Like the name suggests, heavy duty sliding door hardware is best for heavy doors, 400lbs and up. These kinds of heavy doors are often in use in exterior (outdoor) or industrial applications. These are just some of the applications heavy duty barn door hardware is best for:
Heavy barn doors are also present in interior spaces, often to cover exceptionally large door openings or doors made from denser woods like hickory.
We offer single track hardware kits as well as bypassing heavy duty hardware kits. Single track heavy duty hardware can be used for both single doors and biparting doors (two doors that meet in the center of the door opening when closed). This is the most commonly used version of heavy duty sliding hardware.
There are also bypassing kits available. Bypassing heavy duty hardware kits have two parallel tracks. When the sliding doors are open, they stack on top of each other, and to close, they slide past each other, similar to many closet door setups. Bypassing barn doors are great for covering large door openings while conserving wall space, because the doors stack on top of each other when closed. One detail to keep in mind is that bypassing configurations do not provide as tight of a seal, since the door on the outer track is further away from the door opening. If you want a tighter seal for your barn doors, we recommend a single door or biparting door setup.
The primary difference between standard duty and heavy duty is the weight rating of the track. All our weight ratings refer to the weight limit per pair of hangers. It takes one pair of hangers to hang one door on the track. So think of the weight rating as the maximum weight per door. For example, if you want to install a bypassing system and your two doors weigh 580lbs each, then you would need the Heavy Duty Bypassing Box Rail Track, since it has a weight rating per pair of hangers of 600lbs.
All of our heavy duty hardware kits are appropriate for interior and exterior use. If you live in a marine environment, or in a place with heavy precipitation or high humidity, we say opt for stainless steel for exterior barn door hardware. But our powder-coated options are galvanized steel underneath the powder coating, which will stand up to most exterior wear and tear. If you are using heavy duty hardware indoors, you can choose any finish you like.
Do I have to use heavy duty sliding door track hardware with heavy doors?
No! You can choose our box rail kits for regular-weight doors. People commonly do this if they want a more industrial style to their space. Some people also prefer the enclosed track of box rail kits because it looks very clean and streamlined. Box rail is also low profile and requires less clearance space above the door to install. So even if your doors aren’t super heavy, you can still use our heavy duty hardware. One of the benefits of heavy duty hardware for lighter doors is that they will roll super smoothly.
You’ll need a floor guide that can accommodate the width of your door. And yes, before you ask, you absolutely need a floor guide for sliding doors. You need one because the floor guide keeps the door(s) perfectly aligned with the track while in use. This prevents damage to the moving parts of the track and also keeps the doors safe to operate.
We have an industrial heavy duty floor mounted floor guide with no maximum door thickness. This floor guide is made with a nylon wheel and the body is available in black powder coating or stainless steel.
If you have a heavy door that is 2 ¾ “ thick or smaller, you can also use the wall mounted roller floor guide. This floor guide mounts to the wall, which is ideal if you can’t drill into the floor for whatever reason.