sliding barn door header size

[casper36092]

about to start framing my wall on a pole building that will hold my sliding door. is the standard header size that holds the tracks a 2x6? i wanted to use something a little bigger like a 2x10 but all the trim peaces that cover the tracks seem setup for a 2x6 to screw to the top and then cover the rail. planning on using cannon ball trim to cover it. the span will be 14 ft and 12 ft for the board.

on the same not does everyone that has a sliding door hate it as much as it sounds by searching on here. seems nobody likes theirs.

thanks
chris

 

[u2slow]

Improvise?

I had to put mine up without a header. Left side has a 5/8" plywood backer to space it off the wall a bit. The right side is suspended on lagbolts into 3/4" plywood 'boards' I ripped to about 5-6" wide, screwed into the 2x6 rafter above.

Haven't seen a pre-made track cover before. I'm tucked up under the eave fairly well so may not bother.

 

[kbs2244]

They are hard to get sealed wind tight with out going to toggles at the door sides.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Mine have been in place for just about a year now. I used a bigger header than a 2x6 and my span is only 10'. I made doors out of pine and they are fairly heavy. Not sure how heavy your doors are but a 2x6 might be a little lite for that span. I used double 2x10's.

Not a big fan of my doors. They look great and are easy to use. But as kbs2244 said, they are just about impossible to get a seal on. If your pole building is going to be unheated maybe not a big deal. I am going to heat mine, and I am planning on adding an overhead door this summer.

 

[u2slow]

My slider is a stop-gap measure; sealing it is not a concern. I have maybe $200 into it.

The overhead garage door quote was too rich for me at this juncture.

 

[casper36092]

My slider is a stop-gap measure; sealing it is not a concern. I have maybe $200 into it.

The overhead garage door quote was too rich for me at this juncture.

do you have any pics of your setup?

 

[casper36092]

Mine have been in place for just about a year now. I used a bigger header than a 2x6 and my span is only 10'. I made doors out of pine and they are fairly heavy. Not sure how heavy your doors are but a 2x6 might be a little lite for that span. I used double 2x10's.

Not a big fan of my doors. They look great and are easy to use. But as kbs2244 said, they are just about impossible to get a seal on. If your pole building is going to be unheated maybe not a big deal. I am going to heat mine, and I am planning on adding an overhead door this summer.

so you are already replaceing the sliding doors for overhead? the sliding is just so much cheaper, i can do all the work myself and looks 100 times better than a roll up. i called and got a price on some carriage style garage doors this afternoon so i will see how that sounds when they get back with me.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

so you are already replaceing the sliding doors for overhead? the sliding is just so much cheaper, i can do all the work myself and looks 100 times better than a roll up. i called and got a price on some carriage style garage doors this afternoon so i will see how that sounds when they get back with me.

I am indeed going to add an overhead door this summer. Here's the thing. The hardware and metal track for my door cost $250 I think? The T&G pine came out to about $400. Screws, handles, etc. let's just say about $700 for the sliding doors....and they are not insulated. I can get an insulated 10x10 overhead door for that same space for about $1200 installed and high lifted. So, $500 more....but since I am heating my space, it will more than pay for itself in heating bills. Wish I had just done the overhead doors to begin with. But I was trying to save money, and now it's only costing me more having realize my mistake.

I am not going to remove the sliders. I'll leave them up and just install the overhead door behind it, so I will still at least preserve the aesthetic appeal of the sliders.

 

[u2slow]

I used the T1-11 ranch wall (5/8" fir ext grade) at $50/sheet with some 2x4 and 2x6 framing on the back.

My overhead door quotes for a 9'x9' insulated (w/operator, supply only) were $3-5k.

 

[casper36092]

I used the T1-11 ranch wall (5/8" fir ext grade) at $50/sheet with some 2x4 and 2x6 framing on the back.

My overhead door quotes for a 9'x9' insulated (w/operator, supply only) were $3-5k.

Yeah I haven’t seen anything close to 1200 for an insulated over head door. It’s 1200 here for single sheet 10x8 installed. I live in Alabama so I’m not very concerned with heat or cooling but mainly keeping the rain out.

 

[HotrodHR]

"I am not going to remove the sliders. I'll leave them up and just install the overhead door behind it, so I will still at least preserve the aesthetic appeal of the sliders."

Great idea keeping the sliders with the roll up door on the inside! The sliders look great and they're already up!

 

[Natty Bumppo]

Yeah I haven’t seen anything close to 1200 for an insulated over head door. It’s 1200 here for single sheet 10x8 installed. I live in Alabama so I’m not very concerned with heat or cooling but mainly keeping the rain out.

Could be a regional thing? The two doors on the front of the barn are insulated 12x8's that I had installed and high-lifted for just under $3K.

If heat is not an issue then sliders will be fine. If you install some kind of a pre-bent metal cover for the track you'll be all set from above. If you make your doors wide enough that they overlap each side of your opening by 8 to 12" or so you'll be all set from the sides. If you're doing double doors like mine the only place you might get some wind blown rain coming through is where they meet. But there is hardware that will pull both doors tight together.

I think you'll be good!

 

[Natty Bumppo]

"I am not going to remove the sliders. I'll leave them up and just install the overhead door behind it, so I will still at least preserve the aesthetic appeal of the sliders."

Great idea keeping the sliders with the roll up door on the inside! The sliders look great and they're already up!

Thanks...and yes, in the spring, summer, and fall I can leave the overhead door up and just use the sliders as is. Drop the overhead door when it's time to start heating the shop each winter.

 

[MushCreek]

I like my sliders, other than the aforementioned difficulty sealing them. I've toyed with the idea of adding an opener, as I park my DD in the barn. I've thought about adding some kind of internal 'door' to tighten them up during the coldest/hottest months.

I had a shop with a huge, uninsulated metal door- in FL. It was a rental, so I couldn't make any permanent changes. I took big sheets of foil covered foam insulation, and stuck them to the inside of the door. It made a huge difference in cutting down the heat radiating through the door.

 

[casper36092]

thanks for all the help guys!