Single vs Double Bypass Barn Door

Due to their convenience and aesthetics, barn doors are becoming more and more common in home interiors and exteriors. Such doors do not require a lot of space and are easy to install, which is why people like to use these doors now. Plus, they're charming and rustic, making them perfect for indoors and out. Hence, the popularity of barn doors continues to increase.

The advent and increased use of barn doors has led to variations in the barn doors that exist today, from single barn doors to double barn doors to double track bypass barn doors or just simple single track bypass barn doors. As the species increased, some phyla turned out to be similar to each other, while others were quite different. Similar types of functionality tend to overlap and create confusion, even though they all have distinct differences. So, double barn doors and bypass barn doors may look the same, but they do have differences. The barn door experts at WEKIS have produced a guide for you to better understand the difference between double barn doors and bypass barn doors.

How Are Barn Doors Different from Traditional Doors?

Barn doors are very different from traditional doors, although at the end of the day, they both serve the same function. Their main and obvious difference is construction - barn doors work horizontally and slide open and close;

So what's the difference between a barn door and a traditional sliding door if they both slide? Traditional sliding doors are fixed within the door frame and are also hinged from both sides. Barn doors, on the other hand, usually hang from sliding tracks above the doorway. In this case, the tracks are mostly metal, which allows the barn door to be installed first and hang in the air.

What are Double Barn Doors?

Double barn doors are a great way to separate two areas of your home. They can be used to separate the patio from the living room, or the living room from the formal dining room. They are known to be very versatile as they can be easily integrated into any space of the house without taking up a lot of space. Often, double barn doors are fitted with glass panels so they act as perfect barriers, allowing light to pass through without obstructing the view. Therefore, they allow people to see through the door, which makes them even more useful.

This type of door is an ideal addition to small spaces where there is not much room to open and close the door. Since double barn doors are against the wall, they slide easily over the wall. This form of operation ensures that the door snaps to the wall and does not take up any additional coverage due to the added depth. The stylish design as well as the two pieces of door material ensure that, together with all other advantages, the surroundings look open and expansive. Double barn doors serve many functions, which is why designers don't hesitate to install them anywhere. Now, they tend to install these doors to maintain open floor plans and create transitions between relatively large living spaces while also maintaining privacy.

What Is a Bypass Barn Door?

Colloquially, bypassing is most often interpreted as "go past or round". Bypass barn doors also have double panels, but in this case the panels do not move outward or interlock like French doors or double barn doors, instead the panels overlap so they "go past" each other. As with other forms of double-panel sliding doors, the panels of a bypass barn door do not close against each other, one panel is simply hidden behind the other.

There are two types of bypass barn doors, each with its own unique features. There are single track bypass barn doors and double track bypass barn doors.

What is a Single Bypass Barn Door?

In single bypass barn doors, the structure is only designed to fit the entire width of the two panels of the entire door. When designed like this, it means that when the single track bypass barn door has to be opened, one panel will always move over the other, and only half of the doorway will be revealed and opened. Only one door's width is available for movement at any given time, and one door is always ahead of the other.

What is a Single Bypass Barn Door Hardware Kit?

A single track bypass kit allows you to install two doors on the same track while letting the outer door "bypass" the inner door. The inner door is mounted on the track with a set of straight hangers, allowing the door to hang below the track. The outer door is mounted on tracks by a set of curved hangers that cantilever it in front of the inner door, allowing the door to pass in front or behind another door. Watch this short explainer video to see how it works:

What Are the Benefits of a Single Track Bypass Barn Soor Hardware Kit?

The main advantages of a single track bypass barn door hardware kit over a dual track bypass kit are as follows:

Requires Less Top Clearance - Dual track bypass kits use bypass brackets to mount the outer tracks and therefore require more clearance (space) above the doorway to install the hardware. Since the monotrack bypass kit does not use a bypass bracket, less overhead clearance is required. This is useful for installations with limited space between the top of the doorway and the ceiling.

Clean Look - Some people find the bypass brackets on the dual track bypass hardware kit to be too "busy" and have too much hardware above the doorway. It's a matter of personal taste, but the monotrack bypass kit does have a cleaner, simpler aesthetic since it doesn't require as much hardware to install.

Simple Installation - While all of our hardware kits come with easy-to-follow installation guides and videos, the dual track bypass kit does require the installation of a bypass bracket and a second track, which adds more steps to the installation process. While this shouldn't be a deciding factor in which type of bypass kit you choose, the ease of installation is one advantage that single track bypass kits have over dual track bypass kits.

Fewer Floor Tracks Are Required - The single track bypass kit consists of a track that mounts to the front of the interior door, which fits into a groove in the bottom of the exterior door. Because of this design, only the interior doors need floor tracks, which means fewer floor tracks for doorways and fewer potential trip hazards.

Lower Cost - Since single track bypass kits require less hardware, they are less expensive than dual track bypass kits. But this can be deceiving because monotrack bypass kits generally require wider doors to achieve the same size opening because there is more overlap between the doors. Gates are usually more expensive, so any savings in hardware is offset by the extra cost of the gate.

What is a Double Track Bypass Barn Door?

Remember that single bypass barn doors can only extend beyond each other when open. On the other hand, the construction of double track bypass barn doors allows the length of one panel of these doors to extend on either side of the doorway. When constructed and designed like this, it means that when the double track bypass barn door is opened, both panels can be moved along the same length to reveal the entire doorway opening. Therefore, double track bypass barn doors require more space to function.

What is a Dual Track Bypass Barn Door Hardware Kit?

The dual track bypass barn door hardware kit uses two tracks with a door on each track so that the doors can slide past each other. The inner track is mounted to the wall with a set of wall spacers, while the outer track is attached to a set of bypass brackets. Bypass brackets mount to the wall and extend up over the inner track, suspending the outer track in front of the inner track. For wider doorways, three or four doors can be mounted on the track to provide greater coverage for the doorway.

What Are the Benefits of a Dual Track Bypass Barn Door Hardware Kit?

The main advantages of the dual track bypass kit over the single track bypass hardware kit are as follows:

More Dynamic - Thanks to the two tracks, each door sits on its own track and can move independently of the other. This is different from a single track bypass kit because both doors sit on the same track and cannot be pulled apart. This allows you to open one door while keeping the other stationary. It is also easier for children and the elderly to open the doors since they only move one door at a time. You can also limit the range of motion for one or two doors by moving the door stops on each track to where you want each door to stop. This cannot be done on a single track bypass kit because both doors are on the same track.

Less Overlap Required Between Gates - Due to the design of the single track bypasses, there is considerable overlap between bypass gates built into the hardware kit design. While we recommend at least 2 inches of overlap between bypass doors, with double tracks you can decide how much overlap you want. This gives you more flexibility in choosing the width of your doors, as you can use slightly narrower doors than you would need for a monotrack bypass.

You Can "Stack" The Doors - Due to the design of the monotrack bypass kit, the doors are always slightly "offset" when stacked on top of each other. This means that a door sticks out to one side, so a little extra clearance on the side of the doorway is required to push the door completely out of the doorway. With a dual track bypass kit, each door sits on its own track so they can be stacked together, giving you maximum access to the opening.

Greater Weight Capacity - Dual track bypass kits can accommodate heavier doors because the total weight of the door is distributed over the two tracks. With the single track bypass kit, all weight is supported by the monotrack, so attention must be paid to the weight of the door. This is especially important when installing heavy doors or multiple doors (3 or 4) on the same hardware kit.

Triple Bypass Compatible - The triple bypass barn door hardware kit is a combination of a double track bypass kit with a set of single track bypass hangers, allowing all three doors to be stacked on top of each other. This option maximizes access to wider doorway openings. This feature is only available for dual track bypass kits, not for single track bypass kits.

All in all, both types of bypass kits are effective in letting you close your doorway with your barn door, although there is limited clearance on either side of the opening. If the customer has adequate overhead clearance, WEKIS generally recommend a dual track bypass kit as this type of kit tends to be easier to work with and meets most customer requirements. That being said, everyone has their own preferences and needs for a unique situation, so each type of kit must be considered before deciding which one to use. When making a decision, it's always a good idea to consider the long-term use of a hardware kit that will be used for years to come, rather than short-term considerations like price or ease of installation.

If you have any questions about which type of bypass kit is best for your installation, don't hesitate to contact WEKIS' team of barn door experts.

The Difference Between Double Barn Doors and Bypass Barn Doors

Essentially, where a double barn door moves in either direction -- from the center out -- a bypass barn door is more like a double sliding door, opened by one panel of the door moving past the other panel of the door. Because bypass barn doors hide from each other, they're great for smaller areas because they don't require extra wall space to slide through. Still, each panel slides independently of the other, allowing either side of the doorway to be opened as desired.

Double barn doors require extra space on the wall to open. The metal tracks for the double barn doors also run on the sides so that the doors open when needed. However, there are no extra metal tracks in bypass barn doors because the door panels slide over each other instead of across the wall.

Double barn doors consist of only one metal track. But the hardware for bypass barn doors is not the same, instead they usually consist of two separate metal tracks that allow movement relative to each other.

The functionality of bypass barn doors is a step ahead of typical double barn doors, so their installation is more complicated. They need a specialized bypass barn door track system, as well as a heavy duty system since they need to be able to hold the weight of both barn doors. Also, and more commonly, the two doors of a bypass barn door run on two separate parallel tracks that then overlap each other.

Advantages of Double Barn Doors

Double barn doors are very convenient to place because it allows you to take up any extra wall space while still adding character and prominence to the wall. Double barn doors fill the empty space in the wall and ultimately require less space to install. Overall, this feature will not only save you the expense of further remodeling your walls, but it will also save you money. Moreover, it also adds to the architectural appearance of your home and enhances the interior design and aesthetics.

The tracks of the double barn door extend the length of the two closed panels. Thus, when the doors are opened, the otherwise empty walls are occupied, allowing the entire view of one room to be visible from the other and maintaining an open-air space. So small spaces love these doors a lot, and wall doorways don't have to be too wide, as is the case with double track bypass barn doors.

Advantages of Bypass Barn Doors

Unlike double barn doors, bypass barn doors, and more specifically, double track bypass barn doors, take advantage of wider entryways and successfully cover all spaces. Large doorways are ideal for double track bypass barn doors because wide spaces can be divided based on panels that provide function and add beauty. Also, unlike double barn doors, bypass barn doors are more efficient in tight spaces in some types of situations. For example, areas with less wall space can more easily take advantage of bypass barn doors because instead of sliding across the wall, they slide past each other. Whether it is a single bypass barn door or a double track bypass barn door, the wall space on both sides is used efficiently.

Especially the double track bypass barn doors are even more beautiful. The extra accent when the wood overlaps breaks up the monotony of the walls in the room and always complements the space. Wood is inherently more aesthetically pleasing and brings a touch of elegance and casualness to a room.

Door installation may seem daunting, but once you understand how it's done, it's fairly easy, and has the added long-term benefit of being low maintenance, especially with double track bypass barn doors. At the same time, single bypass barn doors are not only easy to maintain, but also easy to modify when needed.

In Conclusion

That being said, double barn doors and bypass barn doors do look alike on the surface, but they differ not only in function, but also in the hardware required, visual appeal, and the amount of wall space covered different. Still, both have their own advantages, and it helps to better judge which type of door is best for your needs. If you need to order double barn doors and bypass barn doors and their corresponding hardware kits, welcome to browse our product list and contact us.

WEKIS is a professional custom sliding door hardware manufacturer, our sliding door hardware series covers a complete range. Styles range from modern simplicity to sophisticated sophistication. We are always perfecting our hardware offerings and providing an up-to-date catalog to meet your project needs. Each hardware product represents the perfect combination of art and function.

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