At Viba Barn Doors & Hardware, we often receive emails from our customers with questions about installation, and we’re always ready to help our customers, to ensure that their doors go up smoothly and safely. Recently, we received an email that gave us pause and emphasized the importance of barn door safety provisions. Below if an excerpt from the email: 

"I had installed a barn door with the hardware from one of the big box stores. Last week, my two-year-old daughter grabbed the handle and the door came off the track and almost fell on her - thank God it hit one of the bulkheads in the basement and got stopped.  I realized that the hardware for our barn door did not include anti-jump blocks or disks. The big-box store by my house no longer carries that model door and they do not sell the anti-jump blocks or disks.  I'm hoping you can help me out."

Fortunately, we were able to provide this customer with sound advice to help them add more safety features to their sliding barn door; however, this started a bigger conversation around our shop about the importance of taking proper safety measures. Viba Barn Doors only sells safe products as our standard hardware has four separate safety features that ensure your door is safe. 

Anti-Jump Blocks
Anti-jump blocks are small, rounded pieces of hardware that perform a very important task. They are mounted at the top of a sliding barn door to ensure safe operation by filling any empty space between the door and the barn door track, successfully preventing the door from lifting off the track.

Bottom Guides
The bottom guides serve an essential role in sliding barn door safety. This hardware is installed at the bottom of the door to ensure that your sliding barn door does not swing forward, away from the wall. Without a bottom guide, your barn door could potentially wear down its mounting, or swing forward and come away from the wall potentially coming off its track and falling creating a serious safety hazard. The guides also keep the door from swinging in and out as it rolls, and possibly damaging the door, baseboards or wall.

The Importance Of Leveling In Our Installation Guide
At Viba Barn Doors we stress the importance of ensuring you level your sliding barn door rail hardware to ensure a steady structure and eliminate the chance of your sliding barn door opening or closing on its own. When you install a sliding barn door off-level, you’re setting the door up for quicker wear and tear and unsafe opening and closing. Your level is your best friend during installation of your door.

Soft-Close Technology
Most of our sliding barn door hardware is equipped with soft-close technology, allowing the doors to stop slowly when opening or closing.  This ensures that no one will hurt themselves by accidentally slamming their hand in the door when closing it, or pinching their fingers while trying to open it. Soft-close technology doesn’t just prolong the life of your hardware and reduce sound, it’s also an important part of overall barn door safety. 

Thorough Instructions And Online/Telephone Support
Every Viba barn door comes with a thorough set of instructions that are also accessible online. These instructions teach homeowners (even first-time DIYers) how to properly and safely hang their siding barn door. On top of thorough instructions, the experts at Viba are able to take your calls or answer your questions through email if you come to any snags in the process. When you install a door from Viba Hardware, our experienced team is always ready to help you make sure the job is done correctly the first time. 

Three Important Rules To Keep In Mind For Barn Door Safety 

1.    Make sure you purchase your hardware from someone who is committed to ensuring you have a stylish AND safe experience with it.  Important to this is someone who has written and pictorial instructions.
2.   READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!  Seriously, we have invested a ton of time and re-writes to ensure that our instructions are easy to follow and give you the best and safest result possible. 
3.   When in doubt, stop!  Re-read the instructions, and if you still have questions send us an email or call us.  We want your experience to be a good one.

Ready to install a safe and beautiful sliding barn door in your home?
The team at Viba is ready to help you get started!

Viba Barn Doors and Hardware has been designing and building custom barn doors since 2013. We are a Canadian-owned and operated company committed to sustainability and customer satisfaction. 

 Want to see some of our completed projects?
Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram!