sliding barn doors

Jtex · Dec 22, 2014

I have sliding doors on my barn, anyone ever come up with a good way to seal the 2-3 inch gap between the door and barn wall, when they are closed the cold air whisltes right around the ends. I tried some flat rubber sheet but after about 6 months it cracked and fell off around the screws. any other ideas I have not thought about? Batt insulation cut in strips worked ok but after a few openings and closings it rolled out or it gets wet and nasty.

rrlund · Dec 22, 2014

How about round baler belting?

Don-Wi · Dec 22, 2014

Canvas? Not cheap stuff but like paper mill felt.

Easy to come by here in paper country.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Liquid_wrench · Dec 22, 2014

I buy this stuff from lowes..it comes in rolls 4-6-8" its blue kinda like Styrofoam and its corrugated..i nail it to the door frame all around with small nails with 1" plastic washers...its tough stuff and will flex both ways and last for years..been using the stuff for 10 years now...easy to replace and keeps the wind out.
P.S. Don't try staples (it won't hold) you need the plastic round washers. Hope this helps.

Keith

IaGary · Dec 22, 2014

If there is clearance room to still slide the door, adjust the rollers at the top so the door fits closer to the wall.

Most newer rollers are adjustable with an offset bolt thru the door.

Yours may not be adjustable. Everything built after 1972 is adjustable here.

Richard G. · Dec 22, 2014

I use old flat belt. Got plenty of it around here after having a sawmill for 37 years. Plus people give me old belting quite often .
Richard in NW SC

jCarroll · Dec 22, 2014

My Lester building uses this approach on sliding doors:

The outer face of the door opening has a vee shaped piece of metal running from top to bottom with the open part of the vee facing away from the centerline of the door.

The door has a similar vee on the inside edge of the door facing the center of the opening.

When the door is closed the last 1 to 2", these sections mesh together. This keeps the door from flopping in the wind, and while not airtight, it is a good enuf seal for shed doors.

Nebraska Cowman · Dec 22, 2014

Sounds like poor design to me. The doors should fit tight against the jamb when closed.

Jim in Ma. · Dec 22, 2014

I used old hose from the fire dept. It was free!!

Pair-a-dice farm · Dec 22, 2014

It sounds like it wasn't framed right. There shouldn't be that much of a gap. Usually not over an inch is what I've had. I used to use a doubled piece of carpet and a gate latch that pulled the door in tight.

wolfman · Dec 22, 2014

The bottom of my sliding doors are about 3 in from the concrete drop-off for some reason. I have some old 2x3's of wood that I drop down in there to keep the wind and cold out.

Jtex · Dec 22, 2014

Keep in mind I'm from Texas, very few wood barns here, all pipe, and steel purlins with factory R panels for sheeting, takes that much clearance for the door to clear the ribs of the sheets
My dad and myself built every 3600 sq ft of it.

Spudm · Dec 22, 2014

I'm tired of the sliding barn doors too, especially in the winter time. Been thinking about overhead doors.

Robert Major · Dec 22, 2014

Hi I got them on my shop, we've been goofing with different ideas for 14 years, it hits - 30 oc here and heating's expensive in a 50x50 shop all winter.

I think the best idea I have come up with yet is make sure the shops insured for wind damage. then make sure they are open, on a windy day when nobody's here. then hope they blow right off the building. Then use the insurance money and some cash to buy an overhead door, to replace them. You didn't hear that from me, Wink Wink, L.O.L

FBH44 · Dec 22, 2014

The sliding doors around here have clamps on each end, inside, so the doors are pulled closed, then you clamp the clamp[s and draw both ends of the doors up tight against the jambs. I suppose there are also rubber seal strips, but the clamps close up real tight. Also lock the doors against moving in the wind, against vandals from outside ... pretty simple. Just flip the clamps open, slide the doors out and open. I think most doors ride on some sort of bumper outside, that keeps them a few inches frm the barn wall.

Alan K · Dec 22, 2014

I have a sliding door on my shop Im going to be sealing up so I will have to see how that pans out. I have it figured out how I want to do it when I get that far.

Dick L · Dec 23, 2014

I made my doors wider than the opening. I don't remember at the moment how much overlap but is over six inches. I have a roller at the bottom to hold them close. I didn't put any seal but don't have a wind problem. The overlap I gave the doors was for the looks at the time.

Dieselrider · Dec 23, 2014

There are these guys. I think they are pricey though.
Percision brush

Prawn Farmer · Dec 23, 2014

Assuming that this is a pole barn . . we made vertical "jamb-extenders" out of ripped, treated 2x6's. Attached them by pre-drilling the holes in them and attached using 60d ring shank nails. Above, we used a horizontal track board attached to the end-wall truss or on the header if in sidewall. These boards, or extenders, allowed the door to slide by the ribs of the sidewall metal. To keep the door from blowing out in a wind, we used stay rollers attached to a treated 2x4 nailed to the face of the bottom skirt board and then used either cam lock or chain snuggers to keep the door tight against the jambs. The sliding door has to be wider than the opening, of course, so a 36 ft wide building with a 18ft endwall door would actually have a 17'-9" opening size. There are several good brands out there of the cam locks or rod/chain snuggers. We used mostly Plyco but Cannonball and A-OK were good, too. Very little problems, if ever, with rain or snow.

Leroy · Dec 23, 2014

If designed correctly you will not have over a half inch gap at doors edge, possibly less.

Blackhole49 · Dec 23, 2014

I have 2 12' sliders, one 8' high and the other 12' high. Neither has more than a 1/4" gap when closed except at the bottom where the meet the cement. The 8' barn is heated and I used garage door molding on the inside to seal. I had my wife make 2 12' socks for the bottom. Why such a large gap?

Blackhole49 · Dec 23, 2014

This is how both of mine work.

Mike M · Dec 23, 2014

I have the same problem on one of our buildings. I have seen buildings that fit better than ours. What I have done since is to vow never to use a sliding door again and go with overhead doors !

Mike Henry · Dec 25, 2014

sounds weird but empty dog food bags are extremely durable. I fold mine into tube shapes and staple them to the door or door jamb. I know, you are laughing but in central MI the wind howls and the snow blows and I don't like digging snow away from my tool box before I can use the tools inside. Friends have tried this with success as well. Good luck.

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