Love barn doors, but need privacy? We discuss options for how to lock barn door in your tiny home, and different types of locks suitable for sliding barn doors.
With the growing popularity of rustic interiors, more and more people are looking to install barn doors into their homes. These sliding doors are a great way to create a country style in any room.
The only issue is that they don’t lock like a regular door. This may not be an issue if it’s used for a closet or a kitchen, but what about a bedroom? Or a toilet?
So, if you’re wondering how to lock barn door and your options for doing so, you’ll want to read on. We’ll explain the different types of locks for sliding barn doors, and how to install a barn door lock in your tiny home.
How to Lock Barn Door
When considering options for how to lock a barn door ways in your tiny home, for sliding doors there are a couple of different designs you can go with. Some of the most common are listed below.
Types of Locks for Barn Doors
90 Degree Lock
This type of lock utilizes the space between the sliding door and a perpendicular wall. Installation usually takes just a few screws and you’re done! These don’t really work when you have 2 barn doors that open like French doors, but for most tiny homes, this is unlikely to be an issue.
The 90 degree positioning means that it probably wont be suitable for many homes, since it specifically requires the wall (or other surface) to be 90 degrees perpendicular to the door. The only time I can think when this would happen, is if you have the barn door butting up directly against a wall when it’s closed.
Hook and Eye Latch
Despite its simplicity, this is my favorite type of barn door lock. If you’re wondering how to lock barn door with minimal fuss, this option is easy and reliable.
While it seems like this would be a flimsy way to lock a door, a really thick hook and eye latch can work as a pretty effective lock. These are great if you have French door styled barn doors, and double doors. For barn doors in tiny homes, however, you are more likely to have a single barn door, due to limited space.
Fortunately, you can still use these simple locks with just one sliding door. You’ll just have to attach one part of the hook & eye latch to the wall. When doing this, it is normal to attach the hook to the door, and the eye onto the frame/wall.
If you have a thick barn door, this may require you to attach a piece of wood to the wall to bring it flush with the surface of the door, which in most cases should be an easy task. You could run a lovely piece of timber in a matching style to the door vertically along the wall where you expect the door to stop (like a door frame), and screw the hook/eye latch onto this. Or you could just place a small, discreet block of wood on the wall, underneath the hook/eye latch to bring it level.
Privacy Latch
This is probably my least favorite of the locks mentioned. The idea is that you slide a little disk of metal or plastic into a notch and that keeps the door from opening. This sounds like a good idea in theory, but unless you carve out your own notch into the door, this lock isn’t all that effective. A little fiddling with the door will just knock it out of place.
My personal experience of these locks is that they often don’t work because the latch is misaligned. When I go to friend’s houses and use their bathroom, I can never seem to lock the door properly, and perhaps you’ve had the same experience. They are fiddly to get right, and if you mess up the positioning, the damage can be permanent and ugly.
Hasp and Staple Lock
This type of lock has a flap of metal that you flip over to the other side, and insert a padlock into. This is a basic and easy to install lock, but is more industrial in feel, often used on sheds and outdoor structures. For most homes it would look out-of-place installed indoors, but it’s a good option if you need a reliable heavy-duty lock, for example on an outdoor-facing barn door or an infrequently used private room.
How to Choose a Suitable Barn Door Lock
When deciding how to lock barn door entrance-ways in your tiny home and which lock type to use, consider the type of barn door you have and how you will use the lock. Here are some questions to keep in mind as you are weighing up different sliding barn door lock ideas.
- Do you have a double French door style, or a single sliding barn door? If single, you will need to install one part onto the wall, so think about which lock will be best based on your wall and door area.
- Will this lock be used inside or outside? Some locks are only suitable for indoor use, while others such as hasp & staple are designed for outdoor use.
- Do you want a latch that locks with a key? If it’s for a toilet, a simple latch is probably sufficient for most needs.
If you want to learn a bit more about the different types of barn doors, check out our article on installing barn doors here.
RELATED: How to Install Barn Door Hardware in Your Tiny Home
How to Lock Barn Door: Installing Your Lock
How to install a barn door lock
Now that you’ve decided how to lock barn door ways in your tiny home and chosen your lock, you need to install it. Installing a lock typically involves drilling some holes, so make sure you have a pencil and a drill nearby.
For these instructions, we will assume that you are installing a simple hook and eye latch. Always read the instructions for the lock you have purchased, and follow their steps, as each lock will vary slightly.
Step 1: Mark the Lock Position
First, you’re going to want to position your lock where you want it, and then mark where you want to drill the holes. The positioning of the latch is really important, so make sure you take your time with this step.
If you have trouble holding the lock in place, use some sticky poster putty (Blu Tack) to stick the lock down while you mark your holes with a pencil or fine marker. As well as marking holes, I also like to use a pencil to draw a faint outline around the entire lock, to be extra sure of the position. You can use the sticky putty as an eraser to remove the pencil marks when you’re finished.
If you purchased a hook and latch type lock, make sure both halves of it are properly aligned. Taking your time at this part will save you a lot of staring in the future, as well as unnecessary drilling.
Step 2: Drill the Holes
Once you’ve marked where the screws are going to go, using a drill bit smaller than the screw, drill the holes.
You’ll need to do this on both, the wall and the door, for the separate hook and eye parts.
Step 3: Screw in the Latch
Now you can begin screwing the latch into place. This is typically a fairly easy process by hand screwing, as the screws are quite small and shallow.
Step 4: Test the Lock
Once your lock is in place, test it to make sure it’s functioning correctly. If it is, then you’re done! Nice work!
Wrapping Up
We shouldn’t have to sacrifice style for security (or vice-versa), and just because you want a few privacy doors doesn’t mean you need to dismiss. While barn doors aren’t normally locking, in fact there are so many different barn door locks to choose from that you’re bound to find one that fits your needs. The options we’ve shared here are some of the best ones on the market today, and will hopefully stop you wondering how to lock barn door of yours. Pick one up and get installing!
This article was originally published on 15 May 2022, and updated on 23 November 2024 to improve accuracy, helpfulness and readability.
