If you have ever been in a rural setting, you’ve seen barn doors-those sliding units that are used by farmers and ranchers on sheds to make entering and exiting the barn quick and easy. Many homeowners enjoy installing an interior barn door or exterior barn doors in place of their traditional swinging doors.

There are two major differences between the doors. First, swinging doors take a significant amount of floor space in comparison to a sliding door. Swing doors require room for the door to swing out whereas barn doors only need wall space to slide. Second, barn doors can be customized and styled in nearly any way possible.

While traditional doors can be tailored to your individual preferences, there is only so much you can do with a regular swing door. Barn doors, on the other hand, can be matched to any style and made of any combination of materials, from wood and metal to glass, to create a truly unique one-of-a-kind statement piece.