Whether your preferred decorating taste favors family antiques, country chic, or eco-green, the versatility of materials you can use makes sliders the perfect option for a host of indoor uses.

Basically, a "barn door slider" is any hardware combination that allows a door or other framed material to hang and slide on a rod or track, usually via a wheel. Whether used to hang a full sized double-door or a small kitchen cabinet door, they have gained popularity for many more uses than the conventional outdoor barn opening.

What's The Bit On The Barn Slider Kits?

You'll find barn door sliders that suit a high-dollar or low-budget project, depending mostly on the type of metal you choose. You can buy individual parts that you piece together to create a custom configuration, or a kit that comes complete with all the installation parts you'll need. You can find the kits and parts available from the big box stores or from custom or antique hardware websites. No matter what "rustic" means in your world, there's a barn door slider that defines your personal style.

The basic "kit" contains some length of track the size of your opening, usually two wheels per door, and the metal plates and screws needed to attach the sliding door to the wheels and the track to the wall. Then you need the door, whatever that will consist of, that you will hang from the slider. That's about all there is to a barn door slider. The difficult part becomes choosing from the many options of materials you can use.

Sliders come in just about any metal you want. Brass or copper can give an antique ambiance. Hammered black wrought iron gives a ranch or country look. You can even make your own from galvanized track and recycled wheels. You can always spray paint them to look like any metal you prefer, even hammered. Find sliders with patina from an old barn and go for the latest "industrial rustic" theme.

What's The Score On The Hanging Doors

For the "barn door" you can use any material that tickles your fancy. Whatever you use has to have a solid frame, but the internal portion can be wood, metal, glass, even fabric. Here's where re-purposing makes perfect sense; use whatever enhances your décor and accomplishes your goal.

A Door Is A Door, So What's So Special?

Aside from providing a decorative rustic feel, barn door sliders can alleviate a number of common household headaches and do it with unique style.

Barn sliders can be a real space saver when you don't have option for a pocket door. Many times an interior door requires a wide swing to open from side hinges. Since a slider goes flat against the wall, the same size door can hang from the top track and slide to the side. This makes for especially easy access in a wide opening, such as that required for a wheelchair. It also gives the option of using two skinnier doors that meet in the middle instead of a single larger door.

If you're tired of those bi-fold doors that jump the track, try hanging them on barn sliders instead. This is a great rustic decorating idea for bedroom closets and pantries. You can split the doors at the hinges and hang them so they meet in the middle. They can often slide behind the entrance door or a piece of furniture.

How about that library ladder you always wanted? Who says you need a whole room full of books to warrant one? You could fill one whole wall or make a single high bookshelf across the length of a room. You can make your track continuous or split into sections to move the ladder at intervals around the furniture. You can even put one on your floor-to-ceiling entertainment unit. Maybe in a large walk-in closet to reach the high shelves? You get the idea.

Barn door sliders can be used to create a privacy partition in your kids' shared bedroom. You might need to secure a beam to the ceiling or build a frame to hang the track. But this method is a clever way to separate any specific area from another. Think of the laundry nook or mud room. You can paint the doors with chalkboard paint for messages, or glue mirrors on for reflection. You can even hang art on the door. You wouldn't do that with a door that slams instead of slides shut.

Want more rustic decorating ideas? You could replace curtains with slider shutters of slats, fabric, stained glass, even sheet metal. Sliders can be used with half as well as full "doors." Replace kitchen cabinet doors with decorative panels. It's an ideal option for recessed cabinets, such as a bathroom medicine cabinet or kitchen spice cabinet.

And don't forget about their many outdoor uses, too. In the garden they can be used as privacy panels. You can even use them across the exterior windows as sliding storm shutters. Or yes, even as the typical garage or barn doors.

Whether you use them indoors or out, buy them complete, get a kit or create your own from clever repurposing of materials, barn door sliders can save precious space and enhance your rustic décor.

For a whole host of great rustic decorating ideas, visit Black Forest Decor today!