’re shopping for barn doors. Height is the primary factor you need to consider, as most barn doors are available in sizes ranging from 80 to 107 inches. 
• Think about the hardware options. While you may want to consider elaborate, decorative hardware for the barn doors in other rooms of your home, it’s generally wise to go for a no-frills approach when selecting hardware for your kid’s bedroom door. Our Gage Hardware Kit is both affordable and durable, making it a great option for these applications. 
• Let your kids help make the choice. While you’ll want to make several of the basic decisions when choosing a barn door for your kid’s room, such as the model and hardware, there are other things you can let your little one help you decide. For example, your kiddo can help decide which finish to select. By letting your little one participate, he or she will be more likely to be excited about the new door.   

Barndoorz Has the Perfect Barn Door for Your Kiddo’s Room!

Whether you are interested in the traditional styling of a classic barn door, or you’d prefer the value that MDF barn doors provide, Barndoorz has plenty of options for your kid’s bedroom. We even have quick-ship models available, if you need something fast! 

Check out our full collection of barn doors and find the one that’s perfect for your little one’s bedroom.