How do I keep a barn door from swinging at the bottom?

The barn door swings out from the wall at the bottom as it rolls, then knocks back against the casing when it stops. Push it closed and the bottom corner leads the way.

What causes it

A barn door hangs from two hangers on a rail above the opening. That is the only place it is held. The bottom edge has nothing keeping it near the wall, so every push sets it swinging, and the door slaps the trim at the end of its travel. A guide at the floor or at the wall gives the bottom edge something to run against.

How to fix it

There are two ways to do this. Pick by whether you want holes in the floor.

Floor mounted

1. Slide the door open and mark the line the door travels on the floor, near the middle of the opening.
2. Set the two brackets of aBarn Door Floor Guide Bracket pair one on each side of the door, spaced so the door passes between them without pinching.
3. Fasten them to the floor. The extra-wide bracket post covers the mounting screws, so no screw heads show once the guide is down.
4. Roll the door end to end and check that the bottom edge stays between the brackets.

Wall or baseboard mounted

1. Measure your door thickness. TheBarn Door Floor Roller Guide fits doors from 3/8 in. up to 1-15/16 in. thick.
2. Hold the wall plate against the wall or the baseboard, low down, where the door passes it. Fasten it through its counter-sunk screw holes. It takes two screws, and none go in the floor.
3. Slide the adjustable foot along the plate until the door sits between the two rollers, then fasten the foot down.
4. Roll the door past it. The door should ride on the rollers rather than scrape a fixed post.

When the answer is not a guide

• The door rubs the floor as it rolls. It hangs too low. Adjust the hangers or trim the door. A guide holds the door in line and does not lift it.
• The door binds at one point on the rail. That is the rail or a roller, not the bottom of the door. Check the rail is level and the fasteners are tight.
• The door swings at the top as well. Look at how the rail is mounted. The door has to clear the casing without leaning away from the wall.