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Hi,
I have an old barn that I have moved from another room that I am going to add to a doorway into the living area from a hallway that leads to bedrooms. The middle is glass which is quite noisy/rattle-y when you close it so Inwas thinking of actually removing the glass (not sure how yet) and adding some backing/shelves so it looks like a bookcase and conceals the entrance when closed (although will need to cover the top if I want it to be completely concealed - will add pics) my question - is it worth it or am I better off starting from scratch - seems like a waste otherwise but not sure how to remove glass safely. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Hello @dragonfly
I totally understand what you are trying to achieve, and I think its fantastic. However, it does present some engineering challenges that need to be addressed. The door once turned into a bookshelf will significantly gain weight and will not be as lightweight as a simple barn door. Removing the glass is an option and replacing it with a timber backing of sorts will remove the rattling you're hearing from the glass. Speaking of which, please note that working with glass is dangerous an accidental hit with a tool or when too much force is applied could make the glass shatter and cause injury. Please make sure to wear personal protection such as gloves and goggles when working with glass.
The top rail will not be able to hold the weight of the bookcase/door, and it might be necessary to change its sliding function from top rail to solid floor rails like a train. Building a custom bookcase/door is definitely possible but you'll run into the same issues I've mentioned. You'll also need to use heavy duty steel wheels to hold the weight of the door and the books you'll be putting in them. I propose drawing your plan on paper first and try to calculate what the weight of the bookcase/door will be.
You can then get creative by putting fake book fronts to save on weight and add light weight displays and not just books (plastic model cars and planes come to mind).
Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Good Afternoon @dragonfly
Love the idea 
Tho some adjustment will be needed to carry the heavier weight. The rails that support the door now will not carry it for sure. When you say noisy, rattly when you close the glass door. Do you mean when it rolls along or it does that when the door is closed? I am asking as one of my ideas would to be to add something to the rail to soften the "rumble" as in a type of tape on top and maybe painting pictures of books on shelves on the door. Lots of work but it could look pretty nice.
or as @EricL suggested, fake it in other ways. I have built a kind of fake door that matches at first glance the rest of the bookshelves I have along the wall. The shelves i used were light in weight and I also added an extra hinge to make sur ethe door could carry weight hanging off it.
Hidden internal door for the library is the project.
I like the idea of a solid bookeshelf that can be rolled out of the way. Maybe you could modify a bookshelf so that it cna handle moving and also have guides on the back to keep it aginst the wall. Plus something that would stop the whole thing potentially toppling over if someone climbs it.
I would start from scratch, I know bunnings have rails for gates and associated wheels for them. It may be an idea to take a wander through the aisles and let your mind drift on how to carry the weight. I have looked at the rails for the ladder that roles against a row of bookcases
Dave
Hi @dragonfly
If you want to stop the glass from rattling, simple run a fine beed of a clear silicone along the edge of the door frame where it meets the glass.
If you want to remove it then it's the fine beading inset of the main door frame is whats securing the glass. I would carefully use one of these snap off knives with the blade extended which makes it quite flexible. Run it along where the trim meets the frame and slowly work your way through. Eventually you will most likely find some brads. Use something like a chisel to then start to pry the trim out along the cut. The trim will most likely break but it's easily replaced if need be.
Nailbag
